This easy crockpot beef stew recipe is filled with tender beef and flavorful vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and peas, all smothered in a rich and hearty beef gravy. It only takes 10 minutes to prep, making it a comforting and easy weeknight meal option!
Why You’ll Love This Crockpot Beef Stew Recipe
Sometimes, you just need some true comfort, and there’s nothing cozier than a big bowl of hearty beef stew! What makes it even better is that the slow cooker does all the work for you, so all you need to do is dig in when it’s time to eat. This beef stew is always a hit on chilly winter nights, sick days, or just for when you need a warm hug in the form of a meal! Here’s why we’ve been making this slow cooker recipe for so many years:
- Easy 10 Minute Prep: Basically, the only prep work that you need to do is to cut the vegetables. There’s no need to sear the beef either. Once your veggies are prepped you just toss it all into the slow cooker and step away! Sometimes we will cut them and store them in the fridge overnight so morning prep is even easier!
- Family Friendly: When it comes to American classic dinners, beef stew is one of the most well loved and enjoyed from kids to adults. Just don’t forget the warm soft rolls to soak up all that savory gravy and the whole family will dive in!
- Affordable: There are no expensive cuts of beef or fancy ingredients here. Beef stew pieces are usually pretty inexpensive, as are potatoes and carrots. You don’t even need any sides, it’s a one pot dinner with the main dish and side all in one.
- Travels Well: This is also a great hearty dish to take to a party or potluck during the colder months. It travels easily in crockpot and all you need are bowls and spoons to serve it up!
If you love crockpot beef stew, we bet you will also love these amazing crockpot beef tips!
Key Ingredients
Most of the ingredients you need are probably already in your pantry! Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make crock pot beef stew. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Beef Broth: Try to use low-sodium beef broth so that you can control the salt level.
- Cubed Stew Beef: Easy to find in the grocery store and it’s super affordable! A great way to eat beef on a budget. It may be labeled as cubed chuck roast or stew meat.
- Beef Bouillon: This will deepen the flavor of the beef gravy. We used Better Than Bouillon, but you could also use granulated beef bouillon.
- Potatoes: We used Yukon gold potatoes as their buttery texture works perfectly, but you can also use red potatoes.
- Sliced Carrots: Whole carrots have more flavor, but baby carrots can also be used.
- Frozen Peas: No need to thaw.
How To Make Beef Stew in Crockpot
Honestly, the steps to make this recipe are so simple! You’ll have this recipe down in no time. Below is a quick overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- First, add the broth and beef to the Crockpot. Then add the seasonings and toss to coat the beef.
- Next, add the vegetables on top. Just the carrots and potatoes for now. You will add the peas later on.
- Now set it and forget it! Let the slow cooker do the work from here!
- Then add the peas. When the beef is cooked, it’s time to add the peas.
- Thicken the stew by making a slurry. Finally, if you’d like to thicken the stew, you can make a slurry. Do this by mixing the water and cornstarch and then stirring into the stew. The beef stew will start to thicken once it’s on high heat and it begins to simmer.
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Chef’s Tips and Variations
- Sear the beef beforehand. To deepen the flavor of the beef, you can sear the beef in the skillet before adding it to your crockpot. This is not necessary but will add an extra depth of flavor to your stew.
- Add more flavor! Add ¼ cup of red wine (or unsweetened black coffee!) for a more intense gravy flavor.
- Stick with the less expensive meat cuts. Stew meat is a less expensive cut of meat, it needs time to cook and get tender. If you use leaner cuts of meat they tend to get tougher as they cook. This is a good excuse to buy the more affordable beef!
- Put the vegetables on top of the beef. We put the vegetables on top of the meat because this helps them to not overcook too much.
- Choose the low and slow method. We highly recommend going with the low setting for a longer cooking time for the most tender beef.
How To Thicken Beef Stew In Crockpot
There are a quite a few options to thicken beef stew! We chose the cornstarch method, but we have broken down all the most popular options below:
- Cornstarch: This method is quick, easy and gluten free. Using water or beef broth and cornstarch, whisk the two together to create a cornstarch slurry and pour into your stew. Give it a good stir and let stew cook for 10 minutes, until thickened.
- Flour: If using flour, you’ll have to double the amount and cook the stew for longer to thicken. For example, if the recipe calls for one tablespoon of cornstarch, use two tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Whisk together flour and broth/water until smooth and then pour into your stew. Give it a good stir and let stew cook for 30 minutes, or until thickened.
- Gravy Packets: You can also thicken beef stew with gravy packets. I don’t recommend this option as it is easy to over salt your stew with gravy packets. However, if that is all that you have on hand, we highly recommend skipping the beef bouillon. Mix your gravy packet (start with one and then add as second if needed) with a little a cold water or broth, until smooth. Then pour mixture into your stew, give it a good stir and let stew cook for 10 minutes, until thickened.
- Potato Starch: Just a tablespoon or two of potato starch will thicken sauces especially well. Just be sure to mix them with a little water before adding to the slow cooker to prevent clumping, just like you would cornstarch. Then pour mixture into your stew, give it a good stir and let stew cook for 10 minutes, until thickened.
What to Serve with Crockpot Beef Stew
Crockpot beef stew is one of those great meals where everything you need is already in the pot! The only side we have to have in our family are some soft air fryer crescent rolls to soak up all that rich beef gravy. If you are feeling extra fancy, these cheesy herb crescent rolls are pretty hard to resist.
If you are looking to add a starter, something like a simple green salad, like this strawberry spinach salad, is a great pairing. And lastly, if you are more of a mashed potato fan, you can skip the added potatoes in the crockpot and serve this beef stew over our favorite best mashed potatoes!
Crockpot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 pounds cubed stew beef
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ pounds golden Yukon potatoes, cut into chunks
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 cup frozen sweet peas
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water
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Instructions
- Pour the beef broth into the crockpot and add the beef. Sprinkle the beef with the garlic, black pepper, salt, beef bouillon and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add the cut potatoes, carrots and sliced onion on top of the beef.
- Place lid on crockpot and set your time. Cook for 4-6 hours on high, or 6-8 hours on low, until beef is fork tender.
- Once stew is cooked, add in the sweet peas.
- To thicken the gravy, you will need to make a slurry with cornstarch and gravy. In a bowl, whisk to combine the cornstarch and water until smooth. Then slowly pour the slurry into the crockpot and stir until all combined.
- Replace lid and turn the crockpot to high heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every so often, until thickened. Serve immediately!
Wow!! My daughter and I just made this and it was absolutely delicious and filling for a rainy stormy day. Definitely hit the spot!
Delicious! Added a can of tomato paste and a 1/4 cup of black coffee. Cut the black pepper in half!
Excellent! Best beef stew I’ve ever had. I cooked it on slow setting, and the beef was tender, vegetables were well cooked – Yummy! I didn’t have beef bullion, so I used chicken bullion and it was very tasty. I look forward to making your chicken stew. Thank you!
This was amazing!! I let it cook on low for 8 hours and the meat just shreds itself. I added a little extra seasoning since I used less sodium chicken broth. But this will definitely be a repeat in my house, even the kids loved it!!
Thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe, Jessica! It’s so easy! Many blessings to you & your family!
Any recommendations on how do to this recipe in a Dutch oven on the stove? 🤔🤔
Hi Stef, https://easydinnerideas.com/beef-stew/ is on our page! This recipe is delicious hope you enjoy.
Delicious 😋 easy to make ! I added mushrooms to mine but everything else I followed the recipe. Thank you so much ☺️
This was so good!! It was pretty easy to make also. Great flavors! I will definitely
make this again!😍
Was looking for a stew meat crockpot recipe and I came across yours. I put everything together one evening which cooked overnight and put it in the fridge & had it that evening for dinner with egg noodles. It was convenient and delicious!
I made the stew with a beef soup bone with plenty of meat attached to the bone. no red wine but used some lipton onion soup( 1/2 packet). 30 minutes before the stew was complete, i took the soup bone out , cut up the meat and put the meat back in with the stew. Added the bone marrow was an added plus. Yum.
Thank you.. followed the recipe as is and it was a hit! We will definitely have this again.
Made this recipe for 5 adults and all were happily satisfied! I used low sodium beef broth, otherwise I find stews to be too salty. I also shred the beef at the end to let the meat completely soak in the stew. Delicious!! I will be making this recipe for many years to come.
Don’t look like a lot of liquid hope it makes more. 🤔
The meat will make more liquid!
Very good recipe
Came out perfect. Highly recommend trying it.
If I want to make this in a smaller portion (appx 1lb of beef instead of 2 and halving the rest of the ingredients as well of course) does the cooking time need to be adjusted?
Hi Nikki! It will still be about the same amount of cooking time for the beef to become tender!
I haven’t tried your recipe yet but it sounds really delicious! I’m looking forward to making it sometime soon. Before I try it I had a few questions I’m hoping you can answer. When we make stew we usually make it on the stove using the McCormack sauce package. It always ends up being more like a soup than a stew but I love it that way. Your recipe sounds so much more delicious though!!
My question: have you tried your recipe using any of the following: cabbage (my hubby LOVES cabbage in our stew!) or baby carrots? What about using a sweet onion or 2? Thank you for your help.
I hope you have a great week & weekend!
Signed, a fan from Anchorage, Alaska!
Hi Tammi! Yes, we use yellow onion and carrots in this recipe! We used regular carrots that we sliced, but baby carrots will work just fine as well. I have never added cabbage, but I’m sure it will work just fine! As for the thickness, if you prefer it thinner, you can skip the cornstarch completely or only use half. Hope this helps!
I made this today ….in my opinion ….it has way too much black peppper….but otherwise delicious!
If you used a tablespoon of pepper you obviously can’t read and that’s the problem. TSP!!!!!
Amazing! One tablespoon of pepper is quite a bit excessive. You can do half and still get plenty of spice. Glad I made it!
I agree, Barbie!
When do I add the coffee or wine for extra gravy flavour?
Hi Ashley! If you want to add coffee or some red wine – or both! – replace some of the beef broth with the brewed black coffee or red wine. If you want to use both, I’d recommend doing 1/4 cup black coffee, 1/4 cup red wine and 1 1/2 cups beef broth.
You will add it into the crockpot the same way you would if using just beef broth. You won’t really taste coffee or red wine in the gravy, but it will help to intensify the beef flavor. Hope this helps!
Hi…I unfortunately got stuck buying russet potatoes (not a large selection at store) I will be trying this recipe tomorrow should I peel the potato or just wash well? Also should I put them in immediately or wait
Hi Kelly, I would wash the potatoes and leave the skin on them. Put the potatoes in when you add the other ingredients.
Enjoy!
Should we defrost the peas and drain them before putting them into the crockpot?
Hi Susan, I add the frozen sweet peas straight from the freezer to the crockpot.
Hi Ellen,
I too added Russet potatoes to my stew, will this be a problem in how the stew comes out and tastes? Have you used russet potatoes or have you received feedback on how it tastes? Also I had to cook my stew on high, since I didn’t get a chance to start early in the morning. I hope this won’t change the results of the stew but besides that I’m very excited to see how it turns out and thank you again for the recipe.
Hi Kara! Russet potatoes are just a little starchier, but will still work just fine in this stew. And while we recommend using the lower temp to ensure super tender stew meat, a higher temperature will also work! Your meat just won’t be as fork tender as the lower, slower cook time. We hope you enjoyed it!!
Can I just use beef broth instead of bullion? Or another substitute? Thanks!
Hi Jen! I wouldn’t add more broth, just more salt. Beef bouillon adds an extra punch of beef flavor and salt in one, it’s why we use it to punch up the beefy flavor. Your stew will still be delicious without it, but will likely need a good pinch of salt added at the end. Just season with salt to taste at the end!
What are we supposed to do with the beef bullion? It’s one of the ingredients on the list but it’s not mentioned in the instructions. The same with the peas.
Hi Dre! The beef bouillon is added in step 1 with the other seasonings and the peas are added in step 6 after cooking the stew. Hope this helps!
Could I add egg noodles to the end instead of doing a slurry and cook till tender?
Hi Lori! I don’t think you would have enough liquid to cook the noodles. I would recommend pre-cooking the noodles till al dente then add them!
Is it supposed to be 1 TABLEspoon of pepper or 1 TEAspoon?
We used 1 Tablespoon, but you can of course use less!
How can càn I get the recipe I don:t have a print
Hi Nancy, you can scroll to the bottom and look at it or screen shot it if you don’t have a printer.
Do we mix all ingredients together at some point to cook? Just leave potatoes carrots on top?
I like to leave the potatoes and carrots on top, but if you prefer to mix them in that works also.