Beef Stew Recipe with Carrots & Potatoes
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This classic French beef stew is the ultimate comfort food. Slow-cooked in a wine-based broth, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a richly flavored sauce—perfect for chilly nights.
With thousands of 5-star reviews, this classic French beef stew is the most popular recipe on my site—and for good reason! It’s incredibly delicious and the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Pieces of well-marbled beef are seared in a hot pan, then gently braised with garlic and onions in a rich wine-based broth. After a few hours, the meat becomes fork tender and enveloped in a deeply flavorful sauce.
This beef stew recipe is largely hands-off and even better when made a day or two ahead. It also freezes beautifully. Serve it with artisan bread or popovers to soak up the rich sauce, or ladle it over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or creamy polenta for an extra-hearty meal.
“SERIOUSLY EPIC! Hands down, the best beef stew recipe I have ever made.”
What You’ll Need To Make Beef Stew
- Boneless beef chuck: The key to tender, flavorful stew. Look for chuck roast with a good amount of marbling, or white veins of fat running through it. Avoid generic “stew meat,” especially if it looks lean.
- Olive oil: Used for browning the beef and sautéing the vegetables.
- Yellow onions and garlic: Adds sweetness, depth, and savory aroma to the stew as they cook.
- Tomato paste and balsamic vinegar: Tomato paste enriches and thickens the stew, while balsamic vinegar adds acidity and depth to balance the richness.
- All-purpose flour: As the stew simmers, the flour helps thicken the broth, turning it into a rich, velvety sauce that clings to the meat and vegetables.
- Dry red wine: Adds bold flavor and forms the base of the stew along with the broth and water. Use any dry red wine like Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon that is inexpensive but good enough to drink.
- Beef broth and water: Forms the liquid base along with the wine.
- Bay leaf, thyme, and parsley: Classic herbs that infuse earthy flavor during cooking and add brightness at the end.
- Carrots and white boiling potatoes (baby Yukons): Add natural sweetness, texture, and hearty substance as they soak up the broth.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Trim the meat. Begin by removing any large chunks of fat that are easy to get to (like the one my knife is pointing to below), but don’t overdo it with the trimming, as the fat helps keep the beef tender while it cooks.
Step 2: Season. Next, sprinkle the meat generously with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Sear the beef. Heat a bit of oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and brown the meat in batches. This step is a bit time-consuming but browning the meat adds depth and dimension to the stew. (Note: it’s important not to crowd the pan—if you try to brown all the meat at once, it will steam instead of sear and you won’t get all that lovely color and flavor.)
Step 4: Add the aromatics, vinegar, and tomato paste. Remove the meat and add the onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar to the pan. The vinegar will loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add flavor. Cook until the vegetables are softened, then add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more.
Step 5: Return the beef to the pot and add flour. Stir for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the flour is dissolved.
Step 6: Add the cooking liquid and seasoning. Add the wine, broth, water, thyme, bay leaves, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours. (If you don’t have a Dutch oven or prefer to cook the stew on the stovetop, that works, too! The timing will be the same—just keep it on the lowest heat setting and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.)
Step 7: Mix in the veggies. At this point, remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes.
Step 8: Finish cooking. Return the stew to the oven and cook for one hour, until the meat and veggies are tender and the broth has thickened.
Pro Tips
The stew should thicken nicely by the end of cooking, but if you’d like to thicken it further, simply mash 2 tablespoons each softened butter and flour into a paste. Bring the stew to a simmer on the stovetop, then stir in small amounts of the paste, letting it dissolve and thicken the sauce before adding more.
Want to make the stew in a crockpot? Sear the meat and cook the onions and garlic as instructed. Then transfer everything to the slow cooker with the carrots, potatoes, water, wine, and broth; cook for 4 to 5 hours.
Video Tutorial
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Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck, well-marbled, cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks on a diagonal
- 1 pound small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
- Fresh chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and set a rack in the lower middle position.
- Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, for about 5 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.
- Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Fish out the bay leaf and discard, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve the stew warm -- or let it come to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to serve. This stew improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead. Reheat, covered, over medium heat. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
- If you don’t have a Dutch oven or covered pot that is appropriate for the oven, the stew can be cooked on the stove. The timing will be the same and it should be cooked over the lowest setting.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Simply prepare the stew as directed, then cool it to room temperature before refrigerating. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. If you want to freeze the stew, transfer it to an airtight container once it has cooled. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw the stew overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop.
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Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I really want to make this recipe this today. Unfortunately, i didn’t find the recipe until after i bought STEW meat. I know you state it’s important to get a better quality meat but will it still be good with the stew meat or a waste of time?
Hi Tara, What a bummer! It won’t be bad — the meat just won’t get very tender — it would be a shame to spend that much time and energy in the kitchen for a mediocre result! 🙁
I used stew meat and it was still amazing
made it today…ty for the very simple, easy to follow recipe that is easy to make and it is
is so good….my lil gals and wife devoured it…for sure i will do again next week
As I google beef stew looking for this specific recipe, for the 100th time, I thought I should let you know. This stew is amazing! It’s a bit time consuming, but totally worth it, because I know there won’t be any tears about “What’s for dinner?” And with my 3 kids that’s saying something! Thank you!!!
You’re so welcome! 🙂
I only have lamb shoulder in my freezer and am unable to get chuck roast. Would I still be able to make this?
Sure, Zara, lamb shoulder should work here. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use top sirloin?
Hi Diana, for best results, I’d really stick to chuck here. (I worry that sirloin will be too lean and not very tender.) That said, several readers have made the stew with it and have had success. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hello,
A few questions I have
1. Can I use stewing beef instead of beef shank?
2. What can I substitute the Balsamic Vinegar with as I don’t currently have any.
3. What can I substitute the dry red wine with?
Thank you!
Hi Tahirah,
1. I’d stay away from meat packaged as stew meat. Unfortunately, it won’t get tender, no matter how long you cook it).
2. You could use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
2. Just use additional beef broth in place of the wine
Hope that helps!
After two hours it’s still not thickened. Will it be after the last hour or do I add something,?
Hi FC, It should thicken up right at the end. If you’d like it even thicker, you can make a paste with 1 T soft butter and 1 T flour; whisk it in and bring the stew to a simmer and it should further thicken. Hope you enjoy!
I just bought packaged stew meat from Sam’s Club, but I’m now reading your reply to stay clear of package stew meat 🙁 is there a recipe that you would recommend for this type of meat? I promise not To buy package stew meat ever again 😉
Hi Mary Beth, I don’t have a recipe for stew meat — sorry! You can make the stew with it — won’t be bad — the meat just won’t get very tender
can it be cooke ontop of stove insted of in the oven because i don’t have the proper pot for in the oven?
Yes that’s fine – just simmer, covered, over low heat.
If I wanted to make half of this recipe (only two of us at home), besides the ingredients, do I have to alter the time in any way? Thanks!
Hi Nadia, It may take a bit less time to cook, but it won’t be significant. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe is legendary. I have cooked it many times now and every time it is so delicious. My fiancé loves it and asks for it regularly. It is so easy – I simmer on the stove top rather than in the oven with carrots, potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower and it is amazing. We have it on pasta – yum. The balsamic vinegar adds a great element. Lots of flavour and tastes a lot more complicated than it is. Thank you!!
OMG…..this is supposed to be better on the second day…..not sure if there will be any left! Top recipe in my book now. Absolutely excellent!!! I substituted the carrots with squash and sweet potatoes.
I’ve never written a review for a recipe but I have to tell you that this was absolutely incredible. I have made 40 different stews in my life and this will be the only one I will make from now on. Thank you!
This is absolutely the best stew I’ve ever made. Hands down, will make again. Hearty and full of flavour; say goodbye to bland stew.