Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew is made with tender chunks of beef, loads of healthy vegetables and a simple mixture of broth and spices that yields incredible flavor. Try this Beef Stew recipe made in the slow cooker and you are sure to save time and have an extremely satisfying meal too!
Crock Pot Beef Stew is one of our favorite meals when it is cold outside. I could have soup or stew for dinner every night from November to March and be perfectly content. This recipe is a culmination of years of recipe testing to find the absolutely Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe. This one hits the spot every time, give it a try and find out what all the raves are about! Don’t believe me, just check out the rave this recipe received from the Today Show Today.com as one of the top Beef Stew recipes to try. Is this real life?!?!
A few years ago I began hunting down a really good beef stew recipe. I tried so many and none were quite right. Finally, I found one… only it wasn’t really for Beef Stew, it was for Beef Bourgignon which is a more complicated, richer version of a classic stew.
I altered the recipe and the result is an easy, delicious beef stew that’s made in a slow cooker. I listed two methods for preparing this stew. To really get a nice, full flavor, I like to take about 15 minutes and do some pre-cooking on the stove. It’s not necessary, but I prefer the flavor this way.
Tips on making the BEST Homemade Slow Cooker Beef Stew:
The most time consuming part of making homemade stew is chopping and dicing all the vegetables and meat. Even by splitting up these tasks and getting them done ahead of time, it’s helpful.
Make your own pre-made Mirepoix mixture
I almost always have prepared homemade mirepoix {carrots-onion-celery} sliced and frozen. This saves a huge amount of time, plus it’s so useful to have this mix on hand all winter long.
Prepare your meat ahead of time
Defrost the meat a few days before, then the night before, dice the meat into 1″-2″ chunks and sprinkle seasoned meat tenderizer as well as the 1/4 cup of flour on it. I just put it all in a large zip lock bag so that I can mix the flour up with the meat easily. (Meat tenderizer can be found on the spices/ seasonings aisle of the grocery store.)
Potato Prep work
Another task you can do the night before is to scrub and cut up the potatoes. Starch is released from the potatoes when you cut them and it will cause them to darken, so make sure you submerge them in water to prevent this discoloration. I put them in a large Tupperware, then cover them with water.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew ingredients
— BEEF: You’ll need about 2lbs trimmed beef chuck- cut into 2 inch cubes. You can also use stew meat, a roast that you’ve cut up. I’ve even used steak I had in my freezer too long!
Dry Ingredients:
— FLOUR: You’ll coat the meat with 1/4 cup of flour- toss it lightly to coat (optional: add 1/2 tsp seasoned mean tenderizer)
— SEASONINGS: We also add 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp allspice, 2 tsp cornstarch and salt & pepper, to taste
Wet Ingredients/Veggies:
— OIL: We fry up the meat in 4 tbsp olive oil just for a quick sear
— WINE: We deglaze the pan using 1 cup red cooking wine. Use what you have on hand, or, if you prefer, you can use grape juice, or even more beef broth instead.
— BROTH: We add 1 cup beef stock or canned beef broth for the beef stew gravy.
— VEGETABLES: We add the following vegetables into the beef stew-1 can diced tomatoes-drained (14.5 oz can), 2 tsp minced garlic, 5-10 red potatoes- diced, 1 medium onion- chopped, 2 cups carrots- sliced (about 3-4 will give you 2 cups), 2 cups celery- sliced (about 3-4 stalks) and 1 can sliced mushrooms- OPTIONAL (8 oz can)
How do you make Homemade Slow Cooker Beef Stew?
- Turn crockpot on low. Toss all vegetables and meat in the crockpot. Combine spices {except bay leaf}, oil, cooking wine, beef broth and whisk lightly to combine. Pour over meat and vegetables. Add in bay leaf.
- Give it stew a light stir, cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours, medium 7-8 hours, high 6-7 hours.
- To thicken stew, about 30 minutes prior to serving, ladle out about 1/2 cup of liquid from the stew. Whisk in 2 tsp cornstarch and add it back to the stew, stirring gently to combine.
MORE DEVELOPED FLAVOR METHOD: Takes 15-20 additional minutes
As I said before, this just gives the stew a better, more developed flavor. It’s really not difficult, just a few extra steps but it goes fast.
- Put potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and celery in the crockpot. Have the beef broth and cooking wine measured out and ready.
- Heat a frying pan up on high. Add in 2 TBSP oil. Add garlic. Once pan is hot, add beef. Sear beef for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer beef out of pan after 5 minutes.
- Do not wash the pan! The technical term here is deglazing- we’re going to add liquid that will help loosen up and remove the flavorful meat remnants on the bottom of the pan. Return pan to hot stove top and add remaining 2 TBSP of oil. Once oil is hot, add in the onions. Wait about 3-4 minutes until the onions are beginning to be translucent and are sizzling. Add in cooking wine and beef broth. Once the liquid begins to boil, turn off the heat and pour entire mixture into the crockpot.
- Add spices and seasonings, mushrooms and bay leaf. Stir lightly to combine.
- Cook on low for 9-10 hours, medium 7-8 hours, high 6-7 hours.
- About 30 minutes prior to serving, ladle out about 1/2 cup of liquid from the stew. Whisk in 2 tsp cornstarch and add it back to the stew, stirring gently to combine. This helps thicken it up! If you want it even thicker, you can repeat this process once, waiting about 15 minutes between to double check thickness.
**If you don’t have or don’t like cooking with wine, you can use grape juice, apple juice or simply increase the beef broth to 2 cups instead. I use red cooking wine though- I think it adds a wonderful flavor!
Best type of meat to use for Beef Stew
Stew is a great recipe to use inexpensive cuts of beef in because cooking it low and slow in a crock pot will tenderize it well. It’s incredibly disappointing to go thru the steps to make a beef stew and the beef is tough and chewy. I prefer to use a beef chuck roast in my beef stew. I cut the beef into 1″-1.5″ chunks and the end result is perfect. If you purchase store-bought stew meat, I suggest sprinkling it with some seasoned meat tenderizer and letting it sit overnight. If you’re on a budget, you can also use cooked ground beef too.
BEST SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW RECIPE
Ingredients
- 2 lbs trimmed beef chuck cut into 1-2-inch cubes
- ¼ flour tossed with meat to coat (OPTIONAL: add 1/2 tsp seasoned meat tenderizer)
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp allspice
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup of red cooking wine
- 1 cup beef stock or canned beef broth
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 5-10 red potatoes diced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cups sliced carrots about 3-4
- 2 cups sliced celery 3-4 stalks
- 1 can diced tomatoes drained {14.5 oz}
- 8 oz container of sliced mushrooms {optional}
Instructions
QUICK METHOD:
- Turn crockpot on low. Toss all vegetables and meat in the crockpot. Combine spices {except bay leaf}, oil, cooking wine, beef broth and whisk lightly to combine. Pour over meat and vegetables. Add in bay leaf.
- Give it stew a light stir, cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours, medium 7-8 hours, high 6-7 hours.
- To thicken stew, about 30 minutes prior to serving, ladle out about 1/2 cup of liquid from the stew. Whisk in 2 tsp cornstarch and add it back to the stew, stirring gently to combine.
MORE DEVELOPED FLAVOR METHOD: takes 15-20 additional minutes
- Put potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and celery in the crockpot. Have the beef broth and cooking wine measured out and ready.
- Heat a frying pan up on high. Add in 2 TBSP oil. Add garlic. Once pan is hot, add beef. Sear beef for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer beef out of pan after 5 minutes.
- Do not wash the pan! The technical term here is deglazing- we’re going to add liquid that will help loosen up and remove the flavorful meat remnants on the bottom of the pan. Return pan to hot stove top and add remaining 2 TBSP of oil. Once oil is hot, add in the onions. Wait about 3-4 minutes until the onions are beginning to be translucent and are sizzling. Add in cooking wine and beef broth. Once the liquid begins to boil, turn off the heat and pour entire mixture into the crockpot.
- Add spices and seasonings, mushrooms and bay leaf. Stir lightly to combine.
- Cook on low for 9-10 hours, medium 7-8 hours, high 6-7 hours.
- About 30 minutes prior to serving, ladle out about 1/2 cup of liquid from the stew. Whisk in 2 tsp cornstarch and add it back to the stew, stirring gently to combine. This helps thicken it up! If you want it even thicker, you can repeat this process once, waiting about 15 minutes between to double check thickness.
Video
Nutrition
How to Thicken Beef Stew
These are a couple different things you can do to thicken beef stew, here are a couple tips below.
- Thicken Beef Stew using Cornstarch – About 30 minutes prior to serving, ladle out about 1/2 cup of liquid from the stew. Whisk in 2 tsp cornstarch and add it back to the stew, stirring gently to combine. This helps thicken it up! If you want it even thicker, you can repeat this process once, waiting about 15 minutes between to double check thickness.
- Thicken beef stew using Cornmeal– This method is super simple to do! 30 minutes prior to serving, stir in 1/4 cup of cornmeal. Replace the lid and let sit. Stir once again before serving. While this is the easiest method, it does lend a grainier appearance to the stew, just fyi.
Can Slow Cooker Stew be frozen?
Of course! Beef Stew is actually one of my favorite freezer meals. Simple make the recipe, cool and then transfer to a freezable container. You have a couple options for this- you can freeze it in a tupperware container in a large ziplock freezer bag. when you’re ready to eat it, let it thaw on the countertop or in the fridge until soft, then heat in the microwave or on the stovetop. I find that the flavors in beef stew get better with time, so freezing leftovers is a great idea.
What do you serve with Beef Slow Cooker Stew?
Beef Stew is a hearty one-pot meal that doesn’t need much else to complete the meal. My recipe has lots of vegetables and lean beef so it’s hearty and good for you. Even still, I love sopping up beef stew with a piece of Homemade French Bread! Want a bread recipe that’s faster to make? Try our Easy 30-Minute Dinner Rolls. Finish off the meal with Rocky Road Cheesecake or Snickerdoodle Cookies. Enjoy!
How do you add flavor to crockpot stew?
I have a few tips on adding quick flavor to your beef stew recipe.
The first is to use seasoned meat tenderizer. It actually has a really great combination of spices that adds a wonderful flavor to beef stew. As a bonus, it also tenderizes your beef! I’d use about 1.5 teaspoons sprinkled onto your beef after you cut it into chunks.
My second tip is to make your own beef broth from some type of beef broth concentrate (granules, cubes or a paste- all store-bought) and to simple make a stronger broth. You can either add 1.5x the concentrate or even double.
My third tip is to simply follow the directions and add all the ingredients in the recipe. Sometimes I hear from readers that they made several changes and didn’t like the resulting flavor. I add a ton of flavor in this recipe- an entire onion, garlic, cooking wine, a bay leaf, thyme, parsley, etc. Add it all in and then let the slow cooker process work its magic! If you want a really flavorful beef stew, do all 3 of my tips!
Best Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe made with tender chunks of beef, loads of vegetables and a simple mixture of broth and spices that yields incredible home style beef stew.
Ann Hurley says
Excellent recipe. It is now the only beef stew recipe I use. One day I didn’t have any wine so I substituted a cup of beer. It was still really good. When I have wine, even though I don’t drink wine, I put in two cups of wine, leave out the water called for and put a packet of beef oxo into the wine. So good..
Thanks so much for this recipe.
Jessica says
So glad to hear Ann! Great idea too!
Erin says
DELICIOUS!! I substituted the beef broth for consommé, and added a parsnip to the vegetables. The result was terrific. I love the recipe adjustment feature. I was making this recipe for just two of us, and a picky 14-y/o. It was so much easier with that feature!
I’ll definitely make this again.
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it Erin!
Richard Coward says
If you don’t have a Slow Cooker, what other method should you use and how long does the cooking then take?
Asha says
Hey! Your nutrition facts state that one serving is only 1gram. Is that correct? We would like to make this recipe but counting macros seems incorrect for such a small serving. Can you please let me know? Thanks so much!! It looks delicious!
Jessica says
The nutritional facts list out the serving for 1 person. (Not 1 gram)
Pamela Ott says
This recipe Rocks!!!! It is without a doubt the best beef stew I’ve ever made or tasted. I made it exactly as recipe called for minus wine, just used beef broth. So good. Now I’m on the hunt for a great chicken tetrazzni recipe that’s also easy.
Nina says
My mom use to make beef stew. She didn’t follow a recipe so when she passed away I didn’t know how to make it. I’ve tried but could never get it quite right. This was as close to it that I will ever get. It was delicious. I did add two things. A tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and at the end a half a can of peas. I froze the left overs!
Alison says
Nina, it makes my heart so happy to have been able to get you close to your mom’s recipe! I hope you continue to enjoy this!
Kristin Van Dam says
Hearty and delicious! I’ve made this using both low and high settings on the crockpot and the meat comes out perfectly tender every time (I swear it first). I’m more of a “free-style” cook and rarely use/follow a recipe but this recipe has become my go-to for beef stew!
Alison says
I love to hear this Kristin! Thanks for sharing!
Stacey says
What size crockpot was used when making this recipe? Also, what serving size is used (1 cup, 2 cups, etc)? Thank you.
Tina says
This recipe is fantastic! I never liked beef stew until I found this. I even follow it exactly (longer version) and I NEVER follow a recipe exactly. I think the red wine is key. It develops the beef flavor beautifully! Thanks!
Kristen Kelly says
Can I make this gluten-free using gluten-free flour instead of the flour?
Thank you!
Jessica says
Absolutely- or just leave the flour out!
Rhona says
Hi will omitting the potatoes affect the outcome.?
Jessica says
Yes, omitting potatoes will affect the outcome. Potatoes are a bulk of the stew.
Grace says
Do the potatoes hold up if the stew is frozen?
Mary Jane Ciurla says
In the list of ingredients you put ** after the red wine, but I could find nothing which referenced it. Haven’t made it yet but I sure have been thinking about it lately. This one sounds great. Thank you.
Jessica says
You can use apple juice, grape juice, or additional beef broth in place of red wine if you prefer.
ds says
Please fix nutrition. Serving shows 1g, t that’s like 2 teaspoons.
Jessica says
Recipe serves 10- the nutrition info is correct for 1 serving. No idea why it says 1 gram, LOL!
Gina says
Comfort food at its best! This was hearty, delicious, and just what a cold winter night needed! Great recipe!
Katherine says
I love this classic beef stew! So perfect, and easy in the crockpot.
Nellie says
So glad you enjoyed it Katherine!
Gayle Horowitz says
This recipe was soooooo good. I was never one to like beef soups/stews but this recipe is a winner. I did add Worcestershire
sauce, as one person suggested, and cooked it in my pressure cooker. I add frozen peas when it was done. Excellent! Thank you.
Nicole says
Aw yay! Im so glad you liked it! 🙂
Louie says
This crock pot recipe was excellent lot of flavor I took the added 15 min and seared the meat. Delish I’ll make this again
Jessica says
That extra 15 minutes is worth it! Glad you liked it Louie!
Lilith Moon says
This is my first time leaving a comment on a recipe.
I’ve made this exact beef stew for 3 years now and I always do the developed flavor method. It turns out so well, I really feel impressed with myself! (I’m not a great cook)
Next time, I plan to season the beef overnight with Worcestershire sauce and other spices and add 3x the liquid because I like things to be super soupy.
Pro hack for low carb fellows – substitute the potatoes with celeriac root. Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!
Jessica says
Thank you Lilith for coming back and leaving a comment and review! Love your adaptations. Enjoy your stew!
Sharon Beverly says
This stew is cooking in the crockpot right now and it smells wonderful! The only substitution was to use a cup of Merlot instead of red cooking wine. How could it be anything but perfect using these ingredients!
Jessica says
I hope you like it; it’s one of my all time favorites!