Packed with fall-apart tender beef and lots of hearty vegetables, this easy slow cooker beef stew is the coziest hands-off dinner!
Beef stew was MADE for the slow cooker! And I’ve got the only recipe you’ll ever need for the rest of your life.
Spoiler alert: it’s almost laughably easy and pretty much impossible to mess up. The way a good slow cooked dinner should be.
There’s nothing fancy about this stew, folks, we’re just loading it up with ALL the tender beef and a full mess of tender vegetables. It’s also super adaptable to whatever veggies you have on hand! Keep reading for all my recs.
This Beef Stew features…
- Fall-apart tender beef cubes in a rich beef broth
- Hearty potatoes, carrots, onions, and peas
- Minutes to prep and cooks itself in the slow cooker
Making the Beef Stew
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Olive oil
- Beef stew meat
- Red wine
- Yellow onion
- Carrots
- Baby potatoes
- Garlic
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tomato paste
- Beef broth
- Bay leaf
- Thyme
- All-purpose flour
- Peas
Choosing Your Beef
I recommend using beef stew meat for this recipe as it comes pre-cut and ready for cooking. Alternatively you can also use beef chuck roast and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes for cooking.
Tips for Perfect Beef Stew
- Sear beef cubes – this starts building the foundation of flavor in the beef stew.
- Deglaze pan with red wine – this loosens those flavorful browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer everything to slow cooker – combine the beef/red wine with the rest of the ingredients in slow cooker and let it do its thing!
- Thicken stew with flour after cooking – remove a bit of the cooking liquid from the pot, mix well with flour, and stir back into the stew. This gives the stew a thick and hearty texture.
- Add peas after cooking – this will keep the peas from overcooking.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this stew.
- Use different veggies – try cubed butternut squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, or celery.
- Try more fresh herbs – try a few sprigs of rosemary, sage, or oregano.
- Make it alcohol-free – replace the red wine with beef broth and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar.
A bowl of this cozy beef stew + a huge hunk of bread is just the only way to do it! Just go ahead and add this one to your permanent dinner rotation already and thank me later.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More cozy soups to make next!
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup dry red wine
- 1 large yellow onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1-1/2 cups carrots, cut into 1/2-inch coins
- 1 lb baby potatoes, halved
- 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef cubes well with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sear beef all over in oil until golden-brown.
- Pour red wine into pan over beef, bring to a simmer, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer beef and red wine to a 4-quart slow cooker.
- Add onion, carrots, baby potatoes, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beef broth, bay leaf, and thyme to slow cooker and stir until combined.
- Cover slow cooker and cook beef stew on high 3-4 hours or on low 6-7 hours until beef and vegetables are tender.
- Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs and discard. Scoop out 3/4 cup broth and whisk into flour in a small bowl until smooth. Fold back into stew along with peas until combined.
- Season beef stew with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 11/18/25.
Leave a Reply