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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Really good and it was my first crock pot recipe, super easy to follow!! Love this recipe and I EXTRA LOVE that they put the calorie info. Super filling (and tasty) for the low calorie count. I will say you may want to put a smidge extra salt. Also it’s even better after the second reheat.
Looks great but messed up put the flower in from start didn’t reAd the last bit but hopefully be fine
Absolutely delicious stew. The aroma while it is cooking is awesome, too. Making for the second time right now.
December in Montana : beautiful snowy day 29 degrees. The perfect day for the perfect beef stew. Nearly done, taste tests complete. Fresh french bread baking in the oven. Treating myself to a nice merlot, waiting on the family.
Chocolate carmel brownies with natural vanilla ice cream for desert.
An evening to enjoy, and to all a great night.
Did the carrots and potatoes over cook being in the crock pot so long?
Real delicious. It’s worth trying it.
So simple and delicious. A full flavored stew that reveals layers of flavor… i did add to tablespoons of balsamic it brings out a simple, gentle sweetness to the stew.
Perfectbon a sub zero night
Made this recipe this morning. I didn’t have beef broth so I subbed chicken broth. I also didn’t have caraway seeds, but I used all the other spices. It turned out amazingly delicious. In fact, damn delicious!
This came out very good! I always brown/sear meat before adding to the crockpot. I usually don’t add the flour and I think it makes a really good texture to coat the stew. I still have fresh herbs growing in my garden (rosemary, thyme, parsley, etc) so
I cut some of each and added them. I also would use real carrots vs baby carrots. The recipe calls for big carrots and I used to grab the baby ones and I’ve come to realize how much better standard carrots taste. I will definitely be making this again!
After browning the beef I de-greased the pan and added some beef stock to de-glaze the pan. The only other addition was
adding 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and some frozen peas during the last 1/2 hour of cooking. I did not add the
caraway seeds.
Best beef stew I’ve ever had! Cooking it for the second time, made a few modifications based on what I had. I used red curry paste instead of tomato paste. Thinking of adding chick peas this time too.
It was amazing! I have made beef stews before with different recipes, but this was much much better. The beef was so tender! My husband seemed surprised that I made it haha.
Will definitely be keeping this one.
To note: I didn’t use any Worcester sauce or thyme/rosemary (didn’t have any!).
Made this tonight and holy moly! It was so good! Made it nearly true to the recipe other than not having caraway seeds and subbing mostly veggie broth (only had half cup of beef stock left and I live 30 minutes from the store). I also sautéed the onion and garlic in a bit of ghee and the meat juices from cooking the beef, and then added to crockpot with everything else and stirred. Salt was to taste and between salting the meat and adding salt to the pot I would say I used about a tablespoon, which was perfect for my taste. Next time I’ll use all beef broth but even with mostly veggie it turned out incredible! Thank you for the recipe!
This was fabulous – I took other’s advice by coating the meat in flour and then browning, which I do often when cooking in the crock pot. I also did what Hilda did and used wine for 1/2 cup of the broth. Did not use caraway seeds. I cooked on low for about 6 or 7 hours. Next time I will turn the crock pot off after about 4-5 hours as the meat got a bit shredded and some of the liquid decreased, but I just added more and it still came out great. This was perfect for an unusual chilly night in Miami and husband loved it! Thanks Chungah!
Great recipe, will add like others that when seasoning your beef prior to searing, add the flour to the beef, toss to coat. In your hot fry pan add oil and a pat of butter then when foaming add beef. Once caramelized, remove just the beef to the slow cooker, put pan back on the stove top and you could add your onions here to get a bit of color. Then de-glaze with red wine if using or if not some of your beef broth. This will add to the depth of taste to your stew.
Please note, do not de-glaze if you burned the heck out of the bottom of your fry pan, burnt bits will just make your dish bitter
One word scrumptious! Reminded me of my mom’s stew, but hers took forever to make and cook. I loved putting everything together in my slow cooker and leaving it to do the work. I did add extra meat because we like it meatier. I also added some sliced mini tomatoes at the end and it all turned out wonderful. Thanks for a warm fall inner recipe! I will be using it again!!!
Simple to make and absolutely delicious.
You tell the recipes very well. Your contents are easy to understand. The details, tips and photos are great. Thank you for all the recipes.
Fantastic, and we’ll balanced.
Has anyone added dumplings? Looks like a great recipe but my family likes dumplings in their stew. Thanks
Hi I added dumplings the last 30 minutes when thickening the broth. Amazing, everything was wonderful. Loved the recipe, I did add a handful of mushrooms as well. Will be keeping this recipe handy. Thanks.
What kind of dumplings did you use? I love dumplings!
Thank you