This cozy crockpot beef stew is comfort food made easy, with tender beef, hearty veggies, and a rich, flavorful gravy that simmers while you get on with your day.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Savory, well-seasoned slow cooker beef stew with tender beef and veggies that soak up the broth.
- Why Make It: Browning the beef and deglazing the pan gives this crockpot beef stew a rich, roast-like flavor without extra ingredients.
- Recommended Tools: 6-quart slow cooker, large skillet, sturdy spatula for scraping up browned bits.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with biscuits, cornbread, or crusty bread, perfect for dunking every last bite.
Ingredient Notes
- Beef: Cubed chuck roast works best because it gets tender and flavorful after a long cook. Keep pieces similar in size so they cook evenly.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrots, and celery add great flavor. Chop them into 1-inch pieces so they hold up during cooking.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold or red potatoes hold their shape beautifully in this stew, while russets get softer and are best peeled before cooking.
- Broth: For added flavor, try swapping a cup of the broth for a dry red wine like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Let it simmer for about 1 minute in the skillet before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Vegetable Juice: Adding vegetable juice gives the stew a little extra depth and subtle sweetness, but you can swap in tomato juice, low-sodium V8, or just use extra broth with a tablespoon or two of tomato paste.
- Variations: If you’re using fresh green beans, cook them for about 45 minutes. Optional add-ins include mushrooms (with the veggies), pearl onions (instead of chopped onion), or a bay leaf. Just remember to remove the bay leaf before serving.
How to Make Beef Stew in a Crock Pot
- Toss the beef with flour. Brown in a skillet. Place in the slow cooker.
- Sauté the onion. Deglaze the skillet (full recipe below).
- Add to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients except peas.
- Cook. Stir in a cornstarch slurry to thicken, then add peas and heat through.
Storing and Reheating Tips
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days. Or store in the freezer for 4 months.
To Reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then reheat on the stove top, stirring occasionally. It thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth if needed.
Cozy Slow Cooker Comforts
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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I cooked on high for 8 hours and the potatoes and carrots were still a little hard.. did I cut them too big?
Hi Lane, it should only take 4-5 hrs on high so that would definitely be my guess too! If they were too large they will definitely take longer to cook.
How many cups is a serving? Trying to figure out in the nutrition section if that is based on 2 cups as a serving or exactly how many?
Hi Shirley, a serving is approximately 2 cups. :)
So the nutrition info is for 2 cups? 400 plus calories in 2 cups?
Servings sizes and calories are approximate Melanie. You would want to input your ingredients in an app like MyFitnessPal for more accurate results. Hope that helps :)
Since I have never made beef stew before and haven’t eaten it since I was a child I was completely out of my comfort zone and chose this recipe based 100% on the photo. It turned out amazing, better than my mom’s ever was. The addition of the tomato I think is what makes it so much better (I didn’t have V8 so I substituted tomato paste, water, and some extra seasoning to try to mimic the taste of V8)
Thanks so much
So happy you loved this recipe Stephanie!
Cook in crock pot with lid on? I’m slow cooking for 8-9 hours. Doesn’t mention if lid should be on or off.
The lid should be on.
Yes cook with lid on
Crock Pot 101 – always cook with the lid on and never open the crock pot during cooking time – you’ll loose most of the heat and wont cook correctly.
Hi!! Broth taste great but the meat is tough. I checked and it’s fully cooked but has only been cooking for 3.5 hrs on high. Should I cook it longer? Otherwise it’s great!!
Yes it will likely need to cook longer. Opening the lid will also increase cook time.
Can this beef stew be made up ahead of time and frozen before cooking it in the crockpot at a later date?
Hi Judy Lee, you could make this ahead and freeze. I usually defrost in the fridge overnight and then heat on the stove top over medium heat until warm. You could also pop it back in the crockpot to heat through.
Made this yesterday & it was so delicious! Only thing I did different was I didn’t have any vegetable juice so I replaced it with 1 cup red cooking wine. I didn’t use the thyme & I used frozen green beans in place of peas. I added the green beans the last hour of cooking! My husband & I loved the recipe & this will be the only one I use when making beef stew in the crockpot!
Best stew I’ve ever made! Definitely my go to from now on.
I made this exactly as per the recipe and was delicious!!!
This will now be my go to stew.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
I’ve tried quite a few Crock Pot beef stew recipes over the years, but this one is clearly the best of the bunch. While most of the ingredients would be the same in each recipe, either some of the spices or maybe the addition of the wine made a huge difference in taste. This one’s definitely a keeper, so thank you for posting it.
Thank You Holly for your recipe, I used it as my starting point. I made a few changes and share them with you and everyone else.
3 lbs. legendary beef chuck roast cubed
1/2 cup flour combined with 1 teaspoon cayenne and black pepper each
Placed in 1 gallon freezer bag flour mixture and beef, seal and shake.
Put 2 cups Bold and spicy Heinz BBQ sauce and 1/2 cup water in slow cooker.
Brown the meat and add to cooker in batches, turn on cooker when done.
Chop 2 small white onions, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic a bell pepper and a Anaheim pepper.
Saute all in the same cast iron pan that I browned beef in. (i used 1/2 cup evoo for beef).
Add all in pan to slow cooker and 4 cups beef broth.
Add 2 cups baby carrots.
Peel and cube 4 Idaho potatoes, add to cooker.
Add thyme and sage ( I was out of rosemary ).
Place the 6 quart full slow cooker on high.
I cooked Famous Dave’s corn bread in a 9 inch round glass dish.
Cost ~ $24.00
Servings 8
Serving size 3/4 quart or stew, one slice corn bread
Each dinner costs $3.00 to make, I froze 4, ate one, and put 3 in fridge.
Although very tasty 9/10; next time I will prepare potatoes before veggies and use rosemary.
My version adds a little kick to your base, without taking away from traditional beef stew.
I like very hot and spicy food, and would use my go to Habanero pepper instead of bell and Anaheim peppers. Between 4 and 8 of them and green beans.
Dave S in Wisc. Small business Sat. 2019
I love hot and spicy too Dave, your additions sound like a great twist on traditional stew! Thank you for sharing!
Recipes look great. I can’t wait to use the beef stew recipe.
Great recipes
I add a can of cream style corn in the last hour of cooking to make it creamy. The corn provides great flavor.
That sounds like such a delicious addition to the stew Susan!
This was so, so delicious. I have been searching for a beef stew recipe that I love since losing a wonderful recipe years ago. This one is it. I am so thrilled, thank you Holly!
For anyone wondering, I omitted the V8 but did put one vegetable bouillon instead; I also added a quarter of a packet of French onion soup mix and used 2 cans beef consommé and 2 cups water mixed with Knorr’s jelly beef bouillon. DELISH!
I am so glad this recipe was what you were looking for. That sounds like a tasty addition to the stew!
Nice recipe! !! I added a liberal splash of red wine and at the end I added a small can of whole kernel corn (along with the small can of peas) – came out great! Thanks !!
Mmmm, that sounds delicious Neal!
can i use frozen stew veggies ? if so when do i add them ? thanks
While I’ve never tried it Joann, I think it would work. I’d suggest adding the frozen veggies about two hours before the stew will be done, but you may need to cook them a little more or less depending on the vegetables.
My family and I love this beef stew! It’s a no-fuss, easy to follow recipe that works well for my busy family. I’ve made this twice now and it was great each time. The first time I followed the recipe as written except I omitted the garlic powder because we don’t like the taste. The second time I made it (again minus the garlic powder) and minus the V8 juice because I didn’t have any on hand. To me the stew didn’t taste any different without it, and with the cornstarch & water mixture at the end the texture was still stew like. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed the stew and were able to make it work without the V8!
Delicious! I’ve tried probably a dozen or so beef stew recipes over the years – this has been the best by far. Followed it to the letter EXCEPT the celery – not a fan. Delicious without. Thanks for the recipe – deleting all my previous attempts.
Thanks Jean! Glad to hear you loved this one.
What is the purpose of the V8 juice? Can you omit this?
Hi Bonnie, The V8 juice adds flavor to the soup as well as create that stew-like texture. We have only made the recipe as listed if you try it without vegetable juice let us know how it turns out. Enjoy!