Slow Cooker Beef Stew


175 Comments


This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

If you are looking for thick Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe, look no further! This recipe is hearty and made from scratch with plenty of fresh vegetables.

Beef stew done cooking in a crockpot.

Though this slow cooker beef stew recipe has a few steps, you will have grandma-made traditional beef stew at the end of the day. This recipe will not disappoint; it is full of great flavor and nice and chunky. This easy recipe reminds me of a perfect comfort food pot roast dinner, with everything chopped to the perfect size, with gravy on it!

ingredients for beef stew on a table.

Key Ingredients

Beef:Find beef stew meat already cubed up; it is already the perfect size for beef stew. Or you can cut up a beef chuck roast or bottom round roast into cubes. Be sure to cut off the large pieces of gristle and fat.

Flour Coating: A combination of flour, salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and garlic powder is made and tossed with the beef cubes. This helps thicken the “gravy”. Browning the meat adds a rich flavor to the stew.

Vegetables: Red potatoes, carrots, and onion. You can also add two celery ribs if desired. Frozen peas are added just before serving.

Broth: Beef broth or beef stock can be used in this dish. Don’t use water; it will dilute the flavor.

Tomato Paste: Beef stew has a slight tomato flavor, that is where the tomato paste comes into play. This thickens the stew as well.

How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew

  1. Brown floured beef to build a rich base.
  2. Deglaze the pan with broth, whisk in tomato paste to make a quick sauce.
  3. In the crockpot, layer potatoes, carrots, and onion; add the beef and pour the sauce over.
  4. Cook until tender, then stir in peas and get ready to eat!

Tips & Variations

  • Additional Veggies: You can add sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, and even mushrooms if you desire! The flavors of the stew go well with just about any vegetable.
  • Onion Soup Mix: Instead of adding salt to this recipe, add a packet of onion soup mix; this will add significant onion flavor.
  • No potato stew: Out of potatoes? Don’t fret. Make this stew as directed, but without the potatoes. Instead, serve over steamed rice or egg noodles.
  • Red Wine: You’ll only want to add a 1/2 cup. Wine can be robust in slow cooker recipes. I suggest a red blend, Merlot, or Pinot Noir.
  • Flour Substitute: Cornstarch: Mix 3 Tbsp cornstarch with 3 Tbsp cold water; stir into the broth at the start for a thicker gravy. Brown the beef as usual before adding.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Add one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the stew for a rich depth of flavor.
cooked beef stew in the slow cooker with rolls on the side.

How to serve Beef Stew

  • Serve crock pot beef stew warm right out of the slow cooker. This recipe is great for potlucks or bringing a meal to a sick friend.
  • Serve with dinner rolls or crusty bread, butter, and a side salad if desired. A glass of red wine is a great accompaniment to beef stew as well!
Done cooking beef stew in a green slow cooker.

Does the meat need to be browned?

You can forgo browning the stew meat, though it adds more flavor to the stew if you do. If you don’t sear your meat, you’ll want to skip using flour, the flour will clump if added straight to the slow cooker. Instead, thicken the stew instead use cornstarch and cold water.

overhead shot of beef stew in a bowl.

Storing Beef Stew

Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. I don’t recommend freezing beef stew with potatoes, for potatoes turn mealy after being thawed.

Done cooking beef stew in a green slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

4.86 from 35 votes
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours
Total Time: 7 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 10
My slow cooker beef stew is decadent and homestyle, with a spoon-coating tomato gravy slow-simmered around fork-tender beef.
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

How to Video

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 lbs. stew meat, or 2 pounds any lean roast cut into 1-inch squares
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • cooking oil, about 2 tablespoons
  • 28 oz. beef broth, (2 14 oz. cans)
  • 6 oz. can tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 lbs. red potatoes quartered or diced, cut into inch pieces – You can use yukon gold or russets if desired.
  • 1 lb. bag baby carrots
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 2 cups frozen peas, optional

Instructions 

  • Add the potatoes, carrots and onions to the slow cooker.
  • Combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, and thyme in a big ziplock bag. Shake, then add the stew meat.
  • Shake to coat the pieces evenly. (or this can be done in a large bowl)
  • Brown the meat in the cooking oil on all sides, you don’t need to cook the meat through. You may need to cook the meat in batches.
  • De-glaze the pan with the beef broth. Add the tomato paste, scrape up any brown bits of meat and flour into the sauce. The sauce will thicken and will only take a few minutes.
  • Add the meat and sauce to the slow cooker. Stir.
  • Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
  • Add peas at the end of cooking time. Put the lid back on and cook for 15 more minutes to thaw the peas. If the stew thickens too much after being stirred, add water.
  • Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 995mg | Potassium: 1035mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6745IU | Vitamin C: 23.5mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 4.2mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Made this recipe? Leave a comment below!

More soups and stews

Warm up with a bowl of Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew, Slow Cooker Tomato Soup, or Poor Man’s Stew—each one packed with comforting flavor.

If you’re in the mood for something creamy or veggie-filled, try Slow Cooker Corn Chowder, Slow Cooker Chicken Stew, or classic Minestrone. For a rich, slow simmered dinner, you can’t go wrong with a pot of hearty Beef Bourguignon.

Stew is a perfect weekend recipe. You can make a big batch and eat the leftovers for lunch over the next few days. Also, try my Shipwreck Stew or Guinness beef stew.

Other recipes you may like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




175 Comments

  1. Ruby says:

    4 stars
    I have cooked this about 2-3 times already. Itโ€™s a very simple stew to do, ingredients are always at hand, and not much work after pan frying the beef. I use regular carrots instead of baby carrots. The taste is simple. Thank you for the recipe.

  2. Frank says:

    Easy enough to

  3. Brenda Porter says:

    Love these recipes!

  4. Martin G says:

    5 stars
    This recipe was excellent and was very tasteful. We adjusted it for a serving total for 2 people and had more than enough with left overs for 2 days. This recipe is a keeper and a go to for the fall and winter time

  5. Kelley says:

    The recipe states to cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. What would the time be if I were to cook this on HIGH? Thank you.

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      About 4 hours. Or until the beef and potatoes are tender.

  6. Rowland says:

    5 stars
    Very nice sweet a savory favor. I used the onion soup mix in place of the salt and added Worcestershire sauce.