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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!
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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.
Catherine
Do you think I could cook this on High to shorten the cooking time or would that make the meat tough?
Yes, I think it would. Low and slow cooking is perfect for oxtail!
Do you think oxtail would work instead of the chuck meat in this recipe?
Can I still cook this without a crock pot? If so, what do you suggest? I’m struggling to find things to cook for my toddler b/c he is such a picky eater. Feedings have become a part of my day that I don’t look forward to.
Made this on Tuesday and it was delicious – will be adding to my regular monthly menu. Side note, I do think my stew was a little on the sweet side and I think it might have been because of my onion and wine varieties. To get it perfect next time – what type of onion do you recommend white, yellow, red, etc and what type of red wine? Do you buy one that is called “cooking” wine? I used what I had, a Pinot Noir and it may have been on the sweet side. Nonethe less, thanks again!
and p.s., this stew looks delicious!
thanks for writing the intro regarding dietary choices. I was a vegetarian for 10 years, then returned to eating meat for 4 years, then back to vegetarian. I’ve just reintroduced fish as of Jan. 1, but I do feel like I am depriving myself of foods I crave. I don’t limit any of my daughter’s choices (I ensure they are healthy, but I don’t insist she follow a certain type of diet), but it is tough to sometimes admit you may want a certain type of food after making the decision not to consume it (and you are “publicly” identified as a ____arian).
Catherine, I do not have a crock pot…yes, perhaps I should go out and get one… I was wondering if you could instruct me on how to make this recipe on a stove top.
I would love to try it!!
Made this today and it was easy and very delicious!
“Stewing Beef” is just pre-cut cubes from the beef chuck. If it is tough that usually means it hasn’t been cooked long enough. If it is coming out tough even after being cooked in the slow cooker for several hours try cutting it into smaller cubes prior to cooking. It can also get tough by being over-cooked or cooked to quickly, but that shouldn’t happen in the slow cooker, that’s more of a stove-top problem. I hope you have more success with this recipe because beef stew is such a comfort food!
What kind of beef cut is chuck? I’ve made stews with the cut up stewing beef that you can buy at the grocery store but it always seems tough. I’m wondering where you can buy chuck?
I am thankful all the time for the person who invented the slow cooker. What a servant it is in our household!
No worries, the alcohol in the wine will burn off. Puree some and give it to your 1 year old. Yum!
This recipe sounds great, and the wine in it brings up a question I’ve had for a while: When you cook with wine in a recipe like this, does all of the alcohol evaporate out, or will some be left in the stew? Would there be enough wine remaining in the stew to worry about feeding it to a one year old?
Thanks!
Hi there!
We are gluten / dairy / soy / nut free, and the flour we use most often is Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour. It’s a good overall replacement in most situations.
I agree with Karen that the rice flour would be great too. 🙂
Thanks for the crock pot recipe, I’ve been looking for these now that the weather’s colder!
Sarah, I am gluten free and use either brown rice flour or almond meal to sub for regular flour. I think the brown rice flour would work best here – and yes, it’s to thicken!