Are you ready for the most amazing beef stew recipe ever? This is it!! Tender vegetables, melt-in-your-mouth beef, and a crazy flavorful, rich gravy. Your family will request this for dinner often and it will become your new beef stew go-to. Pure classic comfort food in a bowl!
We also love this soup’s cousin Slow Cooker Beef Stew!
Hearty comfort food at its finest! Filled with all the goodies – fall apart cubes of beef, tender carrots, potatoes, and sweet peas, all seasoned in an incredibly aromatic, rich broth, this beef stew is incredible!
What Goes in Beef Stew?
Here’s what you’ll need!
- Meat – boneless beef chuck roast
- Veggies – potatoes, carrots, celery, peas, onion, and garlic
- Seasonings – thyme (fresh or dried), bay leaves, salt, and pepper
- Broth – low sodium beef broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and beef bouillon cubes
- Other – extra-virgin olive oil to sauté the meat and flour to thicken the gravy
How to Make Beef Stew
It’s really easy to make this stew. Here’s a brief rundown of steps. (Scroll down for the detailed printable.)
- Season and brown the beef (in batches if necessary), then transfer to a plate.
- Sauté the veggies in the same pot, adding more oil if it seems dry.
- Cook off the flour.
- Add liquids and seasonings and return beef to the pot.
- Simmer covered for 2 hours until the beef is pretty tender, add in the potatoes and simmer for another 20-25 minutes (without the lid) until the potatoes and beef are very tender, the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
- Toss in the peas and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Ladle into bowls and daydream about it until you make it again!
How long to cook beef stew? The total cooking time for this recipe will run you about 3 hours, but it’s an uncomplicated process and your patience will be rewarded!
How to thicken beef stew? The flour that is added in step 6 acts as a thickener, but if at the end of cooking, you still want more of a gravy, you can simply create a slurry. In a small bowl, whisk together 2-3 tablespoons additional flour and 1/2 cup stew broth until combined and smooth. Slowly stir the mixture into the pot. Cover and gently simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until thickened.
How to make beef stew in crock pot? You can check out this Slow Cooker Beef Stew recipe – it’s different enough from this one that you’ll have two beef stew recipes to make and love!
Recipe Tips
Beef stew meat: get a beef that favors slow cooking like chuck or boneless short ribs, then cut the meat into pieces. Look for a cut that’s nicely marbled with fat, which will give you the best results.
Brown the beef: browning the beef before adding in all the other ingredients is clutch, my friends! Getting a nice sear on all the pieces of beef forms a crust and locks in flavor, and then the brown bits on the bottom of the pot dissolve into the broth adding extra flavor to the sauce. I know it’s an extra step, but it’s so worth it.
To peel or not to peel the potatoes? If you’re using new baby or golden potatoes, you don’t need to peel them. If using russet, definitely peel them.
Storing Leftovers
Some say most stews are even better the next day. I love serving this dish, knowing full well there will be leftovers.
How long does beef stew last? Allow stew to cool then transfer to airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can I freeze beef stew? Yes, beef stew freezes quite well (although the vegetables do tend to get softer and break down into smaller pieces after thawing.) Make sure to leave at least a 1/4-inch gap in the container to allow for expansion. Stored properly, it will keep in the freezer up to 3 months. If you know in advance you’ll want to freeze the stew, wait to thicken it until you reheat it.
What to Serve with Beef Stew
There’s a lot going on in this soup, so it’s really quite substantial on its own and a complete meal, but I can’t ever resist making one of these to go along with it to mop up those last dribbles in the bowl:
Watch it Being Made
Pinky promise this is the best beef stew recipe – your search is over!
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Best Ever Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck , trimmed of hard fat, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 sweet onions , chopped
- 3 medium carrots , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces
- 2 stalks celery , cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 small potatoes , peeled and cut into 2 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Warm oil in a heavy bottomed pot over high heat until very hot.
- Pat beef dry and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
- Add beef to the pot in batches and brown well all over. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Lower heat to medium. If the pot looks dry, add a touch more oil.
- Stir in the onion, carrots, and celery; saute for 5 minutes until vegetables have softened. Add garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Add flour, and stir for 1 minute to cook off.
- Slowly pour in the beef broth and whisk to combine until the flour dissolves.
- Add in the water, Worcestershire, beef bouillon cubes, and tomato paste; mix well.
- Toss in the bay leaves and thyme.
- Return beef to the pot (including any juices). Liquid level should just cover.
- Bring to simmer, then adjust heat to low / medium-low so it’s a gentle simmer. Cover with lid, cook for 2 hours until the beef is tender.
- Add in the potatoes; simmer for another 20-25 minutes (without the lid) until the potatoes and beef are very tender, the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
- During the last 5 minutes add in the peas.
- Skim off fat on surface, if desired. Discard bay leaves and thyme.
- Adjust salt and pepper, to taste.
- Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley and enjoy with crusty bread or popovers, if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Other Notes
For 35 yrs , i didnt cook. Things change. Im now cooking. Ill freeze some for later. I cook in batches. Your recipes are very easy to follow. Thanks, Mike
Very flavorful!
Every one of your recipes that I have tried has been amazing. This stew recipe is exceptionally delicious
I’ve made this recipe probably over 40 times so far. It truly /is/ the best ever stew recipe. I always make it according to the recipe, just without the Worcestershire sauce and with just 1 beef bouillon cube instead of two and I never include the peas neither, but that’s just personal preference. This is my go-to comfort food for any night when I want to eat something cozy, hearty and savory, but it isn’t by any means a recipe that requires a lot of work – I usually need less than 30 minutes to chop everything and put everything in the pot and you can just leave it simmering. If you’re looking for that perfect family stew recipe, this is it.
Beefy delicious flavor. Hit the spot for comfort food. Easy to make. My go to recipe for Beef Stew!
Can this be made with any steak meat? What do you think about putting all of the ingredients in a crockpot overnight?
Hi Rachel – I would check out our slow cooker beef stew recipe https://bellyfull.net/slow-cooker-beef-stew/
EMERGENCY Iforgot to dethaw the meat its 2.5ibs. I have until the latest 7pm tonight and it’s almost 2pm. Can u Please Help Me?
Hi Stacy! Sorry to hear this. The meat definitely needs to be thawed before cooking. The only solution I can think of is to fill a large bowl with cold water and submerge the sealed bag in the water. Change the water every 30 minutes to ensure that it stays cold and continues to thaw the meat.
This stew is absolutely delicious. Didn’t think anything could out do my moms, but this is it! No changes.
Fantastic recipe. Added a little bit of okra and buttercup squash, used beef meat and bone broth instead of water and bouillon cubes.
Also skipped flour, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Seasoned with Provençal herbs. This is a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing.
This Stew was unbelievable! Just try it. You’ll love it.
This was the best stew we have ever had !!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a winner recipe! Easy and absolutely delicious. I am adding to my keeper list. Thank you!
Okay, I rarely comment on recipes. I have to on this one. I made it nearly exactly, substituting only baby red potatoes (we like potatoes) and Italian seasoning for thyme (I didn’t have any). And, yeah, you got me. It is the best beef stew I have ever had. Thank you for sharing it. I will absolutely make it again.
I followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect. My husband even liked it and he is hard to please. I will definitely make this again. Thank you
Hi,
What’s the brand and size of the pan/pot that you are using? This looks yummy and I can’t wait to try it out!!
YUMMMMMMMMMMMM. Three growing boys and a husband who loves food – YES PLEASE TO A DELICIOUS, SIMPLE RECIPE. Temperatures in ATX, TX just dropped from 85 degrees to 28 degrees overnight and was looking for a hot meal to cook up for the sudden cold front. Perfect date night meal (add wine & dessert) & family meal. Bought some rosemary sourdough rolls to go with the stew. MMmmmmMMMmmmm. Definitely adding as a family tradition food for the wintertime meal plans.
This was spectacular. I followed closely – except used all beef stock, no water, no bouillion. Sooooooo good. You have to make it!!
This was so delicious and perfect with some crusty sourdough bread on a January evening. I added about a half a cup of some red wine I had right around when I added the peas, and it sent it through the roof! Thanks for a great recipe :)
What type of wine did you add
Great recipe.
I cooked it exactly as written, and served it with popovers. This one is a keeper.
Making this for the second time today! Got rave reviews last time from hubby and friends!
This is the best beef stew I ever made thank you for sharing your recipe
All I have to say is WOW!! I found some stew meat in the deep freezer and had some veggies. The entire family loved this stew. Swapped the peas for chopped string beans but absolutely spot on taste. I will definitely be making it again.
Turned out very tasty, I added more salt and more flour.
Great stew. Will definitely make again
Stew turned out great as published
Hi. I suppose this recipe will be fine if I make 1.5 of the amount? So, I would add 50% of all the ingredients so that I get one and a half of the amount? Might seem like a dumb question but I’m not a cook haha. Thanks.
That should be fine. Or just double everything and freeze extra for later.
Can u freeze? If so how? Thanks
Hi Sue – all storage information is included in the article. Thanks!
BEST beef stew I’ve ever made. My husband thinks I’m a rockstar – thank you!
Everyone liked it!
Hi I am planning to make this tomorrow night and we all love mushrooms. Wondering if I could add whole mushrooms to the stew??
Hi Amanda – Sure! But I’m not a fan of the taste and texture mushrooms lend to this dish if they simmer a long time with everything else. Instead, I would sauté them separately in olive oil (quarter them if large), season with salt and pepper, for about 10 minutes until they release their juices. Set aside and then add them into the pot in the last 5 minutes to heat through.
This classic beef stew is wonderful. My husband and I love it.
Loved this so much. My new go-to. Thank you!
This is the 3rd stew recipe I’ve ever done but is the best. I hate to say it but it is better than what my mother used to make. I followed the recipe exactly except I thickened it a bit more and added more peas.
very good
This was a great meal enjoyed it. Made it with veal stewing meat.
Did not have the other meat ….great