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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hi! this may seem like a silly question but I am a vegetarian and cooking this for family who are not.. I was wondering if anyone could suggest how much salt and pepper they put in this recipe
Made as written, including the caraway seeds and it was great! I think I may use a bit less of each seasoning next time and then taste test as something, maybe the thyme, seemed too strong. I don’t like things thickened in the crockpot so I drained the meat and veggies, put the liquid in a pan and thickened from there, making a mix of corn starch and a bit of water instead of flour. Excellent and will be made again!
The hubby ratings are in. A+!
Followed the recipe to a “t”. Seemed a bit bitter to me. But maybe because of rosemary and/or thyme which I don’t usually care for. Added some dried prunes and a little cinnamon in an effort to sweeten. Helped somewhat. At the end of the day it’s still a nice recipe. But if the final result isn’t perfect it’s no doubt due to my own tweaks. Still quite edible however and my husband is going to rave about it anyway. Getting ready to dish it up in about 15 minutes.
I don’t usually make crockpot recipes that I won’t be home in time for. If it’s left on warm for an hour will that change flavor or over cook it?
*Also your recipes have made me look like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen, everything always turns out amazing!
The warm setting should work just fine!
Lovely recipe, tender meat, but WHY do my tatties never ever cook in the slow cooker? I always follow the recipe and my tatties come out rock hard. 🙁 does the same on other recipes so it isn’t just this one. Any tips? I might just have to start par-boiling them.
Perhaps they are cut too large?
Wow that is making me hungry! Looks so flavoursome (:
I don’t have Bay Leaves, is that ok? I’m making it now as I type this, I did add celery and green bell pepper, just because:)
Yes, of course! The additions sounds amazing.
The one thing I would change is the amount of onions. I first put a layer of onions cut in half to cover the bottom of the slow cooker then put the rest of the ingredients in, There just isn’t anything as divine as those onions!
Really love your small videos on side of major recipe. I would love to print some of these but can’t remember their titles since I find myself looking at them all in a row.
Is there a way I can retrieve them?
Yes, you can view all videos and corresponding recipes on my Youtube page!
https://www.youtube.com/c/damndeliciousblog
I just made this tonight! I have to say it was one of the tastiest meals I’ve ever made. It has such amazing flavor. I will be making this again and again.
Chungah, Tried this recipe and posted how much we loved it, but have a question: Does the stew freeze well? Will the potatoes freeze well too, or should I make them fresh and just add them to thawed stew? Really love when they cook in that gravy!!!
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Just excellent! One forced change, I had no tomato paste so substituted chili sauce, and only used 1/4 tsp of rosemary, as I am not a big fan of that. Hands down the best stew ever!! Will be making this often this winter. My grandsons loved it, as did I.
Another take: I seasoned the beef with lots of flavourings before searing – coffee, cardamom, cumin, along with onion/garlic powder. To slow cooker, I added about 4 cups of leftover brisket sauce with lots of onions, along with fresh potatoes, carrots. Cooked at higher temperature and was sceptical, but it turned out great. Soft and very flavourful.
Way to much rosemary. Put this to cook for 8 hrs and after all the excitement, all we had to eat was liquid rosemary. The rosemary will over power everything in the pot.
You can simply reduce the amount of rosemary or omit completely to adhere to your preferences.
Woooow! This is absolutely the best i have seen in 2017. Already heading to my kitchen to make one……… soo yummy!
I love this blog because when i get confused of what to eat, i just get in here and make a choice.
Some of my baby potatoes are pretty small. I’m thinking quartering them may make them really small and they’ll cook too fast. Is there a size you can suggest, such as 1 inch, 1 1/2 inch, etc?
Thanks.
1/2 – 1 inch should be fine. 🙂
Thank you, Chungah! Love your recipes!
I recently discovered your blog and love it. This is the first recipe I tried and it was excellent! I made it with half venison-half beef and skipped the caraway seeds. The meatasaurs in the house loved this and I know I’ll be making this often.
Hi, this looks amazing and I really want to trybit, but was wondering if I could substitute lamb for beef? Would that work? Or would the spices not mesh well with lamb?
I can’t give a clear answer on this without further recipe testing on our part, but if you love lamb, give it a try! And feel free to let us know how it turns out!
You were talking about the weather in LA, I thought you meant here in Louisiana because that is our weather too (95 one day and 55 the next and only one day of winter)! LOL!