{"id":1351,"date":"2026-02-06T14:14:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/airfryerchickenwings.com\/slowcooker\/?p=1351"},"modified":"2026-02-06T14:14:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:14:51","slug":"beef-stew-crockpot-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/airfryerchickenwings.com\/slowcooker\/beef-stew-crockpot-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Beef Stew Crockpot Recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
\n

This delicious Beef Stew Crockpot Recipe is a family favorite. Even my picky eaters ask for seconds when I make this easy crock pot beef stew! <\/em><\/p>\n

Made with simple ingredients, this slow cooker beef stew is the perfect comfort food to have ready and waiting on a cold night. Even if you don\u2019t know how to make beef stew, I promise that this easy stew recipe will produce absolutely scrumptious results!<\/p>\n

\n
\"Beef<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

BEEF STEW RECIPE<\/h2>\n

One of the things I love most about this recipe is that it\u2019s a pretty flexible recipe. You can switch up the ingredients and even some of the cooking methods.<\/p>\n

My family enjoys this beef stew made with potatoes, carrots and peas. Any combination of those beef stew ingredients will work, but you can also get creative. Mushrooms, celery, pearl onions, turnips and even radishes can also be added to this yummy stew recipe.\u00a0This is a great recipe to adapt to either your family\u2019s tastes or whatever ingredients you have on hand.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Beef<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In many beef stew recipes the main ingredient is listed as \u201cstew meat\u201d. Stew meat is kind of a catch all phrase. When I\u2019m trying to figure out what the best meat for beef stew is, I like a bit more guidance than that. It\u2019s helpful to have a few meat options as it makes it easier to shop the sales.<\/p>\n

BEST MEAT FOR BEEF STEW<\/h3>\n

While you can buy pre-cut \u201cstew beef\u201d it\u2019s not usually the choice I go with. In general tough cuts of beef with plenty of collagen are ideal for beef stew. These are often found from either the front shoulder or the rear end. A bonus is that these are often less expensive cuts of beef.<\/p>\n

The goal with beef stew is to find flavorful cuts of meat that are tender, juicy and melt in your mouth after cooking. To achieve this, the right cut of beef combined with slow and low heat is key.<\/p>\n

Here are a few good choices for meat:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Chuck, Chuck Shoulder, Chuck Roast, Top Chuck<\/li>\n
  • Bottom Round Roast, Bottom Eye Roast, Rump Roast, Top Round, Round Tip Roast<\/li>\n
  • Pot Roast, Beef Shank, Boneless Beef Short Ribs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    My go to is typically chuck, but if another one of the cuts is on sale, I won\u2019t hesitate to go with it.<\/p>\n

    CROCK POT BEEF STEW<\/h2>\n

    Now that you\u2019ve selected your beef, the next decision is if you are going to sear your beef. My recommendation is always to sear your meat before using it for beef stew. If however you are in a hurry, or just don\u2019t want to sear your stew meat, you will still have delicious dinner. You just won\u2019t have quite as much flavor, but it will be fine, I skip this step about half the time.<\/p>\n

    Should You Sear Meat For Beef Stew?<\/h3>\n

    Searing, or browning, your meat is all about building flavor. When you sear your meat, you cook it at a high temperature until a crust starts to form and the surface begins to caramelize.\u00a0This really helps to creates that deep and savory flavor.\u00a0I typically cut my beef into chunks, dredge in flour, salt and pepper, then sear it in two batches.<\/p>\n

    Tips For Searing Meat For Stew<\/h4>\n
      \n
    1. When you sear meat, your pan needs to be HOT. The high temperature helps caramelize the meat.<\/li>\n
    2. Cooking oil in your pan helps create even caramelization and prevent uneven cooking.<\/li>\n
    3. Don\u2019t overcrowd the pan. This is why I brown my stew meat in two batches. Two pounds of stew meat in one pan is overcrowded. When you don\u2019t have any room between the pieces of meat, you end up steaming your meet instead of searing.<\/li>\n
    4. Meat releases from the pan once seared. If you place your meat into your hot pan and try and turn it too soon, it will most likely stick to the pan. Once it has seared, it should easily turn over for you to allow you to brown the remaining sides.I don\u2019t fuss too much in making sure every square inch of my meat is seared, I\u2019m in the most is good enough camp on that one.<\/li>\n
    5. After you transfer your beef to your crock pot, there is still one more thing to do with that hot pan! Use some of the beef broth in the recipe to deglaze the pan.This will allow you to scrape all those delicious little flavor packed beef bits off the pan so you can transfer them to your beef stew crockpot for cooking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
      \"Crockpot<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

      Pan For Searing Meat<\/h4>\n

      I sear my stew meat in my All-Clad 3qt Saute Pan. This is my all time favorite piece of cookware. My Dad gave it to me as a gift three years ago and every single time I use it, I\u2019m pretty smitten with it.<\/p>\n

      Granted most of my cookware is older than my kids, and we\u2019ve probably eaten way too much Teflon coating, but my point is this. If you have one NICE pan in your collection, this one gets my vote. I love this pan so much I gave one to my assistant and one a friend this Christmas!<\/p>\n

      \n
      \"bowl<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

      HOW TO MAKE BEEF STEW IN A CROCKPOT<\/h2>\n

      Vegetables For SLOW COOKER Beef Stew<\/h3>\n

      Not only do you have some flexibility in what vegetables you use in this beef stew recipe, you there is some flexibility in how long you cook them.\u00a0My family strongly prefers our veggies on the more firm side. Because of this, I add my carrots and potatoes mid-way through the cooking time. This is totally a personal preference.<\/p>\n

      Also, see those nice, bright green peas? I thaw frozen peas and add them right before serving. I strongly dislike mushy dark green peas. They remind me of canned peas from my childhood.\u00a0Thawed frozen peas will cook very quickly in your beef stew, so you can add them in a few minutes before serving if desired. Make sure they are thawed, if you add frozen peas to the beef stew crockpot, you\u2019re going to bring the temperature down quickly.<\/p>\n

      Thickening Beef Stew<\/h3>\n

      When making stew, I want stew, not soup. A thin, runny beef stew is never the outcome I\u2019m going for.\u00a0To help thicken up my beef stew I make a slurry of the stew broth and cornstarch. 30 minutes prior to serving, I scoop out about 1\/2 cup of the liquid from my beef stew crock pot. To that I add 2-3 teaspoons of cornstarch which I quickly whisk to blend.<\/p>\n

      Once blended I pour the slurry into my stew, gently stir it into the crock pot, then let it finish cooking. That little bit of slurry to thicken beef stew always does the job.<\/p>\n

      USING A CROCK POT TO MAKE BEEF STEW<\/h2>\n

      There are so many crock pots on the market. From different sizes to styles, there is quite a bit of variation in crock pots and slow cookers. Here are a few helpful tips for making beef stew in a crock pot.<\/p>\n

      Crock Pot Size<\/h3>\n

      For this recipe I used my 5-quart Crock Pot. My advice would be not to go any smaller than that. A 4-quart might work, but you won\u2019t have much room for stirring. Crock pots that are 6-quarts would work great, and you can probably get away with a 7-quart as well.<\/p>\n

      If you are in need of a new crockpot, I currently have my eye on this 6-quart CrockPot. It\u2019s extremely well priced and has a tremendous number of positive reviews. It\u2019s a great, simple slow cooker.<\/p>\n

      Crockpot Cooking Times<\/h3>\n

      I\u2019ve owned a couple different slow cookers and crockpots. One consistent thing I\u2019ve found is that they aren\u2019t actually that consistent in their cook times.\u00a0<\/strong>The same recipe in a 4-quart crockpot isn\u2019t going to cook at the same rate as if you put it in an 8-quart crock pot. While my slow cooker simply has High, Low and Warm for temperature settings, others have far more specific settings.<\/p>\n

      Add in age, how well the lid seals, how often the lid is opened, and basically cook times aren\u2019t always black and white in a slow cooker. Use the times listed in this recipe, and others, as a guide.<\/p>\n

      The more you use your crock pot the better idea you will have of how it cooks. I had one crockpot that ran very hot, where warm was more like high. When you know if your crockpot runs a bit warm or cool, you can compensate with your cooking times.<\/p>\n

      RECIPE NOTES:<\/h4>\n

      This recipe has been so popular that I\u2019ve gotten some great feedback. Here are some tips based on what you have all had to say!<\/p>\n