Slow Cooker Beef Stew & Dumplings

Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings – the ultimate comfort food! A hearty beef stew loaded with vegetables, topped with fluffy dumplings and cooked to perfection in your CrockPot.

So if you’re looking for a comforting and hearty meal that requires minimal effort, look no further.

My one pot beef casserole with dumplings is the perfect fuss free dinner option for a chilly evening.

My mum would make a beef stew and dumplings every week, not least because it was economical. A small amount of a cheap cut of meat stretched a long way with vegetables from our garden.

After getting married, I carried on the tradition of a weekly stew. It made good use of the slow cooker we’d received as a wedding present and money was tight. In fact, to stretch our budget even further, we even had ‘stew pie’ later in the week.

Whilst we may have lost the weekly stew tradition here at the Kitchen Shed, it is far from forgotten. Every now and then, especially when the weather turns, we have a humble beef stew – served with dumplings of course.

I’ve used and adapted my Mum’s recipe, itself an old family recipe which has been tweaked over the generations.

I include more meat than my Mum used to and I’ve added garlic and tomato puree to add extra flavour. Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings is still a family favourite and it has received my Mum’s approval.

A cheap cut of meat transforms into tender chunks of beef packed with flavour from the vegetables and rich gravy. It’s a timeless slow cooker classic we never tire of.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings is easy to make. Chunks of beef are browned, onions softened before adding to the slow cooker with vegetables, herbs and stock. If you’re pushed for time, skip the browning stage and simply add all the ingredients and leave to cook.

The easy dumpling mix is simplicity itself. Bring together with a fork and shape into balls before adding to the pot near the end of cooking time.

Here at the Kitchen Shed our slow cooker is nearly always in use and it really does earn its keep. Be it a hearty goulash stew or a vegetable and bean stew, the slow cooker comes in to its own. But I must admit, a satisfying bowl of slow cooker beef stew and dumplings takes some beating.

Why you’ll love this recipe

 Here’s why this is the Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings Recipe.

• Budget friendly – stock and aromatic herbs transform stewing steak and humble root vegetables into a rich and satisfying stew. Hearty enough to serve as a one pot meal, it’s a real crowd pleaser and easy on the pocket too.
• No waste – leftovers can be kept in the fridge or frozen. Good news is, beef stew tastes even better the next day !
• Easy to make – with clear instructions and step by step photographs.
• It’s adaptable – choose whatever vegetables you have available and you can even use less meat.
• Easy cooking – choose from simmering on the hob or set and forget in your slow cooker.
• Best ever gravy – You can tell a good stew from its gravy or sauce and this one is delicious! Combined with the flavour from the caramelised slow cooked beef, vegetables and herbs you won’t be able to resist a second helping.

What equipment do I need ?

• 6 to 8 person slow cooker – I used my 6.5 litre ( 7 quart ) Crock Pot. Use a heavy based cast iron casserole or Dutch oven if you’re cooking on the hob.

What Ingredients do I need ?

 A few staple ingredients and seasonal vegetables deliver the most deliciously irresistible Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings.

• Diced beef – I used chuck steak, you can also brisket or any beef labelled braising steak.
• Plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper – to coat the beef and thicken the stew.
• Rapeseed oil or vegetable oil
• Vegetables – I’ve used onions, carrots, celery, parsnip and potatoes. These were items I’d got in the pantry shelf, but feel free to use any root vegetables.
• Garlic cloves – is a recent addition to our stew but adds extra flavour.
• Bay leaves – used dried or fresh
• Dried thyme – if using fresh, double the amount.
• Tomato puree – or if you’re in the US tomato paste.
• Worcester sauce – we love Lea and Perrins.
• Beef stock – I used Knorr stock pots.
• Freshly parsley to add freshness at the end.

Slow Cooker Dumpling Ingredients

• Plain flour
• Baking powder
• Shredded suet
• Freshly chopped parsley
• Water

For A Suet Free Dumpling

A good substitute for suet is to grate hard white vegetable fat, such as Trex, and coat with rice flour.

How to make Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings

Making Beef Stew and dumplings in your CrockPot couldn’t be easier ! Just a couple of simple steps before adding to the slow cooker. For full details see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Sear the beef well on all sides. This is best done in batches as overcrowding the pan will steam the beef instead of browning.

• Fry the onions until soft adding crushed garlic and tomato puree for a minute at the end.
• Briefly fry the carrots and celery and transfer to the slow cooker.

• Deglaze the pan with the leftover flour and beef stock before adding to the slow cooker.

• Lastly, add the potatoes, parsnips, herbs, tomato puree and Worcester sauce. Give it a good old stir, place the slow cooker lid on and let the slow cooker do its magic.

A Note On Browning Beef

You can just throw everything into the slow cooker but it really is worth browning. Since you’re using a pan for the meat, brown the vegetables as well and get the delicious caramelised crusty bits..

How to cook dumplings in a slow cooker

Cooking suet dumplings in your slow cooker couldn’t be easier.
Gentle simmering in the slow cooker does away with worries about overcooking dumplings or dumplings falling apart.

• Make up the dumpling dough and shape into small balls.
• Turn up your slow cooker to High and add the dumplings to your Crock Pot.
• Cook on High with the lid on for 45 minutes.

A note on Reheating Dumplings

Up until this year I wouldn’t have recommended reheating dumplings. But recently I decided to experiment and reheat in the microwave for a short time. We were pleasantly surprised to find the dumplings were still light and soft.

Cooking Beef Stew and Dumplings on the Hob

• You will need an extra cup of beef stock or water. Unlike the slow cooker, cooking on the hob loses more liquid to evaporation.
• Brown the meat, onions, celery and carrots in an enamelled casserole or Dutch oven. Add leftover flour, tomato puree and garlic before stirring in the stock.
• Keep stirring until thickened and reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
• Add the parsnips and potatoes along with herbs and Worcester sauce.
• Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Add the dumplings in the last half hour of cooking, cook with the lid on.

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More Slow Cooker Recipes

• Slow Cooker Sausage and Bean Casserole
• Slow Cooker Beef Madras Curry
• Slow Cooker Beef Brisket Goulash
• Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup
• Slow Cooker Citrus Lamb Shanks

 Pin Slow Cooker Beef Stew & Dumplings

This recipe was first published in November 2016. Updated on 1st February 2024 with new photos, recipe tips and a few tweaks to the recipe.

I’m entering Slow Cooker Beef Stew & Herb Dumplings into a few food challenges this month:

• Corina’s Cook Once Eat Twice over at Searching For Spice.
• Teatime Treats hosted alternate months by Karen from Lavender and Lovage, Manjiri from Travels for Taste and Jo from Jo’s Kitchen, hosted this month by Karen.
• The Slow Cooked Challenge co hosted by Janice over at Farmersgirl Kitchen and Lucy over at Baking Queen 74, hosted this month by Lucy.