Slow Cooker Beef Stew
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Freezer-friendly crockpot beef stew! The meat comes out so juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the stew is rich, chunky, and so hearty!
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Why you’ll love slow cooker beef stew
- Zero babysitting. Aside from searing the meat to give it that really nice caramelized flavor, the slow cooker does all the heavy lifting for you. All you really need to do is prep the crusty bread for sopping, pour a glass of red wine, and toss a simple side salad to round out the meal.
- Cozy comfort food. 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 the slow cooker for the last 7-8 hours, filling the house with the best cozy aroma.
- Leftovers taste even better. Similar to lasagna, beef stew tends to taste even better the next day, really letting the flavors meld and marry overnight.
- Freezes beautifully. Beef stew makes for an ideal freezer meal, lasting up to 2 months in the freezer, perfect for the cold winter months, parents with a new baby, or loved ones recovering from surgery.
How to make slow cooker beef stew
- Prep the beef. Pat the beef cubes completely dry using paper towels. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear the beef. Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add the beef in a single layer, searing undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until a deep dark crust is formed on all sides.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the seared beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, paprika, caraway seeds, bay leaves, salt, and pepper into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir well to combine.
- Slow cook. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours until the meat and vegetables are fork-tender.
- Thicken. Mix together the flour and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid into a smooth slurry. Then stir it into the stew and let it cook for an additional 30 minutes until thickened.
- Serve with crusty bread. Remove the bay leaves, then ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping, and dunking!
pro tip
Skip the pre-packaged stew meat.
Use well-marbled chuck roast, cut into uniform 1-inch chunks. Its high amount of marbling (fat) and collagen will break down during the long cook time, yielding tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef. Stew meat, on the other hand, is usually made with a random mix of leftover scraps that can turn dry or rubbery.
Storing, reheating, and freezing beef stew
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat
Gently reheat on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or stock, if needed. Stir occasionally until warmed through completely.
Freeze
Let cool completely; portion the stew into freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months.
Reheat (from frozen)
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and gently reheat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Add a splash of water or stock, if needed.
what to serve with slow cooker beef stew
Tools For This Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Stew: Frequently Asked Questions
Skip the pre-packaged stew meat as it contains a random mix of leftover scraps with uneven fat and muscle. Use boneless beef chuck roast instead, dicing into uniform chunks for consistent even cooking throughout.
For the best flavor, yes. This creates a rich, caramelized crust that will deepen the flavor of the stew. You can certainly skip this step if you are short on time though the stew may have a milder flavor.
Red potatoes and Yukon Golds can both hold their shape during long cooking times.
Stir in a flour slurry (flour mixed with water or cooking liquid) during the final 30 minutes of cooking.
No slow cooker, no problem! Try this stovetop version instead.
Yes! Recipe here.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Absolutely! Beef stew freezes exceptionally well (especially in individual servings), keeping in the freezer for at least 3 months.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes and patted dry
- 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
Instructions
- Heat vegetable 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.
Equipment
Notes
- Avoid “stew meat”. Stew meat is often times a random mix of lean scraps that turn out dry and rubbery.
- Sear the meat. Browning the beef first is key here. That dark crust on the 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- Freeze in individual portions. This will allow for easy serving and thawing, perfect for a quick lunch or fast dinner. Always leave a little bit of space at the top of your container or freezer bag as the liquid will expand as it freezes, squeezing out the extra air to prevent freezer burn.
Did you make this recipe?
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Excellent. The one change we made was adding mushrooms in big pieces.
This was great! I added red wine, mushrooms, and celery, and omitted the caraway seeds. Perfection on a chilly night!
I’m about to make this tomorrow but only have big baking potatoes instead of small red ones. Do you think that would still work? Thanks,
Laura
No reason that wouldn’t work just as well. Just be sure to cut them into smaller chunks.
So good. I prepared it exactly as directed and I absolutely love it. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
We made this tonight with venison instead of beef and yum, yum, yum it was a hit! The meat was so tender and the whole stew had incredible flavor. Thanks for the recipe, definitely will be my go to stew recipe for years to come.
Just made it today and I’m hoping it’s going to be damn delicious
Outstanding recipe! Easy to put together and so delicious. I was delighted at the outcome of flavor the Rosemary and Thyme added to the recipe. I added salt, pepper and the flour to the beef chunks before browning, also added peas at the end because I love them in stew. Served with hot rolls and a salad to round out the meal. It’s a winner that you will love!
Made this for a tense election night and it was a landslide victory for a house full of nervous democrats! Needed more salt than I anticipated, but that was an easy fix. Served it with warm, crusty bread and a few bottles (or maybe 3 or 4) of Pinot Noir.
Yum!! You will not regret making this recipe, it was a hit! I added 1/4 cup of red wine, substituted cornstarch for flour, and a bit of beef bouillon… delicious!
This is an exceptional recipe. I have made many, many stews over the years. I’m not sure which ingredient it was, but my family devoured it like never before. Highly recommend.
Served with some homemade soda bread for dipping. Yum.
The only small change I made was to include flour with salt and pepper in step 2 to coat the meat before grilling, but not sure it matters.
I made this and added a soup bone while it cooked. Otherwise made as written and it was WONDERFUL. Thank you!
I’ve made this twice. Both times I did as another poster suggested and browned the tomato paste and deglazed my cast iron skillet with a bit of dry red wine. Followed the rest of the recipe as written. This stew has a rich flavor that I haven’t found in other recipes. It really is damn delicious! Thanks for sharing it.
Great recipe! Was certainly damn delicious! I used a bag of radishes halved instead of potatoes to keep it low carb. Used 1/2 tsp Xanthan as a thickener at the end. Also, I added celery along with the carrots and radishes.
Question! If we add the flour at the beginning is there a huge difference?
Thanks!
Hi Rene (and others)
You can add flour earlier to a stew
Season your meat with flour salt and pepper (in a bowl t9oss together)
Then fry that off
This works very well and nothing goes lumpy
Cheets
First time to leave a review but just had to for this stew. I’ve never been able to make a successful stew, so I tried this one. Oh my GOSH! I’ve never tasted a more delicious stew! Thank you so much! It not only tastes delicious it also looks amazing! Just as you showed in the recipe. Full of colour to tempt the taste buds! 5 stars isn’t enough!
I made this tonight and it was fantastic. My wife totally loved it. I didn’t have caraway seeds and I screwed up with the flour part – I added it at the beginning with everything else – didn’t seem to matter. Great flavour! A keeper recipe!
Great dinner, we did add mushrooms, great recipe and will make again.
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!
Hi! Quick question – if I were to dredge the beef in flour and then brown, would I need to do the flour+juices combo at the end to thicken it?
This is so delicious. Very easy to make, followed recipe exactly. Made cornbread with it, and it was perfect!! Will add to my cookbook and make all winter!!
Another damn delicious recipe! Thank you so much. I made it exactly as written except I didn’t add caraway seeds. My husband said it was the best beef stew he has ever had in his entire life.
So easy and delicious. I didn’t have any caraway seeds so I left those out, but added celery I like it in my stew. Also used baby carrots, if I can avoid chopping veggies I will. Stew was a hit with my husband.