It’s easy to make a comforting Irish Beef Stew right in your slow cooker for St. Patrick’s Day! Packed with beef, vegetables and a delicious gravy, this is comfort food at its finest.
We are absolutely a “meat and potatoes” household. I think we’d gladly eat that for every meal of the week, ha! And this stew is no different – I first shared this recipe in 2016, but thought it finally needed an update before I miss another St. Patrick’s Day. So, here we are now (March 9th 2020) ☺️?
The more kids I have ?, the more I’ve been using my slow cooker. While I make a mean Beef and Guiness Stew in my Dutch oven (and like to get vocal about my dislike of the trusty old crockpot, haha!) and a great Irish Stew in my Instant Pot – honestly, nothing beats the crock on a crazy day with 3 little kids running about.
Note: I’m adding the instructions for the stove and for the instant pot at the bottom of this post for your convenience, but I definitely make stew most often in the slow cooker these days.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Beef: Use cheap stew meat here. This cooks for a long time in the crockpot and will get tender this way.
- Broth: I recommend beef broth for the best flavor and color. If you only have chicken, I strongly recommend adding 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 extra teaspoon Worcestershire sauce to the stew (reduce the salt to taste).
- Vegetables: Carrots, potatoes and celery are classic in an Irish stew. Feel free to leave out the celery if you don’t like it.
A note about the liquid: I used to use a dark beer in Irish stew when my kids were still on baby/toddler meals, but now the older two are eating all of the same foods as we do and they hate the taste of beer. So, I now use stock vs beer.
If you want to use beer, I STRONGLY recommend taking the time to at least sauté the onions. Use the beer to deglaze the pan and simmer for a couple of minutes to cook off some of the alcohol.
How to make Irish Beef Stew in the slow cooker
Please note: I always brown the beef and sauté the onions and garlic before adding everything to the slow cooker. The rest of the stew basically cooks itself, and the extra work is worth it in terms of more flavor.
If you need to skip the browning and sautéing because of time or other restraints, I don’t recommend using any beer in the stew.
Steps to make this stew:
1) brown the beef and remove to the slow cooker, then
2) sauté the onion and garlic.
3) Deglaze the pan and
4) add onions and liquid to slow cooker.
5) Add vegetables, herbs and liquid to crock,
6) slow cook.
7) Finish with a cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Recipe tips
- Make sure to whisk the flour very well into the broth, otherwise you’ll have a lumpy gravy.
- If your beef stew doesn’t thicken to your liking even after adding the cornstarch slurry, try blending 1 cup of the stew. Stir it back into the slow cooker and you should have a thicker gravy.
- Even though you usually need to leave the slow cooker lid on for the whole cooking process, you really need to leave it open for the last 15-30 minutes here to properly thicken the stew. Make sure the crockpot is safely standing on the counter and pets or children cannot get to it.
Dutch oven or instant pot instructions
Dutch oven: Heat the oven to 350°F. Brown the meat/sauté the onions in a large Dutch oven. Deglaze with beer or broth, then take off the heat. Add the vegetables, broth/flour/Worcestershire mixture and herbs. Close with the lid and put in the oven for 1-2 hours. CAREFULLY remove, using oven gloves (!!). Put on the stove, remove the lid and stir in the cornstarch slurry over medium heat. Simmer 10-15 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.
Instant Pot: Set the instant pot to “sauté” and brown the meat in batches. Remove, then sauté the onion. Deglaze with beer or broth, then switch off the instant pot.
Add the meat back in, and add the vegetables, broth/flour/Worcestershire mixture and herbs. Close the instant pot and set the valve to “sealing”. Press the “stew” button.
Once the pot is indicating it’s done with cooking, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes (just unplug your pot and leave it alone). Then manually release any remaining pressure and open the lid.
To thicken, set the instant pot to sauté and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Simmer until thickened. Alternatively, you can blend 1 cup of the stew and stir it back in.
Serving suggestions
We usually eat this stew by itself, maybe with a side of crusty bread. Either a traditional whole wheat soda bread, or a no knead bread are my favorites here!
The stew also very delicious over mashed potatoes, if you have big eaters in the house (my teenage brothers always needed this with their stew!). I recommend either making a batch of instant pot mashed potatoes, or whip up this traditional colcannon (it’s EASY!) if you want to go all-in for St. Patrick’s Day.
More St. Patrick’s Day recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew
Recipe details
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1.5 lbs beef stew meat in 1-2 inch cubes
- 2 small-medium onions peeled and cut into slim wedges
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 pound waxy potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 medium carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 sticks celery sliced
- 4 cups beef broth see notes if want to use beer
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce can use soy sauce in place
- 4 tablespoons white flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1 sprig thyme OR ¼ teaspoon dried
- 1 sprig rosemary OR ¼ teaspoon dried
- 1 bay leaf skip if you don’t have
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch stirred into 3 tablespoon cool water to make a slurry (use more cornstarch for an extra-thick gravy, but don’t overdo it – it will thicken more as it cools slightly)
Instructions
- Brown meat: Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and brown; remove and add to 4-6 quart slow cooker.
- Sauté onions: Add onions to hot skillet and sauté over medium heat until softened. Pour in about ½ cup of the beef broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan (see notes for using dark beer in this step). Take off the heat and carefully pour into slow cooker over meat.
- Cook stew: Place potatoes, carrots and celery in slow cooker. Whisk together broth, Worcestershire sauce and flour in a measuring jug. Pour over meat and vegetables in slow cooker, then carefully stir. Tuck in herbs, close lid and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.
- Thicken: Open slow cooker and carefully stir. Pour in cornstarch slurry, stirring to combine well. Simmer WITHOUT the lid for 15-30 minuets on HIGH, until thickened.
Notes
Recipe tips
- Make sure to whisk the flour very well into the broth, otherwise you’ll have a lumpy gravy.
- If your beef stew doesn’t thicken to your liking even after adding the cornstarch slurry, try blending 1 cup of the stew. Stir it back into the slow cooker and you should have a thicker gravy.
- Even though you usually need to leave the slow cooker lid on for the whole cooking process, you really need to leave it open for the last 15-30 minutes here to properly thicken the stew. Make sure the crockpot is safely standing on the counter and pets or children cannot get to it.
Ingredient notes
- Beef: Use cheap stew meat here. This cooks for a long time in the crockpot and will get tender this way.
- Broth: I recommend beef broth for the best flavor and color. If you only have chicken, I strongly recommend adding 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 extra teaspoon Worcestershire sauce to the stew (reduce the salt to taste).
- Vegetables: Carrots, potatoes and celery are classic in an Irish stew. Feel free to leave out the celery if you don’t like it.
Kathy says
I just made this for the second time. I used some strong black coffee in place of some of the broth as it adds a richness. I noticed that the garlic that is in the ingredients list is left out in the steps of the recipe, and when I was reading the comments section this time, there was a comment about one pound of floury potatoes (in addition to the one pound of waxy potatoes), which I don’t even see on the ingredients list. Maybe you could update the recipe to fix the errors? It’s very tasty but I find it frustrating when steps/ingredients are left out of recipes.
Nora says
Kathy, the recipe was from the very beginning of my blogging days, and I updated it at some point to improve it. That’s why a comment refers to two types of potatoes. This was a frequent issue for readers, so I re-tested and re-made the recipe with just one type to make it easier to understand. Sorry about missing the garlic, thank you for bringing it to my attention – will fix it ASAP. Hope this helps!
Jen Hart says
This was SO GOOD! I printed out the recipe but had to look back at this blog because the garlic and salt and pepper ingredients were missing. Figured it out and it was seriously Delicious! Thank you!
Nora says
I’m so glad, Jen!
Helen D Vogel says
Omgeeeeee!!! I just made this recipe for Saint Patrick’s Day. WOWWWW! This is the best stew I have ever made. My family says the same. I used Guinness beer for half of the broth and I did use the cheapest meat cuts for this as well, called beef stew meat at the market. I followed the rest of the recipe as stated. I have been asked to make this over again any time we have cold rainy weather!! Love Love
Nora says
I’m so glad, Helen! It’s one of my all-time favorite recipes, so I’m always happy when others like it, too.
Deb says
you say cornstarch then flour which one is correct?
Nora says
Deb, the flour goes in first. If the stew is still too runny for your taste once it’s done cooking, you can thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Hope this helps!
Rachel D says
Did you change the recipe? One commenter said 2# potatoes (waxy & floury) but recipe only calls for 1# waxy. What am I missing? I just used 1 – 1.5# red potatoes and I also use en envelope of brown gravy mix in place of cornstarch. Yummy!!
Nora says
Yep, I did. I think there’s a note at the bottom of the post. The potatoes were tripping up so many people, and it was just a very old and bland recipe in general. It’s much tastier now, and no more fussing with different potato types 😉
Alma Lawrence says
What about cabbage and using corned beef? I always thought those were included for an “Irish” stew?
Nora says
An Irish Stew and Corned Beef and Cabbage are not the same dishes. They are two separate recipes, one is for a normal stew that usually has Guinness beer added (authentic it’s mostly with lamb, but in the US it’s mostly made with beef). The other is for corned beef cooked with cabbage and potatoes. Hope this helps, Alma!
Rose Marie Wagner says
does this mean 1 lb waxy potatoes AND 1 lb floury potatoes so all together two pounds of potatoes what does it mean when it says floury potatoes? toss them in flour is this correct. Thanks
Nora Rusev says
Rose, yes that’s 1 lb each. Sorry, it’s quite an old recipe and my recipe writing skills were not very refined back then. When it says floury potatoes, I mean starchy ones. Something like russets. If you don’t have any starchy potatoes, that’s fine. You’ll just have to thicken the stew with a little more cornstarch in the end.
It’s a big hearty stew which helps to stretch the meat, but if you prefer a meatier one, you can use only 1 pound potatoes instead. I also have an instant pot Irish stew that has a higher meat ratio if you prefer: https://www.savorynothings.com/instant-pot-irish-stew/ – you can do the steps of “browning the meat” and “starting the gravy” in a large pot on the stove, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours. Hope that helps!
Jen says
Add some dark stout beer or Guinness and that’s a traditional Irish stew 🙂
Michelle says
This stew was delicious. I added a packet of Lipton’s onion soup for more flavor (and left out the cornstarch). The soup packet thickened the stew right up. My whole family loved it!
Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient says
Simple, hearty and I’m sure it’s super satisfying too. We’re getting some freezing rain in New York and this sounds like just the cure for the miserable weather!
marcie says
Irish stew is on my must-make list this St. Patrick’s Day! Yours looks so delicious and inviting, and I love that it’s made in a slow cooker! Beautiful photos, Nora. 🙂
Annie says
You are so right! Everyone needs some comfort food every now and then! This looks divine!