This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Warm, hearty, and full of flavor, this Beef Stew in the Crock Pot combines tender beef, vegetables, and a rich broth. It’s an easy slow cooker meal that practically cooks itself — perfect for chilly nights!
I love serving it with a side of cornbread or spooned over Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes for the ultimate comfort food combo.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
Easy to Make: This is a classic slow cooker beef stew that basically makes itself! Just brown the meat, toss everything in the Crock Pot, and let it fill your kitchen with the best smell ever!
Cozy and Flavorful: Tender beef and vegetables simmer in the most rich and savory broth. It’s the perfect comfort meal for chilly evenings! Want more? Check out 20 Cozy Soups and Stews for Chilly Days.
Nostalgic: This stew brings back warm memories of my mom’s cooking, just like my Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, Ma Susu’s Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and White Chicken Chili recipes.
This has been my go to beef stew recipe for years! Have tried many others and always come back to this. The best! It’s in the crock pot now.
– Megan
The Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this cozy Crock Pot Beef Stew, and why each ingredient matters!
- Beef chuck: The best cut for slow cooker beef stew! It becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender after cooking low and slow for hours.
- All-purpose flour: Helps brown the beef beautifully and slightly thickens the stew as it cooks.
- Red wine: Choose a dry red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot for this recipe. Avoid sweet wines or delicate wines like Pinot Noir. The alcohol cooks off, but if you prefer to skip wine entirely, sub extra beef broth.
- Beef stock: The base of the stew. Rich, flavorful, and perfect for slow cooking.
- Bay leaves & thyme: Add subtle herbal notes that enhance the savory broth.
- Potatoes: Help make the stew hearty and filling, while also giving it a creamy texture as they cook down.
- Onion, Garlic, Celery & Carrots: These aromatics build the stew’s flavor foundation, adding sweetness, depth, and texture.
- Diced tomatoes: Add acidity and brightness to balance the richness of the meat and broth.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the recipe card below.*
Variations and Substitutions
- No wine? Use extra beef stock instead. You’ll still get a deep, savory flavor.
- Make it gluten-free: Substitute your favorite gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour.
- Add more veggies: Mushrooms, parsnips, or turnips all work great.
- Prefer a thicker stew? Stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste or mash a few potatoes right into the stew before serving.
How to Make Beef Stew in the Crockpot
- Coat the beef: Place the cubed meat and flour in a zip-top bag. Seal and shake until every piece is coated.
- Brown the meat: Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and sear the beef for about 4 minutes, until browned on all sides. (This adds tons of flavor!) Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Sauté the aromatics: In the same pan, cook the onions for 4–5 minutes, then add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pan: Pour in the red wine and beef stock, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, then pour into the slow cooker.
- Add everything else: Add the potatoes, celery, carrots, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Cook: Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 4–6 hours, until the beef is tender and the stew is thick and rich.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t skip browning the beef! It builds incredible depth of flavor. With that said, if you’re short on time, you can skip that step. Just toss the floured meat and the rest of the ingredients straight into the slow cooker.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or label and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Baby-friendly version: For little ones under 1 year, puree some of the stew for a delicious and nutrient-packed Baby Beef Stew!
- Stove-Top Option: No Crock Pot? No problem! Brown the floured beef in a large pot, then saute the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Add the wine, beef stock, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs, and salt. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 2 – 2½ hours until the beef is tender and the stew is rich and flavorful.
FAQs
Yes! You can put raw beef directly into the slow cooker, but browning it first adds rich, caramelized flavor to the finished dish.
Absolutely. Just replace the wine with more beef stock or even vegetable broth.
If you’d like your stew thicker, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water, then stir it into the stew during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
More Slow Cooker Soups & Stews
This Crock Pot Beef Stew is one of those recipes that never goes out of style. Hearty, flavorful, and family-approved, it’s my go-to all fall and winter long! If you love this recipe, let me know with a comment and rating below!
Want more Weelicious? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for all the newest recipes!
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Beef Stew in the Crock Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 cup low sodium beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 15 ounce can unsalted diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Place the cubed meat and flour in a Ziploc bag, seal and shake until the pieces are fully coated with flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat and sear the pieces of meat for 4 minutes until all sides are nicely brown. Don't cook all the way through. Remove the meat from the pan and place in the crock pot.
- Saute the onions in the same pan for 4-5 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the red wine and stock to the sauté pan with the onions and bring to a boil for one minute, scraping off the bits of meat that have caramelized in the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add the reduced liquid to the crock pot along with the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cook on low in slow cooker for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours.
Notes
- Don’t skip browning the beef! It builds incredible depth of flavor. With that said, if you’re short on time, you can skip that step. Just toss the floured meat and the rest of the ingredients straight into the slow cooker.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or label and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Baby-friendly version: For little ones under 1 year, puree some of the stew for a delicious and nutrient-packed Baby Beef Stew!
- Stove-Top Option: No Crock Pot? No problem! Brown the floured beef in a large pot, then saute the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Add the wine, beef stock, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs, and salt. Simmer, covered, over low heat for 2 – 2½ hours until the beef is tender and the stew is rich and flavorful.
Is there something I can sub for the flour to make this gluten free? I imagine the flour has a thickening purpose.
I made it with venison on Friday, and boy was it yummy! It was even better reheated tonight for dinner!
I make a very similar stew for my husband… never would have thought to use red wine. Will have to try! I usually add peas and use crushed tomatoes. Sometimes for a treat, I’ll make dumplings for it as well (my husband and daughter LOVE dumplings)
I do not eat red meat, pork, fish… by choice. Only poultry. But I love to cook for my family 🙂
This might also be delicious using venison. We have a deer waiting to be processed right now!
I’ve never heard of that kind of flour, but it’s sounds interesting. If you recipes are coming out fine, keep using it! It may be what’s called ‘white/wheat flour’. It’s not as processed as white flour.
I have been using a white whole wheat flour from Eagle Mills (bought it at wallmart)It says it is “Ultragrain whole wheat flout and has 4-1/2 times the fiber of regular flour. The color is not a pure white, but everything I have made comes out fine. Catherine – do you know about this? It is easier than mixing white and whole wheat.
I wouldn’t sub anything for the tomatoes. You could add a cup more stock and a few more of the veggies in the recipe to beef it up a bit (no pun intended).
I am allergic to tomatoes, is there something I can substitute or should I just omit them?
I was a vegetarian for 7 years and decided one day that I was tired of depriving myself. Although I’ve only returned to eating poultry, I agree that everything in moderation is acceptable. I don’t eat pork, beef, or seafood, but that’s a personal choice and I certainly do not deprive my family of these proteins. I just prefer veggies over anything else. But as a parent, I think it’s important to expose my kid to as many foods as possible.
I enjoyed your article, and this stew looks amazing! I’ll definitely give it a try.
Crock pot recipes are always appreciated! I am kind of like you. I used to be a lacto-ovo-vegetarian (as labeled in the hospital with my daughter. I had never actually heard the term.) and now I’m a pescatarian. Unlike you, I don’t crave beef or other meats so I’m good like I am. But I’m not aiming to raise my kids under any special diets so perhaps I’ll give this stew a shot.
Slow cookers are also measurably different than they used to be. Because of food safety concerns, the low setting is now the equivalent of what the old high setting was. It may sound counterintuitive, but you might get better results from an older model from a garage sale or thrift store. A friend and I make an enormous batch of slow cooker apple butter every year, and we borrow slow cookers and use 6-7 at a time, both old and new. The older models all cook at a considerably lower heat than the newer ones, even when we put the new ones on low, with no burns around the edges.
This is my slow-cooker. It was a gift from my parents several years ago, and I LOVE it! All Clad is a very good brand overall, but also pricey. I have had success with Crock Pot brand slow cookers, as well.
What brand slow-cooker do you use? I have a very cheap one that I think I need to replace, as even on the low settings most recipes burn around the edges, and it is not a matter of not having enough liquid. I think the pot gets too hot. I would like to know if you or others here think it is worth spending $$$ on something like a Williams-Sonoma one. Thank you for your recommendations, and great website!
Absolutely! The wine ads a lot of flavor (and the alcohol burns off), but you can use all stock.
Can additional stock be substituted for the wine?
I add a bit of chopped fennel to my beef stew recipe. Gives it that certain something!
Always looking for great recipes for the crockpot! Can’t wait to give this a try!!