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You guys already know how much I love stew, and beef stew is one of my favorites! This stove top beef stew recipe is easy to make and is the perfect comfort food for any day. The meat is juicy, the potatoes and carrots are tender and mouth-watering, and the gravy is thick and flavorful. It freezes well and taste great as leftovers!
Beef stew with carrots and potatoes is a labor of love that will soon become a staple in your household. Everything slow cooks in one pot on the stove to create tender, melt-in-your mouth pieces of beef with vegetables. It’s the perfect comfort food for the whole family!
If you love this hearty beef stew, try other comforting dishes like Puerto Rican Pepper Steak, Curry Chicken, and Braised Beef Short Ribs.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Easy stovetop beef stew comes together with simple ingredients. Choosing this combination of ingredients results in the a thick savory broth, tender meat, and so much flavor.
- Chuck Beef – The fattier, the better! You can remove the fatty pieces after they’re cooked, but the marbling in the beef adds flavor!
- Beef Stew Seasonings – We use a delicious combination of flavorful seasonings for this stew including garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and fresh garlic.
- Fresh Herbs – In addition to the dried seasoning mix, I also use fresh rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.
- Flour – Use all-purpose flour to thicken the sauce.
- Oil – Use vegetable oil or olive oil to sear the beef.
- Carrots – Use large carrots that are roughly chopped.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes – These are the best choice because they are soft and delicious.
- Celery and Onions – Both add delicious flavor.
- Tomato Paste – Any kind will do!
- Worcestershire Sauce – To help round out the flavors of the stew.
- Beef Paste – I like to use the better than the bouillon brand! This is my favorite. It adds color and flavor!
- Red Wine – Optional, but recommended. The wine will cook out so this is safe for kids! I use a dry red wine, like Merlot.
- Beef Broth – Any kind will do!
Chef’s Kiss
Choosing Meat for Beef Stew
Chuck roast with marbling is ideal for this recipe because as the meat cooks, the fat in the meat melts, resulting in a tender, flavorful, and juicy roast.
How to Make Stove Top Beef Stew
This homemade beef stew recipe is easy to follow and comes together in a Dutch oven or large stockpot on the stovetop!
- Season the beef: First you will need to season the beef with flour, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and browning sauce (if using.)
- Sear the beef: Before slow cooking on the stove, you need to heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides, for 2 to 3 minutes, until browned. This locks in the juices and flavor.
- Saute the celery, onions and garlic: Use a wooden spoon and saute the celery, onions and garlic in the same pan that you seared the beef.
- Finish the stew: Add the tomato paste, beef base and wine (if using) to the pot, then simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, being sure to scrap any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the wine, broth and fresh herbs. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours, add the potatoes and carrots and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, until the beef is tender.
Lets make it together @themoodyfoody, Toni Chapman makes the best beef stew recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Start by seasoning your beef and searing it in a pan. Then, add all of your ingredients to a slow cooker, making sure to add potatoes and carrots last. Cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours, until the vegetables are softened and the meat is tender.
This recipe has not been tested in an instant pot so I can’t guarantee results if you try to make it in an instant pot or pressure cooker.
Yes! Browning the meat helps lock in the flavor and juices. Don’t skip this step.
The stew slow cooks for a total of 3 hours on the stove. At this point it should be perfectly tender and delicious.
Yes! Beef stew is a great meal prep option because it tastes amazing as leftovers and you can freeze it. To freeze, let the stew come to room temperature, then store the beef stew in sealed freezer safe containers. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in the microwave or on the stove top until heated through.
I love using dry red wine, like a pinot noir or a merlot. But truthfully, any dry wine will do. I try to stay away from super sweet red wines!
Substitutions & Variations
- Make it alcohol-free – If you don’t drink alcohol or don’t have it on hand, you can substitute it for sherry wine or additional beef broth.
- Make it keto-friendly – To make it keto, serve the stew with cauliflower mash and skip the potatoes and carrots. You’ll still have a delicious stovetop beef stew recipe recipe!
- Use another cut of beef – You can use chuck roast or another thick cut of stewing beef!
PRO TIP
Serve the beef stew with rice, garlic mashed potatoes or warm toasted crusty bread.
Did you try this recipe? Leave a recipe review and tag me on Instagram, TikTok or Pinterest!
Stove Top Beef Stew
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven or large pot
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck beef cut into 1 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon browning sauce (optional, for color)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons roast beef base paste (like Better then Bouillon)
- 4 cups beef stock
- 2/3 cup red cooking wine (merlot or any dark red wine)
- bunch of fresh herbs rosemary, thyme, bay leaf (about 2 sprigs each)
- 4 large carrots roughly chopped
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes cut into cubes
Instructions
- Season the beef with flour, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and browning sauce (if using.)
- In a large dutch oven set over medium-high heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, sear the beef on all sides for about 2 to 3 minutes per side until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the celery, onions, and garlic to the dutch oven, and sauté until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and beef base and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine, broth and fresh herbs. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 2 hours.
- Stir in the tomato paste and beef base and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine, broth and fresh herbs. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, add the potatoes and carrots and continue cooking on medium-low heat for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.
- Once the beef is perfectly tender, garnish and serve with rice, mashed potatoes or crunchy toast.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is now one of my go to stew recipes. Smells amazing while cooking and tastes even better. I love how simple it is. We added parsnips to ours and dried herbs when fresh is not on hand. Still amazing.
Side note – I think part of step 3 & 4 are repeated and missing when to add back the beef so I just go rogue on that part haha
I tried this recipe and it is AMAZING ! I would rate this a complete 10/10! Thank you so much for the recipe, it’s printed and added into my recipe book.
First time I made stew, my husband said was the best stew he ever had and trust me, he has no issues to speak if he thinks food needs something to make it better, I loved it too, was easy and the gravy delicious,.
AMAZING 👏🏽
This will be my “go to” beef stew recipes for now on. My family loved it .
Saw this on IG and it looks amazing!
Even though I don’t eat beef, I do make this for my wife and she loves it!! Chefs kiss!!