Lamb Stew with Vegetables
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Cozy up with a bowl of Guinness-spiked lamb stew—each spoonful promises succulent meat, hearty broth, and pure comfort.
This lamb stew is a comforting classic, much like my popular beef stew and Hungarian goulash, but with a distinctly Irish twist. Tender, seared lamb is slow-cooked in a Guinness-spiked broth, giving the stew a rich, malty flavor, while carrots and potatoes make it wonderfully hearty. Pair it with my Cheddar soda bread, and you’ve got a hearty meal that’s perfect for warming up on a chilly day.
“Delicious! I doubled the recipe and made it for a crowd of friends all from Ireland the weekend before St Patrick’s Day…No leftovers, unfortunately!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Lamb Stew With Vegetables
- Lamb Shoulder: Rich in flavor, this cut and becomes fork-tender when cooked slowly over low heat.
- Onions and Garlic: The flavor base of the stew.
- Tomato Paste: Adds umami, richness, and a slight acidity.
- Flour: Thickens the stew.
- Guinness: Adds a unique, malty depth and a hint of bitterness.
- Beef Broth: The savory liquid base for the stew.
- Bay Leaf and Fresh Rosemary: Bring earthy flavor.
- Carrots and Baby Yukon Potatoes: Add heartiness to the stew.
- Peas: Bring a pop of color, sweetness, and freshness.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven until shimmering. Brown the lamb in batches, adding more oil as needed, and letting it develop a crust before turning.
Transfer the browned meat to large bowl and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic and 2 tablespoons of water to the pot.
Cook until the onions are soft, then add the tomato paste and cook a few minutes more.
Add the lamb with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with flour.
Stir until fully combined, then add the Guinness, broth, water, bay leaf, rosemary, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes to the stew.
Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender and the meat is very soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in peas and simmer until warmed through. The stew can be made up to 3 days ahead of time or frozen for 3 months.
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Lamb Stew with Vegetables
Cozy up with a bowl of Guinness-spiked lamb stew—each spoonful promises succulent meat, hearty broth, and pure comfort.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds lamb shoulder, well-trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1½-inch
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Guinness
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water, plus 2 tablespoons more for cooking onions and garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks on diagonal
- 1 pound small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
- 1 cup frozen green peas
Instructions
- Pat the lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the lamb in three batches, adding one more tablespoon of oil for each batch. Do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a brown crust before turning with tongs. It should take 5-8 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned meat to large bowl and set aside.
- Add the onions, garlic and 2 tablespoons of water to the pot. Cook until the onions are soft, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of pan, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook a few minutes more.
- Add the lamb with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with flour. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely mixed in, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the Guinness, beef broth, water, bay leaf, rosemary sprig and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, turn the heat down to low and simmer for one hour and twenty minutes.
- Add the carrots and potatoes to the stew, then cover and continue simmering until the vegetables are cooked and the meat is very tender, 30-40 minutes. (Be sure to stir a few times to prevent vegetables from sticking to bottom.)
- Remove the bay leaf and rosemary sprig, and then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If serving right away, add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are warmed through. Otherwise, let the stew cool, then cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat gently on the stovetop and add the peas right before serving.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Prepare the stew as directed, then cool it to room temperature before refrigerating. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. If you want to freeze the stew, transfer it to an airtight container once it has cooled. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw the stew overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 789
- Fat: 52g
- Saturated fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Sugar: 9g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 42g
- Sodium: 1242mg
- Cholesterol: 150mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Can you use cut up leg of lamb rather than shoulder? Like several of your reviews note, shoulder is not available in my area. Thanks! P.S. Your Maryland Crab Cake recipe was the best! Don’t want to skew your rating score, so I’ll vote 5 stars now and correct with a later view if different.
I wouldn’t recommend leg of lamb here — it won’t get tender if cooked this way — sorry! And glad to hear you enjoyed the crab cakes. 🙂
I used leg the first time I made it. Worked beautifully. Don’t over cook though.
I have a comment and a question. First, this is an amazing recipe. I spent over ten years trying every Guinness stew recipe I could find, searching for the elusive taste that I loved from traveling through Ireland on a major budget with my now-husband. I kept thinking I would find the ingredient that was responsible for the missing flavor. I felt so silly when I made yours, using lamb for the first time (every other recipe used beef, and I thought it was beef in Ireland). I realized the flavor I had missed was lamb (which I love, and has really a really recognizable flavor).
Now the question: for some reason, lamb shoulder is not readily available in my area. I used lamb rib chops, that the butcher cut up, but that is an awfully expensive meal (just the meat was over $60. I do see ground lamb and occasionally lamb shoulder blade chops. Can you recommend the best way (if there is one) to get the lamb flavor using either of these (or something else) in combination with beef?
By the way, every recipe of yours I have tried has been delicious. There are a couple other bloggers whose recipes I use because they are decent, QUICK everyday family meals. Yours take just a little more time than I sometimes have on weekdays but I can always count on them to be fantastic.
So glad you like the recipes, Rachel! This may be pretty disappointing considering you’ve been looking for so long for a lamb stew that’s “just right,” but I’m not sure of another cut that would make more sense — I’m sorry! While you won’t get the lamb flavor you’re looking for, you may want to give my beef stew a try. It’s similar and delicious!
Hiya! Want to try this. Can I cook it in the oven?
Sure, you can cook this in the oven if you’d prefer. I’d stick to the times indicated in the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Omg! My boyfriend is Irish and I wanted to cook a nice easter dinner for him since we are stuck inside. The stew was just so nice! So full of flavour and the meat was as soft as butter! I added some mushrooms and celery. If an Irish man says this stew was nicer than his nanas, then it must be! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this last few days ago and we ate it for dinner tonight. My husband and I quite enjoyed it. Being of Irish descent it reminded me quite a bit of my grandmother’s cooking. Not to brag but I was very proud of how the dish turned out. However I did replace sweet potatoes with regular golden potatoes, For my husband does not care for sweet potatoes. I also added a cup of fresh green beans while simmering at the end. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and bringing back such beautiful memories as I have of my grandmother.
This is a family favorite! It is excellent!
I just made it for the first time. I added some chilli pepper to give it a little kick but OMG it so gooooooood! Thank you for the recipe♥️
Hi, Jen – I just made this last night and I loved it. I added a can of diced tomatoes and cut back on the water to 1 cup. I would like to make this for our Christmas Eve dinner. But, I have an issue. The lamb I was able to buy ended up being quite strong in taste – too strong (I’m thinking it must be Australian,) and I also wasn’t thrilled with the variations in the size of the cubes. So, I have a question for you: how do you think this recipe would work with veal? (I think it would be fantastic.) Would you make any adjustments? Is it okay to cook the veal until it has a crust on it? Thanks so much, Jen.
Hi Laura, The most reliable substitute for lamb would be beef. I haven’t tested this with veal, but if you can find veal chuck, theoretically, it should work without any changes. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Can I make this in a crockpot? If so, how would I alter the recipe?
Hi Catherine, This could be done in a slow cooker — You’ll still need to go through all the initial steps like searing the meat on the stovetop, so not sure it’s worth it. If you choose to use a slow cooker, here are some tips that may help you to adapt the recipe.
Thank you! I tried the recipe and it was wonderful! Everyone loved it.
This recipe is fab! I made the stew again but with beef, no garlic and 2 onions instead of one as my partner hates garlic and we thought it was better than the lamb stew but that’s our opinion.
Hello! I can’t wait to try out this recipe; I’ve tried the Beef one with awesome results 🙂
May I ask, may I add a little bit of canned tomatoes to this? Just to get that extra acidity… I understand this recipe is perfect as it is, but if you could add anything at all to it, what would you add?
Hi Ann, I think a bit of canned tomatoes would work nicely here. Enjoy!
We made the Guinness Lamb Stew with Vegetables tonight and we were super impressed with this recipe. We added celery and corn and it was delicious, so much so my husband suggested I write a review! I live in Australia and in our local supermarket I found it hard to get the right lamb portion so I bought a rolled lamb shoulder boneless roast and pulled it apart, cut off all the fat and chopped up the meat – it was so tender! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.