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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I am in the middle of making this stew and it looks and smells wonderful after 2 hrs.
And, the flavor is amazing.
I varied the recipe and, it’s obviously not the same as this one.
But, I didn’t have the spices or the crock pot or tomato paste or beef broth.
Just a heavy roaster.
Fried the meat coating it with paprika, s&p and a bag with some flower.
Shook it up. Fried the meat in hot roaster, searing it.
A lot of pan scrapings with that flour cover.
Removed the meat and decided to add the Pinot red wine, at that point.
Removed that sauce.
Then added more olive oil, onions, celery and an entire head of garlic, skin and all – separated cloves of course. (learned that from Ramsey)
After they were nicely seared, added beef and sauce and a big can of tomatoes and a little more wine.
Cooked in 275-300* oven for – I dunno, 4 hrs? I’ll see. This is the first time I’ve bought stew mean as used to cut my own but it was $7.99/# – not cheap.
Turned out “Damn Delicious” .
I’ve saved this recipe for quite a while now & decided to use it today. Modified some ingredients with what I had on hand. Hubby says best stew ever. Thanks for the recipe
I love this recipe always add peas though and have mashed potatoes instead yum
A good hearty stew! One step I do recommend is to brown your beef before you slow cook it. You can also add in some red wine for a kick!
I’m an experienced cook, but I typically make beef stew on the stove top. This time, I wanted to make it in my Crockpot. Tried this recipe and was blown away. It’s now my go-to! I bumped up from the 3 cups of beef stock the recipe called for and used a full 32-oz carton. It felt like the perfect amount of liquid. The teaspoon of smoked paprika wasn’t overly spicy, but it was approaching the limit for me. I might back off a little next time. And a caveat about adding the flour in step five. Don’t just mix the flour with blazing hot stew broth. You run the risk of cooking the flour and making a gloppy mess. Either let the broth cool some, or just use cold water instead. Whisk, then put a lid on it and shake it. No lumps. Pour it in to the slow cooker, stir. Cover and crank that puppy up to high. Make sure it’s boiling around the edges because that’s how real thickening happens. 30 minutes later, take the lid off and stir. Turn the heat back down or even off. Let some off the heat come out so it can set up and finish thickening. Perfect consistency. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Thank you for this info on step 5.. Much appreciated!
This stew was delicious. I followed the recipe exactly. I do agree with the other comment about the flour mixture. Mine did turn into a gloppy mess. However the stew turned out perfect in spite of it. This is my new beef stew recipe.
It was great! Can I double the recipe and still follow timing on cooking instructions?
I love this recipe thank you. I mix the liquid, herbs and spices together before adding them to the meat and vegies to make sure they’re well mixed. Probably not necessary though.
So good. I used petite baby carrots and russet potatos cut in 1-2 inch pieces, but other than that, followed the recipe exactly. Flavorful, deliciousness.
LOVED IT. Made it exactly how it says to but substituted the onion for shallots and cooked the shallots and garlic prior to throwing it in the crock pot. SO GOOD. I was worried about it because i was using cheap stew meat but it still worked. Cooked for 9.5 hours on low. I also threw some fresh oregano in because i had some laying around and it was a really nice touch.
I was unlucky and managed to buy a cut of beef that was apparently chewy even after the slow cooker, but I completely blame that on me and not the recipe haha. Otherwise this was absolutely delicious and I plan on making it again soon with a different cut of meat!
So tasty. I use this recipe for a Pot Roast.
I made this last week and what a great meal
I cooked rice to go with it which soaks up all of that lovely juice
I will cook it up again in the next few weeks
Very and simple to make. Above all extremely delicious!!!
Prep was super easy in less than 10 minutes. Looks and smells delicious! Will know more on taste after I eat it later. Only thing I added more of was garlic (well because we love garlic). Will definitely make this again.
Wowee! Is this the most perfect stew recipe? Maybe. Left our paprika, caraway and potatoes and it was sooo good. I did keep it in the slow cooker longer – for an extra 8 hrs on warm, which may have contributed to its richness. SO GOOD!!! Print, bookmark, save.
Do the potatoes get too soft if you put them in at the beginning?
The potato s and carrots did not get soft. I nooked them in the microwave at the end to soften.
Perhaps it’s our ingredients that made the difference, maybe they had a different taste as I followed the recipe to the letter.
Awesome beef stew. !! I froze some and am going to have it today .
I need the nutritional info and I don’t see it . Where can I find it ?
Thanks !
I made this on a cold, blustery day here in Texas, and it came out super delicious. I also coated the stew meat with a little flour before cooking with onion and garlic, and added a cup of medium dry red wine. I put the carrots and a cup of frozen peas in to the stew after 3 hours so they wouldn’t overcook. I opted to add about a tablespoon of honey to balance out the smokey flavor from the paprika, and it turned out perfectly.
Served it with some ready to bake sourdough, and it was the perfect hearty meal. Family loved it!
We have used this recipe twice. Delicious both times.
Very helpful, THANKS