Serve up a hot meal without the fuss for your family tonight: This crock pot beef stew is the perfect easy comfort food dinner.
I love that prepping dinner in the morning when the kids are generally in a good mood (or in school) is the best thing I can do to put a hot meal on the table come 6pm, relatively stress free. Hooray for slow cookers!
Stew is one of my favorite things to cook during fall and winter and this right here, or my Crockpot Tuscan White Bean Chicken Stew, Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew or Mediterranean Slow Cooker Chicken Stew are all regulars from October to February.
Try them all – you’ll love those cozy recipes!
Step by step instructions
First, you’ll need to brown the meat. I season and sprinkle it with flour right in the pan – no need to dirty another dish!
Then, remove the meat to a slow cooker. Place the onions and garlic in the skillet and cook until softened, then season and pour the red wine into the pan (use broth if you want to avoid wine).
Make sure to scratch any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet – that’s where all the flavor is! Then, once the red wine has thickened, add the remaining gravy ingredients and bring to a simmer.
Then, place the vegetables over the meat in the crockpot and (very carefully!!) ladle the hot gravy on top.
Now you’ll just need to let this cook in the slow cooker, add the peas about 10 minutes before you want dinner on the table – and that’s the best beef stew of your life done 😉
Cooking tips
If you want a thick gravy: There are a few different methods to yield a thicker gravy.
- The flouring of the meat helps a lot with thickening the gravy later on.
- If you love very thick beef stew, you can add a shredded FLOURY potato in addition to everything else.
- OR you can stir a cornstarch slurry into the stew about 10-15 minutes before cooking time is up and then cook it with the lid off for the remaining time – it’s what I do with my crockpot mediterranean chicken stew.
Cutting the vegetables: It is important to cut the veggies roughly into the same size chunks, otherwise they won’t cook evenly.
Also, do not cut them too small and do not cut them too big (I know, great advice 😉 ). When cut too small, they will dissolve. So you can leave them quite chunky. Just pay attention that you cut them in a way so a regular adult can eat the veggies without having to cut them up.
The great thing about stew is that it’s a rustic dish – so you can definitely get away with rustic chopping, it doesn’t have to be perfect by any means.
Browning the meat: Flouring and browning the meat before you add it to the crockpot will give you a wealth of extra flavor. It is a step you can leave out if time is very sparse – but the flavor and consistency of the stew will vastly benefit from NOT skipping this step.
Alcohol: The alcohol will evaporate as it cooks in the skillet (it would NOT evaporate as easily if cooked entirely in the crock pot). But if you’re uncomfortable using it, just use more broth.
Maple syrup: I get asked all the time why I put maple syrup in the stew, and it’s just there to add more depth to the flavor. It doesn’t make the stew sweet! But you can leave it out if you don’t want to add it.
Liquid amount:Â Some readers remarked that 2 cups of liquid doesn’t seem enough for a stew. But before you add more broth, please remember that the added liquid about DOUBLES in a slow cooker dish as it cooks. The stew ends up with plenty of gravy as long as you stick to the amounts given for the vegetables and the beef.
Note:Â An earlier version of my recipe included fresh thyme and bay leaves, but I got a lot of feedback from people who don’t keep these on hand, so I re-tested the recipe to make sure it tastes nice without them – and it does. Feel free to add a few sprigs of fresh thyme and a few bay leaves to the stew with the vegetables.
Our favorite side dishes
While there is everything you need right in the stew, I still love adding a side or two to stretch the meal.
Some of our favorites:
More hearty comfort food
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
Crock Pot Beef Stew
Recipe details
Equipment
Ingredients
For the meat
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1.5 pounds beef stewing meat in chunks
- 1-2 teaspoons salt or less, depending on what kind of stock you’re using
- black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons flour
For the gravy
- 2 large yellow onions cut into wedges
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup red wine OR use more stock
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
For the vegetables
- 3 large waxy potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 large carrots peeled, ends trimmed and cut into chunks
- 4 large celery sticks trimmed and thickly sliced
- ½ pound brown mushrooms cleaned and quartered
- ½ cup frozen peas no need to defrost
Instructions
- Brown the meat: Heat the oil in a large and deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef cubes, season with salt and pepper and stir. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and stir well. Cook until the beef is browned on all sides (do not stir too much, or the beef will not brown properly). Remove to a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
- Start the gravy: Put the skillet back over medium high heat. If needed, add a little more oil. Cook the onions and garlic until starting to soften. Stir in the Italian seasoning and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the herbs are fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour the red wine into the pan, scratching the browned bits off the bottom. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the stock, Worcestershire sauce and maple syrup. Bring to a boil (this will help the stew start cooking faster once it is in the crock), then switch off the heat.
- Transfer to the slow cooker: On top of the meat, place the potatoes, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Very carefully (!) pour the hot liquid from the skillet into the crockpot, making sure the liquid runs down all the way to the bottom and underneath the meat (stir a little if needed).
- Cook: Cook the stew on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGh for 4 hours. 10 minutes before cooking time is over, stir in the peas. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed. Either finish cooking with the lid open (if you want a thicker stew) OR closed if you want it soupier.
Notes
Cooking Tips:
If you want a thick gravy: There are a few different methods to yield a thicker gravy.- The flouring of the meat helps a lot with thickening the gravy later on.
- If you love very thick beef stew, you can add a shredded FLOURY potato in addition to everything else.
- OR you can stir a cornstarch slurry into the stew about 10-15 minutes before cooking time is up and then cook it with the lid off for the remaining time – it’s what I do with my crockpot mediterranean chicken stew.
Nutrition
More recipe information
The crock pot is such a big help in this season, and we love this slow cooker stew just as much as we love our Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers, Crockpot Chicken and Noodle Soup and my Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos.
I hope you’ll enjoy this cozy meal just as much as we do – enjoy!
P.S: For more stew recipes, check out our collection of homemade beef stew recipes!
Anna B. says
I have this cooking right now and everything smells delicious! Please tell me if it’s possible to make dumplings in the crockpot. I usually prepare stew on the stove and add dumplings near the end of cooking time. I have never made in the crockpot before.
Nora says
I have never tried this, Anna, but now I’m intrigued and will do some research!
Brian says
Was delicious!! I add all the beef stock! Thanks for the recipe! Finally the meat came out tender!
Susan Harling says
Made this last night! It was wonderful! Thanks for the recipe!
Paula Moore says
Love the stew! One thing that is missing in the instructions for gravy is putting the beef broth in the mix. Lucky I mixed in the gravy.
Annalisa says
My husband loved this recipe! I’m a pescatarian so as you can understand I was elated that I made it right and he likey…
Thank you so much
Terry says
Very good. Was searching for a great stew and found it. Gravy was perfect consistency. Followed the recipe. Thanks
Valee P says
Thanks Nora, I don’t normally like beef stew, but this recipe is the best tasting and easiest to make. I love crock pot foods. I will make this recipe only, when making Beef stew!! It’s Yummy!! Thanks again!
Genna says
This is the best Beef Stew I’ve ever made! Your recipe + technique is a WINNER! I have made Beef Stew many many times and I’ve never been truly satisfied with it. But this one…this is THE ONE! Thank you for sharing!!! I’ll be passing your recipe on for sure!
Valerie says
Very good! I chose to simmer on the stovetop and used fresh bay leaves.
Kelli says
I love this recipe but I add a 1/4 cup of soy sauce and use 4 cups of beef broth since I don’t want to waste it. I serve this with mash potatoes or mash cauliflower. Also, if really need some comfort food, I serve with Reames egg noodles for my Mom’s style Beef and noodles. Thanks for sharing and improving my beef stew. Note: I have a Ninja cooker which In my opinion, seems to stay a little hotter than mY old crock pot. I love it as I can do everything including browning the meat in it.
Ljr says
I made this according to the directions. It was done in 5 hours on low.
It was a bit spicy but I liked it. My husband had seconds. I would make this again.
Jaime says
This was such a yummy recipe! Even my picky 8
Year old loves it! I got him to try it by telling him that maple syrup is the secret ingredient. Seriously we love this and I make it about every other week now!
Sylvie says
this beef stew was very tasty,,, since I did not have tomato paste I replaced it with chili sauce. turned out perfect!
Keri says
This stew is delicious! I did tweak the recipe slightly by adding more salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, plus I added some fresh tarragon and left the maple syrup out completely. But it was great and I will make it again!
Tammy C says
I followed the recipe as is, and it was wonderful!! My husband said it was the best one I’ve made so far. This recipe is definitely ackeeper!
Brenda says
Perfect amounts of gravy, great flavor, didn’t add peas or mushrooms and turned out wonderful!
Nora says
So glad you enjoyed the stew, Brenda! Thanks for sharing your modifications, too.
Beth says
Can I use chicken stock, as that’s all I have
Nora says
Hi Beth, yes you can! Or you can use water, either works. When I make it with water, I add a little soy sauce and extra salt, Worcestershire and herbs, too. Hope that helps!
Lee says
This is my husband’s favorite stew now! I use balsamic vinegar in place of the Worcestershire and add one extra carrot, only one onion. Tastes so so amazing!
L Fisher says
Mmmmh family loves this one, already made three times this fall! It’s even better the next day. Thanks for a great recipe!
Anne says
This recipe looks great, can I use dried thyme in place of the fresh?
Nora says
Yes sure, Anne! You can also just add an extra teaspoon of Italian seasoning instead.
Emma says
Can this be made on the stove?
Nora says
Yes for sure, Emma! Simmer it covered on low on the stove for 1-2 hours or place it in an oven-safe pot with lid (I like to use a large Dutch oven) and cook it in the oven at 360F for 1 hour.
Pat says
Excellent stew, will be in my regular rotation from now on.
Emm Tremblay says
Brilliant flavours
My whole family loves it
Made it for dinner tonight for the fourth time and will make it again many more times
Serving it with dumplings
So So good!
Nora says
I’m so happy to read this, Emm! Thank you for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate it. Also, I want to make beef stew and dumplings now!!
Meyers says
Can you cook this on the stove?
Nora says
Yes for sure. I’d take a heavy-bottomed pot, something like a cast iron. And then cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours. You can also put it in the oven at 360°F for 1 hour!
Jamie says
This is a delicious recipe! I was wondering if you have a temperature and cook time for the oven? I was wanting to make a double batch in my large Dutch oven. I have a gas stove, so I wanted to avoid cooking on a burner so I don’t end up with charred stew on the bottom of the pot.
Thank you!
Nora says
Jamie, I’m glad you like the recipe! You can bake it for 1 – 1.5 hours at 360°F in your Dutch oven!