The Ultimate Hearty Crockpot Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes Recipe

We believe there’s a unique comfort in knowing a delicious, hot meal is waiting for you at the end of a cold day. That welcoming, savoury aroma promises a moment of pure satisfaction. If you’re looking for a recipe that delivers exactly that with very little effort, then you’ve come to the right place. We’re delighted to share our tried-and-tested recipe for a Hearty Crockpot Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes, a dish destined to become a staple in your home.

This is more than just a standard beef stew. By swapping out traditional spuds for vibrant, naturally sweet sweet potatoes, we create a dish with a more complex and wonderfully balanced flavour. Your slow cooker takes care of the lengthy cooking process, magically transforming everyday ingredients into incredibly tender beef bathed in a rich, glossy gravy. It’s the perfect one-pot meal for bringing everyone together around the dinner table.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple and Stress-Free: This is a true “fix it and forget it” dish. A small amount of preparation in the morning yields a spectacular dinner that’s ready when you are. It’s the ideal one-pot beef dinner for those busy days.
• Melt-in-the-Mouth Beef: The genius of a slow cooker lies in its ability to gently break down tougher cuts of meat, resulting in beef that is unbelievably tender and infused with flavour.
• A Deeply Savoury Gravy: We carefully build layers of flavour with kitchen staples like red wine, herbs, and tomato purée. This process produces a profound, savoury gravy that you’ll want to mop up with a chunk of fresh bread.
• A Wholesome Twist: Sweet potatoes introduce a subtle, earthy sweetness that beautifully complements the rich beef. They are also a fantastic source of vitamins and fibre, making this a nourishing and fulfilling meal. You can learn more about their incredible benefits from the British Nutrition Foundation website.
• The Epitome of Comfort Food: Warm, substantial, and deeply comforting, this stew is the very essence of winter comfort food. It truly feels like a hug in a bowl.

Ingredients

• 900g (2 lbs) beef chuck (stewing beef), cut into 1.5-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into thick rounds
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 950ml (4 cups) beef broth, low-sodium
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 700g (about 2 large) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (for thickening)
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Step-by-Step Instructions for Your Crockpot Beef Stew

Creating an exceptional stew is all about patiently building layers of flavour. By following these straightforward steps, you can ensure your finished meal is complex, rich, and utterly delicious.

Step 1: Prepare and Sear the Beef

To begin, pat the beef cubes dry with kitchen paper; this is the secret to achieving a perfect brown crust. In a mixing bowl, toss the beef with the flour, salt, and pepper until each piece is lightly coated. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Place the beef in the pan in a single layer, working in batches if you need to, and sear until all sides are beautifully browned. This initial step is vital for developing a deep, robust flavour, so please don’t skip it! Once browned, transfer the beef to your crockpot.

Step 2: Sauté the Aromatics

Using the same pan, lower the heat to medium. Add the chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5–7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables have softened and the onions look translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for a further minute until it becomes fragrant. Next, stir in the tomato purée and cook for one more minute; this helps to deepen its rich taste.

Step 3: Deglaze and Combine

Pour the red wine into the hot pan to deglaze it. Using a wooden spoon, gently scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan—these are packed with flavour. Allow the wine to bubble away and reduce by roughly half. Now, pour this intensely flavourful mixture of vegetables and wine into the crockpot over the seared beef. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and bay leaves. Give everything a thorough stir to combine all the elements.

Step 4: The Slow Cook

Place the lid on the crockpot and select your cooking setting. We find that cooking on a low heat for 7–8 hours yields the most tender results, but the high setting for 4–5 hours will also produce a delicious stew if you’re pressed for time.

Step 5: Add Sweet Potatoes and Thicken the Gravy

Approximately 1.5 to 2 hours before the end of the cooking time, stir the sweet potato chunks into the stew. This timing ensures they cook through perfectly without becoming mushy. During the final 30 minutes, prepare the cornflour slurry. Whisk the cornflour and cold water together in a small bowl until completely smooth. Stir this mixture into the stew. Switch the crockpot to its high setting for these last 30 minutes to help the gravy thicken to a luscious, velvety consistency. Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy your masterpiece!

Tips for the Perfect Slow Cooker Beef Stew

We want your stew to be a resounding success. Here are some of our best tips to help you achieve perfection every time you make this slow cooker beef stew.

• Select the Best Beef for Stewing: The ideal cuts for a slow-cooked stew are those rich in connective tissue, such as chuck, brisket, or round steak. These seemingly tough cuts transform during the long, gentle cooking process, becoming wonderfully tender and succulent.
• Give Your Beef Space to Brown: When searing the beef, it’s important to do so in batches. Overcrowding the pan will cause the meat to steam rather than brown, and you’ll miss out on developing that crucial, deep flavour base.
• Layer Flavours at Every Stage: Each part of the process, from browning the meat to sautéing the vegetables and deglazing the pan, contributes another layer of depth to the finished dish. Taking your time with these initial steps really pays dividends.
• Fresh Herbs Elevate Everything: While dried thyme is perfectly fine, you can enhance the stew’s aroma by using a fresh sprig of thyme or rosemary alongside the bay leaves. A final scattering of fresh parsley provides a burst of colour and freshness.

Variations and Substitutions

One of the joys of this recipe is its versatility. Don’t hesitate to adapt it to your own tastes with these simple adjustments and additions.

• Different Vegetables: If sweet potatoes aren’t your favourite, feel free to use classic potatoes like Maris Piper or King Edward. Root vegetables like parsnips, butternut squash, or swede would also be delicious. For a splash of green, you could stir in a handful of frozen peas during the final 15 minutes.
• Add Mushrooms: For an extra layer of earthy flavour, add some sliced cremini or chestnut mushrooms to the pan when you sauté the onions and other aromatics.
• Make it Gluten-Free: To create a gluten-free sweet potato stew, simply replace the plain flour with a good-quality gluten-free all-purpose blend and check that your brand of Worcestershire sauce is certified gluten-free.
• Other Meal Ideas: If you love straightforward, comforting meals like this one, we think you’ll also enjoy our Low Carb Chicken Casserole, another excellent choice for a satisfying family supper.

What to Serve with Your Crockpot Beef Stew

While this Hearty Crockpot Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes is a wonderful meal on its own, the right accompaniments can elevate it even further.

1. Crusty Bread: A warm, crusty baguette or a slice of sourdough is essential for mopping up every last drop of that gorgeous, rich gravy.
2. Dumplings: Light and fluffy suet or herb dumplings, gently placed on top of the stew for the last 30 minutes of cooking, make for a truly classic and comforting treat.
3. Green Vegetables: A simple side of steamed green beans, tenderstem broccoli, or a fresh green salad with a sharp vinaigrette offers a lovely, fresh contrast to the richness of the stew.
4. More Hearty Dinners: If you’re putting together a weekly menu of comforting meals, why not try our much-loved Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe as well?

FAQ

Your New Go-To Winter Warmer

And there we have it—our ultimate guide to creating a truly Hearty Crockpot Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes. This is a dish that embodies everything we love about home cooking: comfort, warmth, and flavour. With its fall-apart tender beef, velvety gravy, and nutritious vegetables, it’s a meal that is sure to win everyone over, offering a fantastic reward for very little hands-on time.

We really hope you’ll try this recipe the next time a chilly evening calls for something special. It’s the ideal meal to gather your loved ones around the table. If you do make it, we would love for you to come back and share your thoughts by leaving a comment and a rating below. Hearing about your kitchen successes always makes our day!

Recipe Card

Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 4-8 hours
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 900g (2 lbs) beef chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 950ml (4 cups) beef broth
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 700g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Pat beef dry and toss with flour, salt, and pepper. In a large pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides. Transfer the browned beef to your crockpot.
2. In the same pan, lower the heat to medium and sauté the onions, carrots, and celery for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 more minute.
3. Deglaze the pan by pouring in a splash of the beef broth and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Pour the vegetable mixture into the crockpot.
4. Add the remaining beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and bay leaves to the crockpot. Stir everything together to combine.
5. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, until the beef is tender.
6. About 1.5 to 2 hours before serving, stir in the sweet potato chunks.
7. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the cornflour and water mixture. Set the crockpot to high to allow the gravy to thicken. Remove the bay leaves before serving and garnish with fresh parsley.

Nutrition (per serving): Information not available in article.