Crock Pot Beef Stew is filled with tender chunks of beef, carrots, peas, potatoes, celery, and savory spices, it’s a wholesome family favorite that’ll keep everyone warm as the weather gets cooler!

With fall just around the corner (can you believe it?!), now is the perfect time to introduce you to this awesome Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe!

In addition to being totally delicious, most of the cooking takes place in a crock pot, which can only mean one thing: it’s easy to make!

Crock Pot Beef Stew is a cozy, hearty meal to enjoy once the weather gets cool. It’s filled with potatoes, peas, carrots, and celery, plus a ton of warm and savory spices like thyme, allspice, and bay leaf.

This recipe even calls for merlot, so it’s definitely a meal that’s made for comfort! (Although the alcohol cooks off, no one will stop you from pouring yourself a glass with dinner!)

And if you want to avoid the wine altogether, just substitute it for beef broth 🙂 Or you can use a Stout Beer if you’d prefer!

Table of Contents

How long does it take to cook in a crock pot?

This recipe takes about 4 to 5 hours on HIGH and 6 to 8 hours on LOW to cook in the slow cooker, but don’t cook for more than 10 hours.

Do you have to brown stew meat before putting it in the crockpot?

You don’t have to, but browning the meat is the thing that makes this Crock Pot Beef Stew especially tasty.

Before cooking, the beef is coated with flour, salt, and pepper, this makes the signature ingredient extra tender once it’s in the stew.

Then you’ll use the same pan to cook down the onions and garlic until they’re translucent. And after sautéing, the pan is deglazed with merlot and added to the crock pot for more flavor.

What Ingredients Are In It?

Each Beef Stew Recipe is a little different, personally, I’m a little biased and think this one is the best 😉 Probably because I add an extra ingredient to it that you won’t find in most others.

BUTTER!

Yep, a few tablespoons of salted butter added near the end of cooking brings this stew from common to crazy delicious with an extra dose of richness!

The ingredients in this Crock Pot Beef Stew recipe include:

Stew Meat
Salt
Pepper
Flour
Vegetable or Olive OIl
White Onion
Garlic
Merlot
Russet Potatoes
Celery
Carrots
Worcestershire Sauce
Allspice
Dried Thyme
Bay Leaf
Beef Broth
Peas
Salted Butter

How Do You Make It?

Even though there are a lot of ingredients and a bit of stovetop time, this recipe is actually quite easy to make!

Begin by trimming any fatty pieces off of your stew meat and ensure that each piece is approximately a 1-inch cube. You could also use a piece of chuck roast instead of stew meat and cut it into 1-inch cubes as well.
Next, toss the cubed meat with the salt, pepper, and flour in a large bowl until coated.
Then, add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large deep skillet, once heated, add the meat and brown it over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes on each side to give it a good sear and lock in flavor. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook the meat in two batches. Use this time to prep your vegetables.
Transfer the meat to a 6-quart crock pot and return the pan to heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add in the chopped onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until translucent. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add in the wine to deglaze the pan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to the crock pot.
Finally, everything (EXCEPT the peas and butter — those are added in the last 30 minutes of cook time) gets combined in the crockpot. As the ingredients simmer, all the flavors meld together to create a thick, wholesome, and delicious stew. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until meat is fall-apart tender. Add the peas and butter to the stew with about 30 minutes of cook time remaining. Stir the stew every couple of hours, if possible. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy right away, store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze right away (see next paragraph).

How Do You Freeze It?

Freezing beef stew is super easy and it allows you to prep meals well in advance which is especially helpful on those days where you want something cozy and delicious but don’t feel like cooking.

Let the beef stew cool down a bit before freezing.
Write the Recipe Name and Date Made on 4 heavy-duty quart-sized freezer bags.
Fill the bags with the stew and remove any excess air. I find that using a Baggy Rack makes this process a lot easier! Lay the bags flat in the freezer, once frozen, you can stack them as desired.
Frozen stew is best enjoyed within 4 months, but is safe to eat indefinitely if stored at 0 degrees F.
To thaw stew, you can either transfer to the fridge and allow it to thaw overnight OR you can run the bag under hot water to loosen it from the sides of the bag and then transfer it to a saucepan to reheat.

The other thing I love about slow-cooked meals is how their aroma fills your house! When this Beef Stew Recipe is simmering, it definitely smells like some good home-cookin’!

With a little preparation, Slow Cooker Beef Stew is an easy weeknight meal to enjoy with the family, especially in the midst of everyone’s crazy fall schedules. Stews also make great leftovers too — just re-heat and enjoy.

As the weather gets cooler, you’ll start craving warmer meals. This Crock Pot Beef Stew is comforting, wholesome, and simple enough to make all season long.

More Delicious Comfort Foods:

Let’s Connect!

If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!

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