There are hundreds of Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipes, why make this one? Because you get rich, delicious flavor with no pre-browning or pre-cooking required! Plus, there is NO FLOUR added to this recipe, just a rich, flavorful and smooth sauce.
Prep up this meal in minutes and come home to the most delicious piping hot beef stew ready to serve!
What you need to know about this Slow Cooker Beef Stew:
- I made this in my 4 quart KitchenAid Multicooker, but any 3-5 quart regular slow cooker is fine
- The only prep time required is to chop the onion, carrots and potatoes
- I use a pre-made garlic herb seasoning blend to save time and ingredient prep, plus it’s one of my favorite seasonings for many dishes
- This recipe can be cut in half for 2 people or doubled for 8-10 people
- This recipe can be made ahead of time as a freezer meal and leftovers can also be frozen (see notes below)
The beauty of this recipe is that there are no complicated steps or extra pans or cooking supplies required. You simply add the ingredients to the slow cooker and let them cook all day.
Ingredient notes for this recipe:
- the recipe calls for beef tips but I realize this can mean many things. Any product marketing as stew meat, sirloin tips, tenderloin tip, etc. will work. You just want to ensure they are lean and tender. If in doubt, ask your butcher, I find they are always more than willing to help.
- I’m obsessed with this herb and garlic seasoning and use it in a lot of my recipes. There are other brands available as well if you can’t find this one at your supermarket and don’t want to order it. I’ve found versions at Aldi, Walmart and my local market, so I think you will find something no matter where you are located.
- instead of flour, which I find can make soups grainy or floury tasting, I prefer using tapioca pearls to thicken, especially when slow cooking. They thicken nicely without leaving a weird texture. If you can’t find them, you can thicken with a flour or cornstarch paste, but I’d highly recommend trying these if you possibly can. One bag will last you a long time.
- For potatoes, I’d recommend Yukon gold if you want them to hold their shape while still being mild and buttery tasting. If you don’t mind them getting softer and some of them dissolving a bit, you can use russet potatoes which is what I did.
Tips for cooking beef stew:
- while most recipes call for browning the meat in oil or butter before slow cooking, I skipped this step. The difference is so very minimal in my opinion that it’s rarely worth the extra effort. If you have a multi-cooker, you could brown without an extra pan to wash, but this is totally up to you. Try it without and see if you really notice a difference.
- as mentioned above, make sure you use lean meat. You don’t want a bunch of grease floating around in your slow cooker.
- to save time, feel free to use baby carrots so you don’t have to peel them
- you can also leave the skins on the potatoes as they will cook up nice and tender, just be sure to scrub them before cutting
Can I freeze beef stew?
Feel free to make this up ahead of time and store in a zipper bag in the freezer as a freezer meal. Then you can thaw and add to slow cooker.
I’d recommend not freezing the potatoes but adding them at cooking time instead as raw potatoes can turn brown/black in the freezer. You could also wait and add the broth at cooking time to save space and ensure you don’t have a leak.
You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container to thaw and reheat later. The potatoes may become mushy, but this isn’t necessarily a drawback.
Make this a complete meal:
Serve over a generous helping of Slow Cooker Cheesy Mashed Potatoes or with a side of prepared crusty bread from the bakery.
Other notes:
- If you love this Slow Cooker Beef Stew, you may also love my Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Gravy.
- Think you’ll make this recipe? Or have questions about it? Leave me a comment below!
- Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating in the comment section below!!
- You can also Pin this recipe to find it easily to make later!!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef tips
- 1/4 cup sweet onion (peeled and diced)
- 4 oz carrots (peeled and cut into large chunks (or use baby carrots))
- 16 oz potatoes ( cut into large bite sized pieces)
- 2 tablespoons small tapioca pearls
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons herb and garlic seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cup beef broth
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours
- Stir one more time before serving
Notes
- Use lean beef tips, sirloin tips, tenderloin tips or stew meat. If in doubt, request help from the market butcher.
- Any brand of seasoning labeled as garlic and herb should work. If it's salt free, you may need to add more salt to the stew after cooking.
- If you don't have tapioca pearls, you can thicken with a flour or cornstarch paste. Mix 2 tablespoon with and equal amount of water and stir in and allow to cook for at least 30 minutes on high. Repeat as needed.
- For potatoes, I'd recommend Yukon gold if you want them to hold their shape while still being mild and buttery tasting. If you don't mind them getting softer and some of them dissolving a bit, you can use russet potatoes which is what I did.
- you can broth the meat in an olive oil/butter mixture if desired before slow cooking, but I don't find this to be necessary for the success of the recipe
- to save time, feel free to use baby carrots so you don't have to peel them
- you can also leave the skins on the potatoes as they will cook up nice and tender, just be sure to scrub them before cutting
Nutrition
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Great recipe! Perfect for a snowy winter day. I followed all the directions except for the tapioca pearls which I could not find; I substituted this with the flour as suggested. This dish tasted delicious!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!