How to Make Irish Stew in Your Slow Cooker

We love Irish cooking (especially these classic Irish recipes). It’s exceptionally homey, with hearty ingredients and fresh produce. The best meals, like Colcannon potatoes, soda bread and Irish stew, make us feel warm and cozy.

A low-and-slow stew might seem like the kind of dinner you have to babysit all day, but making a traditional lamb stew doesn’t need to be difficult. In fact, when you opt to use a slow cooker, you can get that all-day flavor with minimal hands-on time. This slow-cooker Irish stew tastes like it’s straight from the Emerald Isle!

How to Make Slow-Cooker Irish Stew

Our original Irish stew recipe uses a Dutch oven, but we’ve adapted it slightly for the slow cooker.

Ingredients

Crock Pot Irish Stew Ingredients Adedit

1-1/2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-in. cubes
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth, plus a splash for deglazing the pan
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-in. pieces
2 medium parsnips, cut into 1-in. pieces (or substitute with additional carrots)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons water

Editor’s Tip: Lamb is the preferred meat for Irish stew, but you can easily use beef chuck roast.

Tools You’ll Need

Slow Cooker: The Taste of Home Test Kitchen gave this slow cooker top marks. It has a ceramic-coated insert that’s nonstick, so cleanup is a breeze.
Cast-Iron Skillet: This Lodge skillet is excellent for sauteing a variety of foods, including meat and vegetables.
Wooden Spoon: I use a wooden slotted spoon like this one as a mini strainer to remove solids from liquids.

Directions

Step 1: Prep and brown the beef

Preheat your slow cooker on low and heat a cast-iron skillet (or another heavy pan) over medium-high heat.

Toss the meat with 1/3 cup of flour until coated. You can do this by sealing the two ingredients in a zip-top bag, then shaking, or by tossing them together in a large mixing bowl.

Once the skillet is hot, brown the meat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. You don’t need to cook the beef long—just enough to get some color on the outside. When it’s browned, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In the same pan, saute the onions and garlic for a minute or two. Hit this with a splash or two of the beef broth—this will help deglaze, or loosen all the tasty browned bits from the pan. You don’t need to cook them completely; the slow cooker will take care of that.

Even though this recipe relies on your trusty Crockpot to get that fork-tender texture, browning gives ingredients a big flavor boost.

Step 2: Start slow-cooking

Irish Stew Meat And Vegetables In Crock Pot

When the slow cooker is warm, add the meat and the onion, garlic and broth mixture. You want every bit of flavor from the skillet going into the slow cooker! Then stir in the potatoes, carrots, seasonings, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth.

Let the stew cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Step 3: Add the finishing touches

Peas cook quickly in the slow cooker, so wait until the last half hour to stir them in.

This is also the time to give your stew a bit more body. So, thicken the stew with a bit of flour: Whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of water until nice and smooth. Then stir into the stew. Place the lid back on the slow cooker and let the stew bubble away for 30 minutes more.

The result is a hearty Irish stew that’s perfect for chilly evenings. We recommend serving it alongside a slice of homemade Irish soda bread.

Tips for Making Slow-Cooker Irish Stew

Crock Pot Irish Stew In Slow Cooker

How do you thicken slow-cooker Irish stew?

Coating the meat with flour will help the stew thicken as it cooks. The flour slurry at the end helps the stew come together, too.

What do you serve with slow-cooker Irish stew?

Soda bread is most commonly served with Irish stew. Don’t forget about these other traditional Irish foods,

How do you store slow-cooker Irish stew?

Store leftover Irish stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. This stew can be frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.

Classic Irish Recipes You'll Love

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Classic Irish Soda Bread

This traditional Irish soda bread can be made with an assortment of mix-ins such as dried fruit and nuts, but I like it with a handful of raisins. —Gloria Warczak, Cedarburg, Wisconsin Go to Recipe

Irish Beef Stew

Rich and hearty, this Irish beef stew is my husband's favorite. The beef is incredibly tender. Served with crusty bread, it's an ideal cool-weather meal and perfect for any Irish holiday. —Carrie Karleen, St. Nicolas, Quebec

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