Slow Cooker Beef Stew, with tender pieces of beef, carrots and potatoes in a rich broth, is the best comfort food. This beef stew recipe is perfect for a weeknight or Sunday dinner.

Looking for more hearty slow cooker recipes? Try this Slow Cooker Pot Roast or Italian Beef next! If you prefer an Instant Pot version of this beef stew recipe, try my Instant Pot Beef Stew.

Beef stew in a slow cooker.

This classic beef stew is an easy slow cooker recipe that’s hearty, warming and so satisfying. It’s a set it and forget it crock pot recipe that saves you time in the evening on busy days.

As this stew simmers in the slow cooker, the flavors have plenty of time to develop and blend together. The broth is incredibly rich and the beef is fall-apart tender. Plus, your house will smell amazing as this flavorful beef stew cooks low and slow all day long.

When you’re craving cozy comfort food, I hope you’ll give this slow cooker beef stew a try. Serve it with some crusty bread, Dinner Rolls or Biscuits, with a crisp Green Salad on the side.

The best beef stew I have ever made. Searing the meat and sautéing the onions and garlic really add flavor to the recipe.. I only added peas. I’m planning to make” Shepard’s pie” with the leftovers and mash the potatoes for the topping.

Stephanie

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Onion and Garlic: These aromatic ingredients add a delicious base layer of flavor. You can chop the onions into smaller pieces or larger slices, depending on your preference.
  • Celery, Carrots and Potatoes: These are classic beef stew vegetables. I like to use Yukon gold potatoes because of their rich flavor and creamy texture. Other potatoes, such as baby potatoes or red potatoes, will also work. I don’t recommend using russet potatoes because they tend to fall apart more easily.
  • Tomato Paste: The tomato paste adds richness and helps to thicken the broth.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce adds depth of flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand or don’t care for it you can leave it out.
  • Flour and Olive Oil: You will brown the beef and sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil before adding the ingredients to the slow cooker. Coating the beef with flour creates a flavorful crust on the meat as it browns in the skillet. The flour also thickens the broth as the stew simmers in the slow cooker.
  • Seasonings: The seasonings for this beef stew include Italian seasoning, dried thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
  • Beef Broth: I recommend using a low sodium beef broth so that you can control the amount of salt in your finished dish. You can always add more salt, to taste, after the stew cooks, but you can’t take it away.
  • Boneless Chuck Roast: This is the cut of beef that I recommend for the best beef stew. Read more below about what kind of meat is best for beef stew.
Ingredients for slow cooker beef stew recipe.

What Kind of Meat to Use in Beef Stew

I recommend using a boneless chuck roast to make beef stew. You can also use beef stew meat to save time, but the stew meat that you buy pre-cut at the grocery store is often lower quality and less tender than buying a larger cut of beef and cutting it into smaller pieces yourself.

Look for a boneless beef chuck roast that is about 2 pounds total. A little bit of fat marbled throughout the meat will add flavor, but you should cut off any excess fat when you cube the meat.

How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Coat the beef in flour, salt and pepper. You can do this by shaking the beef, flour, salt and pepper together in a large zip-top bag, or by tossing them together in a large bowl.

Cubes of beef chuck roast with flour, salt and pepper in a zip-top bag.
Browned beef cubes in a skillet.

Brown the beef. Before adding the beef to the slow cooker, it is important to first brown it in a skillet or Dutch oven on the stove. This step creates a flavorful crust on the pieces of beef and sears in the juices of the meat. After you sear the beef cubes, put them in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Sauté the onion and garlic. Since you have a skillet hot and ready, you’ll take a few minutes to sauté the onion and garlic in the beef drippings. You are adding delicious layers of flavor to your stew.

Sautéing onions and garlic in a skillet.
Beef broth added to skillet to deglaze the pan.

Deglaze the pan. This is just a fancy way of saying pour in a little broth and scrape up the flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then you’ll transfer the contents of the skillet to your slow cooker.

Add remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Everything else can be added to the crock pot now, including the rest of the beef broth.

Beef, onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, tomato paste and seasonings in slow cooker.

Slow cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or high for 3½ to 4½ hours.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more salt and/or pepper, as needed. Then serve and enjoy!

Ladle of beef stew held over stew in crockpot.

Recipe Tips

  • Use a 5 quart or larger slow cooker to ensure that the crockpot is not overfilled. Avoid lifting the lid during the cook time, since this will let out the heat and increase the total cooking time needed. Read more about how to use a slow cooker.
  • If desired, you can replace 1 cup of the beef broth with dry red wine. In step 5 of the recipe, instead of using 1/2 cup of beef broth to deglaze the pan, add 1 cup of red wine to the pan and scrape up any browned bits. Then reduce the amount of beef broth that you add to the slow cooker to 3 cups.
  • If you like peas in your beef stew, feel free to stir in some frozen peas after the stew is fully cooked, then slow cook for 10 minutes more to warm the peas.

How to Thicken Beef Stew

To thicken beef stew, this recipe uses flour and tomato paste. The broth will thicken as the stew slow cooks, and it will continue to thicken as the stew cools. I find this stew to be thick and hearty as is, but if you prefer a thicker gravy, you can stir a mixture of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water into the stew at the end of the cook time. Then continue cooking on high for 20-30 minutes.

Bowl of beef stew with fresh parsley garnish.

To Store and Reheat

Beef stew can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the stew, although the potatoes may break down a bit when frozen and reheated. To freeze, let the stew cool and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen stew overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

To reheat beef stew, simmer it in a pot, covered, over medium heat on the stove until it is heated through. You can also reheat beef stew in the microwave. Stir the stew occasionally as it reheats to help it heat evenly.

More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

Beef stew in a slow cooker.
4.92 from 24 ratings

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
Slow Cooker Beef Stew, with tender bites of beef and vegetables in a rich broth, is a family dinner favorite. This beef stew recipe is perfect for a weeknight or for Sunday dinner.
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Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes and trimmed of excess fat, or cubed beef stew meat
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low sodium beef broth, divided
  • 3 ribs celery, chopped
  • 4 medium carrots, cut into ¼-inch rounds or half rounds if large
  • 1 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes*, about 4 medium, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Instructions
 

  • Place flour, salt and pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add the cubes of beef, seal the bag, and shake to coat the meat with the flour mixture. (Alternatively, you can place the beef, flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl and stir to coat the beef.)
  • Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pieces of beef in a single layer in the pan (brown the beef in two batches if necessary). Let the beef brown on the first side for about 4 minutes, then flip and brown the other side. Stir in any remaining flour from the bag and then transfer the beef to a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.
  • Add the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil and the onion to the pan. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
  • Pour about ½ cup of the beef broth into the pan and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents of the pan to the slow cooker.
  • Add the rest of the beef broth, celery, carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, Italian seasoning and dried thyme to the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine.
  • Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 3 ½-4 ½ hours, until the vegetables and meat are tender and cooked through.
  • Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve.

Notes

  • Yukon gold potatoes or baby potatoes work best in this recipe because they hold their shape while cooking. Russet potatoes don’t work as well because they tend to fall apart more easily.
  • Use a 5 quart or larger slow cooker to ensure that the crockpot is not overfilled.
  • If desired, you can replace 1 cup of the beef broth with dry red wine. In step 5 of the recipe, instead of using 1/2 cup of beef broth to deglaze the pan, add 1 cup of red wine to the pan and scrape up any browned bits. Then reduce the amount of beef broth that you add to the slow cooker to 3 cups.
  • If you like peas in your beef stew, feel free to stir in some frozen peas after the stew is fully cooked, then slow cook for 10 minutes more to warm the peas.
  • Beef stew can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
  • To reheat beef stew, simmer it in a pot, covered, on the stove until it is heated through. You can also reheat beef stew in the microwave. Stir the stew occasionally as it reheats to help it heat evenly.
Serving: 1.5cups, Calories: 333kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 78mg, Sodium: 713mg, Potassium: 1208mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 5269IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course, Slow Cooker
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