Beef stew and dumplings

A classic beef stew with dumplings is the ultimate British comfort food, bringing together tender slow‑cooked beef, rich savoury gravy, and light, fluffy suet dumplings for a hearty, satisfying meal. This easy one‑pot beef stew recipe is perfect for family dinners, cold‑weather cooking, and budget‑friendly, delivering deep, homely flavour with minimal effort.

Long, gentle cooking transforms inexpensive cuts of beef into melt‑in‑the‑mouth tenderness, while carrots, onions, and herbs create a robust, flavour‑packed base. The homemade dumplings—soft, pillowy, and perfect for soaking up the gravy—take this stew from simple to truly comforting. Whether you’re searching for a traditional beef stew, a slow‑cooker beef and dumplings recipe, or a hearty winter warmer, this dish ticks every box.

Serving suggestions for beef stew and dumplings

  • Buttery mashed potatoes
  • Creamy mashed swede or carrot & swede mash
  • Steamed greens such as cabbage, broccoli or green beans
  • Warm crusty bread or baguette slices
  • Yorkshire puddings
  • Roasted carrots or parsnips
  • Peas or minted peas
  • Braised red cabbage
  • A simple green salad with a mustardy dressing
  • Buttered noodles or baked potatoes topped with creamy mash

Beef stew and dumplings

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Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine British
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 700 g braising steak
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 150 g shallots
  • 2 sticks of celery, sliced
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 500 ml brown ale
  • 400 ml beef stock
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp tomato puree
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 100 g mushrooms, peeled and halved

Dumplings

  • 130 g self raising flour, plus a little extra for dusting
  • 75 g suet
  • pinch of salt and pepper

Optional additional ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, for mustard dumplings
  • 3 tbsp horseradish and 2 tbsp parsley for horseradish dumplings

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 150°c / Gas 2.
  • Heat half the oil in a casserole dish and brown the meat all over (this may need to be done in batches), then set aside.
  • Heat the remaining oil and add the carrots, celery and shallots and fry over a medium heat for 5mins. Add the garlic paste and stir for another minute.
  • Return the meat to be casserole dish and add the flour, ensuring all meat and vegetables are covered in flour.
  • Add a quarter of the brown ale to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits from the bottom. Add the remaining ale, stock, thyme, bay leaves, tomato puree and season. Stir all together, cover and cook in the oven for 1hr 45mins.
  • Remove from the oven, add the Worcestershire sauce and mushrooms and a little extra water if it looks like it going a bit dry. Stir and return to the oven for a further 15mins.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the dumplings. Mix together the flour, suet, salt and pepper and either of the additional ingredients. Mix enough water bring them together in a soft but not sticky dough (Approx. 8 tbsp water).
  • With floured hands, roll the dough into 8 – 12 balls (depending on the size you prefer).
  • Remove the stew from the oven, gently place the dumplings on top, cover and return to the oven for 10mins, then remove the lid and cook for a further 10-15mins until dumplings are soft and slight crispy on top.
  • Serve immediately with some greens.