Crock Pot Beef Stew
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Tender, juicy stew meat with potatoes and carrots make this the best Crock Pot Beef Stew! This stew is rich, chunky and hearty. Perfect for curling up with on a cold winter night. Throw it in your slow cooker for a quick and easy dinner today!

Crock Pot dinner recipes are the way to my heart. Especially when they are dump and go recipes I can easily throw in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to dinner ready!
Nights are a little hectic around here and I bet you might feel the same way. You’ll love knowing you have this easy beef stew recipe in your crock pot for an easy dinner especially on cold winter nights.
I mean, what’s not to love about a rich and savory stew with tender beef and chunky vegetables?
Why We Love this Easy Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe!
- It’s so easy to make! That’s right, it’s a dump and go recipe you can have prepped in about 10 minutes. Perfect for throwing in the slow cooker during busy mornings.
- Pantry staples are the key to making this easy slow cooker beef stew. I bet you have most if not all the ingredients on hand.
- It’s hearty and filling. Pair it with a crusty bread or cheddar biscuits for the ultimate meal.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Beef Stew
- Stew meat – Cut the meat it into 1 inch pieces. You can use pre-cut stew meat from the grocery store or buy chuck steak and cut it yourself.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour, this will help thicken the broth.
- Salt and pepper – Adjust to taste
- Minced garlic – Grab the pre-minced jar of garlic at the grocery store so you have it handy in your fridge!
- Paprika – I mix it up with smoked paprika sometimes!
- Worcestershire sauce – Gives it that zip and flavor.
- Beef broth – I always use low-sodium broths!
- Tomato sauce – Just a hint of tomato flavor, but not to much.
- Yellow onion – Peeled and chopped. My secret is to buy pre-diced frozen yellow onion and keep it in the freezer so I never have to chop my onions!
- Potatoes – My favorite type of potato to use is a Yukon Gold Potato. You can also use a red potato, but do not use a russet potato as it will break down when cooking this long.
- Carrots – Peel and slice these into pieces.
How to Make Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe
For this recipe, all of the work happens in the morning – once you’ve prepped the ingredients you just leave it and serve it after it’s simmered all day!
Instead of just tossing the beef in the slow cooker I like to coat it in a seasoned flour mixture first. This will season the beef and also help thicken your stew as it cooks.

Here’s what you’ll need to prep the beef!
- Stew meat cut into 1″ pieces
- All-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper
Combine the ingredients together in a large ziplock bag. Add the stew meat, close the bag, and shake it to coat the beef evenly. Place the floured beef in the slow cooker.

Once the prepared stew meat is in the slow cooker, all you do is add the rest of the ingredients!

Stir it all together, cover the crock pot with the lid and simmer your stew on low for eight to ten hours. When it’s time for dinner, give the stew a stir and ladle into bowls. That’s it! Easiest beef stew ever.
Substitutes
- Wine – To make the flavor more complex consider adding a cup of hearty red wine for a cup of the beef broth. Great wines to choose from are Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot which are both a dry red wine.
- Peas – Add peas to the stew during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Mushrooms – Love mushrooms? Add some sliced mushrooms to the stew for extra flavor.
Can you put raw beef in slow cooker?
Yes! We don’t sear the beef stew meat in this recipe for ease, just toss it in the flour mixture and add it to the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients.
Do You Have To Brown The Stew Meat Before Putting it in the Crock Pot?
For this recipe, you don’t have to brown the beef before you put it in the slow cooker.
Of course, you can if you want to but I’ve tried it both ways and I really can’t tell the difference so I skip that step. I’m all about easy in the kitchen!
What Potatoes Are Best For Beef Stew?
I think the best potatoes for this recipe are Yukon gold potatoes. They are waxy and hold their shape even if you cook them for several hours. Potatoes that have more starch, like russets, sometimes fall apart when you cook them for too long.
Is it better to cook stew on low or high?
I prefer to cook this stew on low because the beef gets really nice and tender. This will give you the best result with the most flavor.
If you cook it on high I recommend cooking it for four to five hours.
You know when the beef is done when you can easily pull a piece apart with a fork. It’s shouldn’t be chewy – it should be nice and tender!
Pro Tips!
- Add more vegetables! Great options are celery, green beans, parsnips, sweet potatoes etc.
- Handle the stew meat the least amount possible. This gives you extra juicy, tender beef. If you handle it to much it will cause the juices to run out of it and make it tough.
Leftover Crock Pot Beef Stew
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
If you’d like to freeze the beef stew place it in a freezer safe container with about 1” of head space for expansion. It will keep for up to four months in the freezer.

More Crock Pot Recipes
- Another cozy and hearty slow cooker soup recipe is my white chicken chili. It has a spicy kick and I like to serve it with all the toppings!
- My meat and potatoes family loves BBQ brisket and during the winter I use my crock pot to make it – it’s so tender!
- Creamy Tortellini Soup is a super easy soup recipe you can make in the crock pot!
- Crock pot chicken teriyaki is always a hit when I make it! It’s so simple to make.
- Want even more ideas? I wrote a post with 62 of the Best Crock Pot Recipes all in one place – you’ll want to try them all!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

Crock Pot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1 in cubes
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 ½ cup beef broth
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 Yukon gold or red potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 carrots peeled and sliced
Instructions
- In a gallon size zip lock bag mix together flour, salt and pepper. Dump in the meat and shake until coated. Place in crock pot.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Tips
- Minced garlic – Grab the pre-minced jar of garlic at the grocery store so you have it handy in your fridge!
- Paprika – I mix it up with smoked paprika sometimes!
- Beef broth – I always use low-sodium broths!
- Diced yellow onion – My secret is to buy pre-diced frozen yellow onion and keep it in the freezer so I never have to chop my onions!
- Diced potatoes – My favorite type of potato to use is a Yukon Gold Potato. You can also use a red potato, but do not use a russet potato as it will break down when cooking this long.
Jay Garcia says
Used 3 lbs of chuck, 4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, 3 cups baby carrots, more Celery Salt, “no” Oregano and no tomato anything. Every thing else by ingredients. Stew started at 8:30 am on Low and checked at 4:00 and was done, no need to go any further or else the the stew would be too mushy, etc.
C.B. Alexander says
Used (well scrubbed) unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes and baby carrots. Excellent!
Edwina says
Fabulous stew. I use no salt added beef stock, smoked paprika and only 4 oz. tomato sauce. SO good!
Maddie r says
Can I add the veggies half way thru? And can I add more broth. It won’t cover all veggies and meat with only 21/2 cups
Darrell Pitcher says
Best stew ever!
Julie Evink says
So glad you enjoyed it Darrell! Thanks for commenting and rating the recipe!
Haley Naiser says
Hi, looking forward to making this week but am I supposed to cook it on low for 4-5 hrs or on high for 4-5 hrs? Thanks!
Julie Evink says
Hi Haley! It says to cook on low 8-10 hours in the recipe. I think it would be done on high in 4-5 hours, but your stew meat will not be as tender.
Jay Garcia says
See my comment above, thanks. On low 8:30 to 4:00 was just right.
Lori says
Hi,
Could you use buckwheat flour instead? I am Trying to make a low salt option for my baby. Any suggestions? I got no salt tomato sauce cans and no salt beef broth. Appreciate your input. I love this recipe!
Thanks,
Lori
Michelle Sperr says
Hi Lori – I haven’t tired it with buckwheat flour but I would think it would substitute well. Let me know if you try it! Awesome you’re cooking low salt options for your baby! Way to go!
Lynne says
Thanks for the recipe. I have used all of your recommendations but one. Potatoes seem to affect the mixture so I choose to cook them on the side and add at the end. The seen a bit firmer for our tastes. Again, thanks for this tasty recipe.
Michelle Sperr says
You’re welcome Lynne. Thanks for giving the recipe a try. Glad you enjoyed it.
Toni says
Thank you! Perfect dinner for a northeasterly winter storm! Easy to put together and made a thick, delicious gravy to dunk a piece of sourdough bread.
Julie says
Perfect! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, I hope you’re staying warm!
Laurie Wisecup says
Can I make this with just 1lb of meat? If so, would I just adjust the flour amount?
Julie says
Yes! Use 2 tbsp of flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Levi Sweeten says
The serving size says 1g…I assume thats supposed to be 1 cup?
Julie says
Since there are 6 servings in the stew, it would be whatever 1/6 of the entire amount would be. Sorry it isn’t more exact!
Danielle Rogers says
It’s in my crockpot while I am at work today! Cannot wait to try it. Smelled so good, thanks for recipe 😊
Julie says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
Jen says
I’ve just gotten into the crock pot and it already smells great. I’ve never made stew before. Will the broth thicken or will I need to add a slurry?
Julie says
Because it’s a crock pot recipe, it stays on the thin side. You could definitely add a slurry if you prefer the broth a little thicker!
David Peterson says
Whats a slurry?
Julie says
A slurry is typically a mixture of corn starch and water or flour and water added to a soup to help thicken it.
Roseann says
Hi Julie, this is the best beef stew to have on a snowy day. Its simple and I had all the ingredients in the house.
Julie says
That’s what I aim for with my recipes! I’m glad you loved it!
Claudia Lamascolo says
This is my family’s favorite stew they love this hearty flavorful stew an I make it at least once a month thanks for this awesome recipe!
Julie says
That’s great Claudia! I’m glad your family loves it!