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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My grandkids loved it!
This recipe really is damn delicious!! My first few attempts at a stew didn’t turn out very well but after following this as close as possible and slow cooking it on low over 7 hours really made everything tender and amazing
Insane
Haven’t tried but want to know is it 8 hours plus the 30 min after adding flour or would a total of 8 hours combined be fine? Thank you
I’ve made this quite a few times and I’ve found that cooking it on low, you can go for longer than 8 hours with no issue. I cook mine for 8-ish (sometimes closer to 9) hours and then do the flour mixture on high for the 30 minutes. It turns out so delicious and tender every time. Hope that helps!
Made this yesterday and ate it for dinner it was delicious. The meat was very tender and had a great flavor. We’ll be using this recipe from now on.
This hit the spot on a cool January evening in Southwest Florida! Love your recipes, Moe
Very tasty and easy to make
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 !!