The Best Fluffy Pancakes recipe you will fall in love with. Full of tips and tricks to help you make the best pancakes.
Some recipes earn their spot by being clever. This one earns it by being lazy. Sunday, dead on my feet, nothing in the house but a pack of stewing beef and half a bag of new potatoes.
Everything goes in the pot raw. No browning, no separate gravy, no standing over the hob. Five hours on high and you’ve got slow cooker beef stew with soft beef, potatoes that hold their shape and a gravy thick enough to drag bread through.
Why This Works
The cornflour goes on the raw beef, tossed through the veg before any liquid hits the pot. Stock goes in, heat does the rest, and the gravy thickens itself. Skip the cornflour and you get beef soup. Nice soup. Still soup.
No browning means no roasty edge, so the pot has to make up for it. Tomato purée brings depth. Worcestershire and soy bring that savoury, meaty backbone. Take either out and the stew tastes flat, a bit like hot stock with things floating in it.
Small chunks matter too. Big pieces need longer to go tender, and the times below assume small. Bigger and the edges stay chewy.
Then the potatoes. New potatoes, halved. They hold up over five hours where floury ones break down and turn the gravy grainy.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew Ingredients
- 600g beef, cut into small chunks
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 2-3 carrots, chopped
- 500g new potatoes, halved
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp lazy garlic (the jarred stuff)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 700ml beef stock, made with 2 stock cubes or a stock pot
- A good sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce
- A good sprinkle of soy sauce
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp pepper, a little more if you like
- A bunch of rosemary, chopped
- Salt, to season
How to Make It
- Add the beef, cornflour, onion, carrots and celery to the slow cooker. Mix well so the cornflour coats everything.
- Add everything else: potatoes, garlic, tomato purée, stock, Worcestershire, soy, paprika, pepper and rosemary. Give it a stir.
- Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7-8.
- Taste. Add salt now, not before. Serve with chunky bread and butter.
Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low Serves: 4
Tips
Season at the end. Two stock cubes, soy and Worcestershire already carry a lot of salt, and you won’t know how much until it’s done.
Still thinner than you want? Stir in a tablespoon of gravy granules, lid back on, ten minutes.
Lid stays shut. Every peek drops the heat and pushes the finish time out.
Pepper: half a teaspoon is the floor. Taste at the end and add more if it needs it.
Chop the rosemary fine and leave the woody stems out. Nobody wants to chew a twig.
[PLACEHOLDER: one real detail about your setup. Slow cooker brand and size, and whether high actually hit the 5 hours on the nose or ran over.]
Variations
Smoked paprika instead of plain. Worth it, every time.
A parsnip or a chunk of swede in with the carrots. Sweeter, rounder, still fine at the same cooking times.
Skip the red wine. This stew doesn’t need it, and a splash poured in raw tastes sharp after hours in a slow cooker. [PLACEHOLDER: confirm this is your real opinion]
Make-Ahead and Storage
Chop the veg the night before if that helps. Don’t mix the cornflour in until you’re ready to cook, because it turns pasty on wet meat.
Leftovers keep 3 days in the fridge and honestly taste better on day two. It freezes for up to 3 months, though the potatoes soften a little. Reheat until properly hot all the way through, not just warm at the edges.
FAQ
How long does slow cooker beef stew take?
5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low.
Do you have to brown the beef first?
Not for this one. The tomato purée, soy and Worcestershire give you the depth that browning normally would, and you save a pan and twenty minutes. If you love the roasted taste and don’t mind the washing up, go ahead and brown it. I wouldn’t bother.
How do you thicken beef stew in a slow cooker?
Cornflour at the start does most of it. If the finished stew is looser than you want, stir in a tablespoon of gravy granules and leave it ten minutes with the lid on.
Can I use frozen beef?
No. Thaw it fully first. Frozen meat takes too long to come up to temperature in a slow cooker, and that’s a food safety problem.
Can I use normal potatoes instead of new potatoes?
Yes, but pick a waxy one like Charlotte if you can. If all you’ve got is Maris Piper or similar, cut them into big chunks, around 4cm, and expect a thicker, slightly grainy gravy because they break down as they cook.
Closing Thoughts
Chunky bread and butter is the default and it’s hard to beat. But leftovers are where this stew gets a second life. Pile them into a split baked potato the next day and you’ve got a proper dinner with zero extra cooking.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
This Slow Cooker Beef Stew is a rich and comforting dinner made with tender beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, rosemary, and a thick savory gravy. Cook it low and slow for an easy hearty family meal.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the beef chunks, cornflour, chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the slow cooker. Mix well so the beef and vegetables are evenly coated with the cornflour.
- Add the halved new potatoes, lazy garlic, tomato purée, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, paprika, black pepper, chopped rosemary, and salt.
- Stir everything together until well combined.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours or on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, until the beef is tender and the vegetables are fully cooked.
- If you prefer a thicker gravy, stir in about 1 tablespoon of gravy granules near the end of cooking and allow the stew to thicken.
- Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper if needed.
- Serve hot with chunky bread and butter.
Notes
Cook on HIGH for 5 hours or LOW for 7 to 8 hours.
For a thicker gravy, add about 1 tablespoon of gravy granules near the end of cooking.
Add a little extra black pepper if you prefer a stronger pepper flavor.
The cook time field is set to 5 hours based on the HIGH setting. The LOW setting requires 7 to 8 hours.
