Slow Cooker Beef Stew
176 CommentsUpdated Apr 18, 2026
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If you are looking for thick Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe, look no further! This recipe is hearty and made from scratch with plenty of fresh vegetables.
Featured Comment
This was outstanding! Thank you for sharing! The whole house smelled wonderful and it tasted even better!
– mary
Though this slow cooker beef stew recipe has a few steps, you will have grandma-made traditional beef stew at the end of the day. This recipe will not disappoint; it is full of great flavor and nice and chunky. This easy recipe reminds me of a perfect comfort food pot roast dinner, with everything chopped to the perfect size, with gravy on it!
Key Ingredients
Beef:Find beef stew meat already cubed up; 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. This helps thicken the “gravy”. Browning the meat adds a rich flavor to the stew.
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. Don’t use water; it will dilute the flavor.
Tomato Paste: Beef stew has a slight tomato flavor, that is where the tomato paste comes into play. This thickens the stew as well.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Brown floured beef to build a rich base.
- Deglaze the pan with broth, whisk in tomato paste to make a quick sauce.
- In the crockpot, layer potatoes, carrots, and onion; add the beef and pour the sauce over.
- Cook until tender, then stir in peas and get ready to eat!
Tips & Variations
- Additional Veggies: 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.
- Onion Soup Mix: Instead of adding salt to this recipe, add a packet of onion soup mix; this will add significant onion flavor.
- 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.
- Red Wine: 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.
- Flour Substitute: Cornstarch: Mix 3 Tbsp cornstarch with 3 Tbsp cold water; stir into the broth at the start for a thicker gravy. Brown the beef as usual before adding.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Add one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce to the stew for a rich depth of flavor.
How to serve Beef Stew
- 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!
Does the meat need to be browned?
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.
Storing Beef Stew
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. I don’t recommend freezing beef stew with potatoes, for potatoes turn mealy after being thawed.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe
How to Video
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More soups and stews
Warm up with a bowl of Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew, Slow Cooker Tomato Soup, or Poor Man’s Stew—each one packed with comforting flavor. Try my Beef Stew with Dumplings, which is made from scratch.
If you’re in the mood for something creamy or veggie-filled, try Slow Cooker Corn Chowder, Slow Cooker Chicken Stew, or classic Minestrone. For a rich, slow simmered dinner, you can’t go wrong with a pot of hearty Beef Bourguignon.
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 Shipwreck Stew or Guinness beef stew.
Made this today and it was my first time making stew. It was delicious! I added the peas and some celery and it wasn’t as watery as I thought it would be from some of the comments I read. I enjoy really thick stew so near the end I added some flour and water mix to really thicken it up. Also added more pepper but that’s my preference. Anyways! DEFINITELY a must try and will be a reoccurring meal in this house!
Believe it or not, to thicken the stew later, instead of adding a mixture of flour and water, sprinkle in potato buds. Those will do the trick and will also provide an added flavor, even if subtle. My sister gave me this tip.
Hello – I find to thicken a soup or a stew, barley is your best bet. Flour & water does not give much flavor, but adding barley gives it just the right blend. Thx
Hi Sarah,
I saw in the comments people talking about Worcestershire sauce. I don’t see it in your ingredients. How much do I use and when to put it in. Thanks.
Hi! I would add 2 teaspoons at the beginning of the cook time. I find it’s great in many slow cooker recipes.
Very easy recipe to follow yum
Absolutely beautiful. Best beef stew I’ve ever made!
So great to hear!
In “Equipment Needed” you need to add a skillet & the size. In step #4, you need to mention the skillet & the heat setting.
I just wanted to say thank you I made this stew today and to my surprise it tasted just like my Grandma’s and for me it brings tears to my eyes because I learned all of her recipes but because she only made her beef stew once in awhile I never learned how to make it and over the years I have thought about it and truly wished I did learn it so my sad days are over I have found this recipe so thank you from the bottom of my heart
Happy to hear that Darlene! Thank you for the kind comment.
You can freeze this easily; cooked potatoes freeze well. I often cook a big load of mashed potato and freeze it.
Hello! I am allergic to tomatoes. Any ideas to sub the tomato paste?
Just leave out the tomato paste. Perhaps use the some of the other suggested additions like 2t of Worcestershire Sauce to keep the flavor high. Other options like chopped portabello mushrooms can add flavor too.
Made this twice this weekend due to too much stew meat thawed out. I added a diced red bell pepper the second time and we liked the flavor even better. I used Crimini mushrooms both times. The second time I added all the leftover flour to the sauce and it was thicker and more seasoned. GREAT RECIPE!!