This hearty slow cooker beef stew recipe is perfect for a cold winter evening. Tender chunks of beef are simmered for hours to create a thick, tasty stew with rich flavor.
On a cold winter day, nothing is more satisfying to come home to than this crock pot beef stew recipe and some crusty bread for dipping.
The nights are darker, the days are shorter, and we have less energy to spend time making a hearty meal for the family.
That's where this crockpot beef stew comes in handy. It takes minutes to prepare, it's healthy, low fat, and high in protein to keep you fuller for longer.
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✔️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Here's why we think this is the best slow cooker beef stew:
- It's an easy beef stew recipe
- No need to babysit pans
- Uses simple ingredients
- Low-fat and healthy with a great flavor
- Higher in protein using oats instead of all purpose flour
🛒 Ingredient Notes
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities and full instructions at the bottom of this post.
Cooking oil spray - we use Fry Light for an unofficial Slimming World beef stew. Alternatively, if not on a weight loss plan, you could use olive oil
Diced beef - this is chuck steak diced with the excess fat trimmed and discarded to make it lean or leave on for the best flavor. Alternatively, you can make it as a slow cooker pot roast.
Vegetables - red potatoes, russet potatoes or Yukon gold, diced onions, sliced carrots, celery, and red pepper for a sweet flavour. You could also add frozen peas
Tomato puree - this is concentrated tomato sauce, AKA tomato paste
Herbs and spices - dried oregano, or use Italian seasoning, optional bay leaves and salt and ground black pepper
Balsamic vinegar - for sweet acidity, or use Worcestershire sauce
Beef stock - made with water and beef stock cubes, or add cold water and stock cubes straight into the pot
Quick cook porridge oats - to make a Gluten Free thick stew while slow cooking instead of making a flour mixture with water. Or mix a cornstarch slurry if preferred
📋 Instructions
Here you can follow along with our cooking process in the step-by-step images, or video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Spray a large frying pan with Fry Light and sear the raw beef on all sides.
Then transfer it to your slow cooker.
Now add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker.
Note: if using new potatoes, you may prefer to steam cook separately and stir in at the end for freshness.
Give everything a good stir.
Now's the time to add any optional ingredients, such as a bay leaf, a red wine stock pot, etc.
Cover with a lid and cook on
- Low heat for 3-4 hours
- Medium-high heat for 6-7 hours
Then remove the bay leaf, stir in any potatoes if cooked separately, and serve in bowls.
Tip: if this is the first time making beef stew, try not to skip the extra step of searing the meat first on a stove top or sear/saute function. The browned bits are the best parts as they add so much flavour to the pot.
👩🍳 Substitutions
Here are a few simple swaps you can make and still have a delicious meal around any dietary requirements:
- Oil spray - swap for olive oil, coconut oil, rapeseed, etc
- Stock - use gluten-free stock if required, don't swap balsamic vinegar for Worcestershire sauce, and ensure your oats are manufactured safely
- Oats - swap for corn starch mixed with water
- Diced beef - swap the beef stew meat for minced beef, diced chicken, pork, lamb, sausages, turkey, etc
- Vegetarian - swap meat for red lentils and an increased amount of vegetable stock
⚖️ Variations
For the ultimate comfort food, you can practice making good beef stews with the following adaptations:
- Spicy - add chili flakes and a drizzle of Siracha
- Deluxe - Reduce a cup of red wine over medium heat and make up the rest with stock. Or for next time, replace the water with beer or ale
- Kid friendly - add dumplings during the last hour of cooking, which are even more comforting on a cold night
This traditional beef stew can also be made into this Lancashire beef hotpot with sliced potatoes or a mashed potato topping on a cottage pie.
🔪 Equipment
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- Slow cooker or dutch oven
- Weighing scales
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Potato peeler
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring jug
- Frying pan or large skillet
❄️ Storage
Storing - for the best beef stew, we prefer eating it freshly cooked, but it can be stored in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Freezing - cool to room temperature and again, store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Reheating - If you want to eat the next day, defrost in the fridge if required and microwave until piping hot, or on the hob or stove.
💡Pro Tip
- For melt in your mouth beef in the winter months, use a meat tenderizer for tender beef and bash the meat to break down any tough tissue, and increase the cooking time
- For best results, brown the meat in a pan first, then deglaze it with the beef stock to get every bit of flavour you can
- This great recipe serves 2 large servings, but for more people, double up all of the ingredients, but only add an extra cup of beef broth
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Bread: serve with some crusty bread for dipping, crackers, or breads like cheese and onion muffins, cornbread, or and potato kugel
Vegetables: make this cozy beef stew go further by serving to 4 people, but with steamed vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, crispy parmentier potatoes, etc
Wholegrains: serve with a portion of brown rice, beans, lentils or quinoa, or wholewheat pasta
Salad: enjoy alongside a warm roasted Mediterranean salad with vine tomatoes, courgettes, and aubergine.
❓ FAQ
Yes, this classic beef stew recipe is even easier in the Ninja Foodi and Speedi because it all cooks in the same pot as they have a sear/saute setting to brown the beef. We cook it on high for 4 hours, or low setting for 7 hours.
Yes, we sometimes cook this as an Instant Pot beef stew recipe, similar to our keto beef stew. It takes 35 minutes under the "meat stew" setting.
For large cast iron dishes, it's perfect over the hob or in the oven. Similar to the slow cooker times, you can cook with the lid on directly over heat on a simmer for 2 hours, 30. Just make sure you stir occasionally to ensure it's not catching; if not, you may need to add a touch more water.
For ovens, I stew beef with the lid on or cover a casserole dish with tinfoil and bake on low heat at 160c degrees(180c, gas mark 4, 350F) for 2-3 hours.
➕ More Popular Slow Cooker Recipes
Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Here are some of our most popular and favorite meals:
🍽️More Stew Recipes
These homemade stews are sure to warm you up on cold winter nights:
📖 Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- Low calorie cooking oil spray
- 400 g lean diced beef
- 2 onions peeled & diced
- 1 celery stick diced
- 2 carrots peeled & sliced in to chunks
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 red pepper deseeded & chopped
- 2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 beef stock cubes
- 400 ml water If doubling to serve 4 peopel, only add 1 extra cup of beef broth
- 2 tablespoon rolled porridge oats (13 grams) *to be counted or used as your allowance
- Seasoning
- 300 g Potatoes Cut into large chunks
Instructions
- Spray a large frying pan with frylight and sear the meat on both sides then transfer to your slow cooker.
- Now transfer everything else to the slow cooker, cover with lid and set on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4.
- Once cooked, add the steamed and halved new potatoes and stir well.
- Season again if needed and serve.
- And don't forget, if you enjoyed it, why not tag me with a photo on Instagram (#TastefullyVikkie) so I know you've made it!
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
Video
Notes
- For melt in your mouth beef in the winter months, use a meat tenderizer for tender beef and bash the meat to break down any tough tissue, and increase the cooking time
- For best results, brown the meat in a pan first, then deglaze it with the beef stock to get every bit of flavour you can
- This great recipe serves 2 large servings, but for more people, double up all of the ingredients, but only add an extra cup of beef broth
Lizzy
Going to try this today but I’d like to use chicken instead. Anyone tried it with chicken? How long should I slow cook it for?
Heather
What seasoning is used please?
Vikkie Lee
Hi, it's just a good sprinkle of salt and pepper 🙂
Leigh
Hi if I double the recipe do I double everything? Does the time remain the same? Thanks.
Vikkie Lee
Yes, I would cook exactly the same time 🙂
Izzy
Delicious! Whole family devoured it. Lovely recipe.
Lizanne
I have cooked my beef cubes and veg, toms, musrooms and red wine
Overnight about 15 hrs on,low. The meat is tender, I checked at 10 hours and
Meat was chewy. Added instan gravy granules to thicken. Pleased with the result.
Elaine P
I love this recipe, it can be hard to thicken SW slow cooker dishes ( and keep them sync free) but the oats do that and are not visible once it's all cooked. This is my traditional New Year's Day steak pie, having it with mashed potatoes and a pile of speed veg. Thank you for such a simple tasty recipe. Happy 2017 to you and yours x