Slow Cooker Beef Stew
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Everyone’s favorite cozy beef stew made in the crockpot! The meat is SO TENDER and the stew is rich, chunky + hearty!
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There is truly nothing more comforting than a hearty beef stew on a cold, cold night. And it’s even better when it’s been simmering low and slow in your crockpot for the last 7-8 hours.
Aside from searing your stew meat to give it that really nice caramelized flavor, this recipe requires zero babysitting (thank you, slow cooker!). All you need to prep is your crusty bread for dipping, a glass of red wine, and a side salad to round out your meal.
If you are short on time, there is a stovetop and an Instant Pot version also available.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 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 olive 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.
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So good! I coated the meat with a little flour, salt and pepper prior to browning, then used a cup of broth to deglaze the pan and added that to the crockpot. So good, so good. It was 7 degrees outside and hit the spot!
I made this today, and it was fabulous. I didn’t have caraway seeds or the bay leaves. I’m really impressed on how flavorful this stew was for me. I did add some chopped celery, and a can of crushed tomatoes. I cooked it on high for 4 hours, and the stew was really delicious, but the meat was not completely soft yet. (all slow cookers have different temperatures they “slow cook at”). Then I turned it to low and continued to cook it another ~1.5 hours to soften the stew meat a bit more… After that, the meat was perfect. (From the reviews I read, the results can vary depending on the cut of meat. I had used Costco’s prepared beef stew meat).
I can’t wait to try it again with all the ingredients listed. Regardless, this was a fantastic stew recipe…
If you looking for a 5 STAR recipe look no further!!! This was THE BEST STEW EVER. And I have tried a lot of recipes. Thickened with cornstarch at end and it was DAMN DELICIOUS!!
Simply delicious!!
Really good recipe! I modified it slightly by adding a package of frozen green peas. Instead of 1/4 c flour, used 2 Tbsp cornstarch (mix well in to 1/4 c cold broth before adding)….good option for gluten free needs. I used 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper in case anyone is wondering what “to taste” means.
Leaving review until I try it.
Can I add veggies after a few hours of the beef cooking? Don’t want them overcooked and mushy.
Plus I plan to leave out bay leaves, never a fan of using them.
I leave out the potatoes & carrots during the first 2-3 hours of cooking (high in crockpot) so they don’t overcook. I add them in & continue to cook another 1-2 hours. I make this recipe all the time. Always delicious & never disappoints!
Excellent Recipe! Based on the reviews I made several of the suggested changes. I put flour, salt and pepper in a ziploc bag and placed the beef in the bag to coat. I browned the onion, garlic and beef and after beef was browned I added 1 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon before pouring into crock pot. This was the best pot roast I’ve ever had. The meat and taste of the gravy was excellent. Definitely a keeper!
Followed this recipe to a tee, minus the caraway seeds. Delicious! Really the perfect beef stew recipe.
I believe this was the first time I’ve made beef stew and this was awesome! I made it yesterday and my husband went on and on about how good it was. I added 1/2 cup of red wine upon some of the suggestions which really gave it a wonderful subtle flavor. I also added some leftover frozen peas at the end that I had in the freezer; probably about a little less than 1/3 of a small bag. I served this with buttered crispy French bread and we’re looking forward to eating this again tonight as it made plenty of leftovers for he and I. This is a keeper!!!
I have made this a few times and it a bit with the family. The flavors are so good! The only problem I run into is that even after the 30 minutes with the flour mixed in, the liquid is still easy too thin. What an I doing wrong?
Make sure that after you add the flour, you crank the crock pot up to high and see it bubbling around the edges. It has to boil to thicken. Afterward, turn it down to warm or even turn it off. Stir and let some of the heat out so that it sets up. That should help the thickening process.
Love this recipe!!
Before I start inputting into MyFitnessPal – has anyone worked out the calories!?
Thanks a mill
This was SO GOOD and very easy. It’s freezing over here in Ohio and this was the perfect food to warm me up. Highly recommend!
I made this and my family absolutely loved it. My step daughter, who HATES beef stew (her words) ate it for dinner and finished the leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day.
While I like the flavor produced by this recipe, when my beef (Chuck Roast cubed) was tender my veg were over cooked. The shot of vinegar (I used balsamic) in the bowl was a great touch!
Turned out very good and we will be doing it again !!
I followed this recipe all the way and it turned out great! I didn’t have caraway seeds so that’s the only thing I didn’t include. Turned out great! I did put 4 cups of beef broth versus 3 , because my carton of broth had 4 cups in it. I didn’t want it to go to waste. Turned out great! Perfect for a cold, winter day sided with some cornbread
I found that the flour didn’t thicken it enough, so I had to add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with two tablespoons of stew broth, but aside from that small glitch, this recipe is perfect. Delicious. Will make again.
This stew is perfect as written. My husband, the ultimate critic even liked it! Thank you for never disappointing.
I was wanting a beef stew for the crockpot and this is it. I followed the recipe as written and it was delicious. My husband loved it! I have never been disappointed in any recipe I have tried from Damn Delicious and many are in my regular menu rotation. This beef stew will be my regular stew from now on. Thank you!!
I agree! This is our go to beef stew. The only thing I change is add peas at the end of cooking. Never been disappointed with any of her recipes.
Can I use bottom round
I’ve made this a few times and it’s fantastic. I’ve not altered the recipe at all and it comes out wonderful. I love it.
Made this today and thought it was pretty good. I even added a splash of red wine vinegar in my bowl and found it very favorable. Would make this again.