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Crockpot Ground Beef Stew is packed with ground beef, buttery potatoes, carrots, and a richly seasoned savory beef broth. It’s budget-friendly, comforting, and perfect for busy nights.
For another cozy and delicious stew recipe made in the slow cooker with warm fall flavors – try this Slow Cooker Apple Cider Beef Stew.
Crockpot Ground Beef Stew Recipe
This easy recipe for crockpot ground beef stew is an easy, hearty, chunky stew dinner made with tender potatoes, carrots, savory ground beef, and a richly seasoned and flavorful broth.
Everything cooks low and slow in the slow cooker, making the perfect set-it-and-forget-it meal for busy weeknights or cozy weekends.
Unlike traditional beef stew, this recipe uses ground beef instead of stew meat or steak chunks – which makes it affordable, easy to prepare, and incredibly comforting. Serve it with crusty bread or warm dinner rolls for a simple family meal everyone will love.
Why You’ll Love Crockpot Ground Beef Stew
- ♥ Easy Slow Cooker Dinner : Let the crockpot do all the heavy lifting for dinner prep.
- ♥ Budget-Friendly : Ground beef is an inexpensive alternative to steak stew meat.
- ♥ Hearty and Filling : Potatoes, carrots, and beef make this a satisfying meal.
- ♥ Perfect For Leftovers : Leftover stew warms up well and leftovers taste even better the next day!
Ingredients Needed
- Yellow Onion : Finely diced medium yellow onion.
- Celery Stalks : Use two of the celery stalks from the celery bunch and chop them finely.
- Lean Ground Beef : I use 93/7 ground beef.
- Garlic Cloves : Three fresh garlic cloves that have been minced or pressed, or use chopped garlic from a jar, or garlic paste.
- Tomato Paste
- Dried Thyme
- Dried Rosemary
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
- Yukon Gold Potatoes : 1½ pounds of buttery yellow Yukon gold potatoes. You can buy them in bulk or use a bag of 1.5 pounds baby potatoes cut in half or thirds. The size of potatoes should be about 1-inch pieces.
- Carrots : Use 4 fresh carrots that have been peeled, and cut into ¼-inch slices.
- Tomato Sauce : One 15 ounce can.
- Beef Broth : I use beef bone broth (Kettle & Fire brand), you can use beef broth, beef stock, water + beef bouillon, or low-sodium options if wanted. I prefer the full salted flavor in this stew recipe.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Bay Leaf
- Frozen Peas
How To Make Ground Beef Stew In The Crockpot (Printable Recipe Card)
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the diced onion and diced celery. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add in the ground beef and cook and crumble until it’s no longer pink. Carefully drain, or soak up with a paper towel, any excess grease from the skillet. Leave the ground beef, onion, and celery in the skillet after draining the grease.
Add the garlic cloves, tomato paste, dried thyme, dried rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper into the ground beef mixture. Cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste darkens slightly.
Transfer the ground beef mixture from the skillet to a slow cooker. Add in the potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Stir gently to combine.
Cover and cook on LOW heat for 7-8 hours or HIGH heat for 4-5 hours. The potatoes and carrots should be fork-tender.
Stir in the frozen peas. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes, until the peas are heated through. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
Ladle the stew into bowls and serve hot. Enjoy!
How To Store Leftovers, Reheat, and Freeze Ground Beef Stew
- Room Temperature : Do not leave the finished cooked beef stew at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
- Refrigerator : Allow the stew to cool, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer : Store the cooled stew in an airtight freezer-safe container(s) for up to 3 months. Leave a little space at the top for expansion. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The potatoes may become slightly softer after freezing and thawing.
- Make-Ahead : You can make this stew a day ahead and reheat it gently on the stove top before serving.
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- It’s really important to chop the potatoes into 1″-inch cubes and the carrots about ½-inch thick in slices. This helps everything cook through without the vegetables getting too soft. If the vegetables are cut too small they will turn into soft mush with the longer cook time in the crockpot. If they’re cut too big then they won’t cook in time to fork-tenderness.
- Wait until the end to add the frozen peas. They only need about 20 minutes to heat through.
- I love the flavor that beef bone broth adds to the stew; I use the Kettle and Fire brand because it tastes the best. Use beef broth, beef stock, water + beef bouillon, or the reduced-sodium versions if you are wanting to cut the salt content. I think regular beef broth or stock will add the most flavor. Remember that the longer crockpot cook time does tend to slightly mute the seasonings and flavors in the stew.
More Crockpot Beef Dinner Recipes
- Crockpot Meatball Stroganoff
- Crockpot Pulled Beef Sandwiches (Shredded Chuck Roast)
- Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Steak Bites
- Crockpot Steak and Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Mississippi Steak Bites
- Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole Recipe
- EASY Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe
Crockpot Ground Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 4 carrots (peeled and sliced ½-inch thick)
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 2½ cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add the diced onion and diced celery. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until the vegetables begin to soften.1 medium yellow onion, 2 celery stalks
- Add in the ground beef and cook and crumble until it's no longer pink. Carefully drain, or soak up with a paper towel, any excess grease from the skillet. Leave the ground beef, onion, and celery in the skillet after draining the grease.1½ pounds ground beef
- Add the garlic cloves, tomato paste, dried thyme, dried rosemary, kosher salt, and black pepper into the ground beef mixture. Cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste darkens slightly.3 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Transfer the ground beef mixture from the skillet to a slow cooker. Add in the potatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Stir gently to combine.1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, 4 carrots, 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce, 2½ cups beef broth, 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce, 1 bay leaf
- Cover and cook on LOW heat for 7-8 hours or HIGH heat for 4-5 hours. The potatoes and carrots should be fork-tender.
- Stir in the frozen peas. Cover and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes, until the peas are heated through. Remove and discard the bay leaf.1 cup frozen peas
- Ladle the stew into bowls and serve hot. Enjoy!
Notes
- It’s really important to chop the potatoes into 1″-inch cubes and the carrots about ½-inch thick in slices. This helps everything cook through without the vegetables getting too soft. If the vegetables are cut too small they will turn into soft mush with the longer cook time in the crockpot. If they’re cut too big then they won’t cook in time to fork-tenderness.
- Wait until the end to add the frozen peas. They only need about 20 minutes to heat through.
- I love the flavor that beef bone broth adds to the stew; I use the Kettle and Fire brand because it tastes the best. Use beef broth, beef stock, water + beef bouillon, or the reduced-sodium versions if you are wanting to cut the salt content. I think regular beef broth or stock will add the most flavor. Remember that the longer crockpot cook time does tend to slightly mute the seasonings and flavors in the stew.
Nutrition
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