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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Information on how to make beef stew was great it really helped me with the project thanks
Would Clamato tomato juice work in the place of V8?
That’d be a great substitution Sarah!
Love your recipes
Looks amazing!
Best stew recipe ever. I layered the ingredients, beef, onion, potatoes, vegetables and did not stir while cooking. Meat was tender And vegetables and potatoes perfect!
Great beef stew recipe, Holly! Just made it for my family and it’s a hit! Flavorful and hearty… a true comfort food.
I can’t wait to try.
Perfect. Didn’t change anything. My kids ate this stew with big smiles. Thank you!!
You’re so welcome Alex, anything the kids love IS perfect!
I followed this recipe very closely as I love beef stew, but have not had much luck making it myself in the past. I did not want another failed attempt! I did not have garlic powder so I used garlic salt when browning the beef and then added a bit of minced garlic to the crock pot. I do not love peas so I added a can of drained green beans at the end instead. The rest was followed as is and overall this stew turned out tasty. It was my best attempt at this comfort food. I wish the stew had been a bit thicker, so I may adjust the cornstarch next time. I also think I’d use a tad less olive oil when browning the meat. The meat did turn out so tender, it just fell apart as it cooked in the crockpot. I was hesitant when I saw some of the reviews but am glad I tried this. My husband approved as well. We served it with fresh Italian bread and it was the perfect meal on a damp fall night!
Sounds just perfect Mel! So glad you love this stew!
We all have different pallets. My goodness if you don’t know how to adjust for flavor then you shouldn’t be cooking. Taste as you go and adjust, adjust, adjust. Stew was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!!
Counting my macros. Is the nutritional information per serving?
Yes it is per serving.
Totally awesome. Loved it. Had a old recipe from my mom but this has so much more favor, with the thyme, garlic and rosemary. We have to make again soon.
Five stars from my husband and I.
I absolutely love your recipes so I am so so sad that I must have screwed something up because this came out completely tasteless. I followed everything to a T but maybe I needed to add even more when browning the beef. Any tips would be oh so helpful to make this more flavorful. I want to love it but for now it is just not great :(
Oh no Meghan, how disappointing! I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you. Did you use low sodium products? Did you include the V8? Perhaps next time some extra herbs/seasonings to your liking would help. You could also add a bit of red wine or Worchestershire sauce for more flavor.
OMG.
I think i’m in love and i can not figure out if it’s holly or the food.. :)
just a compliment. bye the way. My girlfriend says a have to stop licking our computer screen.
Thanks for all the awsome food.
Flemming Kaastrup. (Cheese shop owner from Copenhagen Denmark)
Made this with elk meat, added 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and everything else was the same. Family voted for this to be “on rotation”. Delicious! My dad, who is a sworn stew hater, loved it. Thank you for one more fabulous recipe!
Lovey your recipes@!
Not flavorful enough and took way longer than 20 minutes to prep :-(
Sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this beef stew Anne, we love it. Thank you for trying it.
Not my favorite stew recipe
Why?
Looking forward to trying some of your recipes.
I’m going to make this with no meat today. Have you had any feedback on a vegetarian version on this recipe?
I haven’t tried it but chunks of portobello might add a nice flavor and texture to the stew. Let us know how it goes!