Hearty Beef Stew in Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
The weather is perfect for this beef stew recipe. It’s been cold outside and when we mean cold, it’s down to the low 50’s. Some of you friends might be laughing at us as you’re sitting in blizzard county, but remember that So Cal is always notoriously mild during Winter. We’re quite spoiled here when we’re basking in warm afternoon sun during the Winter. But that doesn’t keep us from craving warm, comforting foods to keep us warm when it’s 55°F outside. That’s when this hearty Instant pot beef stew comes in as a stellar weeknight dinner to feed and fuel us after a long day.
Video: Saucy and Flavorful Beef Stew Recipe
Instant Pot Beef Stew {Pressure Cooker}
We’re not new to the Instant Pot cooking craze and we definitely have our fair share of slow cookers. So when we’re craving this awesome and flavorful beef stew, we have the perfect cookers to make dinner simple. The Instant Pot is a fantastic tool because it cooks even frozen meats to tender perfection. Pressure cooking beef stew is much faster than cooking beef stew in the slow cooker. Also, to get the beef, potatoes and carrots really tender, you have to cook it longer in the slow cooker. If you forgot to put out your meat to thaw, the Instant pot can cook it much quicker than a slow cooker can.
Which cooker to reach for when making our beef stew?
Well, if you have all day you can just make it in your slow cooker. And when you come home, dinner is served! If you’re short on time or need dinner quicker, then the Instant Pot or pressure cooker should be your go-to cooker. So basically if you plan ahead and are not rushed for dinner, then the slow cooker will do just fine. If you were a little more spontaneous and not-so-organized like we were, then the Instant pot or pressure cooker will have dinner in about an hour.
Rich and Flavorful Beef Stew with Veggies
The flavors of our beef stew are rich and savory. It’s because we love adding soy sauce or Worcetershire to the mix. The combination of the umami and the beef, stewing with all the veggies creates a fantastic bowl of flavorful stew. Everything binds tougher perfectly and you’ll have enough food to feed a family of 4 for two days. Or if you have leftovers, make a beef stew pot pie. That’s next on our list! Enjoy!
Photos: How To Make Beef Stew in Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Our Favorite Cookers:
Whether you prefer a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or a multi-cooker, these kitchen counter appliances help make dinner a little easier for the busy household:
The Crockpot 6qt. Slow Cooker – The original slow cooker. On this on the lid locks down which is great for transporting to potlucks and such. Simple, inexpensive and reliable.
Instant Pot Multi-use Pressure Cooker – It has cult-like following for a reason. It’s a pressure cooker and so much more. Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, & Yogurt Maker. It’s awesome! If you want a pressure cooker that has a few more bells and whistles (like hands free steam release), this Breville Pressure Cooker is also great.
Cuisinart Multi-Cooker – If pressure cooking is a not your thing but want a bit more than just a slow cooker, this multi-cooker is perfect for you. It can Sauté, Steam, and Slow Cook. Perfect to create those one pot meals.
Amazing Beef Stew (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (907 g) chuck roast , cut into bite sized pieces or beef stew meat
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil or butter
- 1 medium (1 medium) onion , chopped
- 4 cloves (4 cloves) garlic , minced or crushed
- 4 (4) carrots , cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 pound (454 g) potatoes , cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 stalks (2 stalks) celery , chopped
- 2 cups (480 ml) beef broth
- 14 ounces (397 g) tomato sauce (about 1 3/4 cups)
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried basil or your favorite herb
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt ,
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) corn starch
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) water
Instructions
For Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)
- Turn Instant Pot on “Sauté” setting and add the olive oil or melt the butter in the pot. Optional for additional beef caramelization: Add the beef and sauté until browned on all sides (if quicker method is desired, just add the beef in with the carrots & potatoes).
- Add onions and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.
- Add the carrots, potatoes, celery, beef broth, tomato sauce, soy sauce/Worcestershire, dried basil, sugar, salt and black pepper. Gently stir everything to combine well
- Close the lid, close the lid vent, and pressure cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. (These are the steps we did for our Instant Pot- Press “Cancel” to stop the “Sauté” setting. Press the “Manual” button. Set the time to 45 minutes.)
- After the cooking time is complete, press “Cancel” and carefully release the pressure. Whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth.
- Once pressure completely releases, open lid and add the corn starch/water mixture. Gently stir the beef stew and close the lid for about 5 minutes for the gravy to thicken. Once stew thickens, enjoy!
For Slow Cooker
- Combine all ingredient except water & cornstarch in slow cooker (beef, olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, broth, tomato sauce, soy/Worcestershire sauce, herbs, sugar, salt, and pepper).
- Cover and cook the stew on low for 7 hours or about 5 hours on high, or until the beef is tender to your liking.
- Whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into the beef stew, cover with the lid, and cook for about 5 minutes or until it slightly thickens the stew. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Sides to serve with beef stew
There’s so many different ways that folks like to eat with their beef stew. Here’s some delicious ideas we’ve enjoyed with our yummy bowl of stew:
- Serve on mashed potatoes. Always a hit!
- This beef stew recipe is great when served on some rice, couscous or quinoa.
- Pasta or egg noodles with the stew is a comforting and satisfying meal.
- Some warm crusty bread is so good when dipped into the stew sauce.
- Make a sandwich out of this! Get a soft roll or hoagie roll bread, warm it up and add this saucey beef stew. It’s amazing.
Storing Leftover Beef Stew
If you have leftovers, it’s great to store any leftovers in the freezers. Just use airtight freezer safe containers or bags. But first, try to eat it within 2-3 days when stored in the fridge. It’s always better to eat it right away when it’s fresh. If you plan on freezing any leftover beef stew, then try to eat it within about 6 weeks. If you freeze it any longer, it can easily get freezer burn. This can make the beef stew yucky because freezer burn sucks, ruins the texture of the meat and veggies and destroys the flavor. Hope you enjoy our easy beef stew recipe!
Here’s some more great Instant Pot, Slow Cooker and Comfort Food Recipes:
More Easy Recipes:
- Whole wheat zucchini muffins
- Lemon Pepper Chicken with cream sauce
- Chocolate triple berry slab pie
- Favorite food gift guide
- This recipe was originally published in 2018 and re-published in 2020.
Too delicious! I know it’s well over 90° but I just couldn’t resist. I’ve lived in fear of my Insta-pot for a couple of years now (guy thing) just knowing I will mess something up or it would explode but your instruction put me at ease. Such flavour, the meat is tender, the veggies just right, and the broth is rich and filling! Thank you so much!
Thanks Robert! So happy you enjoyed this beef stew.
Made this last night and it was a hit! I added some peas and more salt towards the end. It’s a little more saucy than other stew recipes but I liked the extra sauce to go with rice or some extra bread.
Hi Micah! Thanks for sharing and so glad you enjoyed the recipe. We really do love the extra sauce too. We’d rather have extra delicious sauce than a dry beef stew.
Came out great…. 10/10 🙂
Thanks so much Stan!
Yum! Thanks so much for posting this.
I did not have any cornstarch at home, so I did not use much water with my stock.