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
Ingredients
- 3 lbs lamb shoulder, well-trimmed and cut into 1½-in (4-cm) pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions cut into 1½-in (4-cm) chunks
- 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-in (2.5-cm) chunks on the diagonal
- 1 lb small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
- 1 cup frozen 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 to 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 to 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.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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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The Guinness Lamb and Vegetable Stew was absolutely delicious! My 91 year old mother from County Galway loved it.
Thank you Jenn! I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Best regards,
Mary
Is it ok to make this recipe a day ahead? —
Lamb Stew. Would the lamb take on a less desirable life of its own ??
Thanks
Absolutely, Charlotte, it will be even better the next day. Enjoy!
I am wondering if I could add barley to this stew? I love barley beef stew and it looks like it would be a good fit here. Thoughts?
Hi Nicole, Absolutely but I’d cook it separately and add it at the end, otherwise it will soak up all the broth. Hope you enjoy it!
Can I Substitute potatoes for sweet potatoes?
Thanks
Sure!
the guiness lamb stew can i freeze half
Deb, For the most part, the stew freezes nicely — just omit the potatoes because they don’t freeze well. You can boil some potatoes separately when you defrost the stew and either add them in or serve them on the side. Enjoy!
I made this stew last night. Oh my. Hands down the best stew I’ve ever made, and I’ve made a lot. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Could I make this in an electric pressure cooker therefore cutting the time down, or do you think that will alter the flavor?
Hi Cindy, I don’t have any experience with pressure cookers…I think they are supposed to be good for stews but you may need a different recipe that’s specific to a pressure cooker.
I’ve made this in my pressure cooker and it’s amazing. You would do almost everything in the same order. Brown the meat, take it out, then the onions, etc.. I put everything in but peas, stuck it on high pressure for 15 minutes.. And it was ready to go. Add peas.
Flavor is unbelievable and meat is incredibly tender like always in a PC.
Hello, im making this for my family for dinner tonight. What goes well on the side for this? Bread? what kind if so? anything else??
Hi Cheyenne, I like to serve it with a French baguette and a big green salad — that’s all you need.
Instead of simmering it on the stove, I braised the stew in a 350 degree oven for the times indicated in the recipe, and the results were wonderful. Braising saved me from having to stir the stew, also. I used a nice porter instead of Guinness and it worked deliciously. Thanks for a terrific recipe!
Hi – Would it be okay to braise the stew in a 350 degree oven instead of simmering on the cooktop? Thanks!
Yes Laura, I think you could get away with that. I’d keep the cook time the same. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks, Jenn! Looking forward to making it!
Can you use either corn or wheat flour for this recipe? If so, would one be preferable to the other, and would the amount be the same for each? Thanks
Hi Juliette, out of the two, I would opt for the wheat flour. The measurement would remain the same– 1/4 cup.
Made this last night during the winter storm and it was fantastic. Not a huge lamb fan but boyfriend is. It was one of the best stews I ever made, also made the beef stew from this website a few weeks ago and that was beautiful too! Thank you!!!