Slow cooker beef stew is a cozy (and easy!) meal.
This crockpot beef stew recipe is chock full of tender chunks of beef and hearty root veggies all slow-cooked in a rich and meaty broth.
This crock pot beef stew is an all-in-one meat and veggie meal. It has great flavor and is designed specifically for the slow cooker. I make this beef stew if using the stovetop.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: This beef stew has a rich brown gravy and lots of veggies for a homestyle stew the whole family will love.
- Technique: Sear the beef to add extra flavor—do this in batches because if you overcrowd the pan, you won’t get a good sear.
- Ingredient Tip: Use chuck roast if possible for the most tender beef.
- Swaps: You can use other root vegetables in addition to or instead of those called for in this recipe.
- Serving suggestions: You can skip the potatoes in the stew and spoon it over mashed potatoes.
Ingredients Tips for Crock Pot Beef Stew
- Beef: For the most tender results, use cubed chuck roast. Stewing beef, which is usually trimmings from steak, can also be used.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrots, and celery add great flavor.
- Potatoes: Potatoes slightly thicken the broth and make it this stew hearty and filling. Waxy potatoes (like red, Yukon gold, or baby potatoes) hold their shape better than russets, but either can be used.
- Broth: This beefy and flavorful broth is the foundation of crockpot beef stew – use beef stock or broth. You can substitute one cup of broth for dry red wine for a boost of flavor—try Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Add it to the pan in Step 4 to deglaze it.
- Vegetable juice: Vegetable juice adds a flavor boost without making the broth too tomato-forward. It can be replaced with a reduced sodium version or bloody mary mix.
How to Make Crockpot Beef Stew
- Brown seasoned beef in a skillet, transfers to the crockpot and cook onion before adding it in.
- Deglaze the skillet with broth or wine, pour into the crockpot, and add the remaining ingredients except peas (full recipe below).
- Cook until beef is tender, stir in a cornstarch slurry to thicken, then add peas and heat through.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Holly’s Helpful Hints
- Instead of a cornstarch slurry, you can thicken crockpot beef stew with potato flakes.
- If prep time is short, toss in a bag of frozen vegetable medley in Step 5.
Storing Leftover Stew
Leftover slow cooker beef stew can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen in zippered bags for up to 4 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop. Feel free to toss in any extra veggies from the fridge!
Crockpot Comfort in a Bowl
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Crockpot Beef Stew
This Crockpot beef stew is a cozy, flavorful dish with tender beef, hearty veggies, and rich gravy, perfect for any chilly day.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast or stewing beef
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4 cups beef broth divided, or beef stock *see note
- 3 cups diced potatoes peeled*
- 2 large carrots cut into 1-inch pieces, about 2 cups
- 3 ribs celery cut into 1-inch pieces, about 1 cup
- 1 cup vegetable juice such as V8
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 sprig fresh
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss the beef in the flour mixture.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown in batches, about 2 minutes per side. Place the beef in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and cook until tender. Add the onion to the slow cooker.
- Add 1 cup of beef broth (or red wine per the recipe notes below) to the skillet and scrape up any brown bits with a spatula.
- Add the broth to the slow cooker along with the remaining 3 cups of broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, vegetable juice, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme.
- Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 9 hours or until beef is fork tender.
- In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add to the stew a little bit at a time to thicken (you may not need all of the cornstarch mixture.) Stir in peas.
- Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until thickened and heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- Browning: Brown the beef in small batches without overcrowding the pan. If the pan is too full, the beef will steam instead of browning. Browning the beef adds extra flavor to the stew.
- Broth: 1 cup of red wine can be substituted for 1 cup of beef broth. If using red wine, add it to the pan after searing the beef to deglaze. Let it simmer in the pan for about 1 minute before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Peas/Beans: If you add fresh green beans in place of peas, they will need about 45 minutes to cook. Frozen peas just need to be heated through, they can be added during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Potatoes: Any variety of potato can be used in this recipe. Red potatoes, Yukon golds, or baby potatoes do not require peeling and hold their shape better. Baking or russet potatoes should be peeled.
- Leftovers: Leftover beef stew can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 372 | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 714mg | Potassium: 1181mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3453IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Main Course
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Hi Holly can I use this exact recipe but on a regular stovetop pot?? Thx
Hi Manny, you can follow the cooking instructions in this beef stew recipe.
can i replace the tomato paste with the V8 since i already bought it ??
You can leave the V8 out if you’d like or replace it with 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste.
Best beef stew! I just don’t add peas cause my family doesn’t like peas.
Is it okay to leave out the potatoes? My husband is diabetic.
Yes, the potatoes can be left out or replaced with other vegetables.
Thank you for creating this yummy stew recipe. I made it with my hubby for a weeknight dinner. We put it together before work easily. The crock pot did the rest.
Not the first time Ive made this stew. But it works perfectly everytime.
Both my wife n I love. Could I improve on it…no. Thats how good this is.
Love it and so good on a cold winters night.
This is the first time I have ever browned meat for a crock pot recipe and it is a complete game changer! I’ll never not do it again!! I used beef consommé instead of broth, because that’s what I had in my pantry. I didn’t have vegetable juice so added 2 T double concentrated tomato paste and a pinch of salt to a cup of water. The stew is absolutely delicious, thank you very much. I am going to make your crock pot chicken and dumplings next week!
Could i cook this in the pressure cooker as well?
Hi Charlene, we have this delicious instant pot beef stew recipe that sounds like what you’re looking for!
Excellent easy recipes. I love english food. Stews cassstoles and pies. Does amyone lnow how to cook steak n kidney pudding with suet? My mums is soooo good but with dementia shes forgotten.
I do not have a recipe for that. But I hope you are able to find one that taste like hers!
The best I made yet! Thank you so much. I did’t have Rosemary but it still came out great! I had to do the cornstarch & water twice to thicken the stew up. It was about 5 hours on low including the thickening and adding the peas. Sunday dinner with cornbread or rolls. Thanks again!
Does anyone have advice on what size to cut the beef pieces into?
I cut them about 1-inch.
Made this using tomato paste and 1/2 cup red wine 1/2 cup water and 3 cups beef tips no carrots, it turned our very good,also used McCormick beef stew seasoning,
Totally worth the effort! Just like I remembered from childhood. A keeper, thanks. My only mistake was not cooking onions in the pan, I used frozen pearl onions, added at the time of the frozen peas. The additional flavor from frying the onions is worth it. Won’t try that shortcut again! Thanks again, it’ll be in our rotation for fall/winter stews.