If you are looking for the Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe, look no further! This recipe is thick and hearty and made from scratch with plenty of fresh vegetables.
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 Slow Cooker shipwreck stew or Slow Cooker Guinness beef stew.
Why this recipe works
This recipe for crockpot beef stew has fresh vegetables, lots of seasonings, and a touch of tomato paste for a smooth tomato flavor.
The stew is thick, for the beef is coated in flour, which helps thicken the “gravy.” Browning the meat adds a rich flavor to the stew. Though this recipe has a few steps, you will have grandma-made traditional beef stew at the end of the day.
This recipe will not disappoint you, it is full of great flavor, and it’s nice and thick. This easy beef stew recipe reminds me of a perfect comfort food pot roast dinner, with everything chopped to the perfect size, with gravy on it!
Recipe Ingredients
- Beef – Find beef stew meat at your local grocer; 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. The flour will thicken the stew. You will also need cooking oil to brown the meat. If desired, you can use a few springs of fresh thyme instead.
- 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, do not use water for it will dilute all the flavorings.
- Tomato Paste – Beef stew has a slight tomato flavor, that is where the tomato paste comes into play. You’ll get a tomato flavor without having chunks of tomatoes. If you don’t have a small can of tomato paste, you can use a small can of plain tomato sauce.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Add the flour and seasonings to a bowl or large ziplock bag, stir or shake to distribute the seasoning with the flour.
Step Two – Add the beef cubes.
Step Three – Stir the beef into the flour mixture (or shake your ziplock bag) until they are evenly coated.
Step Four – Set a large skillet to medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil.
Step Five – Brown the beef on both sides; no need to cook through; the slow cooker will do that.
Step Six – After you have browned the beef, add the tomato paste and beef broth. Stir. Let the sauce and beef simmer for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.
Step Seven – Add your vegetables to the slow cooker and pour over the beef and broth mixture. Stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours. The low and slow cooking time will produce tender beef and vegetables.
Step Eight – Add the frozen peas (if you like them) after the cooking time is up. Add the lid back on and let the peas come to temperature. This will only take about 15 minutes.
Step Nine – Serve and enjoy!
How to serve:
- 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!
Variations
- Sweet Potato Stew – Substitute sweet potatoes for a healthier and vitamin-packed stew for the red potatoes.
- Onion Soup Mix – Instead of adding salt to this recipe, add a packet of onion soup mix; this will add significant onion flavor to your stew.
- 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.
Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. I don’t recommend freezing beef stew with potatoes, for potatoes don’t do well in the freezer.
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.
Yes, though you’ll want to mix three tablespoons of cornstarch and three tablespoons of water and add that to the broth mixture at the beginning of the cooking time. Still season your beef stew meat and brown it before adding to the slow cooker.
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 (mix three tablespoons of each well before adding). Add at the beginning of the cooking time.
Yes! Add one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the stew for a rich depth of flavor.
Yes, though 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.
Looking for a great Instant Pot Beef Stew recipe? Here is my recipe recommendation for the instant pot.
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Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe
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.
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
- Sweet Potato Stew – Substitute sweet potatoes for a healthier and vitamin-packed stew for the red potatoes.
- Onion Soup Mix – Instead of adding salt to this recipe, add a packet of onion soup mix; this will add significant onion flavor to your stew.
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Ginny says
Making this for dinner tonight, thanks for sharing. Just put it in, however. How long on high do you think?
Sarah Olson says
Probably 4 hours 🙂
Jen says
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.
Sarah Olson says
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?
Jen says
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.
Sarah G says
Trying tonight with almond flour for those who want to be gluten free- will keep you posted 🙂
Xiole says
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.
Jeffrey Boerst says
Brown rice Flour!! STAPLE for Gluten free cooking! You won’t regret it… 🙂
cindy bastion says
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.
Meg says
Do you have to brown the meat before you put it in the crock pot?
Sarah Olson says
Yes, after you season the meat you brown it 🙂
Chelsea says
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.
GERI says
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.
Carly says
My fam loved it
Sarah Olson says
Yay! I’m so glad your family liked it!
Carly says
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!
Cdnldy says
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.
Sally says
Can this be made the night before?
Sarah Olson says
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.
Sally says
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.
Jeffrey Boerst says
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!
Jeffrey Boerst says
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!
Tim dunn says
ALWAYS Worcestershire sauce. Just ask the Cajun Cook. And be generous.
Sarah Olson says
Thanks! I will try that.
Nancy says
Looks good,love beef stew
Debbie says
This was, by far, the best meal I’ve ever made.
Drea says
I don’t normally like beef but this was so yummy and easy to make. A regular in my house now 😀
Lisa says
This looks great Sarah! I’m not a fan of peas but they do make the stew pop with color!