Slow Cooker Beef Stew
176 CommentsUpdated Jan 31, 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.
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.
Thank you for this great Beef Stew recipe! I have made this at least 6 times and loved it every time and so has the family. Thank you again!
I love mushrooms. should I use fresh or dried mushrooms?
I would add fresh. I’d cut them on the bigger size or leave them whole.
Adding mushrooms do I cook them or just add them to the slow cooker to cook?
You just add them to the slow cooker! At the beginning.
A classic, hearty beef stew. What’s not to love?
Great all around, though flavor a bit off, 2 much tomato paste, needs more of a beefy flavor. Added beef gravy in the end. Wud make it again with very little tomato paste.
This was great, a real keeper recipe. I followed the directions exactly and it is just great. I did add two russet potatoes cut into large chunks and even after freezing, the stew was just right. Thanks for this step by step, I am not a cook and need this type of recipe.
This is a lovely recipe rich and full of flavour. I did add a glass of red wine and I made a nice sourdough French bread to dip.
Loved it and its very simple
I accidentally added the peas at the beginning of the cooking time!! Did I ruin it??
No! It will be fine. You may want to add more fresh peas at the end.
Ok awesome thank you! LOL I only have frozen peas, should I still add a few of those at the end and let it cook for 15 more minutes like it says in the recipe?
Yes! That’s what I would do. 🙂
Easy recipe to make. I chose this one because my husband is on a low salt diet and I just omit the salt from the recipe. I do tweak it a little with some different spices to our taste. It’s cool in Florida today so its perfect to have for dinner. It will warm us right up!.
I made this turned out great, i did have to add beef bouillon and more salt for flavor.
**Question to anyone, can I use this recipe for say turkey stew?
Substitute the beef for real shredded turkey, and substitute beef broth with chicken broth…??
Would still use same spices? and tomato paste?
If I were to add celery and mushroom to the recipe, when would be the best time?
At the beginning.
Can you add canned peas instead of frozen peas to slow cooker beef stew?
Yes, I would still add them at the end of the cooking time.
i have a 4.5 qt crockpot can i use this recipe in it or do i reduce stuff down
I think it would be a very tight fit.
copy ill reduce the portion and send pic Thx
Ok great, let me know!