Slow Cooker Beef Stew
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Everyone’s favorite cozy beef stew made in the crockpot! The meat is SO TENDER and the stew is rich, chunky + hearty!
Featured Comment
There is truly nothing more comforting than a hearty beef stew on a cold winter night. And it’s even better when it’s been simmering low and slow in your crockpot for the last 7-8 hours. The tender potatoes and carrots soaking up all the lovely meaty flavors, and sopping up all the broth with any bread vessel you can find – this is what dreams are made of.
reasons to make slow cooker beef stew
- Slow cooker does all the heavy lifting. Aside from searing your stew meat to give it that really nice caramelized flavor, this crockpot recipe requires minimal hands on time and zero babysitting. All you need to prep is your crusty bread for dipping, a glass of red wine, and a side salad to round out your meal.
- Leftovers taste even better. Similar to lasagna, beef stew tends to taste even better the next day, letting the flavors meld and intensify even more.
- Freezes beautifully. Beef stew makes for an ideal freezer meal, lasting up to 2 months in the freezer, perfect for the fall and winter months, a mom with a new baby or friends recovering from surgery.
tips and tricks for success
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your stew. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety.
- Sear the meat. Browning the beef first is key here. That dark crust on the stew meat cubes will create such richer, deeper flavors in your stew.
- Red potatoes hold up very well. Baby red potatoes hold up much better throughout the long cook time than russet potatoes, which tend to break down and fall apart. Yukon golds can also be used.
- Potatoes and carrots should be cut in larger pieces. We want our vegetables to be cut a little larger here as they will cook down quite a bit in the slow cooker (or else they will be overcooked, fall apart and turn to mush).
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste is a key ingredient in beef stew, adding body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the stew. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- Mix it up. Swap out the potatoes for sweet potatoes, add butternut squash, mushrooms, parsnips, or a little bit of crumbled bacon at the end of cooking time.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
pro tip
Use beef stew meat.
Stew meat is a tough cut of meat making it ideal for a slow cooker recipe as the long cook time will allow the connective tissue to break down, yielding tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef. Stew meat is also incredibly cost-effective, making this a budget-friendly dinner. Boneless beef chuck roast can also be used, cut into 1-inch cubes.
what to serve with slow cooker beef stew
Slow Cooker Beef Stew: Frequently Asked Questions
Boneless beef chuck roast is a great sub.
No slow cooker, no problem! We have a stovetop recipe for you here.
Yes, we have a recipe for that too.
Yes, beef stew freezes very well! Once cooled completely, you can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound baby red potatoes, quartered
- 4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Season beef with salt and pepper, to taste. Add beef to the skillet and cook until evenly browned, about 2-3 minutes.
- Place beef, potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, paprika, caraway seeds and bay leaves until well combined; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup stew broth. Stir in flour mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until thickened.*
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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The flavor is absolutely delicious and the meat tender. Definitely a recipe I’ll make again.
Beef stew is one of those meals I make because I grew up eating it and my loved ones enjoy it. I’ve never been a fan of it however. Until now! This is the absolute best beef stew recipe I’ve tried, and believe me I’ve experimented with dozens over the years. It was simple to follow and it is absolutely delicious. I even went back for seconds which I’ve never done with beef stew before. My loved ones claimed this was my best beef stew ever. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe it’s a big hit in my house and is now added to my go to list of crockpot dinners.
ONE TIP : When using dried thyme, Use dried thyme LEAVES.rather than ground thyme. OR use less ground thyme, then add in mre IF needed to taste. The reason is just a bit too much dried thyme can easily ruin or overpower the whole dish I learned that the hard way, so I thought I would pass it on.. I too deglaze the fry pan with a little dry red wine,( OR low sodium beef broth) and be sure to scrape up the bits left in the fry pan (called ” fond”) Sometimes, I add the tomato paste to the frying pan and brown it juat for a few seconds, just before deglazing the pan. It adds a nice richness to the tomato paste…Then, I deglaze, as mentioned. We like to add frozen peas at the very last minute… Just enough for that nights dinner. More can be added when reheating, if desired. Aksi, do not “check” the stew for at least 6 hours.. It slows down the cooking time. Good recipe. Definately worh saving.
I agree with you regarding the ground thyme. I wish I had read your comment prior to making my stew. I dredged the beef in seasoned flour prior to browning it as seen in other comments. I also added the flour at the end because it was not really thick but that made it too thick. I should have just left if semi soupy. I really enjoyed preparing the stew. However I am just a little let down because the tomatoe paste and thyme made it taste more like an Italian dish instead of stew. Nevertheless I will give the recipe another try and just change it up a little. Thank you for the recipe!
The first go around I made it exactly like the video. It was good, but no better or worse than any other beef stew I’ve had.
Second time around I added my own little spins. I left out the rosemary and just used thyme. Also instead of three cups of beef stock, I split it in half and replaced the rest of the liquid with a cup and a half of black coffee. I also didn’t sear the meat ahead of time, though that’s just my personal preference because I like when the meat gets shredded in the stew.
Thanks for posting this, I was curious if I really needed to sear the meat beforehand! I, too, like amy meat shredded in my stew ☺️ Thanks, again! Can’t wait to try this one out.
Very solid beef stew recipe. I added about 1/4 cup of heavy cream and a few extra cloves of garlic and it was DAMN DELICIOUS.
This looks delicious. Just wondering if this freezes well? Looking for mid week meals that I can make on the weekend and reheat during the week. Thanks
it will freeze fine. i make many versions of beef stew in my slow cooker and have plenty of batches for the freezer. i just transfer a batch to the fridge the night before re heating. great for quick mid week meals
absolutely amazing just how I remember my nans stew tasting as they say it was banging my mates loved it aswell and there hard to please ☯️
First time making it, I have it in my slow cooker as I’m typing this and my house smells wonderful! Can’t wait till supper!!
Thee nicest stew iv ever made!! All in house agreed thank you
absolutely amazing just how I remember my nans stew tasting as they say it was banging my mates loved it aswell and there hard to please ☯️
I made this for the first time yesterday, it was insanely good! I added mushrooms and celery, and reduced off about 1/3 cup of red wine to add to it as well. My husband, who is not a fan of stews, said it was amazing and won’t stop commenting on how great it was. I cooked it on the stove top at medium heat for about 4 hours and it ended up flavorful and the meat very tender. Will be repeating this as the weather gets cooler! Thanks again for the recipe!
Whole family loved it! I don’t usually leave comments, but this was too good not to say anything! I coated the beef with flour before searing as noted by someone and also mixed the flour with softened butter before mixing it into the stew at the end to thicken it up.
Thank You!
I made this for a hungry crowd and it was a great hit! It’s going in my ‘to make again’ book. The meat was tender, juicy and so tasty and we used bread chunks to sop up the gravy so our plates were left clean!
Absolutely DELICIOUS! I didn’t manage to thicken it properly but even just as it is, 10/10!
I’ll DEFINITELY make it again.
The caraway seeds adds so much to the overall taste, I’m glad I was able to add it.
Fabulous! My first time making beef stew and I knew your recipe would be right on. You are my absolute favorite recipe person!
Absolutely loved this recipe! I was concerned because my wife does not like Rosemary or Smoked Paprika. I don’t really measure, but may have used a little less of those. I could definitely taste the Rosemary & didn’t tell her about the Smoked Paprika until she said she loved the stew. I did follow some advice from reviewers & added canned cut green beans & deglazed meat pan with about 1/3 cup of dry red wine. The meat was so tender & the stew just burst with flavor! Also mixed flour with butter to thicken broth. Thanks! A real keeper!
Best beef stew EVER. Everyone enjoyed it which is not always possible with teens. The resident chef (aka my hubby) was super shocked, but pleasantly surprised by the taste. I loved the tangy taste of the sauce & seasonings mixture. The meat was tender & melted in my mouth. I’m looking forward to trying more recipes. Thank you !!!
This. Was. DELICIOUS…
I added mushrooms but didn’t have any paprika. The flour thickened the sauce nicely! I’ll definitely make this again!
Delicious! Thank you for this keeper. I did brown the meat in seasoned flour first, and deglazed the pan with red wine.
Mine took 5 hours on High to completely cook the carrots.
Perfect ! My daughter loves it! Thank you
Delicious Stew!! My grandsons said that it was amazing, to smell as I cooked it and to eat. So I’ll keep it . I didn’t have beef broth so I used chicken broth and added some Better than Broth beef flavoring it was great!