This recipe for slow cooker beef stew turned out fantastic! I was pretty excited when I got home from work, to find that my beef stew had thickened perfectly and turned out great.
The last time I made beef stew, was when I first got married 11 years ago, oh man what a disaster, it was so runny, and had no flavor. The bad recipe I tried was from a famous slow cooker cookbook, but just a bad, bad recipe. This recipe will not disappoint you, it is full of flavor, and it’s nice and thick. This stew recipe reminds me a perfect pot roast dinner, with everything chopped to the perfect size, with gravy on it!
I start by adding some seasonings to a 1/2 cup of flour, toss my stew meat with it, then brown the meat. I de-glaze the pan with a can of beef broth, and stir in a small can of tomato paste. Then I add the veggies, meat, and broth to the slow cooker, cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. And then add some frozen peas, and cook a little longer
- 2 pounds Stew Meat (or 2 pounds any lean roast cut into 1 inch or so squares)
- ½ cup flour
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- cooking oil (about 4 teaspoons)
- (2) 14 ounce cans beef broth
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1½ pounds red potatoes quartered or diced (1 inch or so)
- 1 pound bag baby carrots
- 1 white onion diced large
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 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.
- 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.
- Dump the meat into the slow cooker.
- Put the pan back on the stove and de-glaze the pan with the beef broth, and tomato paste, scrape up any brown bits of meat and flour into the sauce. This will only take a minute or so.
- Add the sauce to the slow cooker.
- Add the potatoes, carrots and onions to the slow cooker.
- Give everything a big stir.
- Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
- Add peas at the end of cooking time. Put lid back on and cook for 15 more minutes or so, to thaw the peas.
You may also like: Slow Cooker Seasoned Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans
This looks great Sarah! I’m not a fan of peas but they do make the stew pop with color!
I don’t normally like beef but this was so yummy and easy to make. A regular in my house now 😀
This was, by far, the best meal I’ve ever made.
Looks good,love beef stew
Can this be made the night before?
You can do some major night before prep, mix the seasonings in the ziplock bag, cut your potatoes and onions. If you have everything ready to go, it should only take about 10 minutes to throw together in the morning.
This was amazing! What a hit! I ended up making this all the night before. I made quite a bit more than what the recipe called for but it still turned out great. I used two 14oz boxes of beef broth and a little over 3lbs of meat and browned the meat like you suggested. I sauteed the onions and added Worcester sauce and added it to the tomato mixture in the slow cooker. I chopped the carrots and potatoes the night before and added them in the morning along with a a few bay leaves. When I got home I needed to thicken it up a bit so I dissolved corn starch in water and stirred. I let it simmer for a bit and it thickened up perfectly! Thanks for the recipe. It was delicious.
Thanks for the suggestion about the Worcestershire and Bay Leaves, Sally! I just put my cooker together, saw that and immediately added them… No brainer! 😉 Looking forward to tomorrow morning!
So as per above I made it with Bay Leaves and Worcestershire as you suggested and also added more Thyme and some Loganberry Wine…. Yummi! Thanks for the suggestion!
ALWAYS Worcestershire sauce. Just ask the Cajun Cook. And be generous.
Thanks! I will try that.
I made this recipe yesterday, but just tweaked it a bit. I added a couple of TBSP of Worchestire Sauce, and also a couple of TBSP of HP Sauce, then a package of 4 peppercorn gravy mix. Towards the end I added the peas, along with some frozen corn and fresh cut up mushrooms. It turned out great.
I’m making the stew as we speak! I did sample it and it’s delish! I did some prep last nite once my babies were asleep!
Thanks for sharing!
My fam loved it
Yay! I’m so glad your family liked it!
Im gonna be honest. This looked like a really good recipe at first, but is very bland. There is really no seasoning in it except on the meat. Its a good base recipe but I suggest adding some salt, garlic and extra Thyme to the mix to actually give it flavor.
You can always a beef stew mix. There’s one called Crock-Pot. Hearty Beef Stew seasoning mix. This should take care of the blandness.
Do you have to brown the meat before you put it in the crock pot?
Yes, after you season the meat you brown it 🙂
This looks delish but I can’t have gluten. Would I skip the flour and instead deglaze the pan with cornstarch? I’m still new at this gluten free thing.
Yes, try coating the meat with the cornstarch instead of the flour. 🙂 or maybe a gluten free type of flour? Anyone gluten free, have ideas for what you sub regular flour for?
So, instead of using flour, I just browned the beef and then thickened the sauce with cornstarch after deglazing the pan. It worked well & the sauce is thick. Tasty and so easy!
My only problem was that the potatoes ended up quite mushy, so I’ll probably add them halfway through next time.
Trying tonight with almond flour for those who want to be gluten free- will keep you posted 🙂
As to the gluten free option- I would suggest substituting rice flour for regular flour to get a more similar effect for the browning of the meat. Rice flour also thickens sauces really well. I think almond “flour” would create a more grainy texture that I’m guessing would be kind of gross and not thickening.
Brown rice Flour!! STAPLE for Gluten free cooking! You won’t regret it… 🙂
For gluten-free, there is no need to flour the meat..just use a heavy pan (nonstick!), heat the pan with a tad of oil and add the meat after the pan gets hot. Don’t touch it or try to pry it up until it is easy to release itself. Do all sides of the meat but don’t crowd the meat or they will steam instead of sear. You may need to do this in batches. Then deglaze the pan with the broth scraping up the dark bits from the bottom. Proceed as the recipe calls for. You can thicken at the very end with a corn starch/water paste or used instant mashed potatoes dissolved in a little water. My hubby has celiac so I am familiar with gluten free cooking.
Making this for dinner tonight, thanks for sharing. Just put it in, however. How long on high do you think?
Probably 4 hours 🙂
I got a late start, is is okay to cook on high? I am not a pro with the crock pot. generally just follow the directions to the letter.
Should be fine! Let me know how it works!
Hi,
Thank you for the great recipe. It is always great reading blogs like this that gives one great new ideas for new food. Excellent recipe, thank you.
I made it twice, once exactly like you suggested, (excellent, thank you) and then, I did my version. I always make the recipes as suggested, to learn exactly what it is about, and what all the spices do together, before I try my version of it. This is how one learn after all. My suggestion is always do the recipe as is, and improve on it the second time around according to ones taste buds. This is what I added the second time around:
For 1KG of stew beef, using the exact recipe above, I added:
5 TBSP Worchestire Sauce
4 TBSP Brown sugar
2 star aniseeds
Chicken stock instead of beef stock.
2 TBSP of roasted sesame seed oil
Thank you again for the great recipe, and the new ideas. Please keep up the good work,
Cole.
Thanks Cole! Your version sounds amazing!
can you add red wine?
Yes you can, but I would only put in a little, the flavor of wine seems to concentrate in the slow cooker.
Just put it the slow cooker. Looks good enough to eat now. I am substituting green beans for the peas. Wow seven hours seems like a long time now.
I made this tonight and it was soooo good. definately a keeper.
We made this the other night, and the whole family loved it! This is THE BEST beef stew recipe ever! I added a small shallot and some garlic to the onion, and sautéed them with a healthy dash of Lee & Perrings before adding them to the pot.
Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe, it is a new favorite in our home!
We’re going to try the steak fajitas next 🙂
F.
Will it work if the meat is frozen?
It would be hard to coat the meat, and brown it if it was frozen. 🙂
Stew really turned out delicious. Followed exact recipe. Was very simple to make. I will make again. Thanks!
Dot the potatoes get peeled or skin on
I left the skin on.
Could I eliminate the tomato paste and Worcester sauce? I thought about adding steak sauce since I have neither of the above ingredients.
It would be worth a try! Let me know how it turns out.
Got a request for beef stew from my Granddaughter. Found your recipe and tried it. First time ever making something like this. Result:- whole family loved it especially Granddaughter. Thank you so much for posting it.
Steve
Due to my work load and varying start/end times the slow cooker is a real ‘god’ send. Made this as per but changed a few things. Just for my taste.
1. 1 x beef stock cube crumbled over the meat as it browns.
2. Dumplings
125g/4½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
60g/2½oz suet
water, to make a dough
Then roll into 8 small ‘balls’ and had to the cooker 20 mins before end I test with a knife to check when done.
When adding Dumplings as quoted by Tim, is the 20 minutes timing when the slow cooker is on low/mdm or high and do you have to add any extra time to the total??
I would add extra time, and have the slow cooker on high.
What is de-glazing and how is it properly done? I’m also wondering how important onion powder is to the mix because I don’t have any. This will be the second time I attempt to make a stew. Last time, I thought that beef bouillon concentrate was the same as beef broth and proceeded to add 1.5 cups of concentrate. Hopefully this works better!
Deglazing is just adding the liquid to the pan to get the meaty bits off the bottom, nothing too complicated. Do you have garlic powder? That would work good.
You are so right. You find a recipe in some cookbook, you think it will taste great and then you make it. Often it comes out poorly. Your recipe is great. Tried it last week and loved it. I did a stew recipe with meatballs
This stew is delicious and easy! Thank you so much for a tasy meal. I have made it tice this month and my kids love it! Great way to get my daughter to eats peas too! You won’t be disappointed with this one. I have made quite a few stews and most of them are not tasty. This one is. Enjoy!
This stew looks so hearty! I love meals like this and even better when it’s made in the slow cooker!
This looks like perfect for sunday dinner!
This looks delicious!
Beef Stew is one of those comfort food favorites! Totally divine!
Going to have to try this soon, maybe for dinner tonight. I have some stew I need to use up anyways. Normally I cook it in my dutch oven but in the crock pot sounds even better.
I found this recipe on Pinterest. I made it tonight and it is terrific. I love how there so much flavor. My sometimes finicky daughters love it too.
My husband and I absolutely loved this! This is one of our favorite dishes. Thank you!
I want to try this recipe & tend to add my own favorites. I like the idea of the Worcester but what is HP?
Cdndly, added 2Tbls of HP.
I have tried to think what it could be, I cook all the time but this on escapes me. Probably something easy I am sure.
Thanks, Lise
Hi Lise, I did some research, and I think HP is a sauce from UK. Like a steak sauce. I’ve never seen it in the states.
Thank you. I do have another question for you, though which, red wine would you suggest as a marinade for red meat before cooking. Do you have any recommendations for which, wine works best when soaking chicken or pork in
prior to cooking.
HP is a brown sauce, originating in Britain – the Brits call it ‘brown sauce’. You can find it in any grocery store in Ontario, Canada as well, on the shelf beside the ketchup & mustard. 🙂
I added brown ale to deglaze, garlic and worstershire sauce, it is cooking away and smells amazing!
I just made this. Followed the recipe exactly. Word for word. I thought it was horrible. All I could taste was thyme and it looked like mush. Help! What am I missing???
Did you use ground thyme? Or the leafy kind? I’m wondering if your crock pot cooks hot?
I used the McCormick Thyme. What I did notice after I posted my comment is, I only used 14oz of beef broth. That would have made it too strong and mushy wouldn’t it? You’ll have to excuse me, just started cooking recently. Lol. Think I’m gonna give this recipe another try with the correct amount of beef broth. ☺
Omg! This was so easy to make and so, so delicious! I used sweet potatoes instead and added 2 bay leaves and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. Will be making again. Thank you for the recipe!
Does 1 beef bullion cube dissolved in 1 cup boiling water equal 1 10 oz can beef broth?
I believe 8 ounces is a cup, do you have a measuring cup with ounces? I’ve never done this recipe with boullion cubes. I would say probably 3 cubes for the 28 ounces of water.
GF Could you use cornstarch instead?
I don’t see why not!
Excellent flavor! I added 2 stalks celery, 2 bay leaves and 4 cloves of garlic, minced and cooked 3 1/2 hours on high (pinched for time). This will be my go-to beef stew recipe!
We really loved this. Oh so tasty. Added a cup of sweet corn, at the end turned onto high and added two heaped teaspoons of corn flour in a little water to thicken. Beautiful. Thanks
making this now, though i forgot to use Worcestershire. I had an extra pound of meat so I threw it in anyway and increased everything slightly. I think this would be good with a bit of beer….boeuf carbonade! cheaper than wine and just as tasty and you don’t have to waste a whole bottle of wine.
Beer and beef go so good together! I’m sure it will be great.
Added a packet of ranch dressing powder to the slow cooker mix before cooking
Hi, I’m making this tomorrow and I’m cutting the recipe in 1/2 because I’m only making it for myself to have for the week. My question is would I cook it in my slow cooker for the same amount of time 7-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high or would it need less time because there’s less in the pot to cook?
I think the time will be the same, I’d do 7 on low or 4 on high. The beef and potatoes need that time to tenderize. It will be great!
I made this beef stew today, cut the recipe in half because it’s only for one person for a few nights and it came out really tasty and pretty perfect… I did need more beef broth than if I cut it in half so I ended up using 2 cups of beef broth and extra water to make sure I covered everything enough… I used extra veggies, as in parsnips which I love so I had chunks of potatoes, baby carrots, parsnips and sliced onions. I didn’t use the frozen peas because I didn’t need them but I may add them with the leftovers later. I have a lot leftover but not too much. I also added in 2 tbsps of flour with 1/2 cup of water 1/2 an hour before it was done to thicken the sauce and it worked well. I cooked the stew for approx 6 hours on low which was enough time. I highly recommend this recipe!
Thank you for all your tips Karen! I’m sure it will be helpful to anyone who wants to cut this recipe in half.
Im going to make this for tomorrow, all the comments make it Sound so good….i am notably thee worlds WORST cook, so we’ll see thsnk you for sharing!!
Let me know how it turns out!