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Guinness Beef Stew with Herb Dumplings

Guinness beef stew with herb dumplings is a one-pot comfort meal with fork-tender beef, root vegetables, and a stout gravy. Soft herb dumplings cook right on top of the simmering stew for fluffy, spoonable bites.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Irish
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef Stew
  • 2 lb beef chuck Cut into 1½-inch cubes.
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour For coating and stew base.
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion Large, diced.
  • 3 carrots Medium, cut into thick slices.
  • 2 celery Stalks, sliced.
  • 3 cloves garlic Minced.
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1.5 cups Guinness stout
  • 2.5 cups beef broth
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 lb baby potatoes Halved.
Herb Dumplings
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley Finely chopped.
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 tbsp cold butter Cubed.
  • 0.75 cup milk

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Season and brown the beef
  1. Season the beef chuck with salt and black pepper, then toss with 3 tbsp all-purpose flour until lightly coated and ready to brown.
  2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches for 3–4 minutes per side until a deep crust forms, then transfer to a plate.
Build the stout gravy
  1. Add the yellow onion, carrots, and celery to the Dutch oven and cook over medium heat for 5–6 minutes until slightly softened.
  2. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  3. Pour in the Guinness stout and scrape the browned bits from the bottom, then simmer for 3–4 minutes.
  4. Return the beef to the Dutch oven, then add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, bay leaf, and baby potatoes.
  5. Bring the stew to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 1½–2 hours until the beef is fork-tender and the gravy has thickened.
Make and cook herb dumplings
  1. Combine 1½ cups all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, parsley, and fresh thyme leaves, then cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  2. Stir the milk into the dumpling mixture just until a soft dough forms, avoiding overmixing.
  3. Drop heaping spoonfuls of dough over the simmering stew, leaving a little space between each dumpling.
  4. Cover and cook over low heat for 15–18 minutes without lifting the lid, until the dumplings are fluffy and cooked through.
  5. Remove the bay leaf and serve the stew with herb dumplings nestled in the stout gravy over the beef and vegetables.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the stew at a gentle simmer before adding dumplings and avoid lifting the lid—steam is what makes them fluffy. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3–4 days; reheat gently. Freezing: yes, freeze the stew (with dumplings) up to 2 months, though dumplings may soften on thawing. For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for both the stew flour coating and dumplings.