This homemade beef stew features tender chuck roast paired with hearty veggies and is made extra fast and easy in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker.
The hype around the Instant Pot may have subsided, but my love for this appliance is still strong. I’ve got several Instant Pot recipes, like my Instant Pot oatmeal, my creamy chicken and wild rice soup, and my fettuccine alfredo. Plus, it cooks hard boiled eggs that peel like a dream every.single.time. It saves me valuable time in the kitchen, helped minimize my collection of duplicate appliances, and its capabilities know no bounds. And, it’s even made meal planning a habit I’m actually becoming a fan of. What can’t this workhorse of an appliance do?
I made this traditional beef stew with a slew of nutritious veggies in my cooker on the pressure cooking setting, and the whole stew was cooked and ready to eat in just 40 minutes. Compare that to 2 hours or more on the stove top and you’ll know why I’m such a fan. BUT! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, this beef stew is just as easily prepared on the stovetop, or in the slow cooker, with directions for both below.
The game changer for me is the ability to sauté and brown right in the cooker. That means if you’re slow cooking or pressure cooking, there’s no need for dirtying up extra pans in the cooking process, and all of the browned flavor tidbits stay in the pan to add more flavor and depth to whatever you’re cooking.
What’s in Beef Stew
The classic beef stew combination of carrots, potatoes, celery, and onion are all represented here but I chose to add mushrooms—because we love ’em—and butternut squash because beef and butternut squash together simply make magic. It doesn’t matter if you’re making Instant Pot beef stew or using your slow cooker, the ingredients list doesn’t change.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Flour
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Garlic salt
- Beef chuck
- Vegetable oil
- Garlic
- Onion
- Celery
- Red wine—if wine isn’t your thing, I recommend red wine vinegar which will still impart the flavor that red wine brings. But if you don’t have any, you can just use extra beef broth
- Beef broth
- Beef base
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Butternut squash
- New red potatoes
- Bay leaves
- Thyme
How to Make Instant Pot Stew
The steps for making Instant Pot stew and slow cooker beef stew are very similar. I walk you through both in the recipe card below, but here’s an overview of the cooking process if you’re making Instant Pot beef stew:
- Place the beef cubes, flour, kosher salt, garlic salt and black pepper in a freezer bag and toss to coat.
- Brown the beef in the Instant Pot along with the garlic. Transfer to a separate bowl.
- Add more oil to the Instant Pot and sauté the onion and celery until softened. Add to bowl of beef.
- Add red wine to the Instant Pot and bring to a boil.
- Add everything into the Instant Pot, set to the stew setting, and let cook for 30 minutes.
- Use natural release, then serve.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Making slow cooker beef stew is very similar to making Instant Pot beef stew. The main difference is that you brown the beef and sauté the veggies in a dutch oven, then transfer everything to the slow cooker insert and cook.
Slow cooker beef stew needs to cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
How to Make This Stew On the Stovetop
Brown the beef and sauté the veggies in a dutch oven, add the rest of the ingredients and cover tightly with a lid. Simmer for 2 hours or until the beef is tender and vegetables are cooked.
How Do you Make Beef Stew Tender?
It’s all about the cut of meat. Please don’t use stew beef here. Beef chuck roast is just the right cut for this type of stew thanks to its marbling that adds flavor and tenderness in a shorter amount of cooking time. Better flavor, better texture, better stew. Bam.
What Gives Beef Stew its Flavor?
There are so many flavor carriers here, and they all play together so nicely. Browning the beef is number one here. That’s essential for giving this stew the wonderful umami flavor it’s known for. Beef broth and beef base are supporting cast members in this department, followed by a healthy dose of garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and veggies. Deglazing the pan with the red wine also adds incredible depth to the stew.
Should Beef Stew Be Soupy?
Beef stew can be as thick as you would like it to be. In addition to flour, the starch from the potatoes naturally thicken the stew. Mine is a touch on the thicker side, but it’s not a gravy. If you want it even thinner, you can omit the flour, and if you want it thicker, you can make a slurry, but this would be more conducive to the stovetop cooking method. You can also just use less liquid.
Tips for Making the Best Beef Stew
Save even more time by chopping up all of your veggies in advance, and storing them in Tupperware containers in the fridge.
Choose a bottle of wine for this Instant Pot stew that you’d enjoy drinking on its own. You don’t want to skimp on flavor with a cheap bottle that adds skunk instead of spunk. Again, you can always sub red wine vinegar if you don’t have wine or would rather omit it.
If you don’t have butternut squash on hand, swap in cubed sweet potatoes instead. Both are quite sweet, so I think this pairing would be delicious too.
We love eating this beef stew with some crusty bread, but sometimes serve it over egg noodles or creamy polenta. If you want to serve it over mashed potatoes, that would definitely not be a bad idea (you can never have too many potatoes).
More Beef Dinners Recipes to Try
- Beef Bourguignon
- Mom’s Pot Roast
- Tuscan Beef Stew
- Roasted Mushroom Beef Stroganoff
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Beef Stew with Butternut Squash (Instant Pot, Crock Pot or Stove Top)
Equipment
- I use a 6QT Instant Pot for this recipe, or a traditional slow cooker, or Dutch oven if making on the stovetop.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour , divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds beef chuck cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
- 4 cloves garlic , pressed or minced
- 1 large onion , chopped, about 2 cups
- 3 ribs celery , chopped, about 1 cup
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon beef base
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 pound cremini or brown mushrooms , quartered
- 12 ounces butternut squash , cubed
- 2 cups quartered new red potatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 thyme stems
Instructions
- Place 2 tablespoons flour, kosher salt, garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper in a gallon freezer bag and toss to mix. Add the beef chuck cubes to the freezer bag and toss the cubes in the flour mixture to coat.
Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker:
- Press sauté and heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add half of the floured beef cubes to the oil and brown the beef on all sides. Transfer the beef to a bowl. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot and brown the rest of the meat on all sides. Add the garlic to the beef and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add this beef to the bowl.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot and cook the onion and celery for 4-5 minutes or until softened, then add to the bowl with the beef.
- Add the wine to the Instant Pot and bring to a boil, scraping the bits from the bottom of the cooker. Add the beef broth and the beef base to the Instant Pot and mix with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour.
- Add the browned beef and sautéed veggies, along with the butternut squash, carrots, red potatoes and mushrooms to the pot with the bay leaves and thyme.
- Seal the Instant Pot and set to the Stew setting and cook for 30 minutes. Natural release, remove the bay leaves and serve.
Slow Cooker:
- In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil and add half of the floured beef cubes, then brown the beef on all sides. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker. Add another tablespoon of oil to dutch oven and brown the rest of the meat on all sides. Add the garlic to the beef and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add to the slow cooker.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot and cook the onion and celery for 4-5 minutes or until softened, then add to the slow cooker with the beef.
- Add the wine to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pot. Whisk the 2 remaining tablespoons of flour into 2 tablespoons of the beef broth, then mix into the rest of the liquid and beef base and add to the slow cooker with the beef, vegetables, bay leaves, and thyme.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Remove the bay leaves and serve.
Stove Top:
- In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil and add half of the floured beef cubes, then brown the beef on all sides. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker. Add another tablespoon of oil to dutch oven and brown the rest of the meat on all sides. Add the garlic to the beef and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until garlic becomes fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot and cook the onion and celery for 4-5 minutes or until softened, then set aside with the beef.
- Add the wine to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pot. Whisk the 2 remaining tablespoons of flour into 2 tablespoons of the beef broth, then mix into the rest of the liquid with the beef base. Add the reserved beef, vegetables, bay leaves, and thyme.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover tightly and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender. Remove the bay leaves and serve.
Nutrition
More Instant Pot Dinners to Try
- Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Baby Back Ribs in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Corned Beef and Cabbage In the Instant Pot
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Is there a good substitute for red wine?
Hi Sheri! You could use red wine vinegar (do 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar mixed with 1/2 cup water). Or, you could use a non-alcoholic red wine. We hope this helps!
I don’t have thyme stems. What can I use instead and how much should I use?
Debbie, you could use any other savory herb such as rosemary or oregano.
What size chunks do you cut the beef?
I cut them into 1-inch chunks. They will shrink a bit as they cook.
Could you use frozen butternut squash, or is fresh preferred?
Sure Sally, frozen would work fine!
Can i roasted the squash prior to adding it to the stew?
Hi Angela, you could roast the squash, but it truly isn’t necessary, and may become too soft if you do.
Hi Angela! It’s not necessary but you totally can (just add the squash in at the end so it doesn’t overcook and get mushy).
Great stew recipe and I can’t wait to make it again. As for the folks having trouble getting this to fit in a 6 qt IP maybe too many potatoes and or carrots? I googled 2 cups of each and for potatoes it’s 1 lb and for carrots was told 3 medium carrots. It seemed a little overloaded with mushrooms to me so next time I will probably use ~ 12 oz.
Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
hi heidi; quick question – if we are to do this with nearly defrosted or frozen beef, how would that change the cooking process?
I would suggest thawing the beef completely first!
This was a lot of prep for the insta pot but totally worth it! The most delicious beef stew I have ever made! I will definitely make again!
Thank you Gretchen! Glad you enjoyed it!
What size instant pot was this recipe designed for? It does no specify the serving number. I have a 3 QT – the Mini – and wish to adapt to the smaller size. Thx u!
Deana, I use a 6 QT Instant Pot. Halve the recipe if you’re making it in a smaller IP.
Hi Deana, it’s designed for the 6QT Instant Pot. Happy cooking!
I tried this with my 6 qt. Instant Pot. After getting the “burn” notice, we added more liquid. It got to pressure again, but the burn notice came up a second time. It got transferred to the crock pot, but this means we had to find an alternative dinner. Disappointed. Also, people have pointed out that the recipe doesn’t tell you when to add the beef back to the pot.
I am so sorry to hear that, Lydia! The instant pot can be finnicky sometimes. Adding the beef back in will be the final step. Thank you for your comment.
Made this tonight, in my Instant Pot 6 qt. Was looking for something to do with a leftover butternut squash besides curried soup. It was fantastic, and I used stewing beef, and only 1 lb for budgetary reasons. Little more squash, little less mushrooms because that was what I had. Will definitely make again.
Pot was fairly full but not iverly so, no problems.
Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it Carol.
I changed the herbs, leaving off the thyme and using leftover fortified wine. Cooked on stove top… It was delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it Carmen, hope you add it to your regular recipe rotation.
Sounds womderful! Thank you Carmen!
How many servings does this make?
Hi Katie, this makes about 6 servings.
Awesome recipe! I normally do a recipe by the letter the first time and don’t think this needs any modifications; however, was emboldened to make a few changes based on a need to reduce red meat and a desire not to make a trip to the supermarket! I swapped the beef out for black beans, cooking them with the onions, garlic, celery, and salt and pepper together (in retrospect, I should have added the 2tbsp of the flour for the beef here to help thicken things up later). I only had 1 cup of beef broth so I added a cup of water and an extra tsp of beef base for flavor. And finally, I had a number of shallots to finish off so I used them instead of yellow onions. What came out was delicious!!!! I might have done better with 2tbsp of beef base as opposed to the single tbsp in the recipe to amp up the flavor since there’s no meet here, but nothing a little seasoning at the table couldn’t handle! Kudos!!!
So wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
This beef stew with butternut squash was amazing! Will have to try more or your recipes! I’m loving this insta-pot! Who says that fast can’t be amazing? :)
Fast is my jam! Thanks, Mary!
This was amazing! Will have to try more or your recipes! I’m loving this insta-pot! Who says that fast can’t be amazing? :)
This is hands down the BEST stew i have ever had! I made it a couple months ago after listening to my daughter rave about it. She uses her instant pot but mine is too small so I opted for the slow cooker. The slow cooker recipe clearly states when to add the beef so Yay for that! My daughter uses only broth but I used the wine too. I have never been a big fan of stew…I ate 2 bowls of this on the first night! My husband did the same and we ate every drop of the leftovers! SOOO good. I added extra beef base for a little extra flavor and used GF flour.
Glad you adapted it for gluten-free eaters Cathy.
Delicious! I will make it again! Thank you!
Holy moly, this did not fit in a 6 quart instant pot. Owners of 8 quarts might have more luck but mine was filled to the very top and did not come to pressure.
Sorry yours didn’t fit Elena. You can omit some of the potatoes, or cut the bites smaller.
This looks super yummy! I love beef stew. It’s the perfect winter meal!
This is a fantastic stew. Every time I make it family raves about it. The only modification I regularly make now is to double the butternut squash and leave out the potatoes, but only because I prefer to use up the whole squash at once and it’s a little less prep that way. It’s delicious either way.
This is really, really, good. I’ve made it several times and it always turns out great. I leave out the flour, don’t usually have beef base, substitute turnips for potatoes, and use dried spices. It’s always good!
Can you use a rump roast..
Yes you could, but I prefer chuck roast for more marbling = more flavor.
I tried this and i will make it one of my regular dishes really is a beautiful dish.
I am looking forward to try this one
This looks so delicious – and the broth has a lovely, dark richness. I LOVE butternut squash, and, like you, I adore mushrooms. I’m gonna have to look into the Instant Pot. I’ve never heard of it and it sounds like a great thing to have – 2 hours versus 40 minutes – OH YEAH!! ; o )
Oh Cecile! You really need to get one, they’re the best!
I will try to hold back my Instant Pot envy and instead say that this does look really incredible! Does the squash get mushy in the crock pot?
Is this kind of Mediterranean recipe ? I think I ate something at a Persian festival.
I agree! Butternut squash is so perfect in beef stew! I need to add this to my menu for this week!
Wow ! Can’t wait to cook it for my husband, he’s a beef-lover, loves beef more than me.
Tried this tonight in my InstantPot and love it! A question though: when exactly do I add the beef back into the InstantPot? I didn’t see it in the directions, did I somehow miss it?
Yes, I put it in with everything else. Turned out amazing. This was the best stew I have ever had.
I made this tonight, and I definitely agree with you. Best beef stew I’ve had.
Hi. Step 4 under IP recipe above tells you to add the browned beef back in with all the veggies.
I followed the crockpot instructions and loved this recipe. So flavorful and kid approved.
Hi Kate! You add the browned beef when you add the sautéed veggies, the butternut squash, carrots, red potatoes and mushrooms.
Thank you for this.! Ive never made beef stew. What exactly is a beef base, please? Also, If I don’t use any wine, do I increase the amount of beef broth? OK to use olive oil instead of regular vegetable oil? Thank you!
You can find beef base usually on the top shelf in the grocery store above the beef and chicken broth. It’s a flavor concentrate usually a creamy consistency. And yes increase beef broth to replace the amount of wine. And if using olive oil just be careful not to get the pan too hot and burn it since it has a lower smoke point.
Not sure we have the equivalent of Beef base in England, do we?
Jackie, you could use Beef Bouillon if you have it.
Hi Gina! Beef base is like a more concentrated stock (it’s a super flavorful paste you mix with water like a stock, just with much more flavor). Also, if you don’t have wine, you can just increase the amount of beef broth, and yes, you can totally use olive oil!
I’m all about saving time and getting a cozy dinner made too. This is just what my Monday needs!
I am really looking to try butternut squash in new ways…I never thought to pair it with beef! Great idea =)