Easy slow cooker beef stew is thick and hearty and the definition of comfort food. Made in the crockpot, this stew is filled with tender beef, carrots, and peas and is a family favorite.
Crockpot Beef Stew
Some foods are warm and cozy like a hug. This beef stew is one of those meals. It is filled with tender beef, flavorful veggies, and a thick and delicious gravy.
Pile it into a bowl, serve it with some crusty onion dill bread or beer bread, and fill your belly with warmth.
Knowing my meal is cooking while I’m at work is one of my very favorite things. Prepping this slow cooker stew in the morning only takes a few minutes, then you come home to your house smelling amazing and dinner ready to serve.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the major ingredients & some useful tidbits to help you plan out your cooking, but you can also skip it and scroll down for the full recipe.
FLOUR – Before you add your beef to the slow cooker, you’ll want to coat it with flour and sear it. The flour helps the meat brown better, thickens the sauce, and creates a great texture of the meat.
BEEF – You don’t want a lean cut of beef when you’re making stew. You’ll end up with tough meat. Opt for a cut with lots of connective tissue, like chuck and round. When you simmer the beef in liquid, the connective tissue breaks down and becomes super tender.
ONION, CELERY, & CARROTS – The holy trinity for flavor.
POTATOES – I usually use russets, but red skin or yukon gold will work as well.
WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE – Adds great flavor and depth to the stew.
BEEF BROTH – I use low sodium beef broth. Alternatively, you can use 3 cups water + 2 beef bouillon cubes or 1-2 tsp beef bouillon granules.
ONION SOUP MIX – I typically have Lipton Onion Soup Mix on hand for recipes but if you don’t, you have make your own.
ROSEMARY & THYME – Herbs add a ton of flavor to stew. I use dried because I always have them on hand, but fresh is even better.
BAY LEAF – Bay leaves are great in soups and stews to give a bitterness that balances the dish making it not so heavy.
PEAS – Frozen peas get stirred in about 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve the stew.
Equipment you’ll need
- Slow Cooker – You will need a slow cooker. I have had this 6qt slow cooker for many years and highly recommend it. I love that it switches over to WARM after the designated cook time. That is very helpful for long workdays.
- Kitchen Knife – A good santoku knife will make cutting the beef and veggies super easy.
- Veggie Chopper – This is my new favorite gadget. It is great for chopping onions, carrots, celery, and many other things.
- Ladle – You’ll need a ladle to spoon up all this goodness.
How to slow cook Beef Stew
STEP ONE: Season your flour with salt and pepper in a zip top plastic bag. Add in the chopped beef, seal, and shake to evenly coat.
STEP TWO: Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium-high heat and pour in the meat and flour mixture. Brown the beef then add in the chopped onion and garlic, cooking until soft.
STEP THREE: Pour the seared beef mixture into the bottom of the slow cooker. Add in the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf.
STEP FOUR: Top the meat with the chopped potatoes, celery, carrots, broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and then cover.
STEP FIVE: Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. Stir in the frozen peas 15-30 minutes before serving.
Do I have to brown the meat first?
You don’t have to brown the meat before adding it to the crockpot, but I highly recommend it. Lightly cooking the outside of the meat caramelizes the beef which makes for bold, rich flavors. I recommend it in my slow cooker steak bites, too.
Can I put raw beef in the slow cooker?
You can absolutely put raw beef in the slow cooker. I choose to brown the meat first, but you can skip that step if you’re in a hurry.
How do I make my beef stew more flavorful?
You shouldn’t have any issues with this beef stew lacking flavor – the combo of carrots, celery, and onion, along with the onion soup mix, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce leads to great flavor. However, if you want to up the flavors even more, use fresh rosemary and thyme instead of dried. Fresh herbs always have the most flavor.
How to store leftovers
Leftover beef stew will last in the fridge, covered in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or throw it in a saucepan to warm through.
Can you freeze it?
Luckily, beef stew freezes really well, which makes prepping for busy weeknights really easy. I like to store leftover portions in my Souper Cubes but any plastic container will do. Don’t overfill the containers, the stew will expand as it freezes. It will keep for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Need more slow cooker recipes? Try these:
Sweet & Spicy Slow Cooker Meatballs
Crock Pot Honey Bourbon Chicken
Crock Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Crockpot Hot Dog Chili
Click here for my entire collection of slow cooker recipes.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 lb stewing beef cut into 1" chunks. I recommend chuck.
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 large garlic clove chopped
- 4 medium russet potatoes peeled & cubed
- 3 medium carrots chopped
- 3 medium celery stalks chopped
- 3 cups low sodium beef broth or 3 cups water + 2 beef bouillon cubes/1-2 tsp beef bouillon granules
- 40 gram dry onion soup mix packet
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 medium bay leaf
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- To a large ziploc bag, add the flour, salt and pepper and shake to mix.
- Cut stewing beef into 1" cubes and then toss into flour mixture bag. Shake to coat.
- Add olive oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and then add beef and flour mixture (including any excess flour).
- Brown the beef then add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook until onion is soft.
- Pour the beef, garlic and onion mixture into the bottom of a slow cooker with the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Top with the potatoes, carrots, celery, broth, onion soup mix, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. Stir in frozen peas 15-30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Directions do not say when to add the onion mix.
Fixed – thanks! Step 6 🙂
I loved this recipe, it was super easy to follow, although I did add a bit more meat than the initial recipe called for. I made it for my family of 4, and while they did remark it was a little “plain” i found it to be to my liking. Will definitely be making this dish again!
Thanks, Taylor! I know how hard it is to please all four lol
My family loved this recipe! My husband, whose mother is an amazing cook, said it was better than his mom’s beef stew! Will definitely be adding this to our recipes! Thanks!
Oh man, that’s quite the compliment! Thanks so much for reporting back!
Do you add frozen peas? I don’t see them on the ingredients or in the steps. I like the idea and I imagine they are frozen but don’t see it. Thanks.
Hi Laurel, yes they’re the last ingredient in the recipe card & are addressed in step #7 🙂
A tbsp of rosemary was a little much for our taste; it overpowered all the other flavors. Still very goos though. 🙂
Thanks for reporting back 🙂
This recipe was a HIT. I put it on in the morning and it was ready for dinnertime. We served with noodles, but not totally necessary. I did have to add a little more seasoning towards the end, but that’s probably just a preference. We’ll be adding this to our repertoire.
Thanks, Katja!
Two thumbs up! Actually 8 if you include the whole family. My daughter who’s picky about eating meat devoured it. My son loved it, especially the peas. Saving this one for sure!
Love that, thank you!
I made this beef stew, delicious. I did not add the Lipton onion soup mix. Half way through cooking in the crockpot I decided to add frozen mixed vegetables plus extra peas. At the end I took a cup of broth and added 3 tablespoons of corn starch. Thickened nicely! I have made this several times and will continue to make!
Thanks for letting me know, Cathy! I’m glad you like it.