BEST SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW

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?

1. 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.
2. Give it stew a light stir, cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours, medium 7-8 hours, high 6-7 hours.
3. 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.

1. Put potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and celery in the crockpot. Have the beef broth and cooking wine measured out and ready.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Add spices and seasonings, mushrooms and bay leaf. Stir lightly to combine.
5. Cook on low for 9-10 hours, medium 7-8 hours, high 6-7 hours.
6. 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

Beef Stew Crock Pot recipe made with tender chunks of beef, loads of vegetables and a simple mixture of broth and spices that yields the BEST slow cooker beef stew ever!

4.89 from 78 votes

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Course: beef, Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef stew recipe, crock pot beef stew, slow cooker beef stew

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes

Servings: 10

Calories: 345kcal

Author: Jessica & Nellie

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

Serving: 1g | Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 1166mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4439IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg

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How to Thicken Beef Stew

These are a couple different things you can do to thicken beef stew, here are a couple tips below.

1. 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.
2. 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.