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.
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I have this all ready to go, but just realized I don’t have any thyme 🙁
Can I substitute Herbs de Provence for the rosemary & thyme?
Yes!
Hi, I am actually make this stew right now. I was just wondering how much flour to use when mixing with the stew broth. Super excited to try the stew tonight.
1/4 cup all purpose flour.
This is the best Beef Stew.. We love it… I am making it now again…
This is the best Beef Stew.. We love it… I am making it now again…
By 1/2 cup of stew broth do you mean remove 1/2 from the slow cooker, mix with flour and then re-add?
Yes, that’s correct!
Can’t use Worcestershire sauce as gluten intolerant and all sauces in UK contain gluten. Can you recommend an alternative?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Worcestershire sauce contains lots of stuff including fermented anchovies.
I suggest that you substitute with Thai Kitchen™ Fish Sauce. It is my favorite and quite mild. It keeps and it can be used in many recipes and it is cheap.
Check your local grocery store. Alternately, you may add some anchovy paste or a small portion of one bottled anchovy.
I don’t know what is available in the U.K., but here is what we have:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Thai-Kitchen-Gluten-Free-Premium-Fish-Sauce-6-76-fl-oz/23602021
Is it best to just buy beef broth in a carton/can or make it one’s self?
It’s really up to you!
This looks absolutely amazing! Hubby and I are going to have this stew for dinner Wednesday and Thursday nights. I bet the leftovers are going to be just as delicious. I may flour the meat and put it directly into the crock pot without browning, though. Hopefully it will still be just as yummy.
I made this yesterday and it is (so sorry to repeat) the best stew I’ve ever made! It is so hearty and flavorful. My family loved it!
I made this last night and it was delicious! I added 3 stalks of celery and used 4 c of broth, but otherwise followed this exactly. I cooked on high for 4 hours and the potatoes and carrots were cooked perfectly, not too soft. I am not much of a cook so I am really happy with the way this turned out and can’t wait to make it again!
This is the best beef stew that I have ever made! Love the Rosemary and Thyme in it!
Only made a few changes based on what was in my cupboard. I used spicy Hungarian paprika (bought it in Budapest’s Great Market Hall), used 1 small can of tomato sauce instead of paste, and added fresh mushrooms. I used 3 tsp beef bouillon in 3 cups water. I didn’t add the caraway seeds or bay leaves as I didn’t have any. I didn’t bother to thicken it and IT WAS SO GOOD! The spicy paprika added such a great zing!
What is the best source of beef broth? Out of a can/box or should one prepare it from scratch? Is it the same as beef bullion?
Thanks, it looks like a great recipe!
You can choose to use it out of a can/box or prepare from scratch. It’s up to you! However, it is not the same as beef bouillon.
You can read more about the differences here:
http://www.marthastewart.com/269001/broth-basics.
Can you make this with chicken instead?
Yes, absolutely, but please note that cooking time may vary.
Ok, so for step 5, it says to add the flour thickening at (I’m assuming) the last 30 minutes, yet I see some people post that they add the flour in the beginning while browning the beef. Which is the best way to go?
I prefer to add during the last 30 minutes.
How do you recommend to reduce these ingredients to work in a 4qt slow cooker? I’ve never used one before, and trying to surprise my wife using this recipe tonight.
You can reduce all ingredients by 2/3. Hope that helps!
This was so good!!! My husband and I devoured it. There were not any leftovers (that’s right, for two of us!)!!! Cooked on low for 7 hours and the meat was so tender it was falling apart. The flavor was excellent. Only thing I didn’t do was add the optional Caraway seeds. The rosemary and thyme are perfect!!!!
Cooked this recipe this past Sunday and it was great. Did not try with the caraway seeds but will next time.
You don’t need any thickener.
You don’t need thyme, rosemary, paprika. Definitely don’t need caraway seeds and you don’t need Worcestershire sauce.
2 bay leaves if you want
– you can use canned stewed tomatoes
– you DON’T have to add broth
RED WINE or BEER if you don’t have red wine (some people also add cognac). Use non-alcoholic if you want to.
And you also dont have to attempt the recipe if you are just going to omit most of the ingredients.
If you already have a way of making beef stew why bother posting a comment.
Lol jimmy I was thinking the same thing. What is wrong with people, you don’t have to use this or this or this or this No YOU DONT have to I am that’s why I came to this recipe. Lol
Can you use beef bouillon instead of beef broth? Thanks!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Every recipe of yours I have ever made has turned out great! I’m excited to try this one 🙂
Could I use chicken broth instead of the beef broth? I ran out of beef broth but I do have some chicken bouillon in my pantry.
Yes.