This easy slow cooker beef stew recipe made with potatoes, carrots, celery, broth, herbs, and spices is hearty and comforting. You won’t be slow to say ‘yum’!
This slow cooker beef stew is the perfect low maintenance meal for chilly fall and winter nights. Full of cozy flavor and hearty ingredients, this beef stew recipe will warm you up from the inside out.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew Ingredients
These are the ingredients you'll need to make this top-rated beef stew recipe:
· Stew meat: This recipe starts with two pounds of beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces.· Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the broth, ensuring a hearty stew.· Seasonings: This beef stew is seasoned with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic, and a bay leaf.· Broth: Use store-bought or homemade beef broth.· Vegetables: You’ll need carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery.
How to Make Beef Stew In the Slow Cooker
You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make this slow cooker beef stew:
1. Combine ingredients: Place the beef in the slow cooker, then toss with flour, salt, and pepper. Add the broth, vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic, and bay leaf. Stir to combine.2. Set slow cooker: Cover the Crock-Pot and cook on Low for 8 to 12 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Beef Stew
This hearty Crock-Pot beef stew is a complete meal as-is, so there’s no need to serve it with any side dishes. However, if you do want to add a little something extra, consider pairing it with homemade bread — try a French baguette or basic dinner rolls. A simple side salad would also work well.
How to Store Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Transfer the cooled beef stew to a shallow, airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
Can You Freeze Slow Cooker Beef Stew?
Yes, you can freeze slow cooker beef stew for up to three months. Ladle the stew in serving-size portions to zip-top freezer bags (leave about ½-inch of space at the top, as the liquid will expand as it freezes). Squeeze out the excess air and freeze flat. Thaw in the fridge or in a warm water bath.
Cookdap Community Tips and Praise
"Excellent recipe," raves one Cookdap community member. "Great flavor, easy to make, and it warms you up on a cold winter day!"
“The only thing I added was a splash of red wine — not much,” according to Sharon Schroeder. “It was the tastiest, tenderest beef stew I’ve ever made.”
“Perfect exactly as written,” says MISSLIZA. “Super easy to throw together in the morning and a great tasting meal to sit down to at the end of the day!”
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- 4 medium carrots, sliced
- 3 medium potatoes, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 large bay leaf
Directions
Step 1
Gather ingredients.
Step 2
Place meat in slow cooker.
Step 3
Mix flour, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Pour over meat, and stir until meat is coated.
Step 4
Add beef broth, carrots, potatoes, onion, celery, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, garlic, and bay leave; stir to combine.
Step 5
Cover, and cook until beef is tender enough to cut with a spoon, on Low for 8 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 6 hours.
Step 6
Serve hot and enjoy!
Editor’s Notes:
This original recipe submission called for slow cooking on Low for 10 to 12 hours. When making the video for this recipe, our food stylists found a cook time of 8 hours on Low (or 4 hours on High) was sufficient. Please stir and check doneness along the way to be sure your meat is cooked properly.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings Per Recipe 6 | |
Calories 576 | |
% Daily Value * | |
Total Fat30g | 39% |
Saturated Fat12g | 60% |
Cholesterol132mg | 44% |
Sodium542mg | 24% |
Total Carbohydrate30g | 11% |
Dietary Fiber4g | 16% |
Total Sugars4g | |
Protein44g | |
Vitamin C26mg | 130% |
Calcium57mg | 4% |
Iron6mg | 31% |
Potassium1187mg | 25% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
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source by allrecipe
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 24 years ago
This is an excellent stew! The flavour was great and b/c I cooked it on low for 10 hours the meat was soooo tender. The only problem is there’s never any left for left-overs! The only thing I changed was that I pre-cooked the potatoes. Next time I’ll double the recipe.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 24 years ago
This was great for a base recipe. Wound up adding tomato sauce, tomato wedges, peas & corn & simmered in dutch oven on the stove for last hour. Also added a chopped jalapeno pepper. Since i usually overdo the spices, this one kept me in line! Turned out very good – comment at the table was “this is better than mom’s!”
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- by: Tracy
- 24 years ago
This stew was wonderful. My husband and I loved it. Browning the stew meat before putting it in the crockpot is a definite must. I doubled all the ingredients to make a double portion and put some in my freezer. I was thinking of making beef pot pies by putting a crust on the top and baking until done. It would be great on a cold, winter evening.
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- by: Tracy
- 24 years ago
This stew was wonderful. My husband and I loved it. Browning the stew meat before putting it in the crockpot is a definite must. I doubled all the ingredients to make a double portion and put some in my freezer. I was thinking of making beef pot pies by putting a crust on the top and baking until done. It would be great on a cold, winter evening.
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- by: SABRYSON
- 23 years ago
This is really good. I did add three large cloves garlic, mixed the flour with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme, tossed the meat in it, browned the meat and then tossed the remaining flour with the browned meat. I did have to add more broth halfway through since it got really dry. Good recipe though.
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- by: SABRYSON
- 23 years ago
This is really good. I did add three large cloves garlic, mixed the flour with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme, tossed the meat in it, browned the meat and then tossed the remaining flour with the browned meat. I did have to add more broth halfway through since it got really dry. Good recipe though.
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- by: TIMEL
- 22 years ago
I thought this stew was good and my husband did too, but our kids, 10 & 13, thought it was too spicey. But they ate it! I baked a fresh loaf of bread and they scooped up the broth with their bread, then at the veggies and beef. Maybe cut down on some of the spices, otherwise, it was good.
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- by: TIMEL
- 22 years ago
I thought this stew was good and my husband did too, but our kids, 10 & 13, thought it was too spicey. But they ate it! I baked a fresh loaf of bread and they scooped up the broth with their bread, then at the veggies and beef. Maybe cut down on some of the spices, otherwise, it was good.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 22 years ago
THIS is a terrific basic recipe!! Nothing to stop you from adding your favorite things – although the TASTE is GREAT just like it is. I used chuck because it’s not as dry as a bottom round. I had a tomato so I chopped it up & added it. I saw where someone had added an envelope of beef gravy – great idea too!!! Thank goodness there’s people out there REALLY KNOW HOW TO COOK!! Oh, and don’t bother to brown the beef the way some recipes state – it only makes the beef dry. Thanks for this recipe.
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- by: Lisa Ingram
- 22 years ago
This came out very good…I too added a package of brown gravy, did not prebrown the beef, and upped the beef broth to 2 1/2 cups…slow cooked it all day and made the house smell great. I like this recipe better than my original beef stew recipe, so my orginal recipe is going in the trash!
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- by: Sweet Dolly
- 22 years ago
This is a fantastic recipe! I omitted the onion, as it tends to get a little “slimy” after being cooked so long. I took others suggestions and added the brown gravy packet to thicken. Perfect! My husband eats this spooned over Wonder Bread – a childhood comfort food favorite!
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- by: Sweet Dolly
- 22 years ago
This is a fantastic recipe! I omitted the onion, as it tends to get a little “slimy” after being cooked so long. I took others suggestions and added the brown gravy packet to thicken. Perfect! My husband eats this spooned over Wonder Bread – a childhood comfort food favorite!
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- by: Anothersahm
- 22 years ago
Hearty, basic, & easy! Leftovers reheated later in the week tasted great, too.
I made very minor changes: I used 2 cans of beef broth, 2 stalks of celery, 1 Tbsp of Worchester, & 2 cloves of garlic. S&P I added to taste.
I had some barley in the cabinet & I threw it in towards the end…it thickened it up to a nice “stew” consistancy.
Great served with warm bread/rolls. -
- by: Anothersahm
- 22 years ago
Hearty, basic, & easy! Leftovers reheated later in the week tasted great, too.
I made very minor changes: I used 2 cans of beef broth, 2 stalks of celery, 1 Tbsp of Worchester, & 2 cloves of garlic. S&P I added to taste.
I had some barley in the cabinet & I threw it in towards the end…it thickened it up to a nice “stew” consistancy.
Great served with warm bread/rolls. -
- by: ABBA062201
- 22 years ago
What I like about this recipe is that it’s very quick and simple to make. And the beauty of it is that you’re not limited to the vegetables listed in the ingredients. However I held back on the spices a little bit. A couple hours before it was finished I found it to be bland so I simply added a bit more spices. It was ok at first but was a perfect leftover. Goes well with white rice and bread can be used to “clean” your dish!
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- by: ABBA062201
- 22 years ago
What I like about this recipe is that it’s very quick and simple to make. And the beauty of it is that you’re not limited to the vegetables listed in the ingredients. However I held back on the spices a little bit. A couple hours before it was finished I found it to be bland so I simply added a bit more spices. It was ok at first but was a perfect leftover. Goes well with white rice and bread can be used to “clean” your dish!
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- by: CANUCKATLARGE
- 22 years ago
Excellent! VERY thick stew, so if you like a little bit of juice, increase the water. I used inside round sirloin marinating beef (didn’t have stewing beef on hand, and this is leaner than stewing beef). I added an extra 1/2 cup of water, an extra celery stalk, frozen peas (during the last hour of cooking) and more potatoes to ensure that it was filling enough for four hungry adults. It was polished off! Double this recipe if you have more than four adults, or if you want some leftovers. I served it with Maritime brown bread and cheese – yummy! Thanks for the great recipe!
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- by: CANUCKATLARGE
- 22 years ago
Excellent! VERY thick stew, so if you like a little bit of juice, increase the water. I used inside round sirloin marinating beef (didn’t have stewing beef on hand, and this is leaner than stewing beef). I added an extra 1/2 cup of water, an extra celery stalk, frozen peas (during the last hour of cooking) and more potatoes to ensure that it was filling enough for four hungry adults. It was polished off! Double this recipe if you have more than four adults, or if you want some leftovers. I served it with Maritime brown bread and cheese – yummy! Thanks for the great recipe!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 22 years ago
Very tasty!I was out of potatoes and carrots,so I used a little Yankee Ingenuity and substituted summer squash and 2 cups of bread crumbs (unseasoned).Red meat upsets my gout so I used 2 cans of tuna(packed in water,not oil)and chicken broth.I would have given you 5 stars,but the stew was a little mushy.Maybe I used too much broth?! I hope this review helps.Keep up the good work!!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 22 years ago
Great Stew!! I did add a packet of brown gravy mix to the flour, and I used one can of beef broth. The last hour, I checked it, the taste was a little bland so I added Mrs. Dash garlic seasoning and M.D. “tomato, basil, oregano” seasoning. That made it so yummy! The only problem I had was that the potatoes never did get completely done. Maybe I’ll put them in the crock first next time and put everything else on top.
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- by: ADREAIN
- 22 years ago
A very savory stew with NO leftovers! My whole family gave it “two thumbs up”. Personally, I would cook this stew NO LESS than 12 hours on the low setting. The meat was “fork tender”. I did scale the recipe to yield 8 servings, evenly browned the floured meat 1st in margarine, then transferred it over to the crock pot. I also included 2 cups of water and 2 cups of beef stock for a heartier flavor and more gravy in the stew. Additionally, I used a TBLS more of Worcestershire Sauce, (1) TBLS of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, 1 tsp. of sugar and more black pepper to taste. Lastly, I blended 3 TBLS each of real butter and flour and “whisked” it into the stew w/a fork the last 2 hours of cooking time, to thicken the gravy. Absolutely delicious with either crusty bread or hot, buttered cornbread fresh out the oven. Next time, I’ll add frozen peas the last hour or so. Overall, this one will definitely remain in my recipe file. I plan to make this stew again real soon!
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- by: ADREAIN
- 22 years ago
A very savory stew with NO leftovers! My whole family gave it “two thumbs up”. Personally, I would cook this stew NO LESS than 12 hours on the low setting. The meat was “fork tender”. I did scale the recipe to yield 8 servings, evenly browned the floured meat 1st in margarine, then transferred it over to the crock pot. I also included 2 cups of water and 2 cups of beef stock for a heartier flavor and more gravy in the stew. Additionally, I used a TBLS more of Worcestershire Sauce, (1) TBLS of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, 1 tsp. of sugar and more black pepper to taste. Lastly, I blended 3 TBLS each of real butter and flour and “whisked” it into the stew w/a fork the last 2 hours of cooking time, to thicken the gravy. Absolutely delicious with either crusty bread or hot, buttered cornbread fresh out the oven. Next time, I’ll add frozen peas the last hour or so. Overall, this one will definitely remain in my recipe file. I plan to make this stew again real soon!
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 21 years ago
My mother-in-law gave me this recipe when I was first married and I make it often. I use 2 cups of beef broth ( made with boulion) and 1/2 can tomatoe sauce for the gravy. I also add 1 tsp of steak sauce and 2 tsp gravy master to the sauce. At the last 15 minutes I add frozen peas and I thicken with a little flour. We never have leftovers!!!!!!!!!!
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- by: Anna K. Crossley
- 21 years ago
Everything was cooked thoroughly and the gravy turned out thick after I thickened it, but it was very bland. It was missing something, I’m not sure what. I think it I amde it next time i would add some HP sauce and maybe some tomato sauce, just to liven it up. Good base though.
A. -
- by: Anna K. Crossley
- 21 years ago
Everything was cooked thoroughly and the gravy turned out thick after I thickened it, but it was very bland. It was missing something, I’m not sure what. I think it I amde it next time i would add some HP sauce and maybe some tomato sauce, just to liven it up. Good base though.
A. -
- by: Cookdap Member
- 21 years ago
I have made this recipe three times now. The first time it was way to peppery and hot so I cut the ground black pepper in half. I also added a 1/4 cup of ketchup and a 1/2 cup of peas to the recipe. Very tasty, quick and easy to make. A staple in our house. Thanks Nancy!
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- by: MTPURSE
- 21 years ago
I knew this was a good starting point. What I did differently was coat the meat with the flour, salt and pepper and then fry it in dijon mustard flavored oil. I put the potatoes, carrots, celery and onion on the bottom of the crock to be sure they would cook completely and put the meat over it. I didn’t have any beef broth so I took the trimmings from the meat cubes and boiled them for a few minutes along with a package of onion soup mix. Remove the meat scraps since they’re just stringy, and pour the resulting broth over contents in the crock after sprinkling with paprika and adding the worcestershire sauce, garlic and bay leaves (yes, more than one leaf). No need to stir. Then, about a half hour before it’s done, add a can of stewed tomatoes, some mushrooms and about a cup of frozen peas. Okay, now you can stir. If it’s too juicy for you, just do the corn starch/water mix and add it. I made two batches, one in a 3.5 qt. crock pot and one in a 5 qt. slow cooker. Both were done in about 4 hours on high doing it this way. Bon apetit.
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- by: MTPURSE
- 21 years ago
I knew this was a good starting point. What I did differently was coat the meat with the flour, salt and pepper and then fry it in dijon mustard flavored oil. I put the potatoes, carrots, celery and onion on the bottom of the crock to be sure they would cook completely and put the meat over it. I didn’t have any beef broth so I took the trimmings from the meat cubes and boiled them for a few minutes along with a package of onion soup mix. Remove the meat scraps since they’re just stringy, and pour the resulting broth over contents in the crock after sprinkling with paprika and adding the worcestershire sauce, garlic and bay leaves (yes, more than one leaf). No need to stir. Then, about a half hour before it’s done, add a can of stewed tomatoes, some mushrooms and about a cup of frozen peas. Okay, now you can stir. If it’s too juicy for you, just do the corn starch/water mix and add it. I made two batches, one in a 3.5 qt. crock pot and one in a 5 qt. slow cooker. Both were done in about 4 hours on high doing it this way. Bon apetit.
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- by: TRACY KNOWLES
- 21 years ago
This stew turned out wonderful! I put everything in my slow cooker and went out for the whole day, when I got back 11 hours later it was cooked perfectly. My husband isn’t normally a fan of stews but he really enjoyed this. It tasted even better in toasted sandwiches the next day!
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- by: TRACY KNOWLES
- 21 years ago
This stew turned out wonderful! I put everything in my slow cooker and went out for the whole day, when I got back 11 hours later it was cooked perfectly. My husband isn’t normally a fan of stews but he really enjoyed this. It tasted even better in toasted sandwiches the next day!
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- by: Lynchcatlover
- 21 years ago
This was an extremely good beef stew. I added a 14 oz. can of stewed tomatoes for added flavor. And, after it had cooked for about 5 hours, I noticed that the gravy was thinner than I wanted it, so I added 3 T. tapioca. By the time I was able to serve dinner, it had cooked for a total of 12 hours….the meat was so tender that it was beginning to shred when I was dishing it out. My husband had 2 large bowls. Will definitely make this again.
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- by: Lynchcatlover
- 21 years ago
This was an extremely good beef stew. I added a 14 oz. can of stewed tomatoes for added flavor. And, after it had cooked for about 5 hours, I noticed that the gravy was thinner than I wanted it, so I added 3 T. tapioca. By the time I was able to serve dinner, it had cooked for a total of 12 hours….the meat was so tender that it was beginning to shred when I was dishing it out. My husband had 2 large bowls. Will definitely make this again.
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- by: Cookdap Member
- 21 years ago
I took the advice of other reviewers: At the beginning, I added a package of gravy mix mixed with a cup of water, and tripled the amount of garlic. With about an hour to go, I added a can of italian stewed tomatoes, a can of corn, a can of peas, and some sliced fresh mushrooms. I did try to thicken it a bit with some cornstarch (for the first time ever — but I think it worked!). This was delicious — we ate it over rice, with grated mozzarella cheese on top! I added the cheese because I thought the pepper was a little too strong. Next time, I’ll put in less pepper and paprika, but everything else I’ll do the same.
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- by: Sandra Zapp Winningham
- 21 years ago
So easy and I didnt change a thing except I was out of beef broth, so I used Boullion and about a cup of water. Since potatoes cook so much faster than the other vegetables I just quartered them instead of dicing. Also cut the meat a bit larger then the one inch so it did not cook away.Put it on high for about 1hr or 2 hr. then to low for remaining. That night we came home to a wonderful stew.
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- by: Sandra Zapp Winningham
- 21 years ago
So easy and I didnt change a thing except I was out of beef broth, so I used Boullion and about a cup of water. Since potatoes cook so much faster than the other vegetables I just quartered them instead of dicing. Also cut the meat a bit larger then the one inch so it did not cook away.Put it on high for about 1hr or 2 hr. then to low for remaining. That night we came home to a wonderful stew.
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- by: AZCATLADY
- 21 years ago
This is a good recipe to start your stew with but as others did, I added a lot to it in order to give it more flavor (cheated and used a stew mix). Before doing so I thought it was very bland. I also added green beans and corn and would have added peas if I had had them in my pantry. I left out the paprika since I don’t care for it. I imagine this will be tastier as leftovers after the flavors have soaked in. 🙂
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- by: AZCATLADY
- 21 years ago
This is a good recipe to start your stew with but as others did, I added a lot to it in order to give it more flavor (cheated and used a stew mix). Before doing so I thought it was very bland. I also added green beans and corn and would have added peas if I had had them in my pantry. I left out the paprika since I don’t care for it. I imagine this will be tastier as leftovers after the flavors have soaked in. 🙂
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