Guinness Spiked Irish Chili
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Nothing says comfort like a hearty bowl of Guinness chili. This rich and flavorful Irish-style chili is perfect for a casual dinner or a game-day snack. It’s simple to make in one pot, and it’s ready in under an hour!
This rich and flavorful Guinness chili is the ultimate comfort food. We add Ireland’s famous stout to give it a unique character that’s subtle but distinctive. It’s an easy-to-make dinner or snack and the leftovers are great for freezing!
Key ingredients needed
- Veggies: a mix of yellow onion, celery, bell peppers, and garlic is what we use.
- Ground beef: we like to use a coarsely ground beef for a chunkier chili. Ground beef with a higher fat percentage will also give the chili more flavor. You can use other ground meats like ground turkey if you’d like but it will have a slightly less robust flavor.
- Spices: we use a combination of chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, coriander, oregano, sea salt, and ground black pepper.
- Crushed tomatoes: crushed tomatoes make up the base of the delicious sauce.
- Can of Guinness beer: Guinness has a roasty malty character with notes of chocolate and coffee.
- Kidney beans: red kidney beans are ideal in chili because they’re hearty and they retain their shape and texture.
How to make Guinness chili
Once you’ve prepped your ingredients, this Guinness beer chili comes together easily. Here’s how we make it in a few simple steps:
- Sauté the onions until they start to brown, then add in the celery, bell peppers, and garlic.
- Now add the ground beef and cook it until it’s no longer pink. Stir in the spices, followed by the tomatoes and Guinness. Simmer this until it’s nice and thick.
- Lastly, add the beans. Taste your Irish chili, add more salt if needed, and serve with any (or all) of the toppings!
More ways to cook with Guinness
If you love the flavor of Guinness too, try one of our other delicious recipes:
- Sticky Guinness Chicken
- Guinness Beef Stew
- Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Cream Frosting
Hosting for St. Patrick’s Day? We’ve got you covered from drinks to desserts with festive St. Patrick’s Day recipes!
What to serve with Guinness chili?
A bowl of chili with Guinness tastes great with cornbread (we love our zucchini cornbread muffins), corn chips, or tortilla chips. We also love serving it with a crusty loaf of bread, garlic bread, or a buttered slice of our whole wheat Irish soda bread. For a hearty meal, scoop it over rice with a side salad like our kale apple salad.
Recipe FAQs
Is this chili spicy?
It really depends on how spicy your chili powder is. If you’re not sure, start with just one tablespoon of chili powder, taste the chili, and add more if you’d like it spicier. If you like a spicy chili, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a diced jalapeño pepper.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Absolutely! This is a great make-ahead recipe and some might say it tastes better the next day.
How do I store leftover chili?
Store any leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just be sure it’s cool before refrigerating it.
Can I freeze leftover chili?
Definitely! If you don’t plan to eat it right away, store any leftover chili in an airtight container in the freezer for 4-6 months.
Guinness Irish Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- 4 stalks celery (chopped)
- 2 bell peppers (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (grated on a Microplane or very finely minced)
- 1 ½ lb lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons EACH: chili powder and paprika
- 2 teaspoons EACH: ground cumin and coriander
- 1 teaspoon EACH: oregano, sea salt, and pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick (or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon)
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 14 ounce can of Guinness – see notes (440ml)
- 19 ounce can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- Optional toppings: sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, green onions
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, peppers, and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes.1 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 large yellow onion, 4 stalks celery, 2 bell peppers, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the ground beef to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir the chili powder, paprika, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, pepper, and cinnamon stick into the pot. Add the tomatoes and Guinness and stir together well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the chili is nice and thick.1 ½ lb lean ground beef, 2 tablespoons EACH: chili powder and paprika, 2 teaspoons EACH: ground cumin and coriander, 1 teaspoon EACH: oregano, sea salt, and pepper, 1 cinnamon stick, 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 14 ounce can of Guinness – see notes
- Add the beans to the pot then season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve the chili with any or all of the toppings.19 ounce can of red kidney beans, Optional toppings: sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, green onions
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
My husband and friends absolutely loved this recipe. I doubled it, added some white pepper and a little brown sugar in place of the cinnamon. It was DELICIOUS!!! I was able to thicken it to my liking by creating a slurry. You are so right about having fresh seasonings; makes a big difference. I’ll be making this again. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re very welcome, Donna!