Instant Pot Beef and Ale Stew

Super hearty and inherently Irish, this Instant Pot Guinness Beef Stew is the perfect recipe for a St. Patrick's Day feast.

Ya'll know how much I love St. Patrick's Day.

I have such fond memories growing up of spending St. Paddy's Day at my grandparent's house, eating corned beef and cabbage and listening to all the Irish jigs and ballads. It was a fun and lively celebration and I try to recreate that every year at home. It seems like the last couple years we've had travel over St. Paddy's weekend though, leaving me to make our Irish feast either a little early or belated.

This year, we celebrated early, just Steve and I. I made corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker (my first time eating corned beef in 18 years!), my Irish soda bread (and if you want the recipe for whole wheat Irish soda bread, I've got you), and we had aged cheddar cheese from Ireland with the colors of the Irish flag on the rind (I'm a sucker for cheesy – haha pun not intended – things like that). Oh, and of course, Guinness.

A couple days later, as Boston got hit with 15+ inches of snow, I broke out the Instant Pot to test another St. Patrick's Day favorite, Guinness Beef Stew. Now, if you want a plant-based version, I've got an awesome recipe for vegetarian Irish Guinness Lentil Stew. Also, if you've been following my blog for a while, you'll probably realize that this is my first meat recipe here. And if you're thinking where did this come from and you missed my post on why I started eating meat again, be sure to check that out for some background.

This recipe testing couldn't have been more perfectly timed, IMO. Blizzard outside. Guinness Stew inside. YES. Hoping this is the last hearty winter meal I have to make in a while though! I mean, it is the beginning of spring next week, right? Although, I'm aware that in Boston that means nothing. We've been known to see snow in April.

This stew was so satisfying though. Steve actually ate it for lunch AND dinner, that's how much he enjoyed it. I have a thing about eating the same thing twice in one day (I get bored and I like variety) otherwise I probably would have too. This stew is super easy to make in the Instant Pot (affiliate link), although you could easily convert it to a slow cooker recipe, just brown the meat and mushrooms separately before adding it to the slow cooker.

I LOVE all of the flavor in this stew – not only from the Guinness, but the aromatic veggies, Dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and thyme. It's like all the savory flavors combined into one stew. MMMMMM. Serve this with some soda bread or I could also see this being really delicious served on top of mashed potatoes. Yessssss. Or, if you wanna be real Irish, serve it on top of my vegan cauliflower colcannon.

Whether you're Irish or you just like an excuse to take a car bomb with your friends (no judgments) on St. Paddy's Day, this recipe is for you.

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1.5 lbs lean beef stew meat (round chuck)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (white button or crimini/baby bella)
1 can Guinness (14.9 ounces)
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup beef stock
1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes (about 4), peeled and quartered
4 to 5 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt)

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to Instant Pot on saute function. Once the oil is hot, add beef (working in two batches) and let cook about 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Set aside on a plate.
Add remaining olive oil and add mushrooms and saute 4 minutes on each side, or until browned. Set aside.
Add Guinness to deglaze the pan. Add beef, onions, celery, garlic, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, bay leaves, thyme and beef stock. Secure lid, make sure valve is set to sealing and set Instant Pot to Meat/Stew function for 30 minutes.
Use quick release valve to release steam.
Remove lid, add potatoes and carrots. Secure lid back on and set to pressure cook/manual for four minutes.
Use quick release valve to release steam. Remove lid and stir in sauteed mushrooms.
In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with two teaspoons water. Add cornstarch slurry to the stew and stir in to thicken.
Add salt and pepper, to taste.