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!
This was absolutely delicious. The directions were great and the pictures didn’t hurt awesome. I used soy flour instead of regular flower. I also added cut up tomatoes, 1 can cannelloni beans (increased protein), a frozen package of edemame beans and a glass of red wine.
I have made this recipe twice in two weeks. My family just loves, loves, loves it. I’m not a newbie, but it took me an hour and a half the first time to prepare it. The second time I was well on to finishing in an hour…and wham! grisly stew meat. Had to trim for an hour. :( All that said, this is a magnificent stew. Braising the meat is key, but the sauce/gravy is EVERYTHING. The longer it cooks, the better it gets. My compliments and gratitude to Beth!
Made this and everyone really like it.
It is simple and flavourfull.
Will be making this throughout the winter.
I didn’t tweek the recipe as I don’t think it fair to judge when you didn’t follow directions and generally I don’t comment, but felt this was worth the effort!
This recipe is fabulous!! Made this and went by the recipe as written. Only added a few bayleaves while cooking. It is a keeper! I give it an A+!
Don’t know where the half hour prep time came from, took me considerably longer. Maybe because I’m a seventy five year old man lol. Slow but thorough. Cooking now and already smells good. I did add some cabbage for a little more flavor and sweetness.
Made the stew last week & it was very good. Not sure if the brown sugar was needed. But I did follow directions. Amazing how much liquid developes. Will def make again.
This is my absolute favorite recipe! My husband asks for it over and over again- well worth the extra effort of browning the meat first!
Hi – I was wondering if red wine could be added. If so, how much or would it thin the sauce.
My new go to beef stew recipe. Delicious and very tender beef.
Best beef stew I ever had!!! Delicious!! The prep felt a little long but was well worth it! My husband and I loved it and ate it for leftovers for a couple days too. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Wow! It is really good, I made it tonight at home. I wish I could attach a pic of it.
The recipe is so easy to follow, which is great for me since I am not an experienced cook :).
I ran into a minor problem since I don’t own a skillet big enough to brown beef, but at the end all turn out delicious.
Thank you for the recipe
Carlos
You can always brown in two batches! :)
Hi Beth! I want to make this for a housewarming party for a small group of friends. Do you think I’ll be safe browning the meat and prepping everything in the crockpot the night before, then cooking on low for 8 hours? I could also cook on high for 4 and leave it to warm the rest of the day, but I wanted to see what you think. Thanks and sorry in advance if you’ve already answered this question!
I think that would probably work, but I would try to do it on high for at least the first hour to make sure it gets up to temperature from being chilled within a safe amount of time. If you won’t be around to adjust the heat, I’d just go for the four hours on high then on warm after that.
I made this dish today and it was absolutely delicious. My husband loved it, and he kept repeating that we need to “add it to the rotation.” I didn’t have any beef stock in the house, so I drained a can of Progresso French onion soup. It gave me precisely two cups of broth-equivalent. I used half of the dried rosemary suggested, and threw in three sprigs of rosemary. It’s a very aromatic dish. My husband and I had seconds, and we’ll get a second meal from our leftovers. I couldn’t be happier with the result. I plan to look further into the recipes on this site.
I love your recipes. Would this work in a 3.5 qt. slow cooker, as it sounds so delish?
Thank you.
I’m making this in a smaller slow cooker. I used a very small onion, 1 celery, 1 carrot, 1 medium sized potato and halved the ingredients for the sauce (1 cup beef stock, 1 tbsp Dijon, 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 tsp brown sugar, 1/4 tsp rosemary, 1/4 tsp thyme. I’ll see how it turns out. There is lots of room in my slow cooker still so it might have been ok with the original dimensions.
It turned out great! So delicious. I would actually stick with the original recipe as written as my batch was rather small. I think it would have fit fine into a smaller slow cooker. I’m going to make it again using the original recipe dimensions.
I believe my slow cooker is a 5 quart. I can’t say for sure whether this one will fit in a 3.5 quart.
I apologize if you’ve answered this, as I didn’t read through the 300+ comments– do you have an adaptation for the instant pot for this recipe?
I actually haven’t tried it in the IP yet. :) But I bet you could do the skillet steps using the sauté function, and then maybe just use the stew button for the rest?
I make this in my instant pot all the time. I brown the meat in two batches on the sauté function and then add the rest of the ingredients. I cook it on high pressure for 35 minutes and let it come down naturally (takes forever). It’s always fantastic!
Wow, this stew is amazing!!! I usually stick to baking but since both my parents are busy today, I decided to surprise them with an extravagant meal, I came across this recipe and decided to choose it over a few others. I cooked it exactly like the recipe, except I dumped a load of garlic in my pan. It’s cooking now and I am so excited to taste it! Thanks.