Published 12/19/2020
Ultimate Comfort Meal? Slow Cooker Beef Stew
WE’RE SERIOUS. This slow cooker beef stew recipe is everything you’ve ever dreamed of all wrapped up in a comforting cozy cold weather meal and tied with a bow. This stew is packed with veggies, the most savory and delicious seasonings and gravy, and obviously can’t forget the hero of the show: fall apart beef!
Best Beef for Beef Stew
How do you choose the best beef for slow cooker beef stew? We love boneless chuck roast for beef stew for a couple reasons:
It’s a tougher cut of meat than many leaner alternatives, but when slow cooked it breaks down the meat and becomes oh so tender and delicious.Beef chuck is a cheaper cut of meat meaning this high-end tasting beef stew is super budget-friendly!Pro tip: you’ll sometimes see chuck roast labeled as a chuck tender roast in grocery stories. This just means it’s a cut of the chuck roast, and it will still work well for this recipe!
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Beef Stew
We love this stew because it truly is an entire meal in a bowl (but if you’re looking for sides, we’ve got some recos below as well!). You’ll need:
Meat
Boneless beef chuck roast, sliced into 1-inch chunks (or chuck tender roast will work, too!)
Vegetables
Dice white onionLarge celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunksLarge carrots, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch chunksSmall russet potatoes, sliced into 1-inch chunksSliced baby Bella mushroomsFrozen peas
Seasonings & Gravy
Beef stew seasoning ingredients — we’ll walk you through this below!Dry red wine (any will do! We used a cabernet)Beef broth (any broth will work, but we LOVE the flavor of beef broth, especially for recipes like this)Worcestershire sauceBalsamic vinegarTomato pasteOlive oilherb bundle: sprigs of fresh rosemary and fresh thymeMinced garlic clovesCorn starch (this will thicken your broth a bit!)
Slow Cooker Beef Stew Seasoning
This beef stew seasoning adds so much flavor to this slow cooker beef stew recipe (we also use it in our Instant Pot beef stew recipe!). It’s salty, savory, and a little bit sweet. Here are the ingredients you need for our perfect beef stew seasoning mix:
1 teaspoon dried rosemary1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 teaspoon dried thyme1 teaspoon onion powder1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika1 tablespoon garlic powder1 tablespoon brown sugar1 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon white whole wheat flour
Slow Cooker Beef Stew Pro Tips
DON’T CUT BEEF INTO TOO LARGE OF CHUNKS
Because chuck meat is a tougher cut of meat, it relies on slow cooking to break down the meat and make it tender and flakey. If you cut the beef into chunks that are larger than 1 inch thick, you run the risk of not cooking the stew for long enough to break down the beef.
Never SKIP BROWNING THE BEEF
Browning the beef before cooking your stew in the slow cooker does require an extra dish (in this case a pan!), but it draws out the delicious flavors of the beef, which allows it to soak into every bit of this stew as it cooks down. We promise this step is 100% WORTH IT.
Don’t SKIP THE HERB BUNDLE
The herb bundle (we used fresh rosemary and fresh thyme) is a must have for this beef stew! It allows your stew to incorporate all the flavors of fresh herbs without needing to dig around in the stew to fish them out at the end. Simply bundle tightly the fresh rosemary and thyme with baker’s twine, and place right in the slow cooker. You’ll easily be able to remove it from the beef stew right before serving.
Only Cook Low and Slow
While it may be tempting to cook this slow cooker beef stew on high for half the time like many other slow cooker recipes, we simply would NOT recommend it! Chuck meat requires longer and lower cooking time to truly break down the meat to tender perfection. 7-8 hours in your slow cooker on low is the only way to go.
Mix Corn Starch Separately
Remove 1 cup of gravy from the slow cooker to mix in your corn starch. This makes it WAY easier to dissolve the corn starch, and will leave you with a smooth thickening agent rather than clumps of corn starch throughout your beef stew if you put the corn starch right in the slow cooker with all the stew.
How Many Does this Beef Stew Serve?
This slow cooker beef stew serves 8! Which means you can serve a batch for a larger group, or have oh so delicious leftovers throughout the week.
How do You Make Beef Stew Gravy?
The beef stew gravy is made right in your slow cooker as this beef stew cooks, so there’s no need to make the gravy separately for this recipe!
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Serve this deliciously savory beef stew with something starchy (what better to soak up that yummy broth with!). We recommend any of the following:
Biscuits or slices of breadCornbreadMashed potatoes (or mashed sweet taters!)Cauliflower mashed potatoes for a lower carb option
How to Store Beef Stew
Store this stew in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To Freeze: let cool completely before transferring into an air-tight container, making sure to remove as much air as possible. Place into the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat Beef Stew
We love to reheat this crock pot beef stew just as it was cooked — low and slow! In the Oven: Allow the beef stew come to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before placing in an oven-safe dish with a lid. Reheat at 350°F for 45 minutes, or until reheated thoroughly. On the Stovetop: Allow the beef stew to come to room temperature before placing in a stock pot and reheating over low / medium heat on the stovetop. In the Microwave: We don’t loveee this method, but if time is of the essence, reheat your beef stew on low / reheat in the microwave until reheated thoroughly.
Recipes with Beef
Instant Pot Beef StewInstant Pot Pot RoastInstant Pot Beef StroganoffSous Vide SteakWild Rice MeatloafInstant Pot Beef and BroccoliALL Beef Recipes
