Crock Pot Beef Stew

Name: Crock Pot Beef Stew
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 510 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons oil; 2 tablespoons flour; 1.5 pounds beef stewing meat (in chunks); 2 large yellow onions (cut into wedges); 2 cloves garlic (sliced); 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning; 4 tablespoons tomato paste; 1/3 cup red wine (OR use more stock); 2 cups beef stock; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon maple syrup; 1-2 teaspoons salt (or less, depending on what kind of stock you're using); Black pepper (to taste); 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); 1/2 pound brown mushrooms (cleaned and quartered); 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 bay leaves; 1/2 cup frozen peas (no need to defrost)

By Nora | 65 Comments | Jump to Recipe |

4.97 from 27 votes

Serve up a hot meal without the fuss for your family tonight: This crock pot beef stew is the perfect easy comfort food dinner.

A Note from Nora

Stew is one of my favorite things to cook during fall and winter. Crockpot Tuscan White Bean Chicken Stew, Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew or Mediterranean Slow Cooker Chicken Stew are all regulars from October to February.

Sitting down to a cozy, home-cooked family dinner is one of my top priorities in life right now. It is good for our children, it is good for our marriage and it is good for me – because it makes me feel accomplished.

Prepping dinner in the morning when the kids are generally in a good mood is the best thing I can do to put a hot dinner on the table, relatively stress free. Hooray for slow cookers!

This crock pot beef stew is a recipe born out of this busy season I’m in right now.

It makes it so easy to put a hot and comforting meal on the table – without losing my mind. And the most magical part?

Sitting down to that steaming pot of fragrant beef stew always feels like a breath of relief – for all of us. We magically relax as a family.

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.

How to Make Beef Stew in the Crock Pot:

Read on for the detailed steps, or scroll down for more tips to make this recipe foolproof and the printable recipe card.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients to Make a Crock Pot Beef Stew:

For the meat

2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour
1.5 pounds beef stewing meat in chunks

For the gravy

2 large yellow onions cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic sliced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup red wine OR use more stock
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1-2 teaspoons salt or less, depending on what kind of stock you’re using
Black pepper to taste

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
1/2 pound brown mushrooms cleaned and quartered
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup frozen peas no need to defrost

Equipment Needed:

*these links are affiliate links and we earn a commission for purchases made after clicking through

chopping board
knife
deep skillet
wooden cooking spoon
5-6 quart slow cooker

PS I love chopping vegetables with my chef’s knife, it’s so much faster than with a smaller knife! If you don’t have one, this is an amazing, budget-friendly and high-quality option:*

And this is an incredible programmable slow cooker, if you’re in the market for a new one:*

1 – Do the prep work:

With little kids running riot, I like to get all the prep work out of the way before I start the actual cooking process.

Chop the veggies, measure out the liquids and get all the dry ingredients ready.

To make chopping super quick, I prefer using a large chef’s knife! It seems scary at first, but it’s a lot more efficient than a small/dull knife.

2 – Brown the meat:

This step is optional… But it’s not optional if you want the BEST flavors!

If you can, take the time to brown the meat, sprinkled with a little flour before adding it to the crockpot. The flavors will be SO much better!

Remove the meat from the pan and to the slow cooker.

3 – Start the gravy:

In all honesty, this is another optional/not-optional step.

You CAN make this recipe as a “dump and go” meal, if you’re short on time/nerves.

But if you brown the meat AND start the gravy in the skillet, the flavors will be out of this world.

So, cook the onion. Then add the garlic, Italian seasoning and tomato paste, and cook for one more minute.

Deglaze the pan with red wine (or stock), scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan (this is a lot of extra flavor you do not want to miss!)

Then stir in the remaining gravy ingredients and bring to a boil >> this helps the stew to start cooking faster in the crock.

4 – Transfer to the slow cooker:

First, add the carrots, potatoes and celery to the crock pot with the meat.

Then, CAREFULLY ladle the hot gravy into the crock. Stir a little to make sure there’s liquid underneath the meat – otherwise it could burn!

5 – Cook:

Now cook the stew on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

If you want to add peas, put them into the stew straight from frozen for the final 10 minutes of cooking.

You can leave the lid off for those last 10 minutes for a thicker stew, or close the lid for a soupier stew.

See below for more tips for a thicker stew!

Nora’s crock pot beef stew cooking tips for you:

Try to find the time to brown the meat

Flouring and browning the meat before you add it to the crockpot will give you a wealth of extra flavor.

It is definitely a step you can leave out if time is very short – but the flavor and consistency of the stew will vastly benefit from NOT skipping this step.

Use extra broth if you don’t want to cook with wine

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.

Why is there maple syrup in the stew?

I get asked this all the time, 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.

How to cut the vegetables for beef stew:

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.

How to make a thick beef stew in the crockpot:

There are a few different methods.

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.

crock pot beef stew on a dark metal plate

What are good sides for beef stew?

Everything you need is right in the stew, but I love adding a side or two to stretch the meal.

Some of our favorites:

a crusty no knead bread
garlic parmesan monkey bread if you don’t have time for a yeast dough
mashed potatoes – uhm yes, there are potatoes in the stew, but it’s still an amazing combination

Try These Next:

instant pot beef stew on a black plate — Instant Pot Beef Stew

three plates with crockpot beef tips and gravy over mashed potatoes — Crockpot Beef Tips and Gravy

A flavorful Irish Beef Stew you can make in your slow cooker! The long cooking time really allows the flavors to melt together. — Slow Cooker Irish Stew

three white bowls with Irish stew — Instant Pot Irish Stew

bowl with beef barley soup — Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup

close up photo of an instant pot pot roast in a white dish — Instant Pot Pot Roast

P.S: If you tried this recipe, why not leave me a comment below to let me know how you liked it?

I LOVE interacting with you and hearing about your experience with my recipe. Also, by adding a comment and star rating you’re helping Savory Nothings grow and get even better for you!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Serve up a hot meal without the fuss for your family tonight: This crock pot beef stew is the perfect easy comfort food dinner.

4.97 from 27 votes

PREP TIME: 30 mins

COOK TIME: 8 hrs

TOTAL TIME: 8 hrs 30 mins

Print Pin Recipe

Recommended Equipment*

* These are affiliate links and I make a commission for purchases made after clicking through.

Servings: people