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.
Best stew recipe I have found! I was in a rush to get out the door so I forgot a step, the flour on the meat, but even without that this is the best flavor-rich recipe we have tried. Thank you for sharing, and I will be trying your other recipes!
A few adjustments (because I didn’t have ingredients on hand)
canned green beans at the end, instead of peas
added chopped celery with the carrots
tomato sauce, instead of paste (I must try with the paste next time!)
Vegemite instead of the gravy drops, which is a deep umami flavor
Thanks so much for sharing your tweaks Kate, I’m so happy you liked the stew!!!❤️
Hi! The beef stew is cooking now with 1.5 hours to go and smells heavenly. I did sample a small bit of the soup and tasted the olive oil. Will that dissipate or cook down or should I try to add more tomato paste, wine, and beef broth?
Hi Karen! I wouldn’t continue to open the lid or mess with it even though it’s tempting 🙂 A lot of heat gets released every time the lid is opened and it sets you back timewise. You won’t get the true melded flavors of the stew until it’s done cooking.
Hi! Can I precook the beef and cut up the veggies the night before and then make the stew the next day?
Hi Karen, as long as you plan to make the stew the next day and you store the meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight, (and the veggies in a separate one), you’re fine to make those preparations ahead of time 🙂
Hi again! Just be sure you don’t cut the potatoes until you’re ready to add them to the stew, otherwise they’ll brown from prolonged air exposure.
Great tip on the potatoes as would have forgotten about the browning part of cut or exposed early. 😂 Thank you!
You’re very welcome Karen!!!
Phew! So happy it helped!! 🙂
I don’t understand what 0.28 cup is. how many teaspoons or tablespoons is it? cut down four people.. I made beef stew for a very delicious crock pot..
Hi! When you reduce the serving size, the ingredients change to help you determine how much of each ingredient to use. But cups with stay as cups, they won’t convert to tablespoons. .28 cups is basically 1/3 cup.
Easy to follow recipe. Made for a super Sunday night supper! Silky, moderately thick, very tasty gravy. Used the cornstarch and butter at the end. Used green beans instead of peas. Everyone loved it!
Wonderful! I am so thrilled to hear that Michael, thank you so much for the kind words and review, you’re the best!
Absolutely delicious!!
I’m so happy that you loved it Maria!! Thank you!! ❤️❤️❤️
I don’t cook a lot; I must say I have tried several recipes from your site. Your site is one of my favorites, due to my success with several of your recipes. I’m more of a chicken gal, but I saw this beef stew recipe and it looked really yummy, I already had all the ingredients so I thought I’d give it a try. It tasted as delicious as my house smelled! Once again, a great recipe! Thank you so much!!?
Hi Kelly!!! I am sooooo flattered and happy to hear that you have tried several of my recipes and have loved them!! I’m also glad that you decided to give the beef stew a go too!! Thank you sooo much for taking the time to leave a review, I appreciate that SO SO much!! 🙂 -Stephanie
Delicious. My husband and son devoured it.
AWESOME! I’m so happy to hear that Karen, best news ever! Thank you so much! -Stephanie 🙂
This turned out reallyy good! Used thyme instead of rosemary because I’m not the biggest fan. Definitely one of those solid, dependable, staple dinners and perfect for the winter time. It was so nice to have dinner done this morning and not having to worry about making anything at the end of the day!
It really is so nice having dinner prepare itself!! I’m so happy this was such a success Daniel, thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review!💖
Totally delicious cooked the whole day in my slow cooker done by dinnertime.
I added dumplings at the end its my favourite thing with a stew .🇿🇦
Nice work Colleen! Happy to hear it was such a success!💖
Oooooh! Please I want to know more about the dumplings you added!