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!
Made this last night and it was incredible! The sauce was a little salty, but that was due to the broth I used and isn’t the recipe’s fault. This is a new favorite at our house, and I’ll be making it again!
I have this cooking right now, and can tell you, coming from an experienced home cook, that it is gonna be good!! I’ve always found beef stews to be a bit lacking in flavour and I’m soo looking forward to the elements that the mustard and sugar will bring. I’m also LOVE rosemary so…(sorry, I think I just drooled)…I’m anticipating. I didn’t change anything (which is a rare thing for me) except I sprinkled a bit of garlic powder on the meat with the flour, salt, and pepper, and added a bit more garlic to the pan just before de-glazing with all the liquids. If I’d had a spot of wine, I would have probably added it, but from the wonderful smell, I know this is gonna be good!
Thanks!
thanks for the excellent recipe, used fresh rosemary & thyme from the garden, and a splash of red wine to deglaze. Didnt mince the garlic, just smashed it and let it cook with the beef. At about hour 2, the aroma of this gets people excited.
I can’t believe how good this tasted!
We prepared all the ingredients as instructed leaving nothing out and adding nothing (other than adjusting amounts for a larger portion). We then put it in the slow cooker and left it on low for about 8 hours while we enjoyed a few drinks, turning it off and putting it in the fridge before bed.
This stew was then the star of lunch and dinner, and then second dinner, and then breakfast the next day. It has a tasty and deep “umami” flavour with a very pleasant peppery bite (presumably from the mustard) and meat that fell apart in the way you hope it will. My young and fussy kids yummed it up, and we all agree that this will become a staple in our menu.
Next time I will cut the veggies into smaller pieces but even though tender this is the best thing I have eaten this year, thanks for sharing! :)
Just remembered I did add one crumbled “Oxo cube” as my husband is convinced that these are necessary for any good flavour, but I think it would taste as good without :)
It’s a good thing I made this overnight, because there’s NO way I would have been able to resist had I been awake. This recipe (namely, the gravy recipe) is absolutely to die for. I can’t stop raving about the way the carrots, in particular, soaked up every delicious flavor of the gravy. I am stoked that I get to eat this for another week!
made this last week…ust came here to rave.
Oh the smell!! It was scrumptious.
the only difference was I had to change the method to make it using a pressure cooker.
so I browned the lamb, the onion and garlic. then mixed the beef stock, mustard, herbs, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce. added to pressure cooker. pressurised. 15 minutes. depressurised. then added the vegetables. had plenty of leftovers even enough to give a bowl and the recipe to my sister! tonight It’s raining and miserable and im making it again lol!
Made this recipe today, used pork instead of beef. Outstanding flavors, really one of the best stews I have ever tasted! I love the recipes here, another hit!
Did you use beef broth/stock when you used the pork or an alternative stock?
Not sure I really care for the rosemary spice. Sounded like a different recipe, so went and bought a bunch of spices to fix this.
Followed your directions and your pictures had perty much like what I had. I put in half a small turnip, and sautéd a small piece of ginger root with the minced garlic. Didn’t put as much salt in at first, since it used soy sauce. Used about 16 small carrots (tastier than large carrots).
Had previously made mistakes of checking on the slow cooker so let it set on high for 4 hours. Am guessing one should not take off the lid on a slow cooker when it’s on low, but high it shouldn’t matter?
Or maybe this West Bend Crockery Cooker’s high setting is a higher temperature than yours.
After 4 hours had a pasty stew, severely lacking liquid. Nothing like the photo. Added another can (1.5 cup) of beef broth whilst cooking on low to bring any form of liquid back. Also had to add a lot more salt. Now it’s acceptable, sadly it still doesn’t look like your photo.
Must be a difference on high settings of various slow cookers. However, as a slow cooker recipe would it not of been better to had cooked in on low for 6 to 8 hours over the aggressive 4 hours on high?
Was an interesting dish, smelled great, taste isn’t so bad after adding more broth. Still undecided on the rosemary flavour. /grin
In general, you want to try not to open a slow cooker while cooking on any heat setting. Slow cookers do vary a little between manufacturers (and sometimes as they age), so that may have been the issue. The extra root vegetable likely absorbed some salt, too, so that might be why you needed to add more (or just a difference in personal taste). :)
Took some over to the neighbors for a critique, and they liked it. Said was really good.
Figured with both Worcestershire & Soy sauces that extra salt wasn’t needed so much. However you were spot on.
Do you have a preferred slow cooker? Heard some have a timer function and reset to warming when done.
I just have the most basic model that cost only about $25. :)
Different Slow Cookers absolutely cook at different temperatures. The newer models with the removable inserts cook much hotter than the original Crock Pot I inherited from Grandma. I use that one when I need to let something cook for longer than a recipe calls requires. Even at double the time I’ve not had issues with anything being overcooked. I also think they cook more evenly than the newer, removable crock types.
Just found your site, Beth, and am sharing it with all my friends who cook. Thank you!
I have this cooking right now! Started the meat at 8am and it’s cooking low for 8 hours…….the house smells AMAZING and it’s taking everything I have not to lift the lid and sneak a spoonful. Found this recipe on Pinterest 3 days ago and HAD to try it! Now I’m excited to dig through your blog and see any other recipes to try out! I also was able to make this recipe for less than the $14.91 (only cost me about $7.50 being I had most of the ingredients PLUS meat was on sale this week!) Mine looks just like your photo and is cooking beautifully, thank you so much for this recipe!
Beth, I tried this receipe over the holidays and it was a hit. Everyone loved it. The only thing I changed was I used sweet potatos instead. This recipe was super quick to make…I wish I had made more! I can’t wait to try another receipe on the site.
Thank you!
Made this recipe the other night, but put it in my dutch oven in the oven at 325 for 3+ hours. It was AMAZING! Time and Time again, you make me look like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen! Thank you for sharing all of your incredible recipes!
This looks wonderful! But looks like I’m going to have to transition to a gluten free diet soon. Can you sub the flour for anything else? Or can you omit it entirely?
I think I’d just omit it. Your stew will be slightly less thick, but you can try mashing the potatoes a bit when it’s done to help thicken it up.
I also try to eat gluten-free and I’ve had great results with potato flour.
Corn starch works in a pinch!
The first bowl was delicious.. then I put two portions in the fridge and two in the freezer. Both sets were not good at all… most, if not all the juice disappears, potatoes become mushy.
Any tips?
The liquid will continue to absorb into the potatoes whether it’s in the fridge or freezer, unfortunately. I don’t think there’s any way to avoid that, though. Personally, I still love it even after it thickens and softens! :)
Totally amazing! I made this for lunch and had some cracked wheat bulgur bread (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/health/nutrition/10recipehealth.html?_r=0) to go with. Only changes I made was to throw in 3 parsnips and only cook it for 3.5 hours since the potatoes were tender and I was hungry. Very good consistency- perfect stew to make during winter.
Beth, this recipe for the Rosemary Garlic Beef Stew in Slow Cooker was great, had it last night. I had to cut recipe in half because there was just two of us.. Everything was good and my cooker kept it warm until we were ready to eat it. Thanks