Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This crockpot beef stew is the definition of set it and forget it comfort food. Beef stew meat tossed in flour and seasoning, loaded into the crockpot with carrots, celery, onion, baby potatoes, garlic, Worcestershire, and fresh herbs, covered in beef broth, and left to cook low and slow for 8 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender and the broth has thickened into a rich, deeply savory stew. It is the kind of dinner that makes the whole house smell incredible all day and tastes like you were home cooking the entire time.

This recipe also includes a full Dutch oven beef stew method for anyone who prefers the stovetop to oven approach. The crockpot version is the easiest path to a great stew. The Dutch oven version adds a sear and a fond-based depth that makes it worth the extra effort when you have the time.

Why You’ll Love This Crockpot Beef Stew

• One crockpot handles everything and dinner is ready when you get home with zero afternoon effort required.
• Both a slow cooker and a Dutch oven beef stew method are fully covered here so you can make this recipe whichever way fits your day.
• The flour coating on the beef before it goes in thickens the broth naturally during the long cook without any cornstarch or separate roux needed at the end.
• This is endlessly adaptable. Mushrooms, frozen peas, and red wine are all built-in additions that let you customize the stew without changing the base recipe.

Ingredients Needed To Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew

What is the best cut of beef for beef stew?

Chuck roast cut into cubes is the best option for beef stew. It comes from the shoulder and has a high amount of fat and collagen that breaks down during the long slow cook into something tender, juicy, and deeply flavorful. Pre-cut stew meat from the grocery store is usually chuck or round. Round is leaner and produces a slightly less rich result but works well. Avoid overly lean cuts like sirloin which don’t have enough fat and connective tissue to stay juicy through a long braise.

How to Make Crockpot Beef Stew

Step 1: Coat the Beef

Add the beef, flour, salt, and pepper to the crockpot and toss until evenly coated.

Step 2: Add Everything Else

Add the onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and garlic. Pour in the broth and Worcestershire. Add the thyme and bay leaves.

Step 3: Cook

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours until the beef is completely tender.

Step 4: Finish and Serve

Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and adjust seasoning. Serve garnished with extra fresh parsley.

How to Make Dutch Oven Beef Stew

Step 1: Sear the Beef

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the beef in flour, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.

Step 2: Build the Base

Sauté the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic in the same pot for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms here if using. Add the Worcestershire and red wine if using, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

Step 3: Braise

Pour in the broth and return the beef. Add the potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours until the beef is tender, continuing in 30-minute intervals if needed.

Step 4: Finish and Serve

Stir in frozen peas 30 minutes before serving if using. Remove the thyme and bay leaves, adjust seasoning, and garnish with fresh parsley.

Variations

• Add red wine: reduce the broth to 2 1/2 cups and add 1/2 cup of red wine for a richer, more complex stew with noticeably more depth.
• Add mushrooms: sliced cremini or button mushrooms added with the other vegetables add an earthy, slightly meaty element throughout.
• Add frozen peas: stirred in during the last 30 minutes they add a pop of sweetness and color that brightens the finished stew.
• Make it gluten-free: swap the all-purpose flour for any good quality gluten-free 1:1 flour blend in the same amount.
• Use chuck roast: cut into cubes in place of pre-cut stew meat for a slightly more economical option that produces an equally tender result.

Storing and Reheating

Store in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavor deepens significantly overnight and the stew is genuinely better the next day. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat stirring occasionally or microwave on medium power in 60-second intervals. Add a small splash of beef broth if it has thickened too much during storage. This stew also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Cool completely before transferring to freezer-safe containers.

What to Serve With Crockpot Beef Stew

Serve in deep bowls with a thick slice of crusty bread alongside for soaking up the rich broth. Buttery dinner rolls are a classic pairing that makes every bowl feel like a proper cold weather meal. A simple green salad on the side adds a fresh element that balances the richness of the stew. For another slow cooker dinner that belongs in the same cold weather rotation, the Green Chile Chicken Tortellini Soup covers a completely different hearty direction that rotates beautifully alongside this one through the fall and winter months.

Crockpot Beef Stew (Easy Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven Recipe)

This slow cooker beef stew cooks tender beef stew meat with potatoes, carrots, celery, and herbs in a rich savory broth for an easy hearty dinner with full Dutch oven beef stew instructions included.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

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• 2 lbs beef stew meat or chuck roast cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 3 carrots peeled and sliced
• 3 celery stalks sliced
• 1 bag baby yellow potatoes 24 oz
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped, plus more for garnish

Optional Additions

• Sliced mushrooms added with the vegetables
• 1/2 cup frozen peas added in the last 30 minutes
• 1/2 cup red wine reduce broth to 2 1/2 cups if using

Instructions

 

Crockpot Method

• Add the beef stew meat, flour, salt, and pepper to the crockpot. Toss until the beef is evenly coated.
• Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and minced garlic. Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
• Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours until the beef is tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
• Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve garnished with extra parsley.

Dutch Oven Method

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the beef in the flour, salt, and pepper until coated.
• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
• Add more oil if needed then sauté the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic for about 5 minutes until softened. Add mushrooms here if using.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce and red wine if using, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Pour in the beef broth and return the beef to the pot. Add the potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
• Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours until the beef is tender. If not tender after 2 hours continue cooking in 30-minute intervals until it is.
• If adding frozen peas stir them in 30 minutes before serving. Remove the thyme and bay leaves, adjust seasoning, and serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Notes

• Don’t skip coating the beef in flour before it goes in. The flour does two things: it helps the beef develop a slightly thicker, more cohesive sauce during the long cook and it absorbs some of the moisture from the broth so the finished stew has body rather than being thin and brothy.
• Cut everything into similar sized pieces so the vegetables and beef finish cooking at the same time. Uneven cuts mean some pieces are mushy while others still have bite.
• For a richer, more deeply flavored stew reduce the broth to 2 1/2 cups and add 1/2 cup of red wine. The wine adds an acidity and depth that makes the whole stew taste more complex without tasting specifically like wine.
• The Dutch oven method takes more active effort but the sear on the beef and the fond scraped up from the bottom of the pot adds a depth of flavor the crockpot version can’t fully replicate. Worth it when you have the time.

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