Crockpot Beef Stew

CrockPot Beef Stew is one of my all-time favorite slow cooker meals.

This hearty slow cooker stew beef stew recipe is packed with flavor. Tender chunks of beef, carrots, potatoes, and peas (or green beans) are cooked in rich brown gravy.

Serve with a side of buttermilk biscuits, crusty bread, or cornbread slathered with butter.

How to Make Beef Stew in a Crock Pot

I love a classic beef stew recipe, but if I’m not going to be home or want to prepare dinner early, this easy slow cooker recipe is just as delicious. Crock Pot stew comes together in just a few simple steps.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients for this beef stew CrockPot recipe are beef chuck or stew beef, root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and fresh peas or beans.

Beef for Stew: The best beef for beef stew is chuck steak or chuck roast. Chuck is a flavorful cut of beef from the shoulder and front end of the animal. You may have to cut it into cubes yourself. It is perfect for Crock Pot Beef Stew or pot roast because when cooked low and slow, it becomes fork-tender and buttery in texture with a rich, beefy flavor.

If you don’t have chuck, stewing beef works well in this recipe too.

Broth: Use regular beef broth (not low sodium) for the best results. The broth is flavored with vegetable juice, rosemary and thyme.

If you have red wine on hand, it’s a great addition to this stew (although it is optional). Substitute a cup of a hearty dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, for one cup of the beef broth and use it to deglaze the pan you used for browning the meat.

Vegetables: This crockpot stew recipe uses carrots, potatoes, and celery. You can add extra vegetables like turnips or mushrooms if you’d like.

Toss the beef in the flour-garlic powder mixture to coat per the recipe below, and brown in olive oil in batches. Don’t crowd the pan. (You can skip this step, but the browning adds great flavor to the stew).Sauté the onion in the same pan (use a bit of broth or red wine to help deglaze and add any brown bits to your crock pot).Add everything to the slow cooker (I use a 6qt crock pot) and cook until the beef is tender. Stir in peas before serving.

Ladle this beef stew into bowls and serve with crusty bread or homemade dinner rolls.

How Long to Cook Beef Stew in a Crock Pot: This is the best slow cooker beef stew recipe since it’s a set-it-and-forget-it kind of meal. Cook it on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-9 until the meat is tender. You can leave it on warm for an additional hour or so if needed.

To Thicken Beef Stew in the Crock Pot: I use a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cornstarch and water) and add it in at the end. Allow it to cook about 10 minutes after adding the slurry to get rid of any starchy flavor.

Leftover CrockPot Beef Stew

Leftovers will keep for about 3-4 days in the fridge.

Freezing Beef Stew: CrockPot Beef Stew freezes really well, so make plenty for those quick-fix meal nights. Leave about an inch of headspace for expansion in plastic containers, and the stew will keep for 4 months in the freezer.

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