Guinness Cake and Other Delicious Recipes You Can Make With Irish Stout

As one of the most recognizable beer brands in the world, Guinness can be found flowing from taps at restaurants, hole-in-the-wall bars, and even upscale cocktail bars. But what about incorporating Guinness into your own kitchen? There are plenty of recipes (and even some mixed drinks) that use Guinness or other Irish stouts in everything from beef stew to gravy. Here are a handful of Guinness recipes — just be sure to save some of the beloved beer to drink with your meal. 

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We think chocolate and beer make a pretty stellar combo, and this Guinness chocolate cake recipe is proof. With sour cream added for moistness, the recipe calls for one cup of Guinness in the cake batter plus a bit of Bailey’s Irish cream in the frosting. 

Recipe: Handle the Heat

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What’s more Irish than beef and Guinness stew? The hearty entrée requires some time on the stove to let the flavors come together, but it’s well worth the wait. This Irish stew recipe features around 15 ounces of Guinness along with beef chuck, bacon, chopped carrots and celery, and aromatic herbs.

Recipe: RecipeTin Eats

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If Ina Garten says this recipe is good, it must be (Sorry, we don’t make the rules.). The culinary doyenne uses quick-cooking oats and a bottle of Guinness extra stout beer in this brown bread recipe, along with buttermilk and dark brown sugar. Once the bread is ready, slather it with Irish butter for a breakfast or afternoon snack.

Recipe: Food Network

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Once you’ve started on the bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes), whip up some Guinness gravy made with half a cup of draught beer. The hearty condiment is made tangy with Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard.

Recipe: Renee Nicole’s Kitchen

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Slow-cooked and tender, this beef and Guinness pie brings together two popular Irish ingredients. It takes more than three hours to cook, making it a great weekend afternoon project. Pair it with a thick slice of bread to soak up any excess gravy. 

Recipe: The Spruce Eats, reprinted from Angela Boggiano's “Pie”

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Chocolate and Guinness come together for another decadent dessert, this time a rich chocolate pudding. The recipe uses one cup of Guinness draught mixed with whipping cream, a sugar replacement (though we think using regular sugar is fine here), unsweetened chocolate, and egg yolks, resulting in this luxurious treat. 

Recipe: All Day I Dream About Food

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This is comfort food at its finest: A stovetop macaroni and cheese made with plenty of Irish cheddar, Guinness, Dijon mustard, cream cheese, and other hearty ingredients. The result is a creamy, Irish spin on a classic dish.

Recipe: Celebrating Sweets

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Getting tired of your usual iced coffee routine? This recipe turns the caffeinated beverage up a couple notches with the addition of a hefty stout (Bon Appetit recommends AleSmith Speedway or Guinness), Irish whiskey, simple syrup, and heavy cream. Cheers!

Recipe: Bon Appetit

Though this recipe uses 11 ounces of Guinness extra stout, the beer is reduced down to half a cup in order to give the sweet and salty caramel sauce a more concentrated flavor. With notes of coffee, vanilla, and chocolate, the sauce can be spooned over ice cream, brownies, or another favorite dessert.

Recipe: Ginger With Spice

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Guinness for breakfast? Sure, why not. Here, the Irish stout is baked into the waffle batter, while Irish whiskey is used to make a whipped cream. Topped with pecans and mint, it’s a boozy take on a breakfast staple. 

Recipe: Honestly Yum

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If you’re looking for a great Guinness burger, this simple recipe calls for a quarter-cup of Guinness mixed in with ground beef. The addition of aged Irish cheddar continues the Irish theme, and English muffins are used instead of traditional burger buns for a fun twist. 

Recipe: Garnish and Lemon

Home cooks can use any kind of dark beer in this beer chili, though a stout is recommended. It’s perfect for a crowd (a hefty five pounds of beef chuck are used in the recipe), and goes well with — you guessed it — a smooth stout. Maybe the one you’re pouring into the chili itself?

Recipe: Epicurious

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Ideal for any celebratory event, the Black Velvet cocktail combines Guinness and Champagne for a bubbly spin on a beloved stout. The assembly is simple: Pour three ounces of Guinness into a glass (ideally a coupe), followed by three ounces of Champagne. Cheers. Sip. Repeat.

Recipe: Sugar and Soul

This hearty pot pie is a boon for vegetarians, featuring two types of mushrooms and three to four small sweet potatoes. It also calls for a bottle of porter or stout beer, which adds a hearty zing to the broth.  

Recipe: Taste of Home

For boozy chocolate fans, these two-toned brownies include a full cup of Guinness stout. The tan brownies are prepared separately from the Guinness-infused black brownies until the end, when they’re baked together to create an inventive treat. 

Recipe: Cooking Light

Curious about rarebit? The British dish is generally made by pouring a hot, cheesy sauce over slices of toasted bread. In this recipe, Guinness is included in the cheese sauce along with mustard and Worcestershire sauce, which is then spread over bread and grilled until golden brown.

Recipe: Olive

Oats, buttermilk, and 12 ounces of Guinness are used in this comforting bread recipe, which the home chef developed after a trip to Ireland. Serve it fresh out of the oven with a slab of butter and some honey. 

Recipe: Allrecipes

Ireland and France team up in this rich dish, a French onion soup made with three cups of Guinness (or your preferred Irish stout). Ideal on a cold winter day, the soup is topped with sliced bread and cheese melted to perfection under a broiler. 

Recipe: Closet Cooking

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Take your pretzel game up a notch with this easy-to-make, beer-infused cheese dip. The dip features Guinness, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, and — for a little kick — a few tablespoons of stone ground mustard. It’s a whole new way to enjoy beer and pretzels.

Recipe: Created by Diane

You’ll need a slow cooker for this recipe, along with plenty of chuck roast and 12 ounces of Guinness. Stock up on French rolls to fill with the shredded chuck, and set aside any leftover cooking juices in which to dip your sandwich. 

Recipe: Baked by Rachel

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This is a cultural mashup we can get behind. Tacos are given an Irish twist with the addition of Guinness-braised pork, which becomes tender after cooking in the oven for up to four hours. A tart crema made with sour cream, lime, and cilantro gets drizzled on top, and you can garnish your Irish-Mexican hybrid dish with avocados, limes, and other accouterments. 

Recipe: The Cheerful Kitchen

Beer for breakfast? We’re in. These donut holes feature all the usual suspects — flour, sugar, baking powder, butter — plus cocoa powder and a surprise ingredient: Guinness. The stout is used in the glaze, too, making for a boozy (and delicious) breakfast treat.

Recipe: Sweet Peas and Saffron

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Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or any other celebration that is meant to feed a crowd, this classic shepherd’s pie features Guinness stout in its savory broth. The cooking time is over two hours, so be sure to clear your afternoon plans — and save yourself some Guinness to enjoy with your meal.   

Recipe: Baked by Rachel

Think of your favorite chicken sandwich. Now think of that chicken covered in a sweet, salty, tangy glaze. Now get to work making it in your own kitchen. This chicken sandwich uses Guinness, garlic, brown sugar, Worcestershire, honey, and salt to spread over grilled chicken breasts before sandwiching it between two hefty pieces of bread. 

Recipe: Will Cook For Smiles

You’re definitely allowed to eat this dish with your hands. Compact and savory, these beef hand pies are made with a full cup of Guinness stout. Use store-bought pie crusts to cut down on cooking time. 

Recipe: Spache the Spatula

Oyster fans will want to give this unique recipe a try, one that involves making a granita out of Irish stout, black pepper, and lemon zest. The granita is then served over freshly-shucked oysters and topped with shallots, lemon zest, and parsley.

Recipe: Serious Eats

These onion rings may not be the healthiest snack, but they’re an ideal accompaniment to any game-day viewing or holiday party. Guinness is used in the batter, which the onion rings are dipped in before being fried and served with Parmesan and your favorite dipping sauces. 

Recipe: Foodness Gracious

To incorporate the Irish stout into a meal as a condiment, consider this recipe for Guinness barbecue sauce, an easy-to-make accompaniment to any steak, ribs, or burger dish. Combine Guinness draught with ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and pepper, and you have a boozy sauce to drench over your favorite meat dish. 

Recipe: Cooking With Curls

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Proof that you can add Guinness to almost anything, this chocolate Guinness ice cream recipe satisfies sweet-toothed stout fans. In addition to one and a half cups of beer, the recipe calls for semisweet or dark chocolate (with some grated chocolate to add on top). Making the dessert is a little time intensive, but the end results are worth it.

Recipe: Global Bakes

A whole bottle of Guinness is used in this skewer recipe, one that doesn’t necessarily require a grill (you can use a griddle, grill pan, or large skillet). Once cooked, the beer caramelizes over the meat, making for a savory, beer-infused meal that’s perfect for game day noshing or summertime cookouts.

Recipe: Go Go Go Gourmet