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
📫 Save this recipe! Send it to your email! 📩
I consent to receiving emails from this site.
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.
Lorelei Colucci says
NOWHERE in the printed version of the recipe does it say ANYTHING about tenderizing the meat. I’m new to the kitchen and this is my first ever stew recipe I’ve tried. Only when I came back to your site to read the comments when I noticed that NOWHERE in the recipe does it mention ANYTHING about salt & pepper did I find that. So obviously I didn’t do THAT! Back to the s&p….how do you NOT include that in the recipe. I followed it as I read it….taking the time for the extra steps. Not until everything was already cooking in my crock pot did I even realize that there was NO SALT in there. I read IN THE COMMENTS….where you usually say to add to taste. But you didn’t say that…you said NOTHING. This is my first time reading your blog. Seems irresponsible to me to not write a recipe for EVERYONE….not just the folks that are already familiar with your recipes. I obviously added salt and pepper into the crock pot but I had no idea how much to use. I don’t usually cook food in this large of a quantity….so I was completely clueless. Needless to say my stew is less than stellar….and definitely NOT the best I’ve ever had.
Jessica says
Hi Lorelei, I originally published the recipe several years ago and have updated it since then- but I keep the comments. I used to tenderize the meat with a seasoned meat tenderizer, but it’s hard for people to find in some areas for one, and over the years I just found I wasn’t using it- cooking for hours in the slow cooker tenderized it more than enough, so I omitted it. As for salt & pepper- you’re right! I’ll add a line to the ingredients. Each person tends to add a different amount though, hence the “to taste” instruction. Add a few shakes of each, taste it and go from there. I’m sorry your beef stew didn’t turn out how you’d hoped. We love this recipe and make it all the time- but everyone’s different, I get that. 🙂
Ryan H says
Wow Lorelei
Just because you have no kitchen skills that is not anyone’s problem. It should be common for a cook to taste their food/sauce while it is cooking and adjust flavors accordingly.
If you are still learning to cook that is great but no need to be rude to the author.
Jana Pugh says
I don’t normally comment, but I made this stew today and it was the best I’ve ever had or made. I didn’t have any wine so I double the beef stock and did not add the tomatoes. I also didn’t have a chuck roast, I had a rump roast, which I thought would be too tough, but it came out really tender. I cut up the meat, put it into a zip lock bag and put in all the spices and the flour, shook it until every piece was coated and browned in the pan. I forgot to do the deglazing, but it still came out delicious. I will be making this again, but will definitely have wine, as I know it will make it even better. Thank you for the recipe
Jessica says
Hi Jana- thank you so much for your kind comment! I’m SO thrilled that you enjoyed the stew recipe. It’s our favorite too!
Ryan H says
Jessica
Thank you for the recipe it is doing it’s thing in the crock pot as I write this.
I did need to add more broth as the 2 cups of liquid did not seem enough originally. Is it common to have to increase the base liquid or did I do something wrong?
Ryan H
Jessica says
Hi Ryan, as the stew cooks, it creates more liquid, so I generally don’t add more than what the recipe states. Did you enjoy it? I hope so!
Maggie says
We love this beef stew recipe. I am making it for the third Christmas Eve in a row tomorrow. It’s perfect to throw together in the morning and then have it’s ready for dinner after our evening church service. I have done the quick method and the longer method. Both are good but I definitely prefer the longer one. It’s perfect with honey cornbread. Thank you!!
Jessica says
Thank you so much Maggie- I’m so glad you like it! And yes, I completely agree with the longer method being better!
Garyn Rictor says
Kinda bland. I added garlic salt and cayenne pepper. Then topped my bowl with shredded cheddar. It helped. Made this yesterday. The long version. Had my first bowl today. Glad I tasted it before serving to others. Also adeed a can of tomato paste
Jessica says
Glad you found a way to make it suit your tastes Garyn! I like your changes- adding a can of tomato paste is a great idea.
Judy says
Made this the other day. I forgot to use the flour on the beef but did brown it. I thickened it x 2 at the end andd it eas great! Gone the same day! Great recipe! ????
Jessica says
So glad you liked it Judy!
Rebecca Katherine Ruedy-Whelan says
Sounds like a delicious stew recipe! Can you please indicate what size crock pot, eg’ in quarts, for quantities specified here?
Would love to kick off 2018 with a delicious stew! Thanks!
Jessica says
I cook this stew in my 8-quart crock pot. 🙂
Paula mulcahy says
Thank you
Trueakitalover says
I did the long version in my ninja 3 in 1 crock pot tonight! Waiting to see how it tastes! It smells wonderful! It should be ready early morning!
Jessica says
Beef Stew for breakfast!!! WOOT! I hope you liked it!
Trueakitalover says
I loved this! I did some differences I got diced tomatoes with Chile’s in it! Omg! I slow cooked it all nought! I used almond flour instead of regular flour. This is the best stew I ever ate! Never needed the meat tenderizer because cooking it for 10 hours will make any meat tender. Also we used the tiny red potatoes instead.
My dad is going nuts over this! This is a keeper.
Peggy says
Jessica, today is 13 degrees out! My husband has been working outside for several days!!! He needs something to warm him up! I followed your directions! I can’t wait to dig in. Can I save leftovers in the freezer and if so how to I prepare it when frozen?
Thanks Peggy in PA
Jessica says
13 degrees?! Oh my word that is COLD! I hope you enjoyed it Peggy! I’ve frozen the stew before, then thawed it out on the countertop and reheated it in a pot on the stove. It worked out well- you can even microwave it to reheat it! I hope you both enjoyed it and that it warmed you up!
Cheryl says
love this…nothing better than a beautiful bowl of stew in the winter. Thank
Elizabeth Atherton says
I couldn’t find red wine for cooking for the crock pot beef stew, is there something I can replace it with?
Jessica says
You can find red cooking wine by the oils and salad dressing. But yes, you can also replace it with beef broth, grape juice or apple juice!
MarySC says
Great recipe! I did the long version using the whole 14 oz can of beef stock, and used 1 Tbs cornstarch at the end to compensate. I chunked the veggies pretty large since they will cook faster than the beef. The only thing I’ll do different next time is include the garlic with the onions rather than the beef . Recipe fit fine in my 6 qt crockpot; I cooked for 2 hrs on high then 6 hrs on low but next time I will decrease the time a bit. The stew was even better the second day! This might end up being a “cook one day, serve the next” meal for me.
Please consider not using supermarket cooking wine! A great chef once said, “never cook with anything you wouldn’t enjoy drinking”. I don’t drink red wine, but I buy good but inexpensive cabernet or pinot noir (Trader Joes is one great source), use what I need and store the rest in a heavy ziplock bag in the freezer. It “freezes” to slush and lasts forever. (I always have white wine stored the same way, for deglazing chicken.)
Jessica says
Great tips Mary- thank you! And yes, I agree, it’s even better the next day! This is one meal where we actually fight over the leftovers, ha!
Julie K says
So. Freaking. Good. Used lots of broth, cause my boys really like gravy. MUST MAKE AGAIN.
Jessica says
So glad you and your boys liked it Julie! I’m with you- bring on the gravy! 😉
Bryan says
Thanks Jessica, looks like these comments have been coming in for years, so the recipe stands the test of time! I used a 3lb top shoulder roast and it worked great. Additionally, used fresh sliced shrooms and red wine we actually drink. Used a 10oz can of Rotelle diced tomatoes with green chiles. Used 5 red potatoes (3 medium and 2 small) as I have a 6 qt cooker. Lastly, I added all the spices (incl salt and pepper) prior to pouring in the wine/beef broth mixture, as there wasn’t going to be a lot of room for stirring. Can’t emphasize enough the importance of the last step for thickening as that really separates this from a regular pot roast meal from an actual thicker stew. Had it all in by 7am for a 5pm launch. Kudos on the all-spice tip- Hadn’t thought of that before. 1 word: Yum!
Jessica says
Thank you Bryan for your kind comment! I was nodding as I read it over- I love your changes and am so glad you enjoyed it! Rotelle with green chiles- I’m going to remember that for next time. YUM. And yes- Allspice! Who would have thought, right?! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Georgia Houghton says
I made the more flavorful recipe. There was very little, if any liquid after cooking on high for 6 hours. Can you help me understand the reason it was so dry. I made just half the recipe. I cut ALL Ingredients in half. The meat even stuck to the sides of the pot. Any ideas as to wha
Jessica says
Hi Georgia! Do you remember what cut of beef you used? Also- what size of slow cooker? I worry your slow cooker was cooking it all at too high of a temp for the amount of food in there. I’d try it again and cook it on LOW, especially if you use a 4-5 quart crock pot, as the smaller slow cookers tend to cook food faster/ hotter. I’m sorry it didn’t work out how you imagined. 🙁
Amanda says
I love beef stew and I’m always looking for new ways to use my crock pot. Looking forward to try out the recipe!
Jessica says
I hope you like it!
Sandra Shaffer says
This looks like pure comfort food that I know my family will enjoy. Love that you used frozen veggies. Just makes this dish extra easy to put together. Time to pull out that slow cooker!