Crock Pot Beef Stew

This Crock Pot Beef Stew is a hearty, comforting slow cooker meal made with tender stew meat, potatoes, and carrots in a rich, flavorful broth—perfect for an easy dinner on cold nights.

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Crock Pot dinner recipes are the way to my heart. Especially when they are dump and go recipes that I can easily throw in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to a dinner that is ready to serve. For this crockpot beef stew 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. You’ll love knowing you have this slower cooker beef stew in the crock pot for an easy dinner, especially on cold winter nights. Plus it will slow down those hectic weeknights! What’s not to love about a rich and savory stew with tender beef and chunky vegetables?

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s a dump and go recipe you can have prepped in about 10 minutes.
• Pantry staples are the key to making this easy slow cooker beef stew.
• This crock pot stew is 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 or round roast and cut it yourself. In a pinch, you can even use brisket.
• Flour – Use all-purpose flour to help thicken the broth and make that classic, hearty stew broth we all know and love.
• Salt and black pepper – Adjust to taste. A little bit of these seasonings will bring out the flavors in this delicious crock pot beef stew.
• 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 – A little splash of this gives this crockpot beef stew that zip and depth of flavor.
• Beef broth – I always use low-sodium broths so that I can more easily control the salt content.
• Tomato sauce – A little tomato sauce adds just a hint of tomato flavor, but not too much.
• Yellow onion – Peel and chop yellow onion to add to the best beef stew. 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 – The best potatoes to use are Yukon Gold because they are waxy and hold their shape. 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 evenly sized pieces.

Variations

• 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 fresh or frozen peas to the stew during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
• Mushrooms – Love mushrooms? Add some sliced mushrooms to the stew for extra flavor.

How to Make Crock Pot Beef Stew

Dice the stewing meat into 1″ pieces. Combine the flour, salt and pepper together in a large ziplock bag.

Add the cubed stew meat, close the bag, and shake it to coat the beef evenly. Place the floured beef in the slow cooker.

Pour broth into the slow cooker and add chopped onion, potatoes and carrots. Add minced garlic, paprika, Worcestershire and tomato sauce.

Stir it all together, cover the crock pot with the lid and simmer 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.

Storage And Reheating

Fridge: Store leftover beef stew in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Freezer: 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. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheat beef stew on the stovetop until hot through or in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between.

Do I Have To Brown Stew Meat Before Putting It In The Crock Pot?

For this particular recipe, you do not have to brown the beef before you put it into the slow cooker.

Of course, you can if you want to but I have 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!

Can I Cook Stew On High In The Crock Pot?

I prefer to cook this stew on low because the beef gets really nice and tender. I haven’t tested it using the higher setting, but if you try it I recommend cooking it high 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!

I love recipes that don’t require me to use the oven or the stove-top. This is the tastiest set and forget recipe ever, plus clean up is a breeze!

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!

 

4.89 from 173 votes

Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe

Tender, juicy stew meat with potatoes and carrots make this crock pot beef stew rich, chunky and hearty. Perfect for curling up with on a cold winter night.

Prep:15 minutes mins

Cook:8 hours hrs

Total:8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

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Video

6

servings

Equipment

• Slow cooker
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1 inch 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 cups 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.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 340.5kcal (17%), Carbohydrates: 26.79g (9%), Protein: 39.25g (79%), Fat: 8.12g (12%), Saturated Fat: 2.76g (17%), Cholesterol: 93.74mg (31%), Sodium: 1137.91mg (49%), Potassium: 1350.39mg (39%), Fiber: 4.98g (21%), Sugar: 4.95g (6%), Vitamin A: 7121.63IU (142%), Vitamin C: 19.75mg (24%), Calcium: 98.01mg (10%), Iron: 7.89mg (44%)

© Julie's Eats & Treats ®

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.

How To Serve Beef Stew

One of the great things about beef stew is it is a one bowl meal. This hearty dish covers all of the bases – protein, veggies, starch – everything’s in there! I love to serve stew at home with a fresh loaf of bread from the local bakery to soak up any leftover sauce in our bowls at the end of the meal. Cooking this stew in the crock pot also frees up a little time to make Biscuits or Dinner Rolls.

More Great Beef Recipes

• With the addition of Guinness beer, Irish Beef Stew is a great twist on this traditional dish. The beer gives this stew a richer, deeper flavor that your whole family will warm up to.
• Make your family the ultimate comfort food in your crock pot tonight. With a rich and creamy gravy, onions, mushrooms and silky egg noodles, Beef Stroganoff never disappoints.
• Prep and throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning and you’ll come home to the mouthwatering smell of Beef and Noodle Soup wafting through your house. Carrots, celery, onion, beef and noodles are the perfect combination on a cool evening.
• Thick, creamy mushroom sauce is the star of the show in Hamburger Stroganoff, the close cousin to the popular beef dish. Served over noodles or our household favorite, mashed potatoes, you’ll be lucky if you have any leftovers.