Slow Cooker Beef Stew–a super easy recipe for beef stew that doesn’t sacrifice flavor. This stew is comfort in a bowl!
Get the INSTANT POT version of the recipe here
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Even though it was probably 20 degrees hotter than it needed to me to make this slow cooker beef stew yesterday it still tasted so amazing! My whole family licked their bowls clean. I was dancing around the kitchen that a recipe which was so simple could turn out so tasty. We served ours with cast iron skillet cornbread. Yee HAW!
I started out with beef chuck steak and cut it into bite-size stew meat pieces. Alternately, you can buy chuck roast and cut it up the same way. Or pick out actual “stew meat” at the grocery store. I prefer to cut my own stew meat from a chuck roast. This way I know the meat will cook uniformly (since it’s from the same cut of meat).
The browning step is optional but it sure adds a depth of flavor to the stew. I browned the meat while I cut up the potatoes, carrots, celery and onions. It worked out perfectly. By the time I was done cutting, the meat was done browning. Then I threw all the rest of the ingredients into the pot and let the slow cooker do it’s magic. I will be making slow cooker beef stew a lot more now that I have a go-to recipe!
More recipes you’ll love…
Slow Cooker Grandma’s Sunday Roast
Slow Cooker Creamy Wild Rice and Chicken Soup
What Slow Cooker Did You Use?
To make Slow Cooker Beef Stew I used my 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.* I love this slow cooker. It cooks low and evenly. I love the medium heat choice because most slow cookers that I’ve seen only have the option of cooking on low or high. If you’re going to buy just one slow cooker, this is the one that I recommend.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6-8 hours on low
- Total Time: 17 minute
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
Description
A super easy recipe for beef stew that doesn’t sacrifice flavor. This stew is comfort in a bowl!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound (up to 1 1/2 pounds for a more meaty stew) chuck roast/chuck steak/beef stew meat
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch + 1 Tbsp cold water
- 1 pound russet potatoes or yellow potatoes
- 1 medium yellow or white onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 3 medium carrots
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
Instructions
- Cut your meat into bite-size pieces, discarding excess fat. Sometimes I like to do this when the meat is partially frozen. It cuts so much easier.
- Optional browning step: Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add in the meat in one layer and let it brown for 5 minutes on one side. Then 5 minutes on the other side.
- While the meat is browning prepare the vegetables. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. I made them a bit bigger than the size of the meat. Dice the onion. Cut your celery into half inch pieces. Peel the carrots and cut them into half inch pieces on a diagonal.
- Once the meat is done browning pour in the beef broth. Scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the meat, broth and bits into the slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker.
- Stir in the salt, sugar and worcestershire sauce.
- Add in all the vegetables on top of the meat. Pour in the can of crushed tomatoes. Toss everything together.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until meat and veggies are tender.
- Ladle the stew into bowls and serve. I served my stew with cornbread.
Notes
I used my 6 quart oval Kitchenaid slow cooker.*
You can easily double this recipe. Double all the ingredients but keep the cooking time the same.
- Category: Stew
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: beef
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Perfection in a bowl! With all the root veggies coming in at the farmer’s market, I’ve had such a craving for beef stew. I added a couple parsnips & some peas. This is exactly what I was looking for, 6 hrs on low & the apartment smells amazing. Perfectly tender veg, falling apart meat, and delectable flavor! Definitely saving to make again later this winter.
★★★★★
So glad to hear it! Thank you for the 5 stars 🙂
I read both of your recipes and decided on the slow-cook version, Our grass fed beef stew meat turned out perfectly fall-apart tender and the saucey vegetables were perfect. I seasoned-floured and browned the beef first, layered the other ingredients, and cooked on low. In addition to your recipe I added a half can of tomato paste, half-tablespoon of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of burgundy. It came out just like your picture. Thanks for doing the comparison research for us. I will look for more of your recipes.
★★★★
Yum sounds like a great dinner!!!
Karen, you should check out Amazon’s reviews of the Kitchenaid slowcooker…. there are MANY 1 star reviews. So many that I would think twice before purchasing or recommending this slowcooker. The fact that America’s Test Kitchen chose it as the best is very disappointing. I had the previous model until I gave it to my daughter and purchased the Instant Pot multicooker. It was great! This new model sounds like junk. By the way, can’t wait to try the beef stew. Sounds delicious! Thanks
★★★★★
If i wanted to make this in my instant pot, do you have the directions for that?
Here’s the ip recipe: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-beef-stew/
I made this exactly as per the recipe and I thought it lacked some flavor so I sprinkled some salt on it and “boom” the flavors popped! It looked a little “soupy” in the crockpot but once put into the bowl and let sit for just a few minutes it thickened up perfect! I will definitely make this again , thank you for sharing it with us!
★★★★★
Yes always salt and pepper to taste! It can make a boring dish be amazing. Thanks for the tip!