Beef Stew calls for simple ingredients, but it’s a stunner! Hearty and economical with meltingly tender beef, you’ll love the deep, rich flavour of the sauce that develops from hours of slow cooking. Serve over mash and mop your bowl clean with crusty Artisan bread or Irish Soda Bread.
For the set-and-forget Slow Cooker version of this Beef Stew, see here.
Beef Stew
The Queen of Brown Food strikes again. Back to back brown foods, possibly the two MOST brown foods in the world – a curry on Friday, and now a Beef Stew recipe today.
*Head smack* I will never be a magazine editor. Can you imagine? Page after page after page of brown, saucy goodness….. (*she cheers at the vision, you groan at the thought! 😂)
A well made beef stew is a thing of beauty. While it’s easy to make, it takes a little more than just “chucking it all in a pot” (or instant pot) then leaving it to simmer until the beef is tender.
Best beef for beef stew
The best beef for beef stew is chuck beef because it’s reliably juicy and succulent. It is a tough cut of meat that needs to be slow cooked to make it tender enough to eat, and it’s nicely marbled with fat which keeps the beef succulent. See FAQ for thoughts on other beef cuts and why they aren’t my preference for beef stews – brisket, ribs, cheek, gravy beef, bolar blade and oyster blade.
Cut BIG pieces yourself – I really urge you to buy a large piece of beef chuck and cut it yourself into large 3.5 cm / 1.5″ pieces so they don’t cook too quickly and fall apart during the long slow-cooking time. Pre-cut stew beef is usually cut too small for this recipe, though the thick cut beef chuck steaks that are carried at some grocery stores and butchers here in Australia will work, as long as they are cut thick enough!
Key tip: brown the beef well
The better the browning, the more brown stuff you have stuck on the bottom of the pot* = better sauce flavour with a deeper, richer colour. You’ll see in the recipe video how the base of my pot is basically entirely dark brown when I finish browning the beef.
* The brown stuff is called fond and whenever you sear meat, fish or prawns/shrimp in the pan, you should do everything in your power to use it in a sauce or similar because it’s flavour, flavour, flavour!
How to make Beef Stew
Beef stew is really straight forward to make, it just takes patience to give the meat time to become meltingly tender and the sauce to develop rich flavour.
Season the beef with salt and pepper.
Sear the beef well on all sides – in batches, because if you cram them all in at the same time, they will steam and won’t brown well.
Sauté onion and garlic in the beef drippings so they soak up all that amazing flavour. Then stir in the carrots and celery to coat it in the flavours too.
Add beef stew sauce ingredients – beef broth, red wine (great for extra flavour, but can be skipped), Worcestershire sauce (savouriness and depth), flour (to thicken) and tomato paste (to thicken + a touch of sour to balance richness).
Add potatoes, bay leaves and thyme. The liquid will be covering the ingredients at this stage.
Slow cook for 1 hour 45 minutes with the lid on until the beef is almost fall apart tender.
Simmer for a further 30 minutes without the lid to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken.
Serve – Then it’s ready to serve!
Slow cooker and pressure cooker options
To make this in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, see the separate recipe here – Slow Cooker Beef Stew. If you use this Beef Stew verbatim and cook it in the slow cooker instead of the stove or oven, you don’t get quite the same rich flavour in the sauce. So I’ve altered the recipe slightly to make it suitable for slow cookers and pressure cookers so you won’t sacrifice flavour for convenience!
What to serve with Beef Stew
I personally don’t serve stew with anything other than mashed potato. I know, I know, I’m sooo boring! 😂 Here are some other options for those of you who aren’t as straight as me:
Cauliflower Mash – for a low carb alternative
Mashed Sweet Potato or other mashed veggies (parsnip, pumpkin or other root vegetables)
Polenta, rice or bread – mop your plate clean with this quick No Yeast Irish Soda Bread or no-knead Crusty Artisan Bread!
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Beef Stew FAQ
See my Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe. It is the same stew as this recipe, but it’s designed slow cookers, pressure cookers and Instant Pots.
To make this gluten-free, use cornflour / cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce which should be added in as a cornflour slurry at the end rather than beginning (because cornflour doesn’t like prolonged boiling, it loses its thickening power).
I recommend this over using gluten-free flour because some gluten free blends containing lots of rice flour can occasionally taste a little grainy. Cornflour is a more reliable way to thicken the sauce.
Also, make sure the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock cube are all gluten-free, not all brands are.
I’ve popped these directions in the recipe card!
Yes, this would work beautifully with pork shoulder, lamb shoulder or goat, though I would starting checking a little earlier to see if the meat is tender enough.
Beef chuck is reliably juicy and tender in stews, so it’s my first choice. Here are my thoughts on other slow-cooking cuts of beef and why I don’t use them in this stew:
Brisket – too lean (better to slow cook it whole and slice, recipe here)
Gravy beef – Cut from the shin / shank area and tends to be sold in steak slice form which are too thin to cut into large stew-size-pieces. If you can find large pieces though, it can work, it is a nice gelatinous cut that becomes tender with slow cooking though bear in mind it may take a little longer to become fork-tender.
Generic “beef casserole” cubes of beef – I steer clear of these as I don’t know what cut they are, the pieces are typically far too small to use in stews, and more often than not they are not marbled with fat.
Beef rib (boneless) – Too fatty. And very hard to scoop the fat off the surface.
Beef cheeks – They would work beautifully if kept whole but Id’ need to figure out how many and how much sauce to make (because you’d keep them whole, if you cut into pieces, they twist and buckle when slow cooked so they don’t look very nice). See here for a lovely slow cooked beef cheeks recipe.
Bolar blade and oyster blade – These can be slow cooked but don’t have as much beef flavour and are leaner, so I’m not the hugest fan of these cuts for slow cooking.
4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer. And though some argue otherwise, I truly believe all stews taste even better the day after you make it!
Watch how to make it
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Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg / 2.4lb chuck beef , cut into 3.5 cm / 1.5″ cubes (Note 1)
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +50% for flakes)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil , divided
- 1 large onion , halved then cut into 1 cm / 2/5″ slices
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 3 carrots , cut into 2.5cm / 1″ pieces on the diagonal
- 2 celery stalks , cut into 2.5 cm / 1″ pieces
- 1/3 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
- 3 cups beef broth / stock , salt reduced
- 2 cups red wine , bold and dry (Cab Sauv, Burgundy, Merlot) (Note 2)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves , fresh or dried
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 400 g / 14 oz baby potatoes , halved
- More salt and pepper , if required
For serving
- Mashed potato
- 1 tsp finely chopped parsley , optional garnish
- Crusty bread , for bowl mopping and dunking
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Season then brown beef, remove from pot. Sauté onion and garlic, then stir in carrot and celery. Stir in flour, then broth, wine, tomato paste and Worcestershire. Stir. Add beef, herbs and potato, stir. Slow cook 1 hour 45 min with lid on then 30 min lid off. Serve over mash.
FULL RECIPE
- Season beef – Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper.
- Brown beef – Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy based casserole pot over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add 1/3 of the beef and brown aggressively all over – about 4 minutes. Remove to bowl, repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil if required (if you don't use enough oil, the beef will just burn rather than brown).
- Sauté – Turn down heat to medium high. Add 1 tbsp oil if required. Add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes until onion is softened slightly and golden on the edge. Add carrot and celery, stir for 1 minute to coat in flavours.
- Make sauce – Sprinkle flour evenly across surface, then stir to coat (the flour will thicken the sauce). Add broth, red wine, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to dissolve tomato paste and flour into liquid.
- Add browned beef (including any juices), thyme, bay leaf and potato. Stir. Liquid level should almost fully cover everything (see video), if not, add a touch of water.
- Slow cook 1 hr 45 min covered – Bring to simmer, then adjust heat to low / medium low so it's simmering very gently. (Note 3 for other cooking methods) Cover and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes or until beef is pretty tender (check with 2 forks at 1.5 hrs).
- Simmer uncovered 30 minutes – Remove lid and simmer for further 30 minutes or until sauce reduces slightly. It should be like a thin gravy (see video) and beef should now be very tender.
- Check seasoning – Taste the sauce and add more salt if required.
- Serve over creamy mashed potato with a sprig of fresh thyme for decoration or a sprinkle of parsley (Note 4).
Recipe Notes:
– SLOW COOKER and pressure cooker: See separate recipe here. Same stew, but recipe altered to suit slow cookers and pressure cookers. Also use that recipe for Instant Pot, but do the stove steps in the Instant Pot using the sauté function. 4. To make this gluten free, use cornflour/cornstarch instead, as follows: Mix 3 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch with 3 tbsp of water and stir that into the stew at the very end once the meat is fall-apart tender. Simmer for a few minutes and the sauce will thicken. I recommend cornflour over using gluten-free flour because some gluten free blends containing lots of rice flour can occasionally taste a little grainy. Also make sure your Worcestershire sauce and beef stock cubes are also GF, not all brands are. 5. Other serving suggestions: with warm crusty bread for dunking (try this easy rustic no-yeast Irish Bread or Crusty No-Knead Artisan Bread), polenta, rice, cauliflower mash (low carb option), or other mashed root vegetables (carrot, parsnip, pumpkin, sweet potato). 5. STORAGE / LEFTOVERS – Refrigerate or freeze, then thaw before reheating on the stove or microwave. Tastes even better the next day because the flavours develop even more. 6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 6 servings. I like to trim excess fat from the beef but this is not factored into the nutrition. Stew only – not mashed potato.
Nutrition Information:
This Beef Stew recipe has originally published April 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters in January 2019 – no change to recipe!
More cosy Stews
Slow Cooked Chicken Stew and Faster Chicken Stew – when you need a rich stew on the table in under an hour!
Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff Stew – fall apart beef in a creamy Stroganoff sauce!
Browse Winter Warmers recipe collection
More slow cooked fall-apart meat
I’m a big fan of slow cooked meats!!
Browse the Winter Comfort Food collection!
Life of Dozer
THIS is Life Of Dozer! ↓↓↓
Hi Nagi! My boyfriend and I just made this today and it turned out AMAZING! We added some mushrooms and 4 whole cloves, which gave it an interesting taste with a nice aromatic smell. We may also add a stick of cinnamon next time to test it out. Thanks for always providing these recipes. I’ve made quite a few of them now and I always check out your website first when thinking of a new recipe. I appreciate the time and effort you put in, so thank you again!
It’s snowing here and we’re sitting by the fire smelling the stew in the oven. I just stirred it an gave it a taste”oh my g..” it tastes amazing! I added mushrooms and put it in the stove to thicken while I do up the mashed potatoes. Yummy just another winner Nagi ! Thanks
I have made this several times now, follow it to a T every time except we don’t drink so I sub more beef broth. It is absolutely fabulous, truly a show stopper. Thank you, Nagi!
Try balsamic vinegar instead of wine for acidity and flavor.
Absolutely delicious! I love all of your recipes that I have tried! Thank you Nagi
I made this today and it was delicious. I only had pinot noir and I didn’t want to leave the house so I added bone broth and a little brown sugar. Next time I’ll try it with a nice cab. Thanks!
What size of slow cooker is this recipe suitable for?
Hi Rita, use a cooker that is at least 6 Litres. N x
I have this in the slow cooker now and just about ready to serve it up. I used quite a highly marbled whole oyster blade cut up nice and chunky. I stole a piece of meat just now to taste it and the flavour is AMAZING! The beef is so tender and succulent. Five starts all the way from me Nagi. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Have made this three times, the third time was last weekend for our beautiful neighbours who foster four children. Added frozen peas at the end, so a meal in a dish. We love it as do they.
Thanks again, Nagi.
Delicious! Rich flavour, meat falling apart. I added mushrooms and more carrot and left out the potatoes so I could serve on mash. I love you recipes Nagi. Made lots of them and they’ve all been fabulous.
LOVE THIS RECIPE!!
I’ve made it multiple times now and the family loves it. Super tasty. Plenty of delicious disguised veg. I do eliminate the baby potatoes because with serve it with a heap of cheesy garlic mash. You are my go to food inspiration site for cooking guidance. Thanks Nagi
Cheers Prue
I’ve made this stew, the Irish Guiness stew and Beef Cheeks all in my stove top pressure cooker, and all turned out perfectly. Only thing different is that I steamed the potatoes and added them at the end. Not all pressure cookers are made equal, so it’s a matter of making slight adjustments to suit whatever you’re using. As mine is a stove top one, I don’t cook on high, as most things would actually burn ( learnt this the hard way!),but bring to pressure, then reduce to a medium cook for 50 mins – works every time! It would probably be different again with an electric one. Really enjoy your recipes Nagi – always reliable when I’m stuck for inspiration.
I’ve used this recipe multiple times in my pressure cooker and haven’t had any issues. I followed the recipe exactly. Not sure what happened to yours but being angry won’t solve it either.🤷♀️
I will continue using all of the recipes as I find them all exceptionally delicious and the instructions are always accurate and helpful. Good job, Nagi
Do you just remove negative comments? I followed the pressure cooker instructions and it was very badly burnt after 40 mins, I suggest you try it yourself and adjust the recipe time to more like 20 mins. Won’t be using any of your recipes seeing as you are effectively dishonest by removing valid criticism!!
Hi Rachel – not at all. I just sometimes get overwhelmed by the number of comments that come through and don’t get through every single one. I get hundreds of SPAM comments everyday and while most are captured, many are not. So I have to manually approve each and every comment – and sometimes I fall behind! I’m sorry to hear you had problems but I have made this in my pressure cooker a number of times including just recently this winter here in Australia, and have never had a problem. With the volume of liquid in this stew, it should not burn in a pressure cooker given no liquid evaporates out. In fact, because of this, when made in a pressure cooker, the sauce is a bit on the thin side and needs reducing. If your stew burned, it sounds like your seal is broken, causing liquid to rapidly steam out which would dry out the stew and yes, it would burn. I do take offence at being accused of being dishonest and yes, I do think it’s best if you don’t use any of my recipes ever again. Plenty of others out there for you to choose from! 🙂 I wish you all the best. – Nagi
Now THAT is a classy response Nagi. If people were more like you, the world would be a better place. PS I LOVE your recipes. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Well played Nagi.
I love your recipes, you have turned me from someone who couldn’t successfully heat up soup to a reasonably accomplished cook, and I thank you for it.
Greetings from Auckland. I made this beef stew tonight and the family loved it. I followed your recipe to the T except for the bay leaf and thyme. I was out of bay leaves and the time had been removed from the garden by my husband who thought it was a weed! So glad I used the tomato paste and wine. I usually avoid stews with tomato paste – not sure why. I used rump because it was on special and cooked in the crockpot. Added a cup of frozen peas in the last half hour because I LOVE peas. Served with creamy mashed potatoes. Comfort food and its best! Next time I’ll make it with 2kg of beef so there’s enough for our lunches the next day. Love your recipes Nagi!
I have a vegetarian staying and she’s away this weekend so decided a full red meat recipe was in order… wow, your beef stew ticked ALL the boxes during winter…..my carnivorous appetite has been satisfied… will use the leftovers as a pie tomorrow night… thanks again Nagi 🙏🏻
Yummo. Made this last night for dinner. The meat was so tender. The flavours outstanding. The whole family loved it. Will be making again for sure.
Hi Nagi, wanting to make this tonight and double the the recipe. Do I double all ingredients if doing it in the slow cooker? Including the liquid?
Thanks 🙂
Hi Nicole, yes double it all – enjoy! N x
Wonderful flavours and the beef was tender and delicious. Perfect for dinner on a cold winter night. I took some over to my elderly neighbour for his diner too and he loved it!
Greetings from Sydney! I only have scotch fillet in my fridge. Will the result be simular? Thanks Nagi!
Hi May, that will be fine here! Enjoy! N x
Being from Ireland, stew is one dish we can’t live without, my mother makes the best one and this is on a par, so delicious. I love the simplicity of this recipe. I had been adding herbs and spices previously to try and get a depth of flavour and it was always a disaster! I make this at least once every couple of weeks, it’s amazing, thanks Nagi!