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! ↓↓↓
Another reason why I love your recipes! We have the same seasons (I am in South Africa), so your recipes are always right on time!
I must try this recipe, I am good with curries, but my stews come out very bland. 🙁
Will let you know once I try it!
Yes!!! I love that too, it dawned on me recently that there’s far less countries on our season cycle!! 🙂 N xx
You say ya’ll are in the midst of another summer, well Spring hasn’t sprung in Texas yet. We had the freeze this weekend that should have come before Easter. My poor tomato plants are suffering from the chill. Saturday started out at 36F and never climbed above 49F, that would have been a good day for this stew.
Thanks for all the readers comments previous to mine. I will need to try Polenta in the microwave. I have been known to use a commercial Bloody Mary Mix for soup stock and/or V-8 vegetable juice. I can’t cook with wine, the nitrites in the wine do not like me.
This may become a go-to meal if it doesn’t start to warm up soon.
Huh??? It’s still cold in TEXAS??! What the…. that’s freaky!!! PS I love the V7 vegetable juice tip, I’ll try that one time instead of the wine 🙂 N xx
Hello Nagi Perfect timing to publish this recipe for us in Sydney as today is a cooler day and perfect to try your Beef Stew! It looks delicious! I might add some parsnips instead of potatoes and I think mashed potato is a MUST with Beef Stew. I like to add one or two strips of orange peel to my stew as it adds a lovely subtle orange flavour and smells delicious! PS Dozer is looking like the King of the Castle in that photo!
Orange peel! There’s one I haven’t heard of – I love it!! N xx
Yes, yes, THATS WHAT AM WAITING FOR. LOVE, LOVE COMFORT FOOD. YES WE ALSO SERVE WITH BREAD. TRY INSTAD MASH, BARLY OR PALENTA, CORN MEAL, YUM! Yes still hot, today 29C, country side 38C the sun just DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE. Am heading down beach again. Hope you have good week and Dozer is nice to You.
Enjoy the heat Vera, we’re going to be whining about the cold in a couple of months!!! 😂
In Hawaii I served beef stew with rice. The rice does a great job of soaking up the gravy.
I love that!! I must confess I’ve never tried any stew with rice and I can’t figure out why not! N xx
Wow, wow, wow, Nagi. You make brown food look sexy! I could practically taste that gravy from the screen. 🙂
Thank goodness, it’s going to be a bit cooler today, but it’s worth turning on the AC for this meal if one needs jumper weather to truly enjoy your stew.
We usually eat stew with mashed potatoes AND bread. If we throw potatoes into a stew, most times I choose to turn them into smashed potatoes on my plate to soak up the gravy while my husband enjoys chunked potatoes.
Have you tried the Woolworths Pane di Casa? The last time we shopped we found a Potato and Rosemary version for the first time, and I can’t believe how tasty it was. To find another loaf to serve with this stew would be so satisfying but even the plain flavour is wonderful. Perhaps I’ve been in Australia too long, but it’s the closest texture to NYC bagels I’ve found here. (Bagels sold here used to make me weep with disappointment, lol. Have you ever teared up when you’ve looked forward to eating something prepared by others but it didn’t meet your expectations?)
Thank you so much for including instructions for the different cooking methods; we picked up a Breville All in One pressure cooker/slow cooker last year and everything just tastes richer when we cook in it.
Eva, Zabar’s Deli in NYC, will ship bagels abroad. The shipping will be astronomical, because it’s pretty hefty for just the approx. 130 miles to where I live, but it can be done. There used to be 2 or 3 places here that made good bagels too, but those days are long gone, sadly, and even more unfortunately have been dwindling a bit in the city too as many famous old deli’s have retired and closed their doors. King Arthur Flour provides real bagel recipes and easy instructions and ingredients online. I’ve heard it’s the water in NYC that makes the big difference, but don’t quite believe it since bagels used to taste the same when made here locally as well, so it might be worth making them at least once anywhere to see how they turn out.
Thanks for the info, Wynn. I heard the same thing about the water (attributed to Larry King?) but in Brooklyn, specifically. I used to buy them in Houston from a bakery started by 3 brothers from New York and they set the standard for me. My poor Aussie husband (who is content with grocery store bread bagels) has been dragged anywhere I have even heard a whisper about bagels for the last 2 decades. Just this weekend we drove out to Richmond, NSW. I was considering taking the plunge in making my own but have been hesitant because we have a tiny kitchen but I’ll give the King Arthur Flour recipe a try.
YES I HAVE!!! You know what?? I think it might be the recipe from Sonoma – did you know they sold their bread recipes to Woolies??? I hear you on the bagels – don’t get me started on them. I have tried so many and now I’ve officially given up. Even the so called famous Bagel Boys. Meh! Dry! Tasteless! It kills me. A great bagel with cream cheese and lox….. and the other thing is PASTRAMI. 😩
It must be the Sonoma recipe, then, because I’ve enjoyed the Pane di Casa better than any artisan bread I’ve found or baked myself. It sells out fast in my local store so I dance a little jig whenever I find a loaf. 🙂
Thanks to Wynn, I’m going to give homemade bagels a try with the King Arthur Flour recipe. Did you know Woolies sell smoked pastrami in the deli? It might be worth a try for an Aussie version of NYC bagel love. My favourite, though, is Don Latvian Liverwurst and Polish sausage (kielbasa) although Aldi Knackwurst is good enough if I haven’t been out to the Polish deli.
OH YES!!!!! This sounds wonderful today…there is 3 ” of snow on the ground here in IL !!!! I have not heard of beef stew over mashed potatoes but I think that would be delicious!!!!! Great tip on browning meat well….that is a step I am guilty of not always doing…but certainly will with this recipe…..I LOVE Dozer….what a special creature!!!!!
Whhhaaat??!!! SNOW still?? Is that normal at this time of the year???
No Nagi snow is not normal in IL in April!!! Should be in 70’s today though…snow is gone!!!!
Well, that is completely new to me, that stew is served with mashed potatoes or polenta! I have never come across that, personally, nor in a cookbook or food magazine, either. That is very interesting. The fresh bread straight from one of the local bread baking companies, and with luck still warm and slices slathered with butter, is definitely a must with beef stew. I do like stews as savory as your recipe, but also like a very stripped-down version, too. No Worcestershire, no tomato, no garlic–just lots of beef and cubed potatoes with a diced onion, celery, carrots, bouillon, pepper, and water, thickened at the end with flour, and a touch of Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet. Stew is one of the things it is difficult to stop eating and easy to overdose on! As you say, browning beef extra well (in butter) is key for making the best stew! I’d once used a recipe tip and browned the cubed potatoes in butter also, prior to deglazing the pan and putting all into a slow cooker, and that had worked very well for slow-cooked stew! But, mostly make stew in a big stockpot, and just pop the carrots and potatoes into the pot near the end in time for them to be tender for serving. Gotta love stew!
Oh, in the savory (pot roast-flavored) stews, peas are usually to be found as a feature in that stew type in this part of the world, also, and in most stews containing a tomato product of any sort. The stripped-down stew type is a bit different also, in that it has a considerably higher ratio of stew broth (sans wine), similar to the ratio of a soup, only more thickened and somewhat opaque and lighter in color, although the Gravy Master or Kitchen Bouquet can darken it, of course, but the big trick is entirely concealing any taste of flour. Only the onion and celery are simmered the entire time with the beef, some people saute them first, some don’t so the onion becomes completely translucent in the broth, with the carrots and cubed potatoes being added later. Actually, savory stews are quite heavy on the stew broth aspect here also, which is very likely the reason why bread-dipping is such a big feature, and also why neither are served with mashed potatoes or polenta, since those would be swamped by a veritable tsunami of thickened stew broths, which are often considered the best part of the stews, and somewhat tragic if on the skimpy side. However, (Yankee) pot roasts and brisket pot roasts, which are very similar to savory stews including vegetables, are quite often made with a dark, slightly thickened gravy, and often served with mashed potatoes, polenta, and even in some places with grits. If it’s got plenty of carbs and gravy, count me in, because I’m bound to love it!
Ohhh I love reading all that Wynn! Thank you so much for sharing that information 🙂 It always interests me to hear how recipes are made and served around the world! PS Plenty of carbs and gravy? You and me, always. BRING IT ON! N xx
Never apologize for promoting rich, brown, luscious gravied meats!! I could die happy in such a puddle. (I studied your photos for butts…Ha ha…but couldn’t see anything remotely like the remnants of a cig! Maybe a sideways shot of celery could have been mistaken for such:))
“I could die happy in such a puddle.” <-- Message of the DAY!! 😂
You have me drooling! I’d probably be competing with Dozer. Can you believe it is spring in Indiana and there is snow on the ground? Where are the flowers? Where’s the warm weather? Your stew looks so doggone good! I, of course, would serve it with polenta. And a light salad would be ideal along with it plus a nice glass of pinot noir. *sigh* We have some chuck in the freezer — I hear it calling me. It wants to be transformed into a tasty beef stew. Have a wonderful day. Sending hugs to the both of you!! 🤗🤗
I heard that spring is late!!!! Which totally makes sense given our Endless Summer here 🙂 As for polenta – THANK YOU for the idea! I am totally trying that next time I make stew! 😘 N xx
Nagi: Love the recipes. I must confess that the beef stew pictures I got today had one that looked to have a cigarette butt in it. I’m just curious as to what it was. Recipe saver from 3 or 4 years. Ed Conwath Truro Nova Scotia Canada
Looks like a delicious one inch piece of celery to me!
CIGARETTE BUTT??? 😩 😂
PS It’s celery!!! At least, I think that’s what you’re seeing…??
You must have been reading my late mother’s recipe box card. Just the way she would make it, especially the Worcestershire touch.
Two comments for when you are fiddling around in the kitchen: try replacing some of the celery with diced fennel bulb.
As for bread or mashed potatoes, another option is polenta. You can cook it in a microwave using a four to one ratio of water to maize meal by volume. Cook on high for four minutes, stir it, and repeat for a total of four times. Then I usually add grated fontina or cheddar and cook it a bit longer–perhaps finishing it in the oven if I want a crust. Still, since you already have the spuds in the stew pot, I won’t think I would use anything but a bit of sourdough bread to sop up the final goodness in the bows.
Thanks for the idea about how to cook Polenta. Never would have thought to use it nor how to make it in the microwave. Kathi
I learned the polenta microwave trick about thirty years ago. When I don’t add cheese, I may stir in some olive oil. I imagine you could also do it in a slow cooker on low for six to eight hours. I cook steel cut oats that way.
Oh, I’ll second that thank you! That sounds loads easier than the way I’ve made it! The microwave is excellent for cooked puddings too, especially boxed mixes of chocolate, vanilla, and other cooked puddings….soooo much easier and virtually fool-proof. I prefer making puddings from scratch, and don’t really mind commercial boxed mixes of certain puddings, but cannot abide any of the uncooked, instant pudding mixes. Microwaving pudding is just as easy as making instant pudding, so there is really no reason to settle for instant at all.
Ohhhhh! That’s such a great idea, I MUST TRY IT!!!! Thank you so much for sharing that tip 🙂 N xx
I absolutely love hearing that it reminds you of your mother’s David! As for the microwave polenta – YOU GENIUS, YOU!!! N xx
And I loved hearing of the suggestion of using orange peel. I think I saw that in a Patricia Wells beef daube recipe, and maybe also in a Jamie Oliver book. In any case, orange peel is a classic with beef. I also love the way this recipe has stimulated so much discussion.