Guinness Beef Stew with Dumplings
A slow-simmered Guinness beef stew with root vegetables and dumplings — rich, deep, and comforting. A Maritime twist on an Irish classic, layered with browned aromatics, roasted veggies, and a dark roux for real depth of flavor.
When I think of fall food, this is it. A heavy pot in the oven, the house smelling like roasted beef, mushrooms, and thyme. Steam on the windows. It’s the kind of meal that cooks slowly in the background while you live your day — the reward waiting for you at the end of it.
Beef stew, or sometimes pot roast, was a staple in my house growing up. It was simple — root vegetables, beef, salt, maybe a few herbs — but it always hit right on those cold Maritime evenings. My wife’s family ate something similar in Nova Scotia too. It’s one of those dishes you find in every household between New Brunswick and the coast, because English and Irish food have been woven into Acadian life for generations. That mix of hearty ingredients and slow cooking is the kind of history you can taste.
Over time, I started to build on that base — adding Guinness to deepen the flavor and give it a warm, slightly bitter edge. Every step in this recipe is meant to add layers: searing the beef until it browns, caramelizing the mushrooms, building a dark roux before the beer hits the pan. It takes a while, but it’s worth every minute.
By the time it’s done, the beef is spoon-tender, the broth rich and velvety, and the dumplings puff up like buttery little biscuits on top. Serve it hot with a cold Guinness, a slice of sourdough, and maybe a pouding chômeur or apple crisp for dessert. The leftovers? Even better the next day — just like any real stew should be.
Recipe
Ingredients
Stew Base
Dumplings
Instructions
- 1Preheat oven to 350. Put Dutch oven on stove (or heavy bottomed pot that's oven safe. Or a roaster) and get it to medium hot.
- 2While stuff is preheating, cut beef into large 3 inch cubes. Salt generously with coarse sea salt. Add neutral tasting oil to the Dutch oven (like grapeseed or canola). Sear beef a few at a time until brown on all sides (do not over crowd). While beef is searing, start mincing your aromatics (shallots, garlic, thyme). Grate the tomatoes and set aside in a bowl.
- 3Put beef aside. Add mushrooms to Dutch oven and sauté until golden brown. Put mushrooms aside with beef.
- 4Turn down the heat on stove to low-medium. Make a dark roux. Combine flour and butter together. Stir often. You want the roux to get quite dark, but not burnt. When the roux is dark enough, stir in your aromatics to slow down the cooking. Sautee your aromatics until golden and fragrant. Add the grated tomatoes. Stir the mixture for a minute.
- 5Add the Guinness and stir the mixture for another minute. It should get thicker. Add in the beef and mushroom. Let simmer for a couple minutes. Add the bay leaves. Cover the pot, and turn to medium high until it boils. Take the pot off the stove, and into the oven on middle rack.
- 6Wash and cut your root veggies into pretty big chunks. If they're too small, they'll dissolve in the stew. I leave the little gem potatoes as is, and cut the carrots into 2.5-3 inch length. Turnips in two inch cubes. Add veggies to a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with neutral tasting oil, and generous amount of coarse sea salt. Mix the veggies together, and add into the oven bottom rack. Cook veggies for about an hour, stirring halfway.
- 7Take veggies and stew out, and add veggies to the stewing pot. Mix around a bit, then add back to the oven middle rack. Reduce heat to 300 F. Leave in the oven for about 2.5 hours. Check beef to see if it's spoon tender, if so it's ready and you can add the dumplings. If it isn't spoon tender yet, then put it back in for 20-30 minutes and test again.
- 8About 15-20 minutes before beef is ready, start making the dumplings. Combine the dry ingredients and butter together, and use your hands to crumble the butter into the dry mix, until you have a coarse mixture. Add in the buttermilk and stir everything together. Dump everything on your kitchen counter (or cutting board) and gently kneed until the ingredients are combined and staying togehter.
- 9Roll and fold the dough many times. I roll it about 1 inch flat, then fold in half. Then repeat about 8 more times. This creates layers which make the dumplings puff up like a pastry and fluffier. On the final roll, make the dough about 1 inch thick. Use a chef's knife to cut it in 16 pieces.
- 10Take the stew out of the oven, remove the cover. Turn the heat up to 425 F. Add the dumplings to the top of the stew. Make sure it's touching the broth, but not submerged. Add the stew back to the oven without the cover on. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the dumplings puff up in size and are fully cooked in the middle. If you want them brown on top, finish on broil (high) for a few minutes. Watch out not to burn.
- 11Let the stew sit for a bit to cool off. Taste broth to make sure it's salty enough - adjust salt to taste. Serve in large bowl, garnished with fresh parsley.
Notes & Substitutions
Take your time browning
Every stage — beef, mushrooms, roux — adds depth. Don’t rush it; the darker the browning, the richer the flavor.
The Guinness matters
Use the real stuff, not a light beer. Its bitterness balances the sweetness of the root vegetables and caramelized onions.
Go big with the veggies
Cut carrots, potatoes, and turnips into large chunks so they hold up after hours in the oven. Tiny pieces will melt into the stew.
Make the dumplings right before baking
They puff beautifully when freshly made and baked directly on top of the stew — crisp on top, tender underneath.
Let it rest
When it’s done, let the stew sit for 10–15 minutes before serving. The sauce thickens, and the flavors settle beautifully.
Even better tomorrow
Like any good stew, the flavor deepens overnight. Serve leftovers with a splash of stock or water to loosen the sauce before reheating.
About the Author
Daniel Hebert
I'm a husband, father, and tech entrepreneur. Founder of SalesMVP Lab and yourLumira. If I'm not spending time with my wife and two daughters, you can find me in the kitchen cooking up Maritimes and Acadian heritage recipes, posting food photos on instagram, baking sourdough loaves, or tending to my vegetable garden.