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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
Did your family love this Crockpot Beef Stew recipe? Leave a rating and comment below.
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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Do I need to add the vegetable juice? Any substitution?
You can leave it out if you’d like or replace it with 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste.
Well, after following recipe exactly as written, I had to go back & scroll through the positive reviews( although I always do BEFORE attempting a recipe . )
I had to add more Worcestershire, pepper & salt – and it still was just mediocre.
I made this tonight and slightly different. I added snap beans and corn with the peas, onions and carrots, other than that I didn’t change anything. I let it cook for 6 hours and to make a long story short It was absolutely fabulous. I haven’t had stew like this since I was a little boy at my grandmother’s house.
I can promise you that this will be a regular at our house from now on!
Thank You So Very Much.
I made this Crockpot Beef Stew recipe yesterday and it was delicious! I followed the directions as stated, However, I did use frozen corn also with the peas. I will definitely be making it again in the future. Thank you for the recipe.
This is EVERYONE’S Favorite among family and friends!! It has the most wonderful flavor. I use the red wine to deglaze the pan. This is the ONLY stew recipe I use!
You’re amazing, you have it all. When you save a recipe you can go to the list and see all my saved recipes. All your recipes are what people want to see and are very appealing. I could go on with good comments, but people see what you offer.
I am glad you are enjoying our recipe, Ellie!
This was so good…..then again, any recipe I get from you is always good! Cooked for 5hours in my crockpot and the meat is fall apart tender. I’ll make this again.
Made this for the first time 2 nights ago. Delicious! Used stew meat, and cooked on high for about 6 hours, and served with egg noodles. Whole family enjoyed it. Wouldn’t think to add peas, and surprisingly really liked them in this. Will definitely make again. Thank you for your great recipes, your always my go when looking for a good one.
Best crock pot beef stew I ever made. Only included 1/3 teaspoon of pepper and omitted the peas.
Stew is perfectly balanced with herbs and requires no additional salt or pepper.
Hi! I need to make a low sodium to no sodium recipe. I was interested in the beef stew. How can I substitute the v8 juice for low sodium? Thank you!
Hi Beth, there is a low sodium V8 that might work well for you! I would love to hear how it turns out for you.
This is te best beef stew recipe! The beef got so tender. It had such a good flavor. My family loved it. You must try it.
Loved the recipe, very easy to follow. I did add pearl onions, mushrooms and some better than bouillon roasted beef to crockpot. This will be on rotation from now on!!! Thanks
I followed the recipe to a T and it was a delicious. Looking forward to leftovers today – I have a feeling it will be even better.
Prepared recipe exactly as written. It was delicious! Family loved it. Thank you.
Delicious! Easy to follow steps
Not that great. Personally I’d rather open a can of Denty Moore and call it a day.
Sorry to hear you don’t love this stew as much as we do, Jeff!
Yummy. Is the recipe really 2cups per serving? Or one cup per serving? Because it only made 8 cups.
Hi Liz, it was approximately 2 cups a serving when we prepared it.
This is the second time making this. It was a huge hit the first time. I followed the recipe to the tee. But both times, prep took a lot longer….cutting, pealing, chopping, browning…I would allow 45 minutes.
Thanks for your feedback! We are so glad you’re enjoying this recipe
Yummy recipe! I added some minced garlic, Malbec wine, and mushrooms.
I didn’t have V8, so I used tomato juice. I’ll be sure to have V8 on hand for next time.
Thank you! :) Merry Christmas!
It’s an okay stew. The flavor is okay but needed more as well as salt.
I am new to cooking and I just got a crockpot and was excited to make beef stew for the first time. I can’t believe how amazing it turned out! The flavor is so amazing and the beef was nice and tender. This is definitely a staple and a recipe I’ll hold on too! Thank you so much for teaching me to make something so delicious. Looking forward to making more meals from this page!
Wow, thank you so much Maggie! So happy to hear you loved it