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.
Crockpot Beef Stew
Tender beef and chunky vegetables simmer low and slow in a rich, herby gravy. This classic Crockpot beef stew is an easy, comforting dinner made for chilly days.
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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Can I use Guinness beer in place of some of the red wine and broth?
Hi Modra, I have never tried but other readers have swapped a portion of the broth for Guinness beer with good results. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
I do not have vegetable juice for the crock pot beef stew recipe. Do I need this or can I just not use the vegetable juice?
You can leave it out if you’d like or replace it with 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste. Enjoy!
Perfect
girl awesome as a kid who is now 83 hated stews yikes this one is the tits thanks
Sammy
This is the BEST beef stew I’ve ever made! Thank you for another recipe that’s a keeper. It made enough to share with the in-laws too.We all enjoyed it very much!
Holly Could I use Pork Shoulder Cubed instead of Beef please
You sure can!
Just started this recipe and used tomato cream soup instead of V8, also didn’t have rosemary so I used Oregano leaves instead, I’ll see the magic tonight June 1st 2025
Absolutely easy & absolutely delicious!
I substituted tomato paste & green beans!
Served with Almond Flour biscuits!
what recipe for almond biscuits did you use?? :)
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.
It was posted in the instructions to cut beef pieces to about 1″. Try to keep them all approximately the same size.
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.