Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Thick, creamy, flavorful slow cooker beef stew is comfort food without the work! Who doesn’t love to cook a meal while completing your other daily tasks? A classic slow cooker meal.

Slow cooker beef stew in a white bowl garnished with chopped parsley.

Why You’ll Love This

This old-fashioned beef stew is a perfect recipe for the crock pot. Easy to prep and loaded with comforting flavors.

This tasty slow cooker beef stew recipe is just adjusted from our favorite Hearty Easy Beef Stew recipe.

Nothing is better than cool weather comfort food. Check out our popular thick chili, Sicilian chicken soup, and tomato basil soup.

Key Ingredients

  • Meat – This slow cooker beef stew recipe uses beef chuck roast cut into pieces. You can also use stew meat. It’s the same and will save you time.
  • Vegetables – Traditional beef stew uses onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, and celery.
  • Liquids – Beef stock (beef broth) and red wine.
  • Seasonings – Thyme, oregano, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper make this crock pot beef stew the best ever!

How To Make Beef Stew In A Crockpot

Toss the stew meat with 1/3 cup of flour to coat. 

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear the meat in batches. Do not cook all the way through. Transfer to your slow cooker.

Browning the meat is not absolutely necessary, but the caramelized meat adds to the rich, deep flavor of the stew. It’s definitely worth the extra step!

Browned stew meat in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Add the onion, celery, potatoes, and carrots on top of the beef. Sprinkle the garlic, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, salt, and pepper over the top.

Vegetables and spices added to the browned beef in the crock.

In a bowl or large measuring cup, mix the red wine, beef broth, and tomato paste. It’s not necessary, but you could deglaze the pan with these liquids and then pour them into the crock pot.

Pour the broth mixture over the top of the vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or cook on high for 6-7 hours.

Stew in a ladle over top of the slow cooker.

Once cooked, mix two tablespoons of flour and one tablespoon of softened butter together in a small bowl. Move aside some of the meat and vegetables the best you can in the slow cooker.

You can also cook uncovered for 30 minutes to an hour to help thicken without the flour mixture.

Gently whisk in the flour mixture to thicken the stew even more. This step is not absolutely necessary, but we like our stew to be thick, not soupy.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew in a white bowl garnished with chopped parsley.

Serve and enjoy this thick and chunky beef stew. This bowl of goodness will satisfy your ravenous family members.

What to Serve with Beef Stew

We like to serve it with cornbread or drop biscuits, and maybe a salad.

Tips

  • Sear the beef! It’s important. Browning the beef first brings out way more flavor.
  • Don’t cut the beef cubes too small. They will fall apart.
  • You substitute Yukon gold or red potatoes for the russet potatoes.
  • You can use an equal amount of beef stock and one tablespoon of red wine vinegar to replace the wine. The acidity of the vinegar helps tenderize the meat.
  • Don’t just add the flour mixture to the slow cooker, it will stay lumpy. Whisk it in the liquid of the crock pot. Or remove some of the liquid from the slow cooker and whisk the flour mixture into it until smooth.

FAQ

Can I put raw beef in the slow cooker?

Yes, we highly recommend browning the meat first. It adds a lot of flavor. But if you don’t have time to brown the meat first, coat it with the flour, toss it in the slow cooker with the vegetables, and continue with the recipe.

How long does beef stew take in the slow cooker?

This recipe calls for 8-9 hours on low and an additional 15-30 minutes for thickening. While you can cook this on high, I do not recommend it. Low and slow (slow cooked) is how you achieve tender, fall-apart stew meat.

Storing

Let the stew cool to room temperature, place it in an air-tight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Freezing

We don’t recommend freezing dishes with potatoes, they can become grainy in texture. But if you don’t mind, allow the beef stew to cool to room temperature and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

More Slow Cooker Recipes

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Slow cooker beef stew in a white bowl garnished with chopped parsley.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

Thick, creamy, flavorful comfort food from your slow cooker!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 543kcal
Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients
 

  • 2 – 3 lbs boneless chuck roast cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons Vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup Flour
  • 1 large Onion cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 4 medium Carrots peeled cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 stalks Celery including tops/leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 large Russet Potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves Garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh Thyme
  • ½ teaspoon Oregano
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons Salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground Pepper more to taste
  • 1/4 cup Red Wine
  • 3 1/2 cups Beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened

Instructions

  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil.
  • Toss the stew meat with 1/3 cup of flour to coat. 
  • When it begins to smoke slightly, add the beef and brown. Do in batches and do not cook through. Once browned, transfer the stew meat to the slow cooker.
  • Add onion, potatoes, carrots, and celery to the slow cooker on top of the beef. Sprinkle the garlic, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper over the top of the vegetables.
  • In a bowl or large measuring cup mix the red wine, beef stock, and tomato paste. Pour over the vegetables. Stir.
  • Place the lid on and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 6-7 hours. If you are around, give it a few stirs during the cooking process.
  • For a thicker stew, mix 2 tablespoons flour and 1 tablespoon butter together with a fork. In the slow cooker, push aside some of the meat and vegetables. Gently whisk in the flour-butter mixture and cook another 15 minutes.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

We highly recommend browning the meat first. It adds a lot of flavor. But if you don’t have time to brown the meat first, coat the meat with the flour and toss it in the slow cooker with the vegetables and continue with the recipe.
Storing – Let the stew cool to room temperature, place in an air-tight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freezing – We don’t recommend freezing dishes with potatoes, they can become grainy in texture. But if you don’t mind, allow the beef stew to cool to room temperature, and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 543kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 985mg | Potassium: 1496mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5215IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 6mg

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