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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Damn good is right. Put everything in the crockpot last night, by morning it was done. Delicious!!!!!! Sharing with neighbors.
Cut the vegetables smaller for my young children but it was a huge hit. Definitely will be making again this winter!
Cut the potatoes in half and add diced turnip and diced sweet potatoes. Also added 3 celery hearts finely chopped. Very good recipe.
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!