Crock Pot Beef Stew

Crock Pot Beef Stew is the kind of meal that makes your whole house smell like comfort. It’s simple to throw together and so hearty for a warming family meal on a chilly or rainy day, and there’s no fancy ingredients needed.

Love More Beef Recipes? Try My Slow Cooker Beef Ragu or this Ground Beef and Dumplings next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This hearty beef stew practically makes itself while you go about your day, filling your kitchen with incredible slow-cooked aromas. The beef turns fall-apart tender, while the potatoes and vegetables soak up all the rich flavor from the broth and seasonings. With just a handful of simple ingredients, you get that deep, comforting taste that feels like it simmered for hours on the stovetop.

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Ingredient List

For the Beef:

• 3 pounds chuck roast, cut into cubes
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder (to taste)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons butter

For the Stew Base:

• 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon red wine (or substitute with beef broth)
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 bay leaves

For the Vegetables:

• 1½ cups celery, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, chopped into large pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into large pieces
• 1½ cups frozen peas

For the Seasonings:

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon each: black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Why These Ingredients Work

Chuck roast changed everything for me. I was buying those expensive pre-cut stew chunks until my neighbor Frank told me I was being ridiculous. He’s a retired chef and said chuck roast has all these fat ribbons that melt down and make everything taste incredible. He was right – those marbled bits turn into pure flavor gold.

The flour thing I learned from watching my mom every Sunday for twenty years. She’d coat everything and I never understood why until I skipped it once. Without flour, your stew tastes great but looks thin and sad. With flour, it coats your spoon and feels luxurious.

That Cabernet happened by accident. My book club was meeting here and Jennifer brought wine. I was making stew and feeling fancy, so I dumped some in. Best accident ever. Now I buy cheap Cabernet specifically for cooking and drinking while I prep. Those Yukon potatoes never fall apart like russets do – learned that from three mushy potato disasters.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large skillet for browning the meat
• 6-quart or larger slow cooker/crock pot
• Sharp knife for chopping
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Wooden spoon for stirring

How To Make Crock Pot Beef Stew

Prep Your Ingredients

Cut your chuck roast into chunks about the size of large marshmallows. Season everything really well – I’m talking generous amounts of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss it all in flour until every piece looks dusty. Emma always helps with this part because she loves getting her hands messy.

Brown the Meat

Melt half your butter in the biggest skillet you own over medium-high heat. Brown half the meat until it looks like beautiful golden nuggets on all sides. This takes patience – don’t rush it. Remove everything and do the second batch. My kitchen always smells like a steakhouse during this step.

Deglaze with Wine

Pour that wine straight into your hot skillet and start scraping up all the brown crusty bits stuck to the bottom. This is my favorite part because it sizzles and steams and you can actually see the flavor being created. Use a wooden spoon and get aggressive with it. Turn off heat when everything’s loose.

Layer Everything in Your Crock Pot

Spray your crock pot with cooking spray because nobody wants stuck-on stew bits later. Dump in your meat, that gorgeous wine mixture, celery, carrots, onion, potatoes, the entire can of tomato paste, Worcestershire, garlic, all your spices, broth, and bay leaves. Stir it around gently until everything looks happy together.

Cook Low and Slow

Cover it up and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. I start mine around 8 AM before work and it’s perfect by dinner time. The house smells so good by 3 PM that I start getting text messages from my kids asking what’s for dinner.

Add the Final Touch

Stir in those frozen peas during the last 15-20 minutes. They turn bright green and add this fresh pop that makes the whole dish look professional. Emma calls this the “fancy restaurant step” because suddenly everything looks colorful and intentional.

Serve and Enjoy!

Fish out those bay leaves – I always forget and someone inevitably bites into one. Serve immediately with thick crusty bread. Dave always buys those expensive bakery rolls when I make this because he says the stew deserves good bread. He’s not wrong.

You Must Know

Do not skip browning the meat unless you want your family to give you sad disappointed faces. I tried this exactly once when I was running late for Emma’s soccer practice. Everyone ate it but nobody asked for seconds. That never happens with properly browned meat.

Personal Secret: I plop that entire can of tomato paste in without mixing it with anything first. It creates these beautiful red streaks that slowly melt in and turn everything this gorgeous mahogany color. My friend Rachel thought I was nuts until she tried it. Now she does the same thing.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

If your stew looks watery at the end, don’t panic. Mix two tablespoons cornstarch with cold water until smooth and stir it in during the last thirty minutes. I keep cornstarch specifically for this after my great stew soup disaster of 2019.

Never add delicate vegetables at the beginning. I threw mushrooms in once at the start and they turned into gross gray rubber. Add them during the last four hours if you want mushrooms. Same goes for zucchini or bell peppers.

Salt everything properly at the end. That long cooking time mellows seasonings and sometimes you need another pinch of salt to wake everything up.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

When I’m trying to impress company, I add fresh thyme sprigs during the last hour. Just tie them with kitchen string so you can fish them out later. Rosemary works too but it’s stronger – use less.

My kids prefer the version without wine, so sometimes I skip the Cabernet and add extra beef broth plus another tablespoon of Worcestershire. Still delicious, just different.

I’ve thrown in leftover bacon when I had it sitting around. Everything tastes better with bacon. Sometimes I add a spoonful of brown sugar if the wine makes it too tangy – learned that from my mom’s pot roast technique.

Make-Ahead Options

Sunday evenings I prep everything while watching Netflix. Chop vegetables, cube meat, store separately in the fridge. Monday morning takes maybe ten minutes to brown everything and dump it in the crock pot. Come home to amazing dinner and feeling like a domestic goddess.

This freezes perfectly for three months. I learned to make double batches after my great freezer clean-out disaster when everything went bad during that power outage last spring. Just skip freezing the potatoes if possible – they get weird and mealy when thawed.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

Yukon potatoes are absolutely worth the extra cost. They stay firm and have this natural buttery flavor that makes everything taste richer. I tried red potatoes thinking they were the same thing – they completely dissolved and turned my stew into thick soup.

Leave the potato skins on unless you’re trying to impress fancy people. My kids actually prefer them with skins now and it saves prep time. This recipe halves perfectly but honestly, the leftovers are the best part. I eat them over rice, in bread bowls, even spooned over baked potatoes when I’m feeling extra indulgent.

Dave’s been known to eat cold stew straight from the container while standing in front of the open fridge at midnight. Not that I’m judging – I’ve done the same thing.

Serving Suggestions

Those bakery crusty rolls are mandatory in our house when I make this. Dave automatically stops and buys them on his way home because he says good stew deserves good bread. I hollow out bread bowls for special occasions and everyone acts like I’m Martha Stewart.

I serve a simple green salad with balsamic vinaigrette alongside because something acidic cuts through all that richness perfectly. Fresh parsley sprinkled on top makes everything look professional, though my kids pick it off immediately.

How to Store Your Crock Pot Beef Stew

Store leftovers in the fridge up to four days. It honestly tastes better the second day when all those flavors have had time to get acquainted overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop, stirring occasionally. Microwave works but stir every thirty seconds so it heats evenly.

For freezing, let it cool completely and leave space at the top of containers for expansion. I cracked three containers learning this lesson the hard way. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Allergy Information

Contains gluten from flour and dairy from butter. For gluten-free friends, I use Cup4Cup flour blend – works exactly the same. For dairy-free, olive oil works fine for browning though you lose some richness.

No nuts involved and it’s easy to make smaller portions. My celiac neighbor makes this constantly with her special flour and says it’s identical.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Do I have to brown stew meat before putting it in the crock pot?

Technically no, but please don’t skip it! I did this once when running late for Emma’s dance recital. The stew was edible but nobody asked for seconds. That browning step creates all those deep, caramelized flavors that make people think you’re an amazing cook.

What is the secret ingredient in beef stew?

Wine! Specifically that Cabernet Sauvignon. Most people think beef stew is just meat and vegetables, but wine creates this incredible depth that makes people ask what makes yours taste so special. I learned this accidentally and now it’s my signature move.

Can I put raw beef in a slow cooker for stew?

Absolutely – it’ll cook through perfectly. I’ve done this when super rushed for time. But those extra fifteen minutes for browning creates such incredible flavor that it’s worth getting up early for. Raw beef gives you tender meat, browned beef gives you tender meat plus amazing taste.

Can I use a different cut of beef?

Chuck roast works best because it has enough fat to stay juicy during long cooking. I tried expensive sirloin once thinking pricier meant better – worst stew ever. It got tough and stringy. Stick with chuck roast or pre-cut stew meat.

Can I add other vegetables?

Definitely! Mushrooms are amazing if you add them halfway through. Parsnips from the beginning work great. Bell peppers during the last few hours. Just don’t add everything at once or you’ll have vegetable soup with meat floating in it.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear how your family enjoyed this cozy, comforting stew.