This Crock Pot Steaks and Gravy recipe transforms simple steaks into a rich, savory meal with onions, mushrooms, smoky bacon, and a homemade beef gravy. Slow cooking makes the steaks tender and infuses them with layers of deep, hearty flavor.

It’s perfect served over the best mashed potatoes or my homemade egg noodles.

A plate of slow cooker steak.

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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Crock Pot Steak and Gravy

  • Flavor: Rich and savory with tender beef, smoky bacon, earthy mushrooms, sweet onions, and a flavorful gravy with hints of garlic, herbs, and red wine.
  • Why Make It: Turns affordable steaks into a tender, comfort-food dinner with minimal hands-on cooking.
  • Tools: A 6-quart slow cooker, skillet, and meat mallet.

Cook Time: 4 Hrs 50 Mins (20 Min Prep!) Servings: 4 Cooking Method: Slow Cooker

Ingredient Notes

bacon , mushrooms , tomato paste , wine , garlic , rosemary , bay leaf , thyme , onion , cornstarch , cube steaks with labels to make Crock Pot Steak and Gravy
  • Steak: Cube steak becomes especially tender in the slow cooker. Round steak also works well but may benefit from additional cooking time. Chuck roast or stewing beef can be used, learn more about choosing the best beef for slow cooking here.
  • Bacon: Adds smoky richness to both the beef and the gravy. Thick-cut or regular bacon both work.
  • Red Wine: Adds depth and richness to the gravy. If you prefer not to use wine, simply replace it with additional beef broth.
  • Mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms provide deeper flavor, while white mushrooms have a milder taste. Pre-sliced mushrooms are a convenient way to save prep time.

How to Make Crock Pot Steak and Gravy

cube steaks on a plate to make Crock Pot Steak and Gravy
  1. Tenderize the steak, cook the bacon until crisp, and soften the onions (full recipe below).
onions and mushrooms cooking in a crock pot
  1. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker (except the bacon and cornstarch).
cooked steak in a crock pot
  1. Cook until tender, then add the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened.
cooked steak in gravy in a crock pot topped with bacon bits
  1. Stir in the bacon and serve.

Holly’s Best Tips

  • Slice Onions Evenly: This will help them soften at the same rate.
  • Fork Tender Beef: If the beef isn’t fork tender, keep cooking. Slow cooker beef often simply needs more time to ensure it is tender before serving.
  • Brown the Steaks: Brown the steaks before adding them to the slow cooker. It creates a richer gravy worth the extra few minutes, using the same technique I use for a tender pot roast with gravy.
  • Deglaze the Pan: Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet when adding the wine. This adds lots of flavor to your gravy.
  • Thicken at the Right Time: Thicken only after the beef is fully cooked. See my tips for how to make homemade gravy for more ways to get a rich, smooth consistency.

Leftovers You’ll Love

  • Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot throughout. Add a splash of beef broth if the gravy thickens too much.

Slow Cooker Comfort Dishes

Did you enjoy the Crock Pot Steaks and Gravy Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
cooked steak in gravy in a crock pot topped with bacon bits
5 from 44 votes

Crock Pot Steaks and Gravy

Servings 4 servings
Fork-tender steaks simmer in a rich homemade gravy with bacon, onions, mushrooms, and herbs. This slow cooker dinner is perfect over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.
Servings 4 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
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Ingredients  

  • 2 pounds cube steaks round steaks, or minute steaks
  • 6 slices bacon
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 4 ounces mushrooms halved
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions 

  • Pound the steaks using a meat tenderizer/mallet.
  • Cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan, leaving the fat in the bottom of the pan.
  • Season the steaks with salt and pepper and brown in the bacon fat. Place in the bottom of a 6qt slow cooker.
  • Add onions to the pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes or just until it softens. Place onions in the slow cooker. Add wine to the pan, scraping any brown bits off, and pour into the slow cooker.
  • Add all remaining ingredients except bacon & cornstarch. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
  • Remove bay leaf. Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. Stir into the slow cooker and cover. Cook 15 minutes or until thickened.
  • Stir in bacon and serve immediately.

Notes

If you don’t have cube steaks, I’d recommend using other cuts that tenderize well in a slow cooker, like chuck roast, stewing beef, or round steak.
If the beef isn’t tender, it likely needs more time. 
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
 
5 from 44 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 637 | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 185mg | Sodium: 611mg | Potassium: 1297mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Slow Cooker
Cuisine American

savory Crock Pot Steak & Gravy on a plate with a title.
Crock Pot Steak & Gravy in the pot and plated with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of the best selling cookbook “Everyday Comfort,” which delivers hearty, home-cooked meals designed for real life.
See more posts by Holly

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5 from 44 votes (38 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I have thin cut bottom round steak will it work in this recipe and I don’t use alcohol at all, is there a substitution? Looking forward to hearing from you, thanks.

    1. Hi Sandra, that should work well. And you can replace the wine with additional beef broth. Enjoy the recipe!

    1. Hi Diane, yes you can use sirloin steak but because it’s a more tender cut of beef you may not need quite as much cooking time. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!

  2. Oops! I made a mistake with the wine/broth ratio, using 2cups wine and about 1 cup beef broth instead of the other way around! Do I need to make any corrections? I’ve made this before and it’s delicious. I guess we’ll be eating drunken cube steaks tonight! Any suggestions/comments?
    Linda5 stars

    1. Oh no! I hope you were still able to enjoy it. You could try adding a little extra broth and cornstarch to balance it out but I would love to hear how it turned out for you.

      1. Good morning!!! This looks amazing however could you use avocado or light olive oil to sear the meat as typically I cook bacon in the oven and don’t use bacon grease? Thank you so much for all your yummy recipes!!!
        Stephanie:)

  3. I made this with round steak didn’t have any cube steaks. All the flavors blend well together. My husband loved this dish I paired it with mashed potatoes, the gravy was sweet and savory. I will be making this again and again.5 stars

  4. although I’ll be using beef steak instead of venison which we do not eat, I’m pretty sure this is going to be a tasty recipe. so thank you again for posting yet another delicious recipe5 stars

  5. Thank you for another delicious recipe. My husband is a hunter so we always have venison in our deep freezer. I thawed out a small roast, let it sit in the frig for 3 days to dry age, sliced into steaks I could pound and followed your recipe. I also made your Easy Mashed Potato recipe so we could top the mashed potatoes with the gravy from the steak recipe. It was a hit and will be added to my meal rotation. So far every recipe I have tried has been a hit. I have even sent your site to my new daughter in law so she can start on your awesome recipes.5 stars

  6. The way this recipe reads you add 6 slices of uncooked bacon at the end and serve immediately. Raw bacon doesn’t appeal to me.

  7. Hi Holly, I an making this recipe today for a good friend of mine’s father who recently had a heart attack. So I don’t think I should brown the cube steaks in bacon fat. Do you think it would it still be good if is browned them in canola oil?

  8. So glad I found this recipe. I am making it for my husband for Father’s Day. He got to select his foods for dinner. It looks super. Will let you know how it turns out. Howerver I do believe it will be fantastic.

      1. Sirloin patties are ground meat, while cube steaks are slices of meat from the top round that have been tenderized.

  9. I made this for dinner last night for my family. It was a huge hit with everybody, including me! This one is being added to the rotation immediately. Thanks so much, Holly.5 stars

  10. What can I use instead of white wine. I really can’t stand the flavor it gives to my meals when I use it.
    And if it can’t be substituted- what white wine would you recommend

    1. Hi Ariel, in this recipe we use red wine, but you can replace it with additional broth if you prefer.

  11. That’s an expensive cut of meat here in NC. I don’t like spending almost 6.00 a lb on cube steak. Crazy.

    1. This is a sure fired way that the meat will be worth the price. Funny thing, when I was a little girl we called this poor man’s steak.