Whoa. Just, WHOA. I’ve never smelled anything as lovely and drool-inducing as this Slow Cooker Beef Stew. The incredible aroma had my mouth watering for hours as the tender chunks of beef and vegetables simmered away in the flavorful gravy. I couldn’t wait to lift the lid and take a quick taste. And when I finally did? INCREDIBLE. This crockpot beef stew recipe is one you’ll definitely want to make before winter is over!
Ingredients for Beef Stew
Beef stew, in its most basic form, is really simple. It’s just chunky pieces of beef, vegetables, broth, and some herbs and spices, all cooked down until it forms a delicious cozy gravy. But I took this beef stew recipe up a few notches with some extra special ingredients that add more umami and flavor to the stew gravy. The ingredient list may look long, but I promise it’s worth it. Here’s what you’ll need for the most incredible crockpot beef stew ever:
- Beef Stew Meat – Stew meat, which is usually cubed chuck steak, tends to be a tougher cut, but it softens to an extremely tender texture when cooked low and slow (like in a slow cooker).
- All-Purpose Flour – Lightly coating the stew meat in flour and then searing it before it goes into the slow cooker increases the Maillard reaction and deepens the flavor. The flour also helps thicken the stew’s gravy.
- Vegetables – We use a hearty and flavorful mix of carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes to create a naturally flavorful gravy. The vegetables also help thicken the gravy as they break down into the broth.
- Beef Broth – Broth acts as the base for the gravy and provides a nice moist environment for the meat to cook to tender perfection. Make sure to use a broth with great flavor. We like to use Better Than Bouillon to make our broth.
- Seasonings – This is where we really take the flavor to the next level. For this recipe, we combined garlic, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rosemary, and thyme to make an over-the-top good gravy that is full of layered flavor and umami goodness.
How to Thicken Beef Stew
There are multiple ways to thicken a beef stew, but I prefer to allow the stew to thicken naturally as the vegetables cook and begin to break down into the broth. The stew may look a little watery when you first lift the lid, but once you begin to stir, the starches in the vegetables will begin to thicken the liquid into a gravy-like consistency.
Alternately, if you prefer a firmer vegetable, you can add them in the last hour of cooking and then use a cornstarch slurry (3 Tbsp cornstarch + 3 Tbsp water) to thicken your stew. Once the cornstarch is mixed into the broth and brought to a boil, it will thicken into a gravy. This method will result in a less flavorful gravy and a slightly glossy appearance.
What Else Can I add?
This slow cooker beef stew is pretty lush as is, but there are always options if you want to add more! Try adding 8 oz. mushrooms with the vegetables in the beginning (sliced in half) for more vegetable goodness. If you have some red wine on hand, deglaze the skillet used to brown the beef with the wine before proceeding with the gravy. Want it to look extra fancy? Sub 8 oz. pearl onions in place of the chopped onion in the recipe below.
Tips for the Best Beef Stew
- Sear the meat first. Browning the beef gives it an extra deep flavor that can’t be achieved in the moist environment of the slow cooker alone.
- Add extra umami. Adding ingredients to the broth that contain a lot of umami, like Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, ramps up the flavor in the stew and makes the flavor extra “meaty”.
- Don’t rush it. Stew meat needs to cook low and slow for a long time in order for the tough connective tissues to break down and become tender. If your stew meat is tough, reduce the heat and cook it a little longer.
- Don’t skip the veggies. Including a variety of vegetables in your stew not only adds texture and color, but the vegetables also add a ton of extra flavor to the gravy, so you’ll get a delicious, multi-dimensional flavor in the final stew.
What To Serve with Beef Stew
This crockpot beef stew is a pretty well-rounded meal on its own, but you’ll want to sop up every drop of that deliciously thick brown gravy. I suggest serving your Slow Cooker Beef Stew with some bread on the side, like my Focaccia Rolls, or over a bowl of Creamy Polenta, warm rice, or egg noodles.
Love Beef Stew? You’ve got to try my Chicken Stew next!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Servings 8 1.25 cups eachIngredients
- 2 lbs. red potatoes ($2.40)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 3 carrots ($0.44)
- 4 stalks celery ($0.44)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1.5 lbs. beef stew meat ($11.24)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 2 cups beef broth ($0.27)
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.13)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.06)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.06)
- 1.5 tsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1.5 tsp dried rosemary ($0.15)
- 1.5 tsp dried thyme ($0.15)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and red potatoes. Slice the carrots and celery. Mince the garlic. Place the prepared vegetables in a four or five quart slow cooker.
- Place the stew meat in a bowl and sprinkle the flour, salt, and pepper over top. Toss the meat until it's evenly coated in flour.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Once very hot, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the stew meat and cook, without stirring, until browned on the bottom. Stir and then allow the beef to brown on a second side. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker.
- Turn the heat under the skillet down to medium-low. Add the broth, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rosemary, and thyme to the skillet. Stir and cook over medium-low until all the browned bits have dissolved off the bottom of the skillet.
- Pour the broth over the ingredients in the slow cooker and everything a good stir.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
- After cooking the meat and vegetables should both be tender. Stir the stew well to allow the potatoes to slightly break down and thicken the gravy. Taste the stew and adjust the salt or other seasonings to your liking. Serve hot!
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How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the vegetables for the stew first. You’ll need to dice 2 lbs. red potatoes and one yellow onion, slice 4 stalks of celery and 3 carrots, and mince 4 cloves of garlic.
Place all of your chopped vegetables in a 4 or 5-quart slow cooker or crockpot.
Place 1.5 lbs. stew meat (beef chuck) in a bowl. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper over the meat. Toss the beef until it’s evenly coated in flour, salt, and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. When it’s very hot, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the stew meat and let it cook until browned on the bottom, then stir and allow it to brown on the second side again. Do not stir often, or the beef will not have a chance to brown. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker.
Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low and add 2 cups beef broth, 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 tsp brown sugar, 1.5 tsp dried rosemary, and 1.5 tsp thyme. Heat and stir the ingredients until all of the browned bits are dissolved off the bottom of the skillet.
Pour the broth over the ingredients in the slow cooker. It’s okay if the broth does not fully cover the ingredients in the slow cooker at this point.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
After four hours on high (or eight hours on low) the stew should look a little like this. The meat and vegetables should both be tender. The gravy may look a little thin at this point, but don’t worry…
Give the stew a good stir and the potatoes will break down a bit and thicken the gravy into a nice rich consistency. Depending on the type of broth used, you may want to taste the stew and add salt to your liking (I did not add any).
Serve the Slow Cooker Beef Stew as is or spooned over a bowl of hot rice or pasta. THIS will keep you warm and full on cold winter days!
Would love to try your delicious recipe, however due to a fish allergy, Worcestershire sauce Can’t be used. Can you recoment a substitute?
Worcestershire sauce is pretty unique in flavor, so I’m not sure there’s really anything similar (at least that I know of). I would probably just increase the soy sauce to 1.5 Tbsp.
It is possible to find vegan Worcestershire sauce. I know that Annie’s Homegrown is one brand but I’m sure if you do a search online you could find others that don’t have fish in them. 😊
Hello , can I do this on the stovetop
You can let it simmer on low, but it will cook faster and the vegetables may break down a bit more (even the low setting on a stove top tends to be hotter than a slow cooker). It can also be cooked in a dutch oven inside your oven.
I cannot use wheat flour. Is there something else that I could use to brown the meat and still keep this gluten free?
You can sear the meat on its own and that will still add quite a bit more flavor. Adding a little cornstarch and water slurry will help thicken in place of the flour.
Hey there! I really love your recipes. We made the cold cucumber soba salad at least once a week this last summer! So what if we just can’t make it home from work in time to get this cook for the four hours? Would you recommend cooking for 6 or 8 hours on lower heat?
Low heat for 8 hours should work. :)
Since it’s Halloween season I used Pumpkin Ale beer and beef bullion instead of beef broth. It came out so delicious.
Ooooh, nice!
I love love this recipe. What if I replaced all the beef products w chicken and used chicken thighs? Would it still need 4 hours on low?
I usually do 4 hours on high for any meat dish in the slow cooker, just to be sure. :)
Can you use sweet potatoes instead of red potatoes? I thought you would have to put them in later thinking they would come out mushy.
The potatoes do cook until they’re very soft, but it’s kind of nice because it helps thicken up the stew a little. I’m not quite sure how the sweet potatoes would taste with the rest of the ingredients, but it sounds like something I’d experiment with. :)
I added the kumara later ant they were great.
I normally use sweet potatoes in beef stew and they taste delicious. I don’t omit regular potatoes, just add less. They don’t take near as long to cook, so I wouldn’t add them in right away. Maybe in the last hour or so? And don’t cut them too small or they will end up as much. Even as large pieces they cook thoroughly and make it easier to eat them without them falling apart. If worst comes to worst, you could always keep it on low or warm for a short time after it should be done just to be sure.
Love this website!
My kitchen is smelling yummy from this stew cooking right now. Can’t wait until dinner.
To save money, I purchased a rump roast that was on sale for 2.98 a lb. and the butcher cut it into stew meat. That saved $2.00 per pound😊
Made this last night and it was great, just needed some pepper for my taste.
I’m thinking about doing this with some fresh venison I harvested this week. Have you had any experience cooking with venison in other recipes?
I don’t, unfortunately! :(
Made this over the weekend. It was so delicious and family loves it! The best beef stew I’ve ever made. And it’s easy! I had it for lunch for the next day, it tastes even better… Not sure why but Thank you for sharing this!
I am so glad to have found your website. I’ve made this stew once before and the family loved it! I’m making it again this week :)
I can’t tell for sure…did you end up peeling the skin off your carrots before chopping or no?
We are making it this coming weekend…can’t wait!
I did, but you don’t have to as long as you give them a good scrubbing. :)
Hi Beth! Love your blog and so does everyone else I’ve turned on to it!
I’m planning on trying this tonight but unfortunately don’t have a slow cooker yet…would you do the same amount of liquid in a stovetop version?
Also, I’d like to use the fresh rosemary from our garden rather than purchasing dried…would I need to adjust the amount?
Thanks!
I’d probably use the same amount of liquid on the stove top, but keep an eye on it and add a little extra if it starts to look dry. For fresh rosemary I’d reduce the amount by about half, it tends to be much stronger when fresh.
So I tried this on the stovetop and after an hour the meat is kinda dry and tough…do you think simmering it longer will make it more tender, or tougher…?
It should make it more tender. It takes a long time for that connective tissue to break down and become tender. Keep the heat on the low side, too. Just a gentle simmer.
Just got a slow cooker and am excited to try this out, however I don’t have time to brown the meat beforehand. How would I adjust the recipe?
The browning step is REALLY important to the flavor, unfortunately. It creates the pan gravy and a deep, meaty flavor that you just won’t get by adding all the ingredients to slow cooker. :( You can try mixing the flour with beef broth and the other ingredients that were in the pan sauce then just pouring it into the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients. I’m not sure if it will thicken correctly without making a proper roux in the skillet, but you can try!
You dont say how you make your beef broth? Sorry if that sounds silly but I am a beginner to this. Is it just gravy?
Hi, sorry for the confusion! I actually use Better Than Bouillon soup base to make the broth. You can use any store bought brand of broth that you prefer. :)