Beef Stew Slow Cooker No Potatoes

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff is the stew version of traditional Beef Stroganoff. An incredible slow cooked beef that's fall-apart tender smothered in a creamy Stroganoff sauce with buttery garlic mushrooms, it's made with economical stewing beef yet tastes like a million bucks!

Close up of ladle scooping up Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

You know that anything that involving the words "slow cooked" and "beef" is going to be a winner. And this one is a ripper!

It's the slow cooked version of classic Beef Stroganoff. Besides the fact that it takes 8 hours in a slow cooker instead of 15 minutes on the stove, this stew version of Stroganoff differs from the traditional version in a few ways:

Fall apart tender chunks of beef rather than thin strips that are just cooked so they're juicy inside;
Made with economical stewing beef rather than good to high quality well marbled steak (essential for a really great traditional Beef Stroganoff); and
Deeper flavour in the sauce – owing to the long cook time. You can't shortcut this kind of flavour!

This slow cooked beef melts in your mouth and the depth of flavour in the sauce is magnificent!

Slow Cooked Beef with Stroganoff Sauce served over mashed potato

What you need for Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Here's what you need to make this incredible slow cooked beef dish! It's the same ingredients as traditional Beef Stroganoff except using economical stewing beef and more sauce so the beef is submerged while slow cooking!

Use Chuck Beef or other economical stewing beef. Do not waste your money on pricier cuts like sirloin!

Best cut of beef for SLOW COOKER Beef Stroganoff

This recipe needs to be made with economical stewing cuts that need to be cooked for a long time to become tender, such as:

chuck beef
boneless beef ribs
beef cheeks
gravy beef

In contrast, traditional Beef Stroganoff, which is cooked quickly on the stove, is best made with pricier cuts suitable for cooking as steaks, such as boneless rib eye/scotch fillet and sirloin.

Just a few notes on some of the other ingredients:

Sour Cream – this is what makes Stroganoff Sauce creamy. It's added at the end so there's no risk of it splitting during the slow cooking time;
Dijon Mustard – for flavour and thickening, a traditional ingredient in Beef Stroganoff Sauce; and
Flour – thickens the sauce. See recipe notes for gluten free option!

How to make Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

This is pretty much made just like traditional Beef Stew – entirely hands off for most of the cook time!

How to make Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Brown beef aggressively. The better the browning, the better the flavour in the sauce and on the beef!
Sauté the onion and garlic, mix in the flour;
Add everything into the slow cooker (or pot);
Slow cook 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high (see recipe for stove and IP/pressure cooker);
Sauté mushrooms in garlic and butter;
Whisk the sour cream with some of the liquid in the slow cooker – this will ensure you don't end up with sour cream specks in the sauce (can't mix vigorously otherwise the beef crumbles!);
Stir mushrooms and sour cream into sauce;
Serve over mash, pasta, egg noodles or even rice!

Here's what it looks like straight out of the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff in a slow cooker, ready to be served

And the beef…..fall apart….. juicy…..sucked up all the flavour of that Stroganoff Sauce…

Close up showing fall apart slow cooked beef smothered din Beef Stroganoff sauce

I've made this as a stew but it could just as easily be transformed into a chunky soup with potatoes and vegetables. That way, it would also be a meal in one, rather than preparing noodles or mash to serve it over.

I've popped notes in the recipe for how to make it into a soup – you just add extra liquid to make the sauce slightly thinner which also increases volume so you can add more "stuff" into it. 😇

Otherwise, if you're sticking with the Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff Stew as written, serve it over one of these:

pasta or wide egg noodles (traditional);
mashed potato (also common for Stroganoff);
rice; or
low carb alternatives: Creamy Cauliflower Mash or Cauliflower Rice

Enjoy! – Nagi x

PS Also, for chicken lovers – >CHICKEN Stroganoff. Because I sauce this good can smother many things.

Watch how to make it

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Servings 6 - 8 people

Tap or hover to scale

Recipe video above. The slow cooked version of Beef Stroganoff! Fall apart beef smothered in a creamy Stroganoff sauce with buttery garlic mushrooms, it's made with economical stewing beef yet tastes like a million dollars!

3 cook methods provided: stove, slow cooker or pressure cooker/instant pot

▢ 1.75kg/ 3.5lb beef chuck or other stewing beef , cut in 4cm / 1.5" cube (Note 1)
▢ 1.5 tsp each salt and pepper
▢ 2 tbsp oil
▢ 20g/ 1 tbsp butter , unsalted
▢ 1 large onion , halved then sliced into 1 cm / 2/5" slices
▢ 4 garlic cloves , minced
▢ 4 tbsp Dijon Mustard
▢ 7 tbsp flour , plain / all purpose
▢ 1 litre / 1 quart beef stock/broth , reduced salt
▢ 1 1/2 cups sour cream , full fat best

Garlic Butter Mushrooms:

▢ 3tbsp/ 45g butter , unsalted
▢ 700g / 1.2lb mushrooms , sliced into 0.5cm thick slices
▢ 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
▢ 1/2 tsp salt and pepper

Serving:

▢ Pasta, wide egg noodles, mashed potato
▢ Chives for garnish

Pat beef dry then sprinkle with all the salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot or skillet* over high heat.
Add beef in a single layer (not squished) and brown aggressively all over - 4 minutes or so. Remove and repeat with rest of beef, adding more oil as needed.
Let the pot cool down a bit then return to stove. Melt half the butter, then cook garlic and onion for 3 minutes until softened.
Sprinkle the flour across the surface, then stir. Add the mustard, and stir - it will look gluey, that's ok, it will dissolve.
Add the beef stock and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot, and bring to simmer. Cook using chosen method below.

SLOW COOKING - choose method:

Slow cooker: Transfer all liquid into slow cooker. Add beef, then slow cook 8 hours on LOW or 5 hours on HIGH.
Stove: Add beef into pot. Cover with lid and adjust heat to low/medium low so the it's simmering gently. Simmer 2 hrs (check at 1.5 hrs) until beef beef falls apart easily.
Instant pot: SKIP FLOUR, follow Note 5 Gluten Free option. 40 minutes on high, same method as slow cooker.
Other pressure cookers:40 minutes on high, same method as slow cooker.

GARLIC BUTTER MUSHROOMS:

Melt half the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add half the mushrooms and cook until almost golden (~3 minutes). Add half the garlic, salt and pepper, cook until golden. Remove, repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms and garlic.

FINISHING STEW:

Mix sour cream with 1.5 cups of liquid from slow cooker (Note 2), then gently stir into stew - careful, the beef is delicate!
Gently stir in mushrooms.
Serve over noodles, pasta or mashed potato, sprinkled with chives!

* Only if you're planning to transfer to slow cooker! If cooking on stove, must use pot.

1. Beef - use economical stewing cuts that need to be cooked for a long time to become tender such as:

Chuck
Boneless beef ribs*
Gravy beef or other beef labelled as "stewing beef"
Beef cheeks**

* Use ribs if you want to show off. It is the most well marbled all throughout, not a speck of dry anywhere (unlike chuck where there are some spots that are less juicy than others)
** If 200g/7oz or less, cook whole so it looks like this beef cheeks recipe but with Stroganoff Sauce. Chopped cheeks twist and skew once slow cooked - looks better to serve whole (or at most, halved).

Other beef cuts ok to use - great for slow cooking but not as juicy all the way through as there are more lean patches:

Brisket
Blade roast

Best to buy big piece and cut your own. Try not to buy the tiny little pre cut stewing beef - they will cook too quickly.

2. Sour Cream - mixing with sauce from stew prior to adding into pot/slow cooker ensures you don't end up with sour cream specks in the sauce. You can't mix stew vigorously because the beef will fall apart!

3. Instant Pot - Some readers have experienced the "Burn" notice using the IP because the sauce is borderline too thick for the IP. To eliminate this chance completely, SKIP THE FLOUR and use the Gluten Free option in Note 5 instead (cornflour slurry added at end to thicken).

All pressure Cookers (including IP and Australian Breville Fast-Slow Cooker) - you can do the sautéing in the same pot. Note that it will take longer though because it doesn't get as hot as using stove and you can't use as large a pot/pan!

4. Sauce thickness -stove method might need a touch of extra water to thin sauce, depends how heavy your pot lid is (heavier = less evaporation).

5. Gluten free option (and for Instant Pot) -skip the flour. Hold back 1/4 cup beef broth, mix with 3 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch. After whisking sour cream with stew liquid, add the cornflour mix into the sour cream, then pour all that into the stew. Simmer 5 minutes to thicken (slow cooker 10 minutes, IP saute function 5 min).

6. Storage - as with all stews, it's even better the next day… and the next! Leftovers will keep 4 to 5 days in the fridge, and freeze for 3 months (thaw gently and stir gently, remember beef is fall apart tender!

If you have lots of leftovers, transform into a pie with puff pastry (so it will look like this) OR mashed potato (see method used for Cottage Pie or Shepherd's Pie).

7. Nutrition per serving, stew only (ie not noodles or mash).

Calories: 666 cal (33%) Carbohydrates: 12 g (4%) Protein: 59 g (118%) Fat: 44 g (68%) Saturated Fat: 19 g (119%) Cholesterol: 204 mg (68%) Sodium: 1474 mg (64%) Potassium: 1626 mg (46%) Fiber: 2 g (8%) Sugar: 3 g (3%) Vitamin A: 281 IU (6%) Vitamin C: 5 mg (6%) Calcium: 64 mg (6%) Iron: 7 mg (39%)

Keywords: Beef Stew, slow cooked beef, slow cooker beef stroganoff, stroganoff stew

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