Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Whether you call it a slow cooker or a crockpot, this easy recipe is full of flavorful beef chunks and cooked-to-perfection vegetables! Let this fix it and forget it meal cook all day so you can enjoy a relaxing dinner later!

Prep Time20

Cook Time5

Total Time5 20

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crock pot beef stew, easy stew recipe, slow cooker beef stew recipe, traditional beef stew

Servings: serving

Calories: 674kcal

Author: Mindee

Cost: 15

Ingredients

½ Cup Onions chopped
1 Cup Carrots chopped
½ Cup Celery chopped
2 Tbs Butter
2 Cups Potatoes diced
1 lb Stew Meat
5 Cups Beef Broth
¼ Cup Flour

Instructions

Get your 6-quart crockpot or slow cooker out and ready.
Slice and chop up the onions, carrots, and celery.
It's also helpful to have the beef broth ready to use and the flour pre-measured and set to the side.
Heat 2 Tbs. Butter to sizzling over medium-high heat in a large frying pan or large skillet.
Add the celery, carrots and onions. Sauté until onions start to look translucent.
Dump in the slow cooker.
Place the frying pan back on the stovetop over medium-high heat and add the raw beef stew meat.
Brown the outsides of the stew meat. You don't need to make sure it's cooked all the way through because it will finish cooking as it simmers in the crock pot.
Add flour to browned meat and mix to make a paste.
Add 3 cups of the beef broth, a little at a time to the meaty flour mixture while mixing well to make a gravy.
Simmer to thicken slightly.
Dump into the crockpot over the vegetables.
Peel, slice, and dice the potatoes, I prefer smaller pieces and add them to the slow cooker.
Pour in the remaining broth.
Some people like to add a bay leaf to their stew. If you would like to do that, this is when you would add it.
Put a lid on and cook on high heat for 4-5 hours or on low heat for 8 hours.
The gravy in this stew may seem too thin at first, but it will thicken as it cools.
If you would like, you could add a splash of Worcestershire sauce or fresh rosemary to this crock pot beef stew before serving.

Notes

Butter - either unsalted or salted is fine. You can substitute olive oil for the butter if you would like.
Flour- always all-purpose flour. If you need this stew to be gluten-free, substituting potato starch for the flour is the best option for a thickener. I have tried corn starch and didn't love the result.
Stew Meat - The cut I use is beef stew meat. You could also cut a beef chuck roast up into 1-inch pieces.
Potatoes - I use russet potatoes for this recipe as they hold up better and maintain their shape. You could also use red potatoes, but I would avoid Yukon gold potatoes.
Beef Broth - For best results, make the beef broth from a beef base instead of a bouillon. Bouillons are dried out and have a weak flavor. Better Than Bouillon is a good brand and makes a rich broth. You could also use low-sodium beef broth that is ready to use.
Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutrition