Slow Cooker Beef Stew
This traditional Beef Stew is the best Slow Cooker recipe for Fall and Winter. It’s loaded with tender bites of juicy beef, golden potatoes, carrots, peas, red wine, onions, garlic, and a hearty beef broth. Serve it with warm biscuits, cornbread, or even over mashed potatoes.
Be sure to try my Crock Pot Roast and Pork Stew recipes next!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Who doesn’t love a hearty bowl of rich and flavorful beef stew. It’s such a traditional Fall and Winter comfort food. I’ve been working on slight variations of this recipe for years and I have to say, this version is definitely the best ever.
All of the ingredients in this recipe complement each other so well, and the quantities of each are perfect, with no ingredient overpowering another.
Let’s get into everything you need to know. From the what cuts of beef to use, the best potatoes for stew, pro tips, storage, and more:
How to Make It
See recipe card at bottom of post for ingredient quantities and full instructions
Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discard any large pieces of fat. Fat marbleized into the meat is fine!
Season beef with pepper, garlic salt, and celery salt. Toss to coat. Sprinkle flour over the meat and toss again. Sear the meat in batches for 45 seconds per side and transfer to the Slow Cooker.
Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and soften the onions and garlic, scraping up any meat remnants up from the pot. Add a splash of wine to help loosen if necessary. Transfer to the Slow Cooker.
Add all remaining ingredients except for the peas, corn starch, and 2 Tablespoons of cold butter. Heat on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until the vegetables are softened and the potatoes are fork tender.
Add the peas during the last 15 minutes of cooking. To thicken, combine 1/4 cup cold water + 3 Tablespoons corn starch and slowly stir it into the broth. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Turn off heat and remove the bay leaves and rosemary stem. Add browning and seasoning sauce.
Best Beef for Stew
- Chuck roasts -The best option. It is preferred over other cuts because of the connective tissue, which makes it more tender. (Bonus: It’s also a less expensive cut than other types.)
- Rump roasts
- Bottom rounds
Best Potatoes to Use
Yukon Gold and Red Potatoes are best for stews as they have less starch content and hold up much better than russet potatoes, which tend to fall apart and break down into the stew.
Searing the Meat
Searing the beef adds a nice color, flavor, and texture for the stew, it also creates a nice base to soften up the onions and garlic. The remnants from the meat are loosened up with butter/wine and transferred to the Slow Cooker for the ultimate flavor base.
Sear just long enough to give the exterior a crisp texture, don’t cook it all the way through. 45 seconds per side is all it takes.
Can You Put Raw Beef in the Slow Cooker?
Yes. If you don’t have time to sear the meat, you can toss it in the flour mixture and place it right in the Slow Cooker along with the uncooked onions and garlic.
Red Wine Substitute
An equal amount of beef broth or red grape juice may be used instead of wine, along with 2 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar. The acidity helps to break down and tenderize the meat.
For an Irish twist on this recipe, use 1 cup of extra stout Guinness instead of wine.
Pro Tips
- Handle the beef least amount possible for extra juicy, tender results. Otherwise you’ll cause juices to run right out of it which will make it tough.
- Swirl in 2 Tablespoons of cold butter at the very end for a smooth, velvety finish. This is a technique that chefs use called “Monter au beurre”.
- Optional ingredient additions include celery, green beans, parsnips, and sweet potatoes.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 47!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 6-Quart Slow Cooker– This has a digital timer and a locking lid.
- Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
- Measuring Spoons– To measure out the seasonings.
- Pinch Bowls– I measure out my seasonings ahead of time and add them to these small bowls so they’re ready to go when it’s time to add them.
- Garlic Twister– it’s much more flavorful to mince fresh garlic. This twister does it in seconds and is easy to clean and store.
- Soup Bowls –(I love these!)
- 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
What to Serve with Beef Stew
- Cornbread
- Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
- Paula Deen’s Corn Casserole Recipe
- Mashed Potatoes
- Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Try These Next
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Clam Chowder
- Chicken Stew
- Chicken Corn Chowder
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds stew meat, see notes
- ½ teaspoon EACH: black pepper, garlic salt, celery salt
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3-6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, divided
- 2 cups yellow onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cabernet sauvignon, or merlot. See notes.
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 lb. baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved or quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup Cold Water + 3 tablespoons Corn Starch, Optional
- 2-3 drops
Gravy Master , (Optional)- Adds an even richer darker color.
Equipment
- 1 6-Quart Slow Cooker or larger
Instructions
- Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discard any large pieces of fat. Fat marbleized into the meat is fine!
- Sprinkle beef with black pepper, garlic salt, and celery salt. Toss to coat. Sprinkle flour over the meat and toss again.
- Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat in batches, don’t overcrowd the pan. Brown on each side for 45 seconds. Add more oil if needed. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Reduce heat to medium and melt 1 Tablespoon butter. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add a splash of wine and use a silicone spatula to deglaze the pan, loosening up any brown remnants. This will give the stew lots of good flavor. Transfer the onions/garlic mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add all remaining ingredients except for the peas, corn starch mixture, and 2 tablespoons of cold butter.
- Cook on low for 7 ½ to 8 hours or high for 3½ to 4 hours, until the vegetables are softened and the potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the peas during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary stem.
- Optional: To thicken, combine ¼ cup COLD water with 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch. Slowly add it to the stew, stirring to incorporate. It will continue to thicken upon standing.
- Turn off the heat. Swirl in 2 tablespoons of cold butter for a smooth, velvety finish. This is a technique that chefs use called “Monter au Beurre”.Optional: Add 3 drops of Gravy Master for an even darker color.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Best cuts of Beef for Stew • Chuck roasts (the best option)
• Rump roasts
• Bottom rounds You can also season and sear a whole roast for about 8 minutes total, and then cut it into cubes. This results in less moisture loss, but there is also less surface area to season and add a seared texture to.
Red Wine Substitute
- An equal amount of beef broth or red grape juice may be used instead of wine, along with 2 Tablespoons of Red Wine Vinegar. The acidity helps to break down and tenderize the meat.
- For an Irish twist on this recipe, use 1 cup of extra stout Guinness instead of wine.
Optional ingredient addition: Celery, green beans, parsnips, and sweet potatoes.
This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 47!
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. This recipe makes 6 servings.
It was delicious. Thanks for the guidance and advice. A recommendation to anyone trying it. If you have the time, 7-8 hrs on low is better to make the meat more tender. I did 4 hours at high and it was still not as soft and tender as I hoped. All in all a delicious recipe and pairs perfectly with red lobster cheddar biscuits. Great pairing and a great stew.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it so much and I agree with your recommendation… can’t beat low and slow! Also some cheddar biscuits are the perfect side!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!💖
I added a cup cooking wine instead of red wine, is this ok?
I’m reading everywhere that it can ruin the stew, and now I’m afraid I may have done just that. I have 5 hours left on low. Any tips? Thank you!
Hi Roxie! Cooking wine is more concentrated than regular so I likely would have advised for you to use half of the amount, but luckily it’s cooking for a long time and I think you’ll be okay 🙂 Try to avoid opening the lid during cooking so that the meat can render down properly.
Made this yesterday with an Inside Round roast that I cubed.
Only changes to the recipe was to use a little less oil (2 tablespoons in total for browning the meat) and adding brown crimini mushrooms because I had them on hand.
I didn’t add the optional cold butter at the end to keep fat content in check but I did do the corn starch slurry.
Cooked in my Instant Pot on slow cooker mode, low for 8 hours.
It was absolutely delicious, everyone raved about it and asked for a second serving. I was a bit worried about the meat because inside round is very lean and doesn’t have much connective tissue but it was perfect!
I served it with homemade rosemary and garlic focaccia which was perfect to soak all the yummy sauce!
Will definitely make it again, maybe lowering a tad the liquid content, as it was just a tiny bit too soupy for my taste.
Sounds like you nailed it, nice work!!! Perfect cozy weekend meal, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!!🩷
Whenever I find a new recipe, I always create a document so I can see it better. Well, I left out how much tomato paste to use. My husband whipped it all together using a whole can. It came out like Italian beef stew. LOL It tasted amazing, but next time I’ll make sure to use 3 tbsp.
I’m happy it worked out in the end Lori! Don’t forget you can always hit the ‘Print’ Button and it’ll have everything there for you in print form!🩷
delicious love your recipes
Awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much Judy!!
I used masi Campofiorin wine turned out great. What do you think about using that particular wine?
That’s a great wine choice! It’s dry and bold with a rich flavor profile! 🙂 I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Excellent!! anytime I make stew it’s your recipe thank you everyone loves it.
That makes me so happy Jackie!!! You’re the best! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!💖
Hello! I have an inside round roast that I’d love to use to try this recipe. Do you think it will work or will the meat get tough?
Hi Flaoua! Inside round roasts are a great candidate for slow cooking, so you can absolutely use it in this recipe. Enjoy! 🙂
Thank you so much for the fast reply! Looking forward to savouring this 🙂
Made this for the first time and OMG DID NOT disappoint 🙌
AWESOME!! I am so happy to hear that Lisa!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 🙂 -Stephanie
The flavor of this stew is exceptional! I added a little more beef broth to make it more soupy. Also, added celery and used the jar bouillon vs cubes and a can of peas. All else was just as written and the wine added so much flavor! Saved and will definitely use this recipe again!
Hi Monica! I am so glad that you enjoyed it, I am a big broth fan an I love that you added celery! I use the jarred bouillon as well 🙂 Thank you so much for the review!!