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!
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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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Amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and was surprised to find out that the veggies were not mushy. The flavour and consistency was excellent. This is my new go-to stew recipe.
Currently have this cooking in my slow cooker for second time this week.
Love it! Super easy to make and super flavoursome. Eaten by 2 fussy children as well, so that’s a win in my books!
I made a beef bone broth on the stove top for the first time – not sure it was worth it. It took 12 hours and the marrow scum is not very good – I strained it through cheesecloth before adding to my stew – the broth looked clear but turns out it was not – see below.
The stew tastes really good but because I made it in a slow cooker my broth did not thicken up very well. I coated the meat with flour before I browned it and added flour at the end. Would corn starch or a combination of flour and corn starch be better?
Even though I strained the broth through cheesecloth I still have marrow scum on the top of the broth. I know this because I removed all of the meat and veg and returned the broth to the stove in a sauce pan to reduce it. I am going to cool it down to remove the scum and any excess fat then recombine. What did I do wrong?
I am not the author but came here for the cooking time in a crockpot. In regards to thickening, you need to add more slurry to thicken, it can he made with flour or corn starch, it is important that the slurry is thick and that you make enough and put it in well before serving, because it may leave an unpleasant raw flour flavor. Regarding your broth, I am adding a link here that may resolve your problem.https://millersbiofarm.com/blog/do-you-have-to-skim-the-scum-when-making-yummy-healthy-broth
I’m a new mom and was so excited to have found time to throw stew in the crock pot. Only to realize I added the slurry at the beginning oops!!! I hope it’s okay!
Excellent base receipe. Added double of each seasoning except salt
Definitely will make again
I have tried several crock pot recipes for stew and this one, by far, is simply the best! The blend of flavors and seasonings is just perfect. This is the go-to recipe for a cold or rainy day stew!! Thank you!
This was delicious! Thank you.
Very yummy, thank you for the recipe.
I made this today and it is AMAZING. I used 2 cups of beef stock and a cup of Pepsi max (trying what Marisa said but didn’t have any coke) and I used sweet paprika instead of smoked. Holy balls. I made it for tomorrow night’s dinner but it may not last that long!! It’s SO good.
This recipe (with my adaptions) is definitely a keeper.
“holy Balls” thanks for the laugh
I love this recipe. It is my absolute favorite! I follow all the instructions, except that I use 2 cups of the beef broth and 1 cup of zero sugar coca cola. A big hit in my house.
This is hands down THE BEST beef stew my husband and I have ever had! I only cook the beef on the pan to get the very outer layer cooked and leave the rest raw. I also added 2 diced celery ribs and use whole wheat flour. You need to opt for the low for 8 hours option to really bring the flavor out, and the beef is so tender it melts in your mouth at the first bite. Absolutely fantastic flavor! This is in the recipe rotation now.
I’ve made this many times…..so good!
Whole family loved this! Delish.
I get my meat from the butcher in a plastic bag. I use this bag to add 2 tbsp of flour, salt and pepper as a shake-and-bake style to coat the beef before browning. Allows you to skip the thickening stage at the end. I also like to add mushrooms.
I’ve got this cooking in my slow cookers right now, the big slow cooker is one with meat, and the small slow cooker is a smaller vegetarian version for my 10yr old who is vegetarian by choice. I doubled the stock, tomato paste and herbs as we like more sauce and mushrooms as well. Didnt peel the veg, and added more potato and carrot to bulk it up. I didnt salt and pepper the meat before searing, as the stock has enough salt, i just ground some pepper in to taste. I may add some peas in towards the end too.
Cant wait to try it out
I would add step 2.5) after removing the beef, fry up the garlic and onions for a minute or 2, add the spices, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce and deglaze with the beef broth (red wine optional) for a few more minutes. Then dump it all into the slow cooker.
Yesssss, my thoughts exactly. I think her other stew recipe for the pressure cooker includes wine, so I was looking for it in this one lol.
Hello! I am so excited to try your recipe. However, I would like to add frozen sweet peas. Could you kindly tell me when I should put those in? Should I put them in with the rest of the fresh vegetables or wait 20 minutes before the stew is done its 8 hour cooking? Thank you in advance!
-Jacquelyn
peas are so delicate and only need to be heated, I would throw them in maybe at the last hour 🙂
I doubled up on the spices, added 4 tbsp of the worchester sauce, 4 tbsp of tomato paste and used gravy thickener in the end. Amazing flavour!!!
Can you use white wine instead of red wine?
Sure, use white wine instead of red. It will do the same work on the fry pan, still add some acid to help break down some tissues, it’ll only be a slightly different flavour, but it should still be good.
Amazing. Make this all the time
Beef broth can make or break a recipe in my opinion so I wanna know what brand you use? Thanks!
I consistently find Target’s Good and Gather brand broth to be the best. I’m a frequent soup and stew maker and I use their vegetable, chicken and beef.
I prefer Better Than Bouillon Organic Roasted Beef or Roasted Beef Base.