Crockpot Beef Stew is a hearty dinner made with tender beef and vegetables simmered in a rich, savory broth. It’s an easy slow cooker meal with minimal prep and plenty of cozy, homemade flavor.
Serve it with no-knead bread, garlic cheddar biscuits, homemade garlic bread, or a simple green salad.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Crockpot Beef Stew
- Why Make It: Browning the beef and deglazing the skillet adds rich flavor without requiring a long ingredient list.
- Time-Saver: Use pre-cut stew meat and baby potatoes to reduce chopping and peeling.
- Tools: A 6-quart slow cooker and large skillet.
Total Time: 4 Hrs 30 Mins Servings: 8 Cooking Method: Crockpot
Ingredient Notes
- Beef Chuck Roast or Stewing Beef: Chuck roast is my favorite cut for crockpot and classic homemade beef stew because its marbling and connective tissue become perfectly tender when slow-cooked. Cut the beef into evenly sized pieces so they cook at the same rate.
- Flour: A light coating helps the beef develop a rich, golden-brown crust.
- Beef Broth or Stock: Choose lower-sodium broth so you can easily adjust the seasoning to taste at the end.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold, red, and baby potatoes hold their shape particularly well during slow cooking and can be left unpeeled. If using russets, peel them first, as their skins are thicker.
- Carrots and Celery: Cut them into fairly chunky pieces so they retain their texture and hold up well during the long cooking time.
- Vegetable Juice: Adds tomato flavor, subtle sweetness, and extra depth to the gravy. Tomato juice works well, or substitute additional beef broth with a little tomato paste for a similar effect.
- Frozen Peas: Add them at the very end so they stay bright, fresh, and tender rather than becoming mushy. Replace with frozen mixed veggies or a carrots and peas mixture.
How to Make Crockpot Beef Stew
- Toss the beef in flour, then brown in a skillet, and set aside.
- Sauté the onions in the skillet.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker, along with the veggies (full recipe below).
- Pour the beef broth and seasonings on top. Cook until tender, then thicken with a slurry.
Can’t wait? Cut the cook time in half with my Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe.
Save Some for Later
- Keep leftovers 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. Then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- The gravy will thicken as it chills, so add a splash of beef broth when reheating if needed.
Slow Cooker Soups for Chilly Nights
Did you enjoy this Crockpot Beef Stew Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast or stewing beef, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 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 the 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