Here is a Slow Cooker Beef Stew with a rich, dark brown sauce that’s so good, you’d never guess it came from a slow cooker. Because let’s face it – slow cooker stews rarely have the same depth of flavour as a classic one made on the stove. This one does – thanks to a few simple tricks!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
You know how sometimes when you make things in a slow cooker you sacrifice flavour for convenience? It’s just not the same as slow cooking on the stove because you don’t get caramelisation on the surface, and the liquid doesn’t evaporate so the sauce doesn’t reduce and intensify in flavour.
And that’s the case with my classic beef stew. By popular demand, I’ve had abbreviated directions for how to make it using a slow cooker crammed in the recipe notes for years, but it’s always bothered me because I knew it was good but not as great as the stove version.
Anyway, this winter, I decided it was time to tackle that, and here it is. All it takes is two little flavour-boosting steps:
massively reduce red wine when deglazing the pan after browning the beef cubes so the flavour is concentrated rather than diluted; and
add a beef bouillon cube for an extra hit of savouriness to make up for the flavour development we don’t get from the slow cooker. It has more flavour than salt!
Do these things and you get a rich, dark, deeply savoury beef stew that tastes like it spent hours bubbling away on the stove – except the slow cooker did the work!
Are you already thinking about how amazing it would be to walk in the door after a long day at work to arrive home to THIS??!! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
(PRO TIP: Assemble this tonight, set the slow cooker in the morning).
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Here is what you need to make a Really Good Beef Stew in the slow cooker. This is everything I use for my classic stove-top Beef Stew, with two small adjustments – I add a beef stock cube for an extra flavour boost to make up for what you lose from not cooking on the stove, and increase the flour from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup because the meat and vegetables release juices and there’s no evaporation with slow cookers. So, there’s more liquid to thicken.
1. Beef stew add-ins
I FORGOT THE PEAS!!!! 😩
Beef chuck – This is the best cut for slow cooked beef stews because it’s reliably juicy and succulent. It is a tough cut of meat that needs to be slow cooked to make it tender enough to eat, and it’s nicely marbled with fat which keeps the beef succulent. See FAQ for thoughts on other beef cuts and why they aren’t my preference for beef stews – brisket, ribs, cheek, gravy beef, bolar blade and oyster blade.
Cut BIG pieces yourself – I really urge you to buy a large piece of beef chuck and cut it yourself into large 4 cm / 1.6″ pieces so they don’t cook too quickly and fall apart during the long slow-cooking time. Pre-cut stew beef is usually cut too small for this recipe, though thick cut beef chuck steaks will work ok (if they are cut thickly enough!).
Celery and carrot – Classic stew add ins! Cut them into big chunky pieces so they hold their shape during the long slow-cooking time rather than turning to mush.
Baby potatoes – I use small potatoes for convenience as you put them in whole so the skin holds them together with the long slow cooking time. I seek out very small potatoes so I can keep them whole but if they are larger than 2.5cm / 1″, then halve, and if they are very, very big, cut them in quarters. Keep the skin on. Don’t use large regular potatoes that need to be peeled then cut into large pieces as they will crumble during the slow cooking time and you’ll end up with potato bits through your stew.
Thyme and bay leaves – Preferably fresh though otherwise dried.
Onion and garlic – Aromatics that form part of the flavour base of the stew sauce.
2. RICH BEEF STEW SAUCE
And here’s what you need for the stew sauce.
Beef stock / broth – The primary liquid for the sauce. Use a decent quality liquid beef stock rather than reconstituted powder (which tends to taste more artificial, unless you know of a secret one that tastes really great, in which case, tell us!!)
Red wine – I like to use pinot noir because it’s the wine I use for Beef Bourguignon but you can use any red wine that’s not too oaky and not sweet.
There is no need to use an expensive one. It’s widely acknowledged these days that cheap is fine for most cooking purposes, and especially for slow cooking. I rummage through the end-of-bin barrels at liquor stores and pick up bottles that are steeply discounted ~$20 to $5. Use non-alcoholic red wine for an alcohol free version, or substitute with more beef stock.
Beef bouillon cube (stock cube) – This is a little trick ingredient to add extra savouriness into the sauce. I use OXO brand (Woolworths and Coles, for Australians reading this!) which crumbles and dissolves easily. If you’ve got one of those harder cubes that needs to be dissolved in a hot liquid, heat up some of the beef stock and dissolve it in that.
Tomato paste – This adds a touch of much needed tang to cut through the richness, darkens the colour of the sauce and also helps a bit to thicken it.
Flour – This is what thickens the sauce into a gravy consistency. Use plain flour (all-0purpose flour). For a gluten-free version, use cornflour / cornstarch instead to thicken the sauce, added in at the end using a slurry. I recommend this over using gluten-free flour because some gluten free blends containing lots of rice flour can occasionally taste a little grainy. Cornflour is a more reliable way to thicken the sauce.
How to make Slow Cooker Beef Stew
To make a dark brown rich flavoured stew sauce, the key is to reduce the red wine massively on the stove first, to concentrate the flavour and colour as well as deglazing the pan after browning the beef.
Thickened stew sauce – In a slow cooker, add about 1 cup of the beef stock, the flour and tomato paste. Mix together until lump free (use a whisk if needed), it will be like thin batter consistency. Then mix in remaining beef stock.
💡Don’t worry if there are some little lumps in the liquid, they will dissolve during the slow cooking time.
Big pieces – Cut the beef into large 4cm / 1.6″ cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Big pieces is key here, else they will cook and become too fall-apart in the 10 hour slow cooking time required for this stew.
Brown the beef pieces in a large frying pan / skillet over high heat, in two or three batches. Doing this in a pan rather than pot like regular stews makes this step considerably quicker because there’s more surface area – it should take around 3 – 4 minutes per batch. Don’t crowd the pan – more haste = less speed as the beef will go watery rather than browning! The beef browns so much faster when there is space around each piece.
Add to slow cooker – As each batch of beef is browned, add it into the slow cooker using tongs or a slotted spoon so the fat gets left in the pan.
Red wine reduction – Add the onion into the pan and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Then pour in the wine and simmer rapidly on high heat until it reduces by 75% until it’s a bit syrupy. You should be able to draw a path across the base of the pan and it closes up slowly.
Add to slow cooker – Pour the red wine reduction and onion into the slow cooker.
Add remaining sauce ingredients – Add the remaining stew sauce flavourings (crumbled stock cube, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper) then give it a mix.
Vegetables last – Add the carrot, celery and potato last, then push them in to submerge as best you can. Don’t worry if some poke above the liquid – as the beef slow cooks, it releases juices which raise the sauce level, while everything softens and settles down into the sauce.
Slow cooker 10 hours on low, or 6 hours on high. This is a little longer than the usual 8 hours in typical recipes because the sauce is thickened at the beginning rather than the end, and meat take longer to cooker in thicker sauces. Note: The sauce might look a bit watery as there will be a layer of fat on the surface. But when you stir, it will come together into a gravy-thickness sauce.
Frozen peas – Gently stir in the frozen peas and leave for a few minutes to thaw and warm through. (Fun fact: frozen peas are already cooked!).
Serve – Give it a gentle stir, being careful not to make the beef pieces fall apart! Then serve over mash or with crusty bread on the side.
Serve this stew over mashed potato or in bowls with hot crusty bread to dunk and mop. You could also use short pasta or rice, for a lower-effort starchy vehicle option. Because I get it, sometimes the thought of peeling, cutting, boiling and mashing potatoes is all too much! 🙂 – Nagi x
Slow Cooker Beef Stew FAQ
To make this gluten-free, use cornflour / cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce which should be added in as a cornflour slurry at the end rather than beginning (because cornflour doesn’t like prolonged boiling, it loses its thickening power).
I recommend this over using gluten-free flour because some gluten free blends containing lots of rice flour can occasionally taste a little grainy. Cornflour is a more reliable way to thicken the sauce.
Also, make sure the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock cube are all gluten-free, not all brands are.
I’ve popped these directions in the recipe card!
Yes, this would work beautifully with pork shoulder, lamb shoulder or goat, though I would check first at the 8 hour mark to see if the meat is tender enough.
Beef chuck is reliably juicy and tender in stews, so it’s my first choice. Here are my thoughts on other slow-cooking cuts of beef and why I don’t use them in this stew:
Brisket – too lean (better to slow cook it whole and slice, recipe here)
Gravy beef – Cut from the shin / shank area and tends to be sold in steak slice form which are too thin to cut into large stew-size-pieces. If you can find large pieces though, it can work, it is a nice gelatinous cut that becomes tender with slow cooking though bare in mind it may take a little longer to become fork-tender.
Generic “beef casserole” cubes of beef – I steer clear of these as I don’t know what cut they are, the pieces are typically far too small to use in stews, and more often than not they are not marbled with fat.
Beef rib (boneless) – Too fatty, and very hard to skim excess fat off the stew (most of it mixes in).
Beef cheeks – They would work beautifully if kept whole but Id’ need to figure out how many and how much sauce to make (because you’d keep them whole, if you cut into pieces, they twist and buckle when slow cooked so they don’t look very nice). See here for a lovely slow cooked beef cheeks recipe.
Bolar blade and oyster blade – These can be slow cooked but don’t have as much beef flavour and are leaner, so I’m not the hugest fan of these cuts for slow cooking.
4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer. And though some argue otherwise, I truly believe all stews taste even better the day after you make it!
Watch how to make it
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A really good Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
Thickened stew sauce:
- 3 cups beef stock/broth , low sodium
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour (Note 1 for gluten-free option)
Stove -> slow cooker:
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.25kg/ 2.5lb chuck beef , cut into large 4cm/ 1.6" cubes, excess fat trimmed – start with around 1.4kg/2.8lb (Note 2)
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 large onion , halved then sliced into 1cm / 0.4″ slices
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 2 cups red wine (I use pinot noir), substitute 0% alcohol wine or more beef stock (Note 3)
For the stew:
- 1 beef stock cube (bouillon cube), crumbled (Note 4)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves , preferably fresh else dry
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 carrots , peeled, cut into equal size chunks ~ 1 x 3cm (0.4 x 1.2″)
- 2 celery sticks , cut into 4cm / 1.6" pieces (cut thicker end in half horizontally so they're all about the same width)
- 400g / 14oz small cocktail potatoes (or halve or quarter larger ones) (Note 5)
- 1 cup frozen peas (still frozen fine)
Accompaniment options for serving:
- Mashed potato , crusty bread, creamy mashed cauliflower (great low carb option), short pasta
- Finely chopped parsley , for optional garnish
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Mix 1 cup stock with tomato paste and flour in slow cooker, then mix in remaining stock. Brown beef, put in slow cooker. Sauté onion and garlic, reduce wine by 75%, add to slow cooker. Add herbs, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, stir, then add carrot, celery and potato. Slow cook 10 hours on low or 6 hours on high, serve over mash!
FULL RECIPE:
- Sauce thickener first – Pour about 1 cup of beef stock in the slow cooker with the flour and tomato paste. Mix to combine until lump free using a rubber spatula – it will be a thin batter consistency. Pour in remaining beef stock and mix (if you see pesky lumps, use a whisk).
- Sear beef – Sprinkle and toss the beef with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Brown the beef aggressively in 2 or 3 batches (don't crowd the pan). Transfer straight into the slow cooker, leaving the fat behind.
- Sauté onion – Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until softened. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until it's golden and smells amazing.
- Massively reduce red wine (flavour flavour flavour!) – Pour the wine in slowly (careful, it will sputter). Simmer rapidly, stirring every now and then, until reduced but 75%, about 1/2 cup. Pour wine and onions into slow cooker.
- Everything else – Add the stock cube, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir well, then add the carrots, celery and potato. Do your best to stir again (it's hard, there's a lot of stuff!)
- Slow cook – Push any exposed beef under the liquid, any veg above the liquid will mostly be submerged by the end (liquid level rises plus meat / veg soften). Slow cook on LOW for 10 hours or HIGH for 6 hours. (Note 6) The meat should be fork-tender.
- Finish and serve – Stir peas in, leave for 2 minutes to thaw and heat up (they're already cooked). Serve stew over mash!
Recipe Notes:
- Pressure cooker – 45 minutes on high should be sufficient, I haven’t tried but it’s based on my standard conversion.
- Oven or stove – Use my classic Beef Stew recipe, exactly the same dish just designed for a different cooking method.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
Jaffle’s first official taste testing – Slow Cooker Beef Stew! How did he go….??
According to Dozer, he failed!! From somewhere up in the big sky kitchen, he is yelling, “NO JAFFLE, NOT THE CARROT!! THE BEEF FIRST! THE BEEF!!” 😂
He heard him. 🥰
I have just made the ‘tweaked’ slow cooked beef recipe for the 1st time. I cooked it for 6hrs on high on the slow cooker option in my pressure cooker…..OMG it has turned out superb. Super tender fall apart beef pieces & the flavor of the sauce is rich, perfect consistency (slightly thicker) & has a gorgeous flavor which is drawing me back for seconds!
I just want to say thank you Nagi, this recipe is definitely a keeper to be served up over & over. Marvelous ❤️
Love the first pic, where Jaffle is admiring the elegance of the dish. I have always done the same thing – make a beeline for the veg first. Don’t worry. His palette may likely “mature” into meats first…but I have heard of dogs that go wild picking plums off the plum tree and spitting out the pits 😁 As mentioned, every earth-suit has its own preferences and quirks, but the Song remains the Same. I would have headed for that carrot, too…it awakens the palette for the savoriness of the beef. Plus, it’s a beautifully presented carrot, so it cannot be held against him 😉 Probably trying to show off his composed epicurean palette and make a good impression with the chef! 😇🥰💞💞💝💝
Thank you very much Nagi, for this LOVELY & EASY TO FOLLOW recipe! I’ve made it twice, both times my wife & I enjoyed it THOROUGHLY! Really grateful!
So pleased you and your wife have enjoyed it not once but twice, John! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. 🙂 – N x
I would really like to try this recipe while the weather is still cold here in Perth, Western Australia. What can I use as a non-alcolic substitute for the red wine please? Any ideas?
Hi Susan! 0% red wine is pretty common these days and would be the best, else use more beef stock 🙂 These instructions are in the recipe notes! – N x
Simply perfect for Australian weather its freezing here, nothing beats a rich beef stew cooking slowly while its pouring with rain outside the perfect comfodt food
This is EXACTLY the weather beef stew was made for, Donna!! Rain outside, rich beef stew bubbling away inside. Peak winter comfort food! – N x
I haven’t seen potatoes that small for a long time. I love the look of this recipe though, so gonna keep an eye out.
I HUNT THEM DOWN!!! 😂
I know right! I’m in Adelaide, I’ll try the markets 😀
Major supermarkets in AUS stock bags of baby potatoes.
MMMMM back to meat dishes 🙂 and a bloody awesome one too
Don’t get too comfortable, JB’s working on a carrot side we might throw your way….😂
I have just put this on in the slow cooker for 10 hours. I was really concerned about the 2 cups of red wine but thought – no, I trust Nagi!!! So in it went and it reduced down beautifully. When it all was together in the slow cooker the aroma was simply amazing. Can’t wait to have it for dinner!
Reducing the wine makes all the difference – I hope you loved it as much as it smelled while cooking! – N x
Sometimes, I use beer instead of wine. I have a preference for Guinness.
I LOVE that Jaffle went for the carrot first! One of my girls does the same, lol.
I’m looking forward to making the beef stew. We have guests flying in soon. They will be hungry after traveling all day. this will be perfect for dinner before a walk on the beach, to use up all the pent up energy!
Ha, I couldn’t believe Jaffle went for the carrot first either, Mary! 😂 And YES, this is perfect for hungry travellers – have it bubbling away while they’re en route, then dinner is ready when they arrive. Hope everyone loves it! – N x
Looks delicious! We are sweltering at the moment in the UK but I may do it in our autumn/winter.
I THINK THE MASH WAS JUST FOR THE LOVELY DOG 😍
Ha ha Gail, I think you might be right about that mash!! 😂 Save this one for when the UK weather turns – definitely not stew weather when you’re sweltering! – N x
There is no mention of worcestershire sauce in the ingredients but it is added at the end. I did see the measurement afterward in the metric measures.
Hi Sharon, just checked and it’s there….!! Maybe an internet loading glitch? 🙂
Nagi, this recipe looks delicious but would it still work if chicken thighs were substituted for the beef?
Sorry Suzanne, the cook time for this is way too long for chicken. I’d have to develop another recipe. I popped the idea on my list! – N x
I live in the Philippines, so ‘beef’ is not as readily available as pork. Can this recipe be adjusted for pork?
Totally, use pork shoulder! SO GOOD – N x
My new DIL is from Cebu !! She has a golden retriever nearly 2 our son and her are going to make us Pork Abobo !! Much love to you from Victoria Australia 🧡💛😘
LOVE the tablecloth.
Guide Dog Luckie is currently being assessed for his future.
Fingers crossed for his Guide Dog assessment.
Greetings and thanks from a OneMeal volunteer – Annette
Annette! A OneMeal volunteer! ❤️ Thank you for everything you do – I hope our paths cross one day! And fingers firmly crossed for Luckie’s Guide Dog assessment. Please give him a pat from me (and Jaffle!). – N x
Hi, I have been following your recipes for many years. You can not have any idea how helpful your recipes are to me to get by with. I am in my eighties, live alone and do my own cooking and up keep. Thankfully I have always loved cooking and eating as I was brought up with French cousine. Naturally my tastes fluctuate between Asian and Continental meals. Your recipes have helped to bring me the diversity which I need. I thank you for making it possible. Very much appreciated.❤
Paul, what a lovely message to receive. I can tell you are a fellow food lover! I am so glad my recipes have helped bring some variety to your cooking over the years. Asian one night, Continental the next sounds like a pretty excellent way to eat to me! Thank you for sticking with me for so long. – N x
Hi Nagi! I am going to try this but your instructions do not say at what point to add the garlic. With the onion s into the wine? Or later?
Dianne it’s in step 3 above to add garlic with the onion 😊
Dianne Welding, you add the garlic after the onion, When the onion softens, becomes translucent then add garlic. Don’t let the garlic brown as it becomes bitter. I hope this helps.
I’m now a grandmother. My grand-mother always coated the steak in flour and seasoning before browning it. Makes the steak brown up beautifully.
Grandmothers knew a thing or two, Chris! Flour for browning is a classic for good reason. 🙂 – N x
I cooked this last night! The sauce is delicious. I would have added some more root vegetables – chunks of baby parsnip, more carrot perhaps. Serving with mash when potatoes are cooked in the stew already seemed like an overkill. Sour dough bread is a great accompaniment.
Yum looks so good. I really didn’t think you could improve on your other one. Jaffles meal looks Michelin star. Lucky puppy. Pauline (Happy Retirees Kitchen)
Ha ha! Jaffle certainly isn’t suffering, Pauline 😂 So glad you like the look of this version! – N x
Looks sooo delicious thank. Soon I’ll need big pot!!
I cooked Nagi’s beef bourginione in the slow cooker at the weekend. Leave out the potatoes and celery, put in chopped up whole piece of pancetta, mushrooms, pop in some shallots instead of normal onion and you have a beef bourginione! This recipe looks easier for the slow cooker so in future I will follow this one. Thanks Nagi. You’re my favourite cook and I have both of your books. I use Charlie sauce all the time for my Asian recipes too!
Love this Christine! And thank you for having BOTH books – plus keeping Charlie in regular rotation! 🙂 – N x
Jaffle is so cute. I save the best for last too. I read the whole recipe and save the Jaffle pics for last. I just bought a new slow cooker and will be making this soon.
Ha! So Jaffle is dessert, Michelle 😂 Perfect timing with the new slow cooker – hope you love the stew! – N x