My slow cooker beef stew recipe blends the good stuff you want your family to eat with the mouth-watering deliciousness that’ll have them running for the table!
Coming home to the delicious aroma of beef stew just makes the rest of the day a little better. All those rich, yummy flavors married together in a delectable sauce immediately beckon to every nearby taste bud. Not only is this stew wholesome and nutritious for the entire family but it practically dances down to your tummy, slowly warming your insides to a soft, fervent glow.
If you find yourself craving beef stew and want it in a hurry, try my Instant Pot beef stew or my stovetop classic beef stew recipe (my Grandma’s recipe!) I promise you’ll love them all!
This recipe will fill your house with that cooking-all-day aroma without actually having to sweat over a stovetop. Let’s make this!!
Do I Have To Brown Stew Meat Before Slow Cooking?
Actually, no you don’t. But let me tell you, it makes a huge difference in the overall flavor of the finished stew. It’s a small investment in time for the flavor it adds. Browning the meat caramelizes the exterior and adds a richness that nothing else can create.
What Is The Secret To Tender Beef Stew?
The secret to a perfect tender beef stew is choosing the right cut of beef. Chuck roast is the perfect choice. It’s a tough cut of meat, but with low, slow cooking, it becomes meltingly tender and delicious!
Ingredients For Beef Stew Slow Cooker
- All-purpose Flour: The flour that coats the beef cubes ultimately creates a roux when browned and thickens the gravy.
- Vegetable Oil: Use a flavorless oil with a high smoke point.
- Beef Bouillon Cubes: Creates a deep beef flavor. I use Knorr beef bouillon cubes.
- Condensed Tomato Soup: This soup helps creates a deeply delicious flavored gravy.
- Italian Seasoning: My favorite brand is McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning.
- Bay Leaves: Even though these are dried, they add a herbaceous brightness to the stew. Be sure to fish them out before serving.
- Onions: I use yellow onions.
- Russet Potatoes: You can choose another type but I love the flavor and creaminess Russets add. As they cook, their edges break down just a bit and contribute to thickening the gravy.
- Mushrooms: These add even more meatiness to this delicious stew. If you don’t care for them, simply omit them.
- Frozen Peas: I love these in my stews but they are optional, of course. I know there are a lot of pea-haters!
Tips
- Browning: This stew recipe begins in a skillet. It is best to use a heavy-bottomed skillet for this step because it will distribute heat more evenly.
- Be sure not to overcrowd your pan when browning your meat. Overcrowding traps pockets of heat and prevents all surfaces from cooking evenly.
- Sauce: When making the ‘sauce’ you’ll be stirring up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (commonly known as deglazing) and dissolving bouillon cubes. I find that a wooden spoon works best because it’s sturdy and it won’t scratch your cookware.
- Bouillon: Speaking of bouillon cubes, it’s best not to add salt until the end. Bouillon cubes are pretty salty, and you may not need extra.
- Mushrooms: This slow cooker beef stew recipe calls for mushrooms and they really take the meatiness factor of this dish to the next level.
- Soup: This recipe also calls for a can of condensed tomato soup (undiluted) unlike slow cooker beef stew with onion soup mix. Your stew will not taste like tomato soup!
- Instead, you’ll get slightly sweet nuances to balance out those salty bouillon cubes. It’s a rich, complex flavor profile that is off the charts on the yummy factor!
- The soup is added as an ingredient straight out of the can. You do not need to add water to the soup as directed on the can.
Storing + Freezing + Make Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Once cooked, you can store your in the fridge for up to four days. You don’t want to mess with the safety of beef, so toss any extras after that time. Or just gobble it all down before that four-day deadline!
- Can You Freeze This? You can certainly freeze this stew recipe and keep ready-made meals in the freezer. It works best if you store it in a size-appropriate air-tight container.
- Just remember to leave room for expansion and make sure that it is completely cooled before placing your beef stew in the freezer.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Creating a recipe ahead of time will just ensure that it has a superior flavor and it’s ready when you are. This slow cooker beef stew healthy recipe will taste even better the next day after marinating in that incredible sauce.
- Of course, you may want to consider waiting to add the potatoes until you are ready to serve your slow cooker beef stew because they could get softer than you like bathing in that tasty sauce for an extended period of time. It’s a personal preference choice.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more food safety info check out this article.
Serving Recommendations
I like to serve this with a simple green salad and our homemade balsamic vinaigrette, or strawberry salad (feel free to switch berries for those in season or on hand).
My all-time favorite things to eat with this stew are warm, tender, and buttery homemade crescent rolls, lion house rolls (with make-ahead instructions), my quick and easy Bisquick biscuits, or my homemade Olive Garden breadsticks.
How to Make Beef Stew In The Slow Cooker
- Shake beef with flour to evenly coat.
- Brown both sides of the beef. Set aside.
- Add water and bouillon cubes. Scrape the brown bits.
- Add tomato soup, Italian seasonings, bay leaves, and black pepper.
- Transfer the beef to the crockpot and pour the liquids.
- Add the vegetables and mushroom. Cook for 8 hours.
- Add peas and cook.
- Serve.
See full instructions below.
More Delicious Stew Recipes
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast trimmed and cut Into 1-inch cubed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups to 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 large beef bouillon cubes
- 1 (10 3/ -ounces) can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 medium onions sliced
- 2 large Russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 medium carrots cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces whole mushrooms trimmed
- 3/4 cup frozen peas thawed
Instructions
- Pour flour (1/4 cup) into a 1-gallon Ziplock bag. Add meat (2 1/2 pounds), in batches, and shake to evenly coat all pieces.
- Add oil (2 tablespoons) to a large skillet and heat. When the oil is hot, brown the meat in batches without crowding it. Transfer meat, when it's browned, directly to the crockpot. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bouillon cubes (2) to the skillet and cook, stirring up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet and dissolving the bouillon cubes. Remove from heat and add tomato soup (1 can), Italian seasonings (3 teaspoons), bay leaves (2), and black pepper (1/2 teaspoon) and stir to combine. Pour into the crockpot over beef. Add the onions (2), potatoes (2), carrots (3), celery (2 stalks), and mushrooms (8 ounces).
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the beef and veggies are tender. If needed, add more water. Add the thawed peas (3/4 cup) to the last 20-30 minutes of cooking. Discard bay leaves and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Browning: This stew recipe begins in a skillet. It is best to use a heavy-bottomed skillet for this step because it will distribute heat more evenly.
- Be sure not to overcrowd your pan when browning your meat. Overcrowding traps pockets of heat and prevents all surfaces from cooking evenly.
- Sauce: When making the ‘sauce’ you’ll be stirring up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (commonly known as deglazing) and dissolving bouillon cubes. I find that a wooden spoon works best because it’s sturdy and it won’t scratch your cookware.
- Bouillon: Speaking of bouillon cubes, it’s best not to add salt until the end. Bouillon cubes are pretty salty, and you may not need extra.
- Mushrooms: This slow cooker beef stew recipe calls for mushrooms and they really take the meatiness factor of this dish to the next level.
- Soup: This recipe also calls for a can of condensed tomato soup (undiluted) unlike slow cooker beef stew with onion soup mix. Your stew will not taste like tomato soup!
- Instead, you’ll get slightly sweet nuances to balance out those salty bouillon cubes. It’s a rich, complex flavor profile that is off the charts on the yummy factor!
Nutrition
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This is one of our new favorite meals. It is so good and healthy. My family loves it!!
Thank you Johanne! I’m glad it’s a new favorite <3
you got one star for using beef bouillion cubes. use broth it is so much better
The reason why some recipes call for bouillon cubes/powder is, it intensifies the flavor of the dish.
Also, it’s not fair to rate a recipe really low simply because you don’t agree with the ingredient list. Did you even try it? Probably not…
Thank you, Jackie! I agree with you <3 <3!!
I made this today, it was super yummy! Instead of the bouillon cubes I used beef broth.
So glad you liked the recipe Sara!
This stew looks fabulous. I would love to try to make it, but there are so many pop up ads that cover the print on this page that I can’t really read the whole thing. I hate all the ads.
Hey Melanie. If you are seeing ads that block any content, they aren’t ads from my site. Those ads are appearing on mobile devices, including Ipads, that haven’t updated their operating system. They are ads generating from a site previously visited. I can only imagine how frustrating they are! I think I may hate them even more than you do!
I can’t find the recipe. I printed 40 pages and NO recipe. Please email it to me. Thank you, Colleen
Hey Colleen. I just tried to email you and for some reason the email wont go through. I’m so sorry. Do you have another email? The recipe seems to be printing out no problem.
I made this recipe exactly as it was listed step by step and it was sooo YUMMY! My Husband loved it! I will definitely be making this stew in the future 🙂
Hi Daisy.Thanks so much 🙂 So glad hubby enjoyed!!!