This Slow Cooker Beef Stew is the perfect hearty meal for a cold night. Each spoonful is packed with tender beef, veggies and the most delicious, savory broth. Taking only minutes to prep, this flavorful stew is a weeknight time saver!
This Slow Cooker Beef Stew is perfect to come home to at the end of a busy day! After hours of low and slow cooking in the crockpot, the meat is tender, the potatoes and other veggies are soft and all of the herbs, seasonings and broth have melded together perfectly to bring deep flavor to the stew.
Serve it with some crusty artisan, french bread or these easy no yeast dinner rolls and your family will leave the dinner table with full bellies! The best part is, leftover stew is even better the next day! So, lunch is taken care of!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- So easy to make! – Toss everything into the slow cooker, give it a stir and walk away. Don’t think about it again until you’re ready to eat! Truly one of the easiest slow cooker recipes!
- Deep flavors – 6-8 hours in the slow cooker gives all of the ingredients time to blend and meld into such a flavorful dish!
- The best leftovers – The more time the ingredients spend together, the better the flavor. Which means, leftovers will be even better! This easy beef stew recipe is perfection for meal prepping! Just warm it in the microwave or on the stovetop and it’s ready to go!
- Filling & satisfying – This is definitely not a thin, brothy soup that leaves you feeling hungry. This delicious beef stew is hearty and so filling. It has the perfect amount of beef, potatoes, carrots and other hearty vegetables to satisfy your hungry eaters!
What is Beef Stew?
Beef stew is a hearty, one pot meal. It is made by simmering or slow cooking chunks of beef, potatoes and other root vegetables in a flavorful, savory broth until the meat and vegetables are tender. Traditional beef stew is a classic comfort food, especially in cold weather months.
Recipe Notes
This Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe is as simple as promised! Just ten minutes of prep, then let the slow cooker do its thing for a family friendly cozy meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make Slow Cooker Beef Stew to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Beef stew meat – This is a versatile, flavorful meat.
- Baby yellow potatoes – Their buttery flavor compliment the rest of the ingredients in the stew.
- Carrots, celery and onion – This trio of veggies adds a lot of flavor AND nutrients to any stew.
- Beef broth – You’ll need 6 cups. (Found in the soup section)
- Tomato paste – You’ll only need a little, but don’t skip this step. It helps to provide deep flavor and also helps thicken the stew.
- Garlic powder
- Dried thyme
- Salt & pepper
- Balsamic vinegar– This helps brighten the dish and also helps tenderize the meat
- Flour– to sprinkle on the meat
- Cornstarch– to help thicken the stew
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Stovetop Beef Stew– If you prefer, you can cook this stew in a large pot on the stove. Allow it to simmer on low until the beef is tender and vegetables are cooked through.
- Beef Stew with a Kick– If you’d like to spice it up a bit, you can add your favorite hot sauce to the stew before serving.
- Vegetable Beef Stew– You could make this stew more vegetable heavy by adding green beans or peas.
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make Slow Cooker Beef Stew.
Place the stew meat into the slow cooker. Sprinkle the all purpose flour, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper over the meat.
Toss to coat the meat with the flour and seasonings.
Add the onion, potatoes, carrots and celery to the crockpot
Add the tomato paste and vinegar.
Add the beef broth and stir it altogether. Close the lid and set the slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.
30 minutes before you eat, open the slow cooker and use some of the liquid to mix with the corn starch to make a slurry. Mix it into the crockpot and continue to cook for 30 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t rush the cooking – Truly, this is best in the slow cooker! You want it to cook low and slow for 6-8 hours. The beef and vegetables will be tender and the flavor will be much deeper if you allow it to cook the entire time.
- Use evenly sized pieces of stew meat – If some pieces are significantly bigger than others, just cut them in half. This ensures even cooking.`
- Adjust cornstarch – You can add more cornstarch if you’d like your stew to be thicker. Or add less cornstarch for it to be thinner.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Buy pre-chopped veggies – Save yourself some time and buy pre-chopped onion, carrots and celery. They can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores. If you’re lucky, you might be able to find diced fresh mirepoix mix (all 3 veggies together)!
- Buy the beef stew meat! – There’s really no reason to buy beef and chop it yourself! Nearly all grocery stores sell boneless beef stew meat, chopped, packaged and ready to go! It’s so convenient!
- Meal-prep it – Prepare this on the weekend, cool and refrigerate. It’s so easy to heat individual servings for lunch and dinners during the week!
Freezer Meal Instructions
Making this Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To freeze before cooking
- Place all ingredients, except the cornstarch, into an airtight container or freezer bag.
- Label it and place in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- To cook it, move it to the fridge and let it thaw overnight. Pour the contents into the slow cooker the next day and proceed with the recipe.
How to Freeze Slow Cooker Beef Stew After Cooking
- Allow the slow cooker beef stew to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or a freezer bag.
- Freeze for up to 6 months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- To reheat, warm on the stovetop or microwave in 30-second increments (stir between heating).
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Since this protein based dinner has the delicious flavors of beef and vegetables, it will pair well with many of your favorite steakhouse side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Best Ever Garlic Bread is the perfect compliment to this warm and cozy stew!
- Serve the best beef stew with this Steakhouse Style House Salad
- My Italian House Salad will add bright flavors to your hearty beef stew meal.
- My perfectly golden and easy Homemade Buttermilk Cornbread pairs so nicely with this stew. It brings all of the classic flavors together!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to a month
Recipe FAQ’s
What is beef stew meat?
Beef stew meat is from a cut of beef, most commonly the shoulder (chuck), that has been trimmed and cut into bite sized cubes. It requires a slow-cooking method to become tender and juicy, as the connective tissues break down.
Where can you find beef stew meat?
You can find pre-cut beef stew meat in the meat or butcher section of most major grocery stores. Or you can buy chuck roast and cut it yourself.
What is a corn starch slurry?
It’s a mixture of cornstarch and liquids (most commonly water or a broth). It’s used to thicken sauces or broths.
Is cooking 3-4 hours on high the same as cooking 6-8 hours on low?
It is generally the same because the high setting heats up to a simmering point faster than the low setting. Be aware that cooking meat on high or medium-high heat may result in less tender meat. Using the low setting is ideal for tougher cuts of beef.
More EASY Soup Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy soup recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Green Chili Chicken Corn Chowder
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crock Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 pound baby yellow potatoes, halved
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Place the stew meat in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle the flour, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper over the meat and toss to coat it on all sides.
- Add the onion, potatoes, carrots and celery to the crockpot. Then add the beef broth, tomato paste, and vinegar and stir.
- Close the lid and set the slow cooker to low for 6-8 hours.
- 30 minutes before you want to eat, open the slow cooker and use the liquid from the slow cooker to mix with the corn starch until you form a slurry (thin paste). Mix the slurry into the crockpot and continue to cook for 30 minutes.You can add additional cornstarch to thicken it more, or less to make it thinner.
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