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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Jenn,
I have had fabulous results in following the stew recipe as written. I want to prepare this recipe for my elderly mother for Mother’s Day, but I would need to make a few adjustments. That would include making it gluten free and making a substitution for white potatoes. Would sweet potatoes work here? Do you have another suggestion? Thanks for your expertise.
So glad you like this! You definitely use gluten-free flour and sweet potatoes successfully. 🙂
I substitute turnips for potatoes because my husband loves this stew over mashed potatoes.
LOVE this beef stew recipe. Only one I’ll make now 😊
Hi Jenn: This recipe is perfect. Really! Yesterday was a rainy day, and luckily I had all the ingredients. Braising in the oven is excellent, so much easier than stove top. My whole home smelled great all afternoon. I cooked it through to adding the vegetables and set aside. Then closer to dinner time, added the veg, popped back in the oven, and it came out so great. Honestly, best stew I have made in many years. Since there are only two of us, I cut the recipe in half, no problem with that. Yum. Thanks, I will be trying your recipes in the future!
Omg! This is the best stew ever! My husband & I enjoyed this so much. I will never make another stew-this is it! Thanks Jenn 😋
I usually make beef stew in a crock pot, but this was easier and delicious! I think the balsamic vinegar really added great flavor. I used less stew beef, so decreased some of the ingredients accordingly. Instead of finishing the stew in the oven, I just covered it, occasionally stirred and simmered it on low until the potatoes and carrots were cooked, about one hour which would depend on how big you slice them. Will definitely make again!
Simply brilliant. my taste buds are dancing. opted for apple cider vinegar as opposed to on balsamic and sweet potatoes. I served the stew on a mashed potato with lentil and butter. Ten out of ten thank you for sharing my family loved it 😇🙏
I love beef stew and this recipe is the absolute best I have ever had. SO SIMPLE to boot. I made 1/2 of a recipe. Reduced all ingredients by half and served it 30 minutes after it was done. It was delicious. I did use beef chunks that had been in my freezer that was not terribly marbled, but I don’t know what the cut was. I followed the recipe without alterations and using good ingredients is important. Don’t skimp on the quality of the balsamic vinegar. It provides wonderful flavor. Thanks for this great recipe.
Hi Jenn,
I made this stew yesterday and we ate it today. My house smelled so good yesterday that my husband wanted to eat dinner early today!!! This recipe is absolutely delicious!!! Due to availability right now we were only able to get 2lbs. “stew meat “ but it cooked beautifully!! My only problem was that I kept to the recipe measurements even though I used less meat. The gravy seemed fine yesterday but was super thick today. I served over egg noodles and taste was fantastic but we had to really mix the meat and noodles to distribute the gravy. Can I add some beef broth to the leftovers I’m freezing? If yes how much do you suggest?Didn’t want to chance ruining the flavor today but would like to see more gray!!
Thanks for your help!!
So glad you enjoyed the stew! Yes, feel free to add another cup or two of broth before you freeze it. And I’d err on the side of adding less rather than more as you can always add more when you’re reheating it. Hope that helps!
I made this last night. I have been making variations of beef stews for 40 years and this was the best! The difference with this one was when to add the flour and the addition of balsamic vinegar. Also longer cooking time. Instead of the potatoes, I added capsicum, green peas and zucchini. And picked the thyme and bay leaves from our garden. It was mouth wateringly wonderful! Great for a cool night in Sydney. Thank You!
Utterly delicious! Made with shin (rendered cut off fat in place of the oil, added streaky bacon snips, black olives & chopped celery and swapped tinned tomatoes for tomato paste and omitted the carrots – didn’t have either, but despite this the meat was beautifully tender and the flavour wonderfully deep and rich – this will now replace Daube de Boef in our menu but I will shop for the full ingredient list next time!
Tastes amazing, however it never thickened, which was a real bummer. I don’t have a Dutch oven maybe that was the issue? Maybe don’t put all the water in at first when adding the liquid? I even uncovered to try and let the moisture out. Either way it still tasted really good. I’ll just tinker with the liquids next time and maybe actually get a Dutch oven.
Hi Scott, Sorry to hear it didn’t thicken as much as you had hoped. Using a large pot instead of a Dutch oven shouldn’t have an impact. Next time you make this, if you’d like it thicker, near the very end of cooking time, 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 thicken up. Hope that helps!
Delicious!! I have made this recipe many times and is now a family favorite! Thank you!