It's easy to make and one of the best beef stew recipes. This simple classic features tender chunks of stew meat, soft potatoes, and carrots in a rich tomato sauce. It's also a versatile small-batch recipe—you can make it for two in a mini crock pot or larger for a crowd. You can also make it faster in one pan on the stovetop.
🐄Ingredients
Beef stew meat—pre-cut or trimmed a sirloin tip or chuck roast
Vegetables—Yukon gold or red potatoes, carrots, frozen peas
Aromatics—onion and garlic
Pantry ingredients—beef broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, salt, pepper
Optional ingredients—flour for browning, dry thyme, bay leaf
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐄Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make Crock Pot Beef Stew—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- ⏰How long to cook beef stew in a crock pot
- 👨🍳Cooking tips to make it right every time
- ✔️Meat tips and variations
- ✔️Vegetable tips and variations
- 🔥Stove top instructions:
- ♨️Other crock pot stew and soup recipes
- ↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe
- 🍽️Serving
- ❄️Leftovers—storage and reheating
- ❓FAQs
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Comment by Lauren:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This beef stew is the best! I made the smaller version and it was absolutely perfect."
This easy slow-cooker beef stew recipe is old-fashioned, homemade comfort food that will warm you to the bone on a cold day.
With only a short prep to enhance the flavor, it cooks all day in the crock pot for a delicious dinner when you get home. I have provided one-pot stovetop instructions if you need them.
You will love other small crock pot recipes, like Small Crock Pot Chicken Stew, Small Crock Pot White Chicken Chili, or Small Crock Pot Chili.
👨🍳How to Make Crock Pot Beef Stew—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Use precut stew meat or cut your own from a chuck roast.
2. Chop an onion.
3. Optional: Dust the beef with flour and brown it over medium-high heat. Add to crock pot.
4. Cook onion with the tomato paste and garlic. Deglaze and add to crock pot.
5. Add all ingredients except the peas to the crock pot and stir well. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
6. Add the frozen peas for the last hour of cooking.
7. Add more time if the meat is not tender and the potatoes are soft.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
⏰How long to cook beef stew in a crock pot
On low, this takes 8 hours, or on high, it takes 4-5 hours. Some beef may take a bit longer, so check the meat and potatoes for tenderness and extend the time by an hour or two if needed.
👨🍳Cooking tips to make it right every time
The secret to tender beef stew is not to undercook the stew. Cook until the meat and vegetables are tender.
You can skip browning the meat, and cooking the onion on the stovetop will only slightly change the outcome. Just dumping the ingredients into the crock pot works.
Like all stews and soups, more or less of the meat or vegetable will be fine.
It is acceptable in the crock pot on the "keep warm" setting for an hour or a bit more if needed for your timing.
✔️Meat tips and variations
You can use pre-cut stew beef or cut your own from sirloin tip or chuck roast. I recommend cutting your own, giving you more control over the final results. You can control the trimming and the size. More importantly, you can choose well-marbled meat for more tenderness.
Soy sauce enhances the beef flavor. Many recipes use Worcestershire sauce, which you can use instead. Tomato paste also boosts the beef taste.
✔️Vegetable tips and variations
Any potatoes can be used. If you use russet potatoes, they should be peeled. If you use the specified Yukon Gold or red potatoes, you don't need to peel them. From ½ pound of potatoes, you will get about 1 cup of cubed potatoes.
Do not cube the potatoes or the carrots too small, or they can easily overcook.
Other common additions include celery, green beans, parsnips, and sweet potatoes.
🔥Stove top instructions:
- Use a Dutch oven.
- Following the crock pot instructions, include the browning of the meat coated with flour. Remove the meat and cook the onion as directed, scraping the browning off the bottom of the pan for more flavor.
- Add everything to the Dutch oven. Turn up the heat, when it starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer and cover.
- Simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours. If the meat is not fall apart tender or the potatoes are not tender, simmer an additional 30 to 60 minutes.
♨️Other crock pot stew and soup recipes
Other crock pot stew and soup recipes
Check out these tasty classic crock pot soups, like Crock Pot French Onion Soup, Crock Pot Ham Bone and Bean Soup, Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup, and Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup.
Small Crock Pot Chicken Stew
This easy crock pot Chicken Stew recipe features tender chicken, potatoes, and lots of vegetables in a tasty broth. This versatile small-batch recipe can be made for two in a mini crock pot or scaled up for a crowd.
↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe
The full recipe makes about 8 cups of 4 large servings and fits nicely in a small 3 to 4-quart crock pot but may be made in a full-size slow cooker. Perfect for our "for two" household for two meals.
This is a very easy recipe to cut in half or double.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to half or double.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- The half recipe will fit in a 2-quart mini crock pot.
- A double recipe fits in a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
- Cook for the same amount of time.
🍽️Serving
I like to serve it with some fresh-cut vegetables and a bread like Stand Mixer Peasant Bread or Easy Dinner Rolls. Or try Cornbread Biscuits or Old Fashioned Cornbread.
❄️Leftovers—storage and reheating
Store leftover beef stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days or in a freezer for 3 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator first if frozen. Then reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan over medium heat, but the microwave will work, too.
❓FAQs
Yes, and the results will still be very good. But the browning the beef with a dusting of flour before adding it to the crock pot will add some depth of flavor with a Maillard reaction.
Cooking the onion, garlic, and tomato paste will release so flavor—small but still worth adding.
This is a thick stew, so you are more likely to want it thinner than thicker. Just add ½ to 1 cup of beef broth to your preference.
Tapioca or cornstarch thickens this recipe. Add 1 tablespoon of tapioca at the beginning of cooking. To thicken with the cornstarch, make a smooth slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of cold water, then add the peas near the end of cooking.
📖 Recipe
Small Crock Pot Beef Stew
Video Slideshow
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Ingredients
- 1 ½-2 lbs stew beef or trimmed sirloin tip or chuck roast
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced or crushed
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- ½ lb red or Yukon Gold potatoes - cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 carrots - peeled cut into ½ inch medallions
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce - low sodium
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaves - Optional
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme - Optional
- 2 tablespoons AP Flour - Optional for browning
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil - Optional for browning
Instructions
- Use pre-cut stew beef or trim about 1 ½ to 2 pounds of boneless chuck roast or sirloin tip into 1-inch cubes. Give it a light dusting of flour and place in hot oil over medium-high heat in the large skillet—brown for about 7-8 minutes. Move the meat to the crock pot, but keep any liquid in the pan.
- While browning meat, peel 2 carrots and cut them into ½-inch thick medallions. Scrub ½ pound of red or Yukon gold potatoes and cut them into chunks. Other potatoes could be used, but if using russet potatoes, peel them.
- Dice 1 medium onion and crush or mince 2 cloves of garlic. Add onion to the hot pan with oil over medium-high heat. Add the tomato paste after a couple of minutes. Cook until onions are soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic for the last minute.
- When the onion is ready, add 1 cup of beef broth to the pan and scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add all ingredients except the peas to the crock pot and stir well. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Add the frozen peas for the last hour of cooking.
- Cook longer if needed for tender meat and vegetables.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Instructions for a half or a double batch are in the recipe post.
- Stovetop instructions are in the post.
- This recipe makes about 2 quarts as written and will fit a 3-quart crock pot. However, I recommend double the recipe and using a 6-quart or bigger crock pot.
- I prefer to cut and trim a chuck roast or sirloin tip for this, but beef stew meat will work fine.
- If you're in a hurry, skip the whole browning skillet steps. Just dump it in, and it will be great.
- Check for beef tenderness before stopping cooking. Some beef may take a bit longer.
- Leftovers are good in the refrigerator for 4 days or 3 months in a freezer.
- Nutrition is calculated on a large serving size of about 2 cups.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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I started with a Cooks Country crock pot beef stew recipe (subscription required), but it is unrecognizable now. As usual, Cooks County made a lot of fuss, but it has been removed, along with some other adjustments, and the size has decreased.
Publisher Note: Originally published March 5, 2011. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation. Also, the technique has been updated a small amount to current my practice.
Alexis says
Is the only liquid besides the soy sauce 14 oz beef broth? Does that end up being enough?
DrDan says
Hi Alexis,
Welcome to the blog.
Yep, it is a stew so thick. Fluid does come out of some of the components. If it is too thick for you, add some more broth.
Dan
Dea says
Well once again, another winner of a recipe from you!!! Made this today and I was salivating the entire day, the house smelled soo good! The stew tasted as good if not better than it smelled!! It was husband approved which is important and we have plenty of leftovers to look forward to later in the week! This has got to be the most flavorful stew I've ever made... it's definitely a keeper! Thank you once again!
DrDan says
Hi Dea,
Welcome to the blog.
This is a recipe I only do a few times per year and always say I'm going to do it more. It is also on my conversion to pressure cooker list (if that ever happens).
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Thomas says
Sounds good, and pretty easy. Your directions (both in the post and in the recipe) say to add 6 oz. of tomato paste, but the ingredient list only has 3 oz. Can you let me know which is correct?
DrDan says
Hi Thomas,
Welcome to the blog.
The model recipe used 6 oz, which is a full can, but is a bigger recipe. I have done this recipe 25-30 times and now use 6 oz. for this size of recipe. When I re-edited the post last winter, I made it 6 oz and missed the one spot.
Sorry for the error. The increase in the tomato paste enhances the deep beefy taste.
Dan
Michele says
This recipe is super easy and tasty! Thank you for posting the least intimidating beef stew recipe on the internet. I will definitely try the thyme next time, just to see if I'm missing anything.
DrDan says
Hi Michele,
Thanks for the note. I do like relatively simple cooking.
Dan
Judy Uhl says
Do you peel your potatoes or leave the skin on?
DrDan says
Usually on. Also I have started to coat the cubes of meat with flour and brown that either before or after the onion part then do the rest of the recipe as stated.
Jack B says
Hi Dr. Dan,
Have you tried this in an electric pressure cooker? If so, how long did you cook it for?
Thanks!
DrDan says
Don't have one so I haven't tried it. I still remember the great pressure cooker explosion my mother had from years ago.
Bill Schick says
What is a serving size? 1 cup? 1/2 cup?
DrDan says
A little over a cup.
Darlene says
Would you have a recipe for dumplings to go with the stew? I'm not sure if they would be doable in a crock pot.
Susan says
Sure did love this beef stew. It had been too long, and I had never used the crock pot! Just for fun, sometime, steam some frozen Brussels sprouts till ready to eat and add with/or instead of the peas. It's a family favorite around here and the only way SOME people will eat Brussels sprouts (I cut them in half BTW). Kind of like adding cabbage to veg. soup. Cheers!
Jill says
When did you brown the meat? Before the onions?
DrDan says
In the recipe and at ATK the meat is not browned. However I now usually brown the meat after the onion. I remove the onion then add the meat to get some nice searing then deglaze. Not really necessary but I think a little more taste.
Lamia says
Can you sub cornstarch for the tapioca? And if so, how much do you recommend? Thanks!
DrDan says
Yes and no... The corn starch thickens nicely BUT it tends to break down with ongoing cooking and does not reheat well. So yes if you do it at the end and eat the whole thing. Not good otherwise. I have no luck with flour and crock pots at the end of cooking but here I brown the meat so coating with flour prior to the browning is also an option. Potato flakes are another possibility.
DrDan
Backi says
I'm not sure where the tapioca goes? I'm a novice :)
DrDan says
Just add it at the beginning and it will be fine. If you skip it, it will be a little thinner.
DrDan
Nikki says
I just made this and it was the best stew ever. I substituted half homemade chicken broth and half red wine for the beef broth, because that is what I had in the house. Just delish, and I never, ever comment online. Even my super picky oldest child, who eats nothing, pronounced it good.
DrDan says
This is one of my most under-appreciated recipes. I do really like this one also.
Thanks for the note
DrDan
Linda says
My husband and I just love your recipes. We especially enjoy the instructions and the pictures which make preparing the food easy. And the occasional misspelled word makes us chuckle and wonder if it's on purpose!!!
DrDan says
Thanks for the comment. This misspells are me at full speed. I need to slow it down a bit at times...
Martha (MM) says
Thanks so much for linking up your slow cooker recipes for my slow cooker recipe index. I have to say that yours look so appetizing! These are just the kind of meals I was looking for!
Jeffrey and Juli says
Juli here. I totally agree with you that Cook's Illustrated Recipes are completely fussy and overly complicated. Jeffrey thinks the fussiness is worthwhile, but it would absolutely make me crazy to cook the way CI does every day. Your beef stew looks great! Thanks for the recipe variation for the crock pot.