This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
There is nothing better on a cold day than comfort food. Our go to comfort food is this Quick & Easy Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe and its one of my favorite slow cooker recipes.
I love making stews in the Fall and Winter time but they can be a lot of work to make on the stove top. Making a beef stew in the crock pot is simple and easy to do and the flavor is even better!
It is a simple beef stew that can be thrown in the crock pot and slow cooked all day. You come home to a house smelling of this amazing crock pot recipe full of tender chunks of beef and tender veggies. It is the perfect meal on a cold and chilly day. My family loves this recipe.
If you like this recipe, make this Irish Beef Stew Recipe.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
Making easy beef stew recipe in the crock pot is one my favorite meals. It is so filling that you really don’t have to plan on sides when you make this meal. The stew is filled with fork tender stew meat, potatoes, carrots and green beans. It is the best comfort food on a cold, fall day that taste amazing with the savory flavors.
The best part is that the crock pot does all the work for you. This easy beef stew in the slow cooker is on my meal rotation in the fall. Try one of our other Beef Stew Meat Recipes.
Ingredients
- Stew Meat – The best meat for this stew is chuck steak. I like finding the stew meat that is already cut up, and it will specifically say on the package stew meat.
- Frozen Green Beans – You can also use frozen peas.
- Whole Carrots – Chopped in bite size pieces. You can also use the baby carrots.
- Russet Potatoes – Cut in small pieces. You can also use red potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes. But we think the best potatoes are Russet.
- Onion, chopped – You can chop these onions in smaller pieces or larger slices. It is up to you. My kids prefer that they are cut in smaller pieces.
- Crushed Tomatoes – You can also stew tomatoes as well. Use what you have.
- Worcestershire Sauce – This adds a some extra flavor. You can always omit this ingredient if you don’t have any.
That is all you need to make this delicious and easy crock pot beef stew. Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe in the recipe card.
How to Make Crock Pot Beef Stew
- Step 1 – First in a 6 quart crock pot, place the stew meat and the potatoes on the bottom. Then place the green beans, onions, and carrots on top.
- Step 2 – Pour the crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and the water on top. Next season all the ingredients with the salt and pepper.
- Step 3 – Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Each crock pot cooks differently so watch it closely toward the end of the cover cooking time. You’ll know it’s ready when the beef is tender and the potatoes are soft.
- Step 4 – Allow the beef stew to sit in the crock pot for a few minutes before serving.
- Step 5 – Serve warm and enjoy. That’s all that is needed to make this quick and best beef stew recipe.
Tips and Tricks
- Type of Beef – I usually use stew meat for this recipe, but you can also use beef chuck roast diced into 1 inch pieces if you your grocery store is out of stew meat.
- Vegetables – Also, use whatever veggies you love and have on hand. I love using carrots, potatoes and green beans. But this recipe would also be delicious with sweet potatoes, celery or peas instead.
- Prepare Vegetables – Try to cut the vegetables about the same size so they cook evenly and do not become mushy.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this delicious and easy beef stew recipe with my easy cornbread recipe. This recipe is simple to throw together in no time at all. There is nothing better than serving a perfect beef stew over a piece of cornbread.
I love cornbread so I have more than just one recipe.
Here are some other delicious and easy cornbread recipes that you can make to go with this stew recipe.
- Sweet Honey Corn Bread Recipe
- Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread
- Easy Cornbread Muffins
- Gluten Free Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
However, if you’re not a fan of cornbread, this would also be delicious served with homemade dinner rolls or these delicious Kings Hawaiian Rolls.
How to Reheat Stew
We like to reheat the stew on the stovetop if I am reheating a large quantity. You will simmer in a saucepan over medium heat until it is heat thoroughly.
If I am heating a bowl for myself, I will just reheat in the microwave. It takes about 2 minutes and I can enjoy a warm beef stew.
How to Store Leftover Beef Stew
We love leftover beef stew. I think all the flavors really marinate well together making the next day beef stew even better. The beef stew will last about 3-4 days in the refrigerator in a airtight container.
Can I Freeze Beef Stew?
Yes, you can also freeze your leftovers in a freezer safe container. I try to plan for extras as the beef stew makes for a great lunch for my husband. It will last about 4 months in the freezer so I know that I can plan on him having a great lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
The meat does not need to be browned before it’s added to the slow cooker. Some people think that coating the stew meat in a flour mixture and browning it (and deglazing the pan) before adding it to the crock pot adds a flavor to the stew and the flour thickens the sauce.
I have tried it both ways and I don’t think it’s worth the time and dishes that it takes to brown the meat before adding it to the crock pot, so I skip this step.
If you have a multi-cooker slow cooker that works as a stove top and crock pot than it would be easy to brown the meat on the sauté setting, then add in the other ingredients after you have browned the beef and switch it to the slow cooker setting.
I use 2 cups of water in the slow cooker for this easy beef stew recipe. I don’t like my stews to be soupy but I do want some liquid in the meal so through trial and error I have found that this is the just the right amount of liquid for the stews I’ve made.
This recipe is packed with flavor so I generally just use water for this recipe. However, its a great idea to add in beef broth, beef bouillon, or red wine to add more flavor to this stew recipe.
We like to cook on low because we think it helps to tenderize the meat. But if you are short on time, cooking on high works great too.
Once the stew is done, if the gravy is too watery, add a cornstarch slurry to the crock pot to thicken beef stew. To make the corn starch slurry, I combine approximately ¼ cup of cold water with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Then stir this mixture into the beef stew, cover and cook on high for 30 minutes to thicken the stew. Then serve the thickened beef stew over your favorite corn bread and enjoy!
This recipe can be made in an electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe is perfect for when you forget to throw the ingredients in the crock pot that morning. We have even made it in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
More Easy Stew Recipes
Easy Slow Cooker
Crock Pot Ground Beef Stew Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Pork Stew Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker
Crock Pot Chicken Stew Recipe
We love to hear from you. If you make this Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe, please leave us a comment or a star review.
Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs stew meat
- (1) 16 oz frozen green beans
- 3 whole carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 3 russet potatoes peeled and diced (peeled and diced into large pieces)
- 1/2 onion (chopped)
- 2 bay leaves
- (1) 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- In a 6 quart crock pot, place the stew meat and the potatoes on the bottom.
- Place the green beans, onions, and carrots on top.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and the water on top. Season with the salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 3.5-4 hours.
- Allow it to sit for a few minutes before serving.
Each crock pot cooks a bit differently. If the meal is too thin, you can stir in a cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water) into the crock pot for the last hour of the cook time to help thicken it.
Easy and tasty. But not thick, more like a soup. Maybe I did something wrong?
Made this today and substituted green beans for peas. It is absolutely delicious! Will be making this again soon b
I used 1 (14 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes in this recipe.
Yes, we love it!
I have tested it yet but I think they would work great in this recipe.
I have this great recipe for a delicious Crock Pot Spaghetti sauce that I love! https://www.eatingonadime.com/crock-pot-spaghetti-sauce-with-meat/
How much crushed tomatoes?
Delicious meal for the cold months ahead
Can you use frozen stew veggies for this recipe
Do you have a recipe for spaghetti crockpot???
Delicious as well as easy. Thank you for this recipe! I consider this a keeper!
Hi Carrie! I wanted to ask if you can cook this in an instant pot. What the time be? I love your recipes; most of our weekly meals & menu is made from your recipes. Thank you for sharing! Have a great day.
So glad you loved it!
I really loved this recipe! It’s very clear, easy to get, easy do make! Thank you very much!
I’ve tried several beef stew recipes over the years and this is by far the best one. Thanks for sharing.
This recipe is so yummy! I always make enough for leftovers because it is THAT good!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Made the beef stew for the first time, it was AMAZING!!! I shared it with a few people and was told it was the best they have EVER had!!! Definitely a keeper in my recipe book! Thanks for sharing!!!!
This beef stew is delicious!