The Daily Plate

Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Stew

The coziest kind of dinner is the one that cooks itself: fall-apart tender beef, buttery potatoes, and sweet carrots simmered all day in a rich, savory gravy. Brown the beef for deeper flavor, then let the slow cooker do the rest. If you love hearty one-pot comfort, you will also love our witch cauldron beef stew.

Slow cooker beef stew in a bowl with tender beef chunks, carrots, potatoes, and thick gravy, steam rising
Prep time20 min
Cook time8 hours
Total8 hr 20 min
Yield6 servings
CuisineAmerican
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🧺Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, quartered
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1 cup frozen peas

👩‍🍳Instructions

  1. Dredge the beef. Toss the beef cubes with the flour, salt, and pepper until lightly coated.
  2. Brown in batches. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sear the beef in batches 3-4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Transfer to the slow cooker.
  3. Bloom the flavor. In the same skillet, cook the onion 3 minutes, add the garlic and tomato paste, and cook 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup of the broth, scraping up the browned bits.
  4. Load the slow cooker. Add the onion mixture, remaining broth, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, carrots, potatoes, and celery to the slow cooker. Stir gently.
  5. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW 7-8 hours (or HIGH 4-5 hours) until the beef is fork-tender.
  6. Finish and serve. Stir in the peas, cover 10 minutes until heated through. Discard the bay leaves, adjust salt, and serve in deep bowls.

💡 Stew smarts

Do not skip the browning — it is where the deep flavor comes from. Cut the vegetables into big chunks so they hold up over the long cook. If the gravy is thin at the end, whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with cold water and stir it in for the last 30 minutes. Leftovers are even better on day two.

❓Common questions

Can I cook it on high instead?

Yes — 4 to 5 hours on HIGH. The low-and-slow method gives the most tender beef, but high works when time is short.

Can I skip browning the beef?

You can, but the stew will be less rich. Browning takes 10 minutes and makes a big difference in the final gravy.

Can I freeze beef stew?

Absolutely — cool completely, then freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove.

What cut of beef is best?

Chuck roast is ideal: it has enough fat and connective tissue to turn meltingly tender over a long cook.

Slow cooker beef stew in a bowl with tender beef chunks, carrots, potatoes, and thick gravy, steam rising
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