Dinner tonight is Slow Cooker Paleo Beef Stew! This healthy beef stew recipe is made from nourishing ingredients & couldn’t be easier! Let the slow cooker do the work and enjoy a cozy Whole30 dinner tonight!
When the weather gets cold, my craving for this slow cooker beef stew recipe gets stronger than ever!
This is the BEST beef stew recipe. It’s savory, hearty, filling, rich-but-not-too-heavy, and the flavor of the rich sauce has that little subtle something that makes you say “yum! What’s IN this!?”
It’s a healthy comfort food made from simple ingredients with minimal effort, and that’s exactly the kind of easy recipe I need in my life on cold winter nights this time of year! This recipe is one of those easy meals that works beautifully for a dinner party OR a busy weeknight.
Oh, and did I mention that it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo AND Whole30? Because it is! And it’s about to be your new cold weather best friend.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started on this classic paleo beef stew recipe...
Gather Your Ingredients
- BEEF ROAST. We recommend beef chuck roast for this healthy beef stew recipe, but you can use whatever beef roast is your favorite. I like use Chuck roast because it makes such super tender beef stew. (Diced beef stew meat/stewing beef also works!)
- ONIONS + CARROTS + MUSHROOMS. The vegetables in beef stew are always my favorite part! I love this veggie trifecta here in this slow cooker beef stew. It’s flavorful and hearty. SO GOOD! Regular onions or pearl onions work here, and the mushrooms add delicious umami.
- MY SECRET “SAUCE.” The magic savory flavor here is the combination of beef bone broth, balsamic vinegar, and a hint of dijon mustard, along with sea salt and black pepper. That mixture, paired with the classic flavors of beef, carrots, onions, and rosemary makes this sauce just incredible. (*and* keeps this a Whole30 beef stew!)
- ROSEMARY. Lastly, we round things out with a bit of fresh rosemary. I LOVE how the fresh herbs play up the flavors in the mushrooms and beef without overwhelming the dish. It’s *just* enough!
- A LITTLE THICKENER (if you want!). Lastly, if you like a thicker beef stew (I do!), you can thicken it up with a little arrowroot starch (sometimes labeled arrowroot flour) + water slurry. It only takes a few minutes, but gives this flavorful beef stew an amazing texture. Not paleo? cornstarch works!
What’s The Best Cut Of Beef For Beef Stew?
Chuck roast is perfect for slow cooking in a classic beef stew recipe, since it has enough fat to keep the beef from drying out, and the meat gets perfectly tender as it cooks. That said, if other cuts are on sale at the grocery store, feel free to go with those!
How To Make Slow Cooker Paleo Beef Stew, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Brown The Beef by heating a drizzle of oil in a large skillet. Working in batches, add a few pieces of beef to the pan and brown on all sides. When browned, transfer to the crock of a slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef. You really want a nice sear, so don’t rush!
- Add Carrots & Mushrooms. Place carrots and mushrooms in with the beef (I just put them right on top of the browned beef).
- Mix Up Your Secret Sauce. Add onion to the pan you browned the beef in. Stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add balsamic, Dijon, and broth to the pan and stir until well combined.
- Pour The Sauce Over Everything. Then, pour the whole mixture into the slow cooker over the beef, carrots, and mushrooms. Place rosemary on top.
- Cook The Paleo Beef Stew in slow cooker on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or LOW on 7-8 hours.
- Shred beef into the broth mixture after cooking. Use two forks to pull the beef apart. It should be tender enough to come apart easily. If you prefer, you can remove the beef to a plate or cutting board to shred it if that makes it easier for you.
- Whisk Up The Arrowroot. In a small bowl, whisk together arrowroot and 2 Tbsp water. Pour into the slow cooker and stir to combine. It should almost immediately thicken. Serve when you’re ready!
- Garnish & Serve! Once the stew is thick and delicious, you can serve it in bowls, or spoon over mashed potatoes (we love these Instant Pot Whole30 Mashed Potatoes!) or mashed cauliflower. Store leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container up to 2 months. (It tastes even better the next day!)
Don’t Have A Slow Cooker/Crock Pot?
Don’t have a slow cooker? No worries! I’ve got ingredients in the recipe card below for how to make this in a large Dutch oven in the oven or a big pot on the stove instead!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew
CAN I ADD MORE VEGGIES? Yes! The only real limit is the size of your slow cooker. As long as you don’t fill it more than 3/4 full, you can add whatever veggies you like to this crock pot beef stew. Over the years, people have added celery, diced potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, frozen peas, and more! If you’re making Whole30 beef stew, just be sure you’re keeping the veggies compliant.
CAN I USE DICED STEW BEEF FOR THIS RECIPE? Yes. It’s a bit trickier to brown (you’ll need to work in batches), and the smaller cubes tend to cook a touch more quickly than the larger pieces of beef, but I’ve definitely used stew meat with success!
CAN I MAKE THIS IN AN INSTANT POT? Yes! You can totally make this as Instant Pot Beef Stew. Use the SAUTE function to brown the beef, then remove to a plate, while you add the onion and use a spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Press CANCEL, then add the carrots and mushrooms. Return the browned beef to the Instant Pot and arrange on top of the veggies. Stir together the broth, dijon, balsamic, salt, and pepper, then pour over the whole mixture. Add rosemary and select PRESSURE COOK (manual) for 40 minutes. Slow release or quick release the steam, and shred the beef. Mix up the arrowroot + water slurry and pour into the stew. Stir and let thicken a few minutes, then serve!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BEEF STEW. I love serving beef stew in bowls as soup or over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower. Then, on the side, a light salad is great to offset the richness of the stew. Try this Pear & Pomegranate Salad for the holidays!
Recipe Card
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Leave a star rating below when you try our Slow Cooker Paleo Beef Stew recipe! We can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
From the tender beef to the savory sauce, this healthy slow cooker beef stew couldn’t be more delicious!
Ingredients
- 2–3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 6–8 large pieces
- 1 pound carrots, cut into 1″ pieces
- 8–10 ounces button mushrooms, halved
- 1 large sweet onion, diced (or 1 pound pearl onions, peeled)
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2–3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive or avocado oil, to brown the roast
- To thicken: 2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
Instructions
To Make This Stew In A Slow Cooker:
- Brown The Beef by heating a drizzle of oil in a large skillet. Working in batches, add a few pieces of beef to the pan and brown on all sides. When browned, transfer to the crock of a slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Add Carrots & Mushrooms. Place carrots and mushrooms in with the beef (I just put them right on top of the browned beef).
- Mix Up Your Secret Sauce. Add onion to the pan you browned the beef in. Stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add balsamic, Dijon, and broth to the pan and stir until well combined.
- Pour The Sauce Over Everything. Then, pour the whole mixture into the slow cooker over the beef, carrots, and mushrooms. Place rosemary on top.
- Cook The Paleo Beef Stew in slow cooker on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or LOW on 7-8 hours.
- Shred beef into the broth mixture after cooking. Use two forks to pull the beef apart. It should be tender enough to come apart easily. If you prefer, you can remove the beef to a plate or cutting board to shred it if that makes it easier for you.
- Whisk Up The Arrowroot. In a small bowl, whisk together arrowroot and 2 Tbsp water. Pour into the slow cooker and stir to combine. It should almost immediately thicken. Serve when you’re ready!
- Garnish & Serve! Once the stew is thick and delicious, you can serve it in bowls, or spoon over mashed potatoes (we love these Instant Pot Whole30 Mashed Potatoes!) or mashed cauliflower. Store leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge 3-4 days or freeze in a freezer-safe container up to 2 months. (It tastes even better the next day!)
If you prefer not to make this in a slow cooker:
- Dutch Oven: You can make it in a Dutch oven using the same method–cook everything in the Dutch oven, not a sauté pan. Bake it COVERED at 300 degrees for about 3 hours
- Stove Top: Simmer it on the stove top for 2-3 hours.
Notes
- Beef Roast. I recommend Chuck roast since it’s got enough fat to keep the beef from drying out, and it gets beautifully tender when slow cooked. You can use diced beef stew meat, just keep in mind it’ll cook a bit faster.
- Broth. I recommend beef bone broth for more protein & richer flavor. You can use water with 4-6 teaspoons of beef base, if it works with your dietary needs.
- Extras. Feel free to stir in a cup of frozen peas right before serving, or add extra vegetables while the stew slow cooks. Just don’t fill the slow cooker more than 3/4 full!
- Arrowroot. Not paleo? You can use cornstarch instead. It’s easier to work with, but is not paleo or whole30 approved.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Feel free to assemble this the night before and refrigerate the crock. You can then just pop the crock into the slow cooker and set it to cook. Also, you can make this skipping the browning step. I just love the flavor it imparts.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Main Dish, Soup, Stew
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American, Homestyle
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 277
- Sugar: 5.7 g
- Sodium: 576.9 mg
- Fat: 11.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.4 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 32.4 g
- Cholesterol: 92.1 mg
Originally posted November 2014. Post completely updated December 2019.
Delicious!!!!
Yay! So glad you loved it! THANK YOU for leaving a review–I appreciate it so much 🙂
This is THE best beef stew!! All my kids love it, and they’re *picky*!!
BEST REVIEW EVER!!! I love hearing this so much. THANK YOU for taking the time to leave a star review!
I made this with a lot of modifications.
I thought I had Dijon Mustard but I didn’t, so I used a tablespoon of mustard powder and a splash of white vinegar in it’s place.
I couldn’t find fresh rosemary so I used 2 tsp of dried rosemary instead plus lot’s of black pepper and a bay leaf.
I used a 16 oz bag of baby carrots, 10oz of white mushrooms, a few diced stalks of celery, and 10 oz of halved pearl onions, and a bag of quartered little potato company blushing belle potatoes.
Because of all the additional vegetables, I used 3 cups of broth.
I didn’t sear the meat or anything else, because I made this at midnight and just wanted to dump and sleep. I combined everything together at the same time with the exception of the arrowroot and set my slow cooker to low for 10 hours.
The stew made an excellent work desk meal.
Even with all these adjustments I thought the stew was great! I like this base a lot, and want to try it again with actual Dijon Mustard.
Janel – Your modifications sound really tasty! I’m glad that it worked out for you, even with the changes! (That veggie combo sounds delicious—I’ll have to try it myself!)
This looks incredible! I need to make this for dinner on Sunday! It looks so good and hearty!
Paige – I hope you love it! It’s SUCH great beef stew!
Hi. I’m planning to make this stew soon but we don’t like rosemary. Do you have any other recommendations for fresh herbs? I see that some have used Italian seasoning but we like fresh herbs best. Thanks.
Rosemary is my favorite for this stew–the flavor is pretty subtle and doesn’t overwhelm the dish in my opinion, but if that’s not your jam, you may like a few sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano instead (I wouldn’t do both). Hope that helps!
Is it possible to do this in the instant pot? I was hoping to make this today but I waited to late to get started. I’m tempted to try it, otherwise I have to wait until tomorrow.
Regina – So sorry not to have gotten back to you sooner. We just got back into town after some travel! I’m sure you’ve already solved this by now, but for future reference, you can make it in the Instant Pot.
I’m hoping to have full IP directions up soon, but I usually quarter the beef roast and do the searing right in the Instant Pot on SAUTE mode, then remove the beef. I add the onion to the IP on SAUTE mode, and add the balsamic, Dijon, and broth to scrape up any browned bits. Then I return the beef to the pan and add the other ingredients.
I cook on MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE for about 35 minutes, then let it naturally release. (The smaller you cut the beef, the faster it cooks).
No worries. I kind of went with it and it turned out pretty good. I did read in some conversions that some of the veggies are better off doing separate or adding in toward the end which is easier said than done with the IP but might be worth it. In this case the meat was perfect but veggies (I added in Jersey sweet potatoes) were mush. I’m interested to see how it goes today, we had some “stew meat” from the butcher and it was already pretty small so I just did it all together and reduced the time.
This looks yummy but I’d really like to see the nutrition info. I’m eating keto and need to track stuff. Did I miss it somewhere?
Karen – I’m working my way through all my old content updating with nutrition info but haven’t gotten to this one yet. In the meantime, you can use a free calculator, like MyFitnessPal (app or website). I’ve found that one is really reliable! 🙂
Thanks much!
Hi, I’m going to make this on Monday and it’s my first time making a slow cooker stew with meat! I actually just began eating meat again after many years, so I’m still learning what to even do with it; hence my next few questions
Do you brown the beef first with any arrowroot flour?
If I’m leaving the crockpot on low unattended while at work for close to 10 hours, should I add extra broth be safe?
If there isn’t beef chuck available, any suggestions on different cuts?
Thanks SO much!
Haley – These are great questions!
Browning the beef is an optional additional step you can take before cooking it in the slow cooker. IF I’m in a hurry, I skip the browning step, but if I have time, I like to brown it first (my husband loves the crispy bits!). In the recipe card, you’ll see the instructions for browning–brown the beef by heating a drizzle of oil in a large sauté pan. Working in batches, add a few pieces of beef to the pan and brown on all sides. When browned, transfer to the crock of a slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef. Then, you’ll proceed from there. I don’t use any arrowroot–just the beef and some olive oil (maybe some salt and pepper).
You shouldn’t need to add any additional broth to the stew throughout the cook time, since slow cookers don’t permit much evaporation and as the meat and veggies break down, they’ll add their own liquid to the stew.
Basically any kind of beef roast will work for this recipe–use whatever you can find or what’s on sale. Feel free to ask your grocer or someone at the meat counter for suggestions if you’re nervous!
I hope that helps! I’m cheering for you and hoping this recipe works beautifully for you!
Very flavorful stew! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s our family favorite.
Hi!! I have Mine in the slow cooker! Does this recipe freeze well? Thanks!
Laura – We often freeze leftovers and thaw them. The carrots do get softer upon thawing, but the flavor is DELICIOUS!