Name: Easy Slow Cooker Round Steak Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 255 min
Total time: 270 min
Ingredients: 2 ½ pounds top or bottom round steak; 8 oz mushrooms (sliced); 1 sweet onion (sliced); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon homemade Italian dressing mix or Italian seasoning; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon pepper; 1 cup beef bone broth; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 3 tablespoons tapioca flour ( mixed with water to make a slurry); 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

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For a dinner meal that feels fancy, but requires minimal effort in the kitchen, try this Easy Slow Cooker Round Steak Recipe that is full of savory flavor and tender meat.

served plate of mashed potatoes, corn niblets, and slow cooker round steak and mushrooms garnished with onions on pink surface

Lean cuts of meat like round steak have minimal marbling (fat), which means they can be easy to overcook and quickly turn into a tough and chewy meal. Thankfully, the slow cooker can be a lifesaver when you want to try economical and simple cuts of meat, like round steak, with a guarantee to make them juicy and tender.

Easy slow cooker round steak will be sure to impress and can be plated with numerous sides to soak up the extra gravy!

Ingredients Needed

The combination of seasonings, broth, and cream makes the most delicious creamy gravy. You won’t want to skimp on any of this list! You’ll need:

Meat – You can choose a top-round steak or a bottom-round steak. These cuts will come from the back side of the cow and are lean and tough textures. Slow cooking breaks down tough meat fibers and makes tender meat.
Vegetables – Slice or buy pre-sliced mushrooms – white button or cremini varieties would be great. Also, add sweet onion, sliced into thin strips.

garlic powder, real salt, coarse black pepper, and onion power, mixed spices, and blue measuring spoons on a blue surface

Seasonings – A concoction of seasonings is key to the flavorful gravy that results at the end! Include garlic and onion powder, Easy Homemade Italian Dressing Mix or Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper.
Gravy – Use beef bone broth – this can be found in a premade paste to mix with water or in liquid form. Also include Worcestershire sauce, and heavy whipping cream to add an overall richness to the gravy. Lastly, you’ll need a little bit of tapioca flour mixed with water to make a slurry that thickens the sauce.

organic worcestershire sauce and packet of kettle & fire classic beef bone broth on a blue surface

How To Make Slow Cooker Round Steak

Begin by adding the round steak to the bottom of the slow cooker and spread the sliced mushrooms and sliced onion across the top.

slow cooker containing grass fed angus beef, baby bella mushrooms, and sliced onions on top

Next, add all of the seasonings (garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning mix, and salt and pepper), along with the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce.

slow cooker containing grass fed angus beef, baby bella mushrooms, and sliced onions and spices on top

Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Near the end of the cooking time, create the slurry by mixing the tapioca flour with water. Stir in the slurry and heavy whipping cream to the slow cooker and let it heat for 15 minutes until it thickens for a delicious gravy.

slow cooker with cooked with easy slow cooker round steak recipe inside with a ladle inside

To plate, slice or pull apart the beef steak, and serve with spoonfuls of gravy and mushrooms over the top.

Best Sides To Serve With Slow Cooker Round Steak

One of my obvious choices for any beef with gravy is to serve some fluffy mashed potatoes to help savor every bit of the round steak gravy. Slow Cooker Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes will do just that! Wide egg noodles are an excellent side to serve plated up with a ladle of gravy and mushrooms.

Crunchy, buttery corn is a great contrasting side to serve on the same plate. Other vegetables to complement the flavor of round steak and mushrooms are crisp green beans or a bit of sweetness in Slow Cooker Carrots with Herbed Honey Butter Sauce. Combine your veggies all-in-one with Slow Cooker Roasted Fall Vegetables.

Round Steak FAQs

Which kind of round steak works best for this recipe? You can choose either a top round cut (more tender) or a bottom round cut for this recipe. A round steak is one of the leanest cuts of beef as it comes from the hind and back legs of a cow. This is typically a large cut of meat and is very uniform in texture and fat distribution which means you won’t see a lot of white( or fat) across the muscle.

What are round steaks good for? Round steaks are great for making a large quantity of beef because it is usually very affordable per pound. These steaks can be used in recipes that use small or thin cuts of meat such as stews, fajitas, or stir-fries. Usually round steaks are marinated, braised, or served with a delicious sauce.

What is the best way to cook round steak so it is tender? Choose a cooking method that is “low and slow” – whether braising, roasting, or slow cooking. Also, leaner meats need liquids during the cooking process to keep them from drying out over an extended cooking time.

Do you cook round steak fast or slow? Cooking on low is the preferred way to cook leaner cuts of meat to allow plenty of time to tenderize.

Recipe Substitutions and Additions

For low and slow cooking, swap similar types of beef such as sirloin or a chuck roast. These cuts of meat are also located in larger muscle groups so they tend to be lean and will cook in similar timeframes.

You could also easily add in more veggies to complete your meal!

Make this recipe pot-roast style by also including carrots and potato quarters in the slow cooker. To ensure all ingredients cook evenly, be sure that the slow cooker does not become too crowded. A good general rule is to not fill the slow cooker over about ¾ full.

If you do not have tapioca flour, you can swap the same amount of cornstarch. To make this recipe dairy-free, look for a lactose-free heavy whipping cream.