Beef stew meat, brown gravy, and a few other pantry favorites are all you need to make this delicious Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff. This hearty meal served with crispy garlic bread is the perfect meal for weeknights or weekends.
If you like hearty meals like this, you’ll enjoy my Slow Cooker Beef Noodle Casserole and Slow Cooker Tater Tot Casserole.
Why this is the best beef stroganoff
This delicious meal always comes in handy when I am craving something with a creamy sauce, beef, and pasta. It’s a wonderful recipe with minimal ingredients, quick prep time, and yields tender chunks of beef packed with so much flavor.
If I’m having friends or family over, this is a recipe I’ll make that will wow them and leave them asking for the recipe. Take the guesswork out of what you’ll cook for dinner tonight and make this beef stroganoff.
Recipe Ingredients
- Beef Stew Meat Cubes – or 2 pounds of beef roast into cubes.
- Brown Gravy Mix – I use McCormick Brown Gravy Mix
- Water – Use only 1.5 cups (note- this is less than what the packages of gravy call for, using less will produce a thicker sauce).
- Seasonings – Thyme, oregano, and black pepper
- Yellow Onion – Diced
- Mushrooms – Use fresh mushrooms, sliced.
- Egg noodles – Do not add to the slow cooker raw, cook on the stove-top according to package directions and drain well before adding, at the end of the cooking time
- Sour Cream – This is the key ingredient in the dish, makes the sauce mellow and creamy. Add this at the end of the cooking time as well.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Whisk together the two brown gravy mixes and the water until smooth.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker, no need to brown.
- Add the mushrooms, onions, and seasonings over the beef.
- Pour over the gravy mix and water.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker.
- Cook covered on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Cook the noodles on the stove-top as directed on the package.
- Add the sour cream into the sauce and stir until smooth.
- Add the drained noodles. Stir and serve
What do I serve with beef stroganoff?
- Serve alone with no sides if you are in a hurry or low on groceries.
- Green salad or green vegetables.
Meat Variations
- Meatballs – Use 1 pound of frozen meatballs, but cut the timing back to 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
- Ground beef – Be sure to brown and crumble the meat before adding to the slow cooker
- Chicken – You can use boneless chicken breasts or thighs, and make chicken stroganoff. Change the brown gravy packets to chicken packets. Shred the chicken before adding the noodles and sour cream.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can use 8 ounces of any pasta you would like, even whole grain. Cook according to package directions and drain well before adding to the slow cooker.
Yes! Just skip adding the pasta to the sauce and beef and spoon this beef stroganoff mixture over hot steamed rice.
Yes, you can, but the consistency of the sauce will be thinner.
Yes. You can play around with flavors by using mushroom soup, onion soup mix, fresh minced garlic (or garlic powder), and seasonings like fresh parsley or other fresh herbs.
More slow cooker recipes with beef stew meat:
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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. beef stew meat (raw cubed beef)
- 1.74 oz brown gravy packets (two .87 oz. packets gravy packets)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms
- ½ tsp. dried leaf thyme (not ground)
- ½ tsp. dried leaf oregano (not ground)
- ½ tsp. black pepper
Add these items after cooking time is up:
- 16 oz. sour cream
- 8 oz. egg noodles cook according to package directions on the stove top
Instructions:
- Add stew meat, onions and mushrooms to slow cooker.
- Sprinkle over the thyme, oregano and pepper.
- In a small bowl whisk together the water (only 1.5 cups, not what the packages say) and gravy mixes. Pour over the meat and veggies in the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Add the sour cream, stir until smooth.
- Add the drained cooked noodles, stir and serve!
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
- Meatballs – Use 1-2 pounds of frozen meatballs, cut the time down to 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Ground beef – Be sure to brown and crumble the beef before adding to the slow cooker.
- Chicken – You can use boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Use chicken or turkey gravy instead of beef. Shred the chicken before adding the noodles and sour cream.
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Hawkins says
How long do we cook this is we use ground beef that’s already browned?
Sarah Olson says
I would do 5 hours on low or three on high.
Linda says
Have you ever just tried beef stew meat, golden mushroom soup and about an hour before over egg noodles add a block of cream cheese
Sarah Olson says
Yes! I have tried that one! It’s really good too.
Renee M Heydeman says
This is so good for dinner everyone enjoys it: so i just keep making it like every other week you would think they would get tired of it but not yet! thank you for the great recipes i have made alot of the recipes and not one of them was a failure!
THANK YOU SO MUCH RENEE
Sarah Olson says
Very happy to hear that! We love this meal too!
VickyC says
Dear Sarah: I’m not quite sure how you have the time to create these, cook these, post these and then share them with the rest of us…but, I’m sure glad you do! Thanks from Vicky and family
George Ross says
THE BEST YET !!!!
Shirley Craig says
The receipe says not to use ground thyme and oregano, I do not have the leaf,can I use the ground, if not, why?
Sarah Olson says
You can, but use way less. It can ruin a recipe quick.
Jann says
Looking to use this recipe but I don’t like or buy package gravy mixes. The flavors are sometimes so bad. Is there a substitute ffoor the gravy mix. Maybe Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken soup
Sarah Olson says
You could do cream of mushroom soup.
Brenda says
How much is the serving size?
Sarah Olson says
1/6 of the recipe.
Brenda says
I see it serves 6 but what is the size of that 1/6 serving?
Cheryl Huck says
I live in an Assisted Living home and do not have a stove. Can I add the uncooked pasta to this recipe due to lack of a stove. This recipe looks delicious.
Sarah Olson says
Hi Cheryl, Pasta does not do well in the slow cooker, the slow cooker isn’t hot enough to boil it so it gets chalky and falls apart. Is there any way you could buy (or the facility) a little a single electric burner? I’ve seen them as cheap as 19.99.
Ralph says
Do you think using a stroganoff mix instead of gravy mix would work
Sarah Olson says
I have not tried! I will find it a try it. If the packets seem to have similar ingredients (and water ratios) I think it will work fine.
Steven Jensen says
What if I want to 1.5 times this recipe and leave out the onion? Anything I need to change
Sarah Olson says
I think it will be fine. Maybe add a touch more water.
Mercedes says
Humm! Hummm! Good!