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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Delicious. Made this for Sunday dinner on a cool fall night and it was a hit. Hubby and Toddler loved it!
I thought this was delicious, the best recipe I’ve had!!
Fantastic! I had a partial bell pepper that I had already chopped, as well as some celery and tomato sauce that I added to it. I actually threw everything into the crockpot and put on low for 8 hours. Wouldn’t change a thing!
Made beef stew for the 1st time ever.
I had more meat. It was more then 3.5 lbs but less then 4. Used 4 cups of beef bone broth, a whole small bag of baby carrots, 5 golden potatoes cut into fours, 4 stalks of celery, more smoked paprika (don’t remember how much more), more garlic (don’t remember again), also added garlic powder too and lots of kosher salt & pepper. All the other seasonings I used same amount as written. Only thing I didn’t have was fresh parsley.
Cooked on low for an hour then changed it to high for 4 hours because I didn’t want to wait long.
10 mins before I turned it off, I took out some juice to mix it with corn starch then added it to pot to thicken.
Everything came out perfect. Potatoes & carrots perfectly cooked, not mushy at all and the meat very tender.
Thanks for the recipe.
Delicious!! I made this in my Instant Pot on the slow cook option. First time I have tried the slow cook option. Worked great. I added extra carrots and potatoes cuz my kiddos love carrots and potatoes. They gobbled it up. Also added an extra cup of broth. Was still a bit runny after adding the flour so added a TBSP of corn starch diluted in 1 TBSP of water, which did the trick. If it’s too runny you could also puree some potatoes and carrots and add it back into the stew.
Can i half this recipe and still cook for 7-8 hrs or should I reduce the time?
Cooking time will probably have to be reduced, A Le.
A few months ago I made a stew recipe I found online, it sounded really good but ended up being way to overpowering for my taste buds. I found another recipe today but it seemed very time consuming cooking pretty much everything before putting in slow cooker. Then I found this recipe. I am so glad I did. It was fabulous. I did add some celery and forgot to add parsley at end but it was damn delicious. All those other beef stew recipes are out. This will be my #1 beef stew recipe here on out. If I could have given a 10 I would have.
This was absolutely delicious. My daughter asked for the recipe.
This is the best slow cooker beef stew I have ever eaten!!
I substituted rosemary for bay leaves.
The recipe is so good and I can’t wait to make it again. It’s a perfect comfort food and ~ damn delicious!!!
I did all the prep of cutting the night before.
Love the ingredients but I just don’t get why people waste the time to brown meat and then toss into a slow cooker. I simply brown the meat in a heavy bottom pot and then add all the ingredients into the pot with the meat and put a lid on, bring to a boil and turn down to simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
Because not all people have 2 – 3 hours to simmer something for dinner. Some of us are willing to do the work the night before – but like to have the slow cooked taste in a quick put together meal in the evening.
Actually it really doesn’t have anything to do with the cook time. Browning the meat gives you the nice flavor of caramelized meat. It is just adding another layer of flavor. I have made stew without the browning step and it turns out okay.
Because I want it to cook while I’m at work. At least 8 hours and I don’t like to leave my gas stove on while I’m not around to watch it. With the slow cooker I can turn it on in the morning and come home to a nicely cooked stew after work. For me, even when I am home – 2 hours is not long enough to cook a stew unless I am in a hurry. The ones I make on the stove are never nearly as good as the one’s I make in the slow cooker.
Will be making this in the morning. Should I peel the red potatoes?
Completely up to you, Mike! 🙂
Noooo, don’t peel them. It’s delicious with the skins on.
Can’t wait to try this ! I have all the ingredients though the only thing I could not get to spec was 2 pounds of stewing beef best I could get was 2.95 pounds. Should I just weight it out and freeze the extra pound for later ? Thoughts would be greatly appreciated !
I have had this cooking on high for almost 6 hours now ( have already added the flour mix for thickening but the potatoes are still firm ) Have taste tested of course and the flavor is absolutely awesome. Will cook on high for an extra 30 minutes hoping potatoes soften a little more.
I cooked for 4 hrs and the. It was in warm for about 20 min, potatoes as well werent soft. I put it on pressure cook for 15 min. Lets see what happens.. (I cooked in the instant pot, slow cook-higher 4 hrs)
Made this the other day, it was soooo good. It doesn’t make 8 servings though, it’s more like 4.
hi, could I add vegetable broth instead? Really looking forward to making this!
Absolutely!
REALLY NICE, EASY TO MAKE, I HAD NEVER MADE A STEW BEFORE
Where can I buy this cooker? The stew looks delicious thank you for the receipt.
I purchased this from Williams Sonoma. 🙂
Yum. This was delicious and filled our tummy’s on a cold winter night. I used carrot and swede and potato and served with rice. Delicious.
If I double up on the meat do I need to double up on all the other ingredients as well, for instance the beef stock.
Hi Elaine! It really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a meatier stew and less vegetables, you can keep the ingredients the same, but I would double up the beef stock because otherwise there won’t be enough liquid to cook the meat properly. But as always, please use your best judgement when making substitutions and modifications. Good luck!
Great recipe. Highly recommended
This was a great winter warmer and I will definitely be cooking it again. I always coat my meat in the flour before browning it off (meaning I don’t need to be around to thicken the sauce later and this cooks out all of the flour taste). It makes the stew sauce extra glossy and thick like a good gravy should be.