Slow Cooker Beef Tips (With Gravy!)
There’s no better use of the slow cooker than to make tender beef tips with savory gravy. With the option to simmer all day, the beef cooks perfectly as the gravy infuses flavor. Everyone will enjoy this home-cooked classic served over potatoes, rice, or noodles!
What’s To Love About This Recipe
- Beef tips need to be cooked just right to achieve the best texture and flavor. Instead of hovering around the oven or stovetop, you can save time and energy with the slow cooker. It ensures the beef tips cook to the perfect tenderness and are infused with flavor from the gravy.
- This beef tips and gravy recipe is an easy choice to serve with a variety of sides, such as a carb and some veggies.
- With the slow cooker, you can prep the ingredients and truly let them simmer for hours! By slow-cooking the beef tips – or your choice of stew meat – you enjoy a tasty meal with very little effort.
- The brown gravy consists of simple ingredients with no extra sugar or added preservatives. It’s a much healthier option than many slow cooker recipes using premade packets and canned soups!
- Beef tips or stew meat are a good choice for a budget-friendly meal! If you want to add a hearty beef dish to your rotation, this is a popular choice that just about anyone will love. Plus, you can ensure that the recipe is both dairy-free and gluten-free.
- This recipe makes generous servings and is a wonderfully simple option to pair with other sides. It certainly tastes gourmet, but could not be easier!
Ingredients Needed
Just a handful of ingredients are needed for a simple and delicious beef and gravy dish.
- Stew meat or other beef tips – I used stew meat because it is lean, already evenly cut, and perfect for the slow cooker. It just makes it that much simpler to create this dish! There is some flexibility on meat cuts as long as you choose something lean and cut it into similarly-sized pieces.
- Flour – Use flour to create a light coating that will thicken the gravy.
- Yellow onion – Dice a yellow onion to add a little sweetness and texture.
- Tomato paste – This adds depth of flavor and adds richness to the gravy.
- Herb and garlic seasoning – I love a hand-mixed seasoning blend and this is one of my favorites to use for beef and chicken recipes! Mix up an extra batch or two while you’re at it to save for later, or use your favorite store-bought version.
- Salt – Add just a bit of extra salt to the recipe. Depending on the salt content of your preferred herb and garlic seasoning, you may need to add more or less.
- Beef broth – I like using beef bone broth for added protein and nutrition. Choose one that you prefer – regular, no-salt-added, organic, or other.
How To Make Beef Tips With Gravy In The Slow Cooker
This is the best recipe to prep on a busy morning or when you just need to get something in the slow cooker quickly. With just a few steps, you can enjoy the smell of hearty beef and herbal flavors wafting through your kitchen – and get excited about your plate at dinner!
- Add stew meat to the slow cooker.
- Add flour and stir the meat to coat it evenly with flour.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Serve beef tips and gravy over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
Try a few swaps to make this recipe work with the ingredients you prefer:
- Beef cuts – Any lean cut of beef should work for this recipe. I recommend cutting the beef into smaller pieces for even cooking. This also prevents the need to shred it before serving.
- Veggies – You can add mushrooms or other veggies in the last couple of hours of cooking. I suggest using frozen mixed veggies to pair with the gravy, or you could simply serve your veggies on the side.
- Gluten-free – Swap out regular flour for an all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Seasonings – You can also use all-purpose seasoning, steak seasoning, or other seasoning blends. Feel free to experiment with the flavors and adjust to your liking.
How To Serve Beef Tips With Gravy
Oh the possibilities of delicious carbs to serve alongside savory gravy! Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, wide egg noodles, or fluffy rice would all be great options with tender beef and lots of extra gravy.
As you get close to mealtime, prepare some Oven Roasted Carrots as a tasty side. For more options, you could also add a toasted dinner roll, garlic bread, or a fresh side salad.
If you want to serve a lower-carb meal, try mashed cauliflower with butter, or keep the whole meal dairy-free with Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes.
Storing and Reheating
Leftover beef tips and gravy can be easily stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you have leftover rice, you could also portion servings to save for later and have a complete meal ready to go!
To reheat, defrost in the fridge if needed, then add beef tips and gravy to a saucepan or use a microwave-safe dish.
Slow Cooker Beef Tips (With Gravy!)
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stew meat or other beef tips
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon herb and garlic seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt add more or less depending on salt content of herb and garlic seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
Instructions
- Add stew meat to slow cooker
- Add flour and stir meat to coat it evenly with flour
- Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours
- Serve beef tips and gravy over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice
Notes
- Store leftover beef tips and gravy portioned into individual containers in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost, then reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave.
- To make gluten-free, swap regular flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Nutrition
Beef Tips FAQs
- Do you need to brown the beef tips before putting them in the slow cooker? After testing different variations, I have not found a clear benefit to browning the beef tips before adding them to the slow cooker. You certainly can brown them if you prefer, however I think reducing prep time and being able to put them straight into the slow cooker wins!
- Can you overcook beef tips in the slow cooker? Yes, beef tips can be overcooked in the slow cooker when they start to turn tough and begin to dry out. To prevent this, test the beef tips near the end of cooking time to see if they are fork-tender. You can also use an internal thermometer to ensure they have reached 145 ℉, and then turn the heat setting to warm or completely off.
- Are beef tips the same as stew meat? Beef tips are usually cut from sirloin or tenderloin, and stew meat usually comes from a tougher cut of meat such as chuck or rump roast. Stew meat often has more connective tissue, which needs more cooking time to break down. Tips and stew meat are often used interchangeably in recipes, with slight variations in cooking time.
- Why are my beef tips chewy? Beef tips can be chewy when they haven’t been cooked long enough for the muscle fibers to fully tenderize. Other causes could be a lack of moisture or overcooking and becoming dry.
