Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
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This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
With over 4,000 5-star reviews, this classic French beef stew is the all-time most popular recipe on my website. It is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Chunks 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 in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a deeply flavorful sauce. It takes a few hours to make, but the recipe is mostly hands-off. Go ahead and make it a day or two ahead of time; the flavor improves the longer it sits.
This stew is part of my classic French recipe collection, which includes similar slow-cooking comfort food recipes, like coq au vin and braised short ribs, and impressive main courses, like steak au poivre or roast beef tenderloin with red wine sauce.
what you’ll need to make beef stew with carrots & potatoes
The most important thing is to start with the right cut of meat. You want to buy chuck roast that is well-marbled—that means it should have a good amount of white veins of fat running through it. Stay away from meat generically packaged as “stew meat,” especially if it looks lean (I can guarantee you it will not get tender, no matter how long you cook it).
For the wine, use any dry red (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink.
How To Make Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
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 make the beef tender.
Next, season the meat generously with salt and pepper.
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.)
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.
Add the beef back into the pan and sprinkle with the flour.
Stir until the flour is dissolved.
Add the wine, broth, water, thyme, bay leaves, and sugar.
Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, add the carrots and potatoes.
Return to the oven and continue cooking for one hour, or until the meat is fork-tender, the broth is thickened, and the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Feel free to adapt the recipe to your liking. You can leave out the potatoes and serve it over buttered egg noodles, or toss in some frozen peas or sautéed mushrooms at the very end. Either way, it’s soul-satisfying comfort food for a cold night.
You may also like
- Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
- Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Guinness Lamb Stew with Vegetables
- Texas-Style Chili Con Carne
- Coq Au Vin
- Meatloaf
Video Tutorial
Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
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 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.
- Note: 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.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the stew in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 539
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Sugar: 8g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 54g
- Sodium: 1189mg
- Cholesterol: 143mg
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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Loved this recipe, now I’m back to make it again. The veg are perfectly cooked and the meat is meltingly tender. Keeps the chill out here in the north of England.
I need to make this stew gluten free for my granddaughter. What do you suggest?
Hi Nancy, You can use gluten-free flour here in place of the all-purpose flour. Hope everyone enjoys!
Can I use beef “stock” in place of beef “broth”? And does the broth need to be void of salt?
Yes, you can use broth instead of stock and it should contain salt. Hope you enjoy!
Delish! Meat was amazingly tender! Regret only making 1/2 the recipe for us. Definitely making this again and again!
Delicious! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out so good. I added it to my favorites and will definitely be making it again.
This IS THE most fabulous “stew” I’ve EVER had. It is rich, robust flavour, which can’t be described. I have it printed, but had to look up the recipe for a friend recently when I discovered it’s actually Beef Bourguignon. Now I know why it tastes like absolute heaven! Do yourself a favour and make this, you’ll never go back to others! Just made it tonight for the umpteenth time, figured I owed it to the author to comment, at least! Thankyou!
I have made this recipe so many times. It’s absolutely delicious. The only thing I changed is adding Herbes de Provence instead of just thyme and peas. It’s perfect for the chilly months!
I have made this stew several times now as written. It is to-die-for and this is now my standard go-to recipe for beef stew. What appealed to me is that it did not call for celery, we are not fans of cooked celery. Also it is void of Worcestershire sauce, which I love to use with beef stew but was a little tired of it so the change to balsamic vinegar was a nice change. Thank you for a beautiful, cozy and hearty and also easy recipe for cold winter nights!
Do you think this would be ok if I subbed white sweet potatoes for the potato? I unfortunately can’t do potatoes. White is less sweet then orange so thought it might work. Thank you.
Sure, Heather, that will work. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Why do we add sugar to this recipe? Okay to leave it out?
Thanks,
Tayo
Hi Tayo, the sugar just helps to balance out the other flavors, but you can omit it if you’d like. Hope you enjoy!
I made this last night and it is truly the best beef stew recipe. I love your step by step instructions with pictures!
Hi Jen,
I’m doubling the recipe and my dutch oven isn’t large enough. Can this recipe be adapted to a strictly stove top version?
TIA,
Joanne
Sure, just cook it over the lowest setting and give it a stir periodically so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Hope you enjoy!
I love this recipe and it always comes out great! I would like to serve this an upcoming dinner party, but one of the guests can’t have gluten, is there a gluten-free substitute that would work instead of flour?
Thanks for any advice.
Hi Jennifer, you can easily replace this with gluten-free flour. (And glad you like it!)
Just made this tonight and used white gluten free flour. Worked a treat so 100% recommend! So tasty 🤤
I haven’t made it yet, but could you use celery and stewed tomatoes in it
Hi Karen, You can definitely add some celery. I wouldn’t recommend stewed tomatoes — canned tomatoes might give the stew an acidic taste. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
So, I love this recipe so much (I’ve made it about 4 times now) and I’m making it for my German family on Christmas! It will be more gulasch style and served with spaetzle instead of potatoes. I will probably add a little celery root. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
I made this tonight! It is wonderful. A couple tweaks: I tossed the flour in with the beef before browning and I used frozen pearl onions. Excellent dish! Will definitely make again.
This recipe is perfect , as is!! Very very flavorful, tender and had a beautiful glaze to a perfect sauce. I used Pinot noir . Excellent stew! Will make time and time again!
Thank you!
Hi have made this before but could I make it in morning and do the oven later in the day? It’s the best.
I’m glad you like it! Unfortunately, from a food safety standpoint, I don’t think it would be a good idea to sear the meat and not continue cooking it. Sorry!
You suggest using a large pot but, maybe I’m missing something, but I can’t seem to find the best size. It would be very helpful. Thanks.
Hi Judith, You’ll need a 5 to 6-quart pot for this. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Wow! This stew had a lot of flavor and the family loved it. I will definitely add it to my list of winter meals. The crushed garlic cloves added a nice taste as well as the red wine. It was a little more work than my usual crock pot stew, but absolutely worth the effort!!
My family and I loved this stew. The flavor and consistency is perfect.
Tried this stew recipe this evening. My wife is not a big fan of beef stew but this recipe she liked very much. The beef was very tender and flavorful. Very good recipe so highly recommend.
I am so looking forward to making this today. It’s just my husband and me and I have only a 3qt Dutch oven. Any issues with halving the recipe, cutting everything (including liquid) straight down the middle ? Would cook time stay the same? Thank you!
Hi Christine, it’s fine to cut the recipe in half and the cooking time should stay the same. Hope you both enjoy!
Hi Jenn – it was sublime! I did just cut everything in half except the liquid because I figured the more to mop up with so did a total of 4 cups of liquid (beef stock/water/red wine). It was fantastic! Thanks. 🙂
Glad it came out well — thanks for reporting back!
I’m usually looking for shortcuts in the kitchen but this was so worth the wait! This is my new “go to” recipe for beef stew.
Have you tried this in the slow cooker?
Hi Mary, I haven’t personally made it in a slow cooker, but a number of readers have. I’d sear the beef first as the recipe indicates and then cook it in the slow cooker for 4 – 5 hours on high (and you can put the carrots and the potatoes in with the meat– you don’t need to wait). Enjoy!
Made this today and it was fantastic! I completely missed the 2 cups of water (!) but added a splash more wine and broth when I put the carrots and potatoes in. The broth was so rich and delicious I will skip the water next time. This recipe is a keeper!
I was skeptical about adding six cups of liquid to this but it came out delicious! I used a 5 quart Dutch oven and it was the perfect size. I doubled the potatoes and used four extra large carrots but it still came out great with plenty of sauce. I also used the generic “stew meat” and it was fall apart tender. We got eight hearty servings from the recipe and ate it with crusty dinner rolls. Thanks for a keeper recipe!
Just made this and it is fantastic. We did not add the 2 cups of water since we like our stew thick.
Hi Jenn
I made this recipe for Friday night dinner and everyone gave it five stars :-). I have made this numerous times in the past with different cuts of meat. I live in Israel and we don’t have chuck so I have been using a shoulder roast. Do you have any other recommendations on the cut of meat to use?
Thanks!
Hi Roze, Chuck is actually cut from the shoulder so it sounds like you’re using the best cut. Glad you all enjoyed it!
I want beef stew tonight! But I only have beef filet on hand…I don’t have my car today so can’t go to the store…can I use beef filet?
I wouldn’t recommend it, Rhonda, as it won’t get as tender. I’d wait until you have chuck to make this — sorry!
Thanks Jenn…I appreciate your reply and recipe, I will be making it soon, looks like a great dish!
After trying numerous beef stew recipes I’ll look no further. This is by far the most flavorful. I’ve now made this 5 or 6 times and tinkered around with different cuts of beef… although the chuck roast is delicious and tender it’s sooo expensive here in NYC. I tried rump roast today, it was tender and flavorful and a fraction of the price. All measurements in the recipe are spot on. This is so delicious and def better than even Julia’s Beef bourguignon!
Making it for my family’s evening meal, rather looking forward to it.
My tip is … add a little bit of dark chocolate mmmmmmm!!
Can you use red cooking wine instead of wine
Hi Marsha, I wouldn’t recommend using cooking wine here. Cooking wine has additives and preservatives that add sodium and other flavors to it so is not a great substitute for the “real thing.” Sorry!
Hi! I really want to try this out but wine is very expensive in our place. I read you said we can substitute the wine for more beef broth, is it 2 cups of broth more to replace 2 cups of wine?
Yes, Crisha, you’d replace the 2 cups of wine with 2 additional cups of beef broth. Hope you enjoy!
Something is wrong with this recipe and all the positive reviews. A watery mess and little flavor. I used a great French wine and followed the instructions exactly using a Le Creuset Dutch oven. What a huge disappointment.
Learn to cook. This recipe is fabulous
Ooooh….someone is getting awful feisty!!!
Fabulous recipe…
Hi Joel, this is a really good recipe – maybe give it another try
If you’re seeing you’re the odd man out amongst the multitude of positive reviews–perhaps you should see what you may have done wrong.
I also found this recipe to be terrible. Followed as written. Ended up scooping out the meat and throwing the rest away.
I would give it another shot. I have made this recipe for a few years now and it’s excellent!
The flavor of this stew was delicious. My meat had a stringy texture to it. Any idea why? I removed the bigger wads of fat before cutting into cubes and wonder if I should have left that. Or would cooking at 275 or 300 be better for a longer period of time? I also really browned the meat before adding the other ingredients and wonder if that played into it. Thanks Jenn for any advice.
Hi Ann, sorry to hear that the meat was stringy– I think you may have cut too much of the fat away.
I made this stew last night on a cold, snowy evening. It turned out so well! The beef was tender, the vegetables were just right. I also added some celery near the very end. The wine gives it a great flavour.
So yummy! The house smelled amazing.
Is there any way to make this without the red wine? I have a friend who is trying to stop drinking and don’t want to serve him any triggers
Sure, Karen, you can use more beef broth in place of the wine. Hope you enjoy!
This beef stew was the best. I followed the recipe to the max. I always have a chuck roast in the freezer and with a few extra garlic cloves and added celery and I used a Shiraz, this stew was the best😋😋
This was my first recipe I tried on your site, and I have to say you’ve earned a huge fan! This was outstanding, and the recipe was easy to follow. This was better than some of my favorite Beef Bourgignon I’ve had in restaurants, thank you!
Made this recipe Tonight – it’s yummy! I times it x1.5 times! Flavor is Really Amazing! Gourmet Chef by Hobby, wanted to change my recipe up a bit! Made Old Fashioned Bisquick Dumplings as Well .. Again, Cannot Beat A Original!! Winter Will be Delicious. Making this many times More! Thx Much, Jeff
This is delicious. I made it for a cancer patient with no appetite, and he loved it, had seconds, and asked me to make it again. It came out thinner than I expected, but I suspect it’s because I used bread flour instead of AP. Considering how much he loved it, I’ll do it the same again (but up the flour a tablespoon or so.) Thank you so much. You made a sick man happy.
💗
Hi Jenn, love this recipe. any special instructions if you want to double this recipe?
Hi Sam, No special instructions but you’ll need a very large pot. If you don’t have one that’s big enough, you can use two pots (and if oven space is an issue, you can prepare the whole thing on the stove). Hope you enjoy!
This was really good. I actually followed the recipe as best I could. 2nd day, my family is fighting over leftovers.
After cooking, can this be transferred to a crock pot to “keep warm” for a couple hours prior to eating?
Sure, that should be fine. Enjoy!
All the family enjoyed 🙂
I thought this was absolutely delicious! I only had enough wine for 1 cup so I did 3 of the beef broth with it. Usually stew tastes better the next day, but this was really good! I made homemade mashed potatoes and homemade cornbread to go with it.
Such a good recipe. I used all beef stock (no water or wine) and added some Worcestershire sauce. Thickened with a little cornstarch/water at the end. Served with the homemade buttermilk biscuits. YUM.
I don’t see the serving size — what amount is one serving? Thanks
Hi Ann, I’d guesstimate a serving is about 2 cups.
Hi! If I were making for 8 servings, what size Dutch oven would be best to cook this in? Is a 5.5 QT one too small?
Hi Yuri, Yes, a 5.5 quart Dutch oven would be too small. You’d need quite a large pot to double it. If you don’t have a really large one, you can use two pots (and if oven space is an issue, you can prepare the whole thing on the stove). Hope you enjoy!
I’m making this for guests. Plan to serve with a salad and bread. Wondering if there is another side dish that would go with it.
Hi Ann, I think salad and bread are the perfect accompaniments to this. Some readers have also commented that they’ve served the stew over egg noodles. Hope that helps and you enjoy whatever you choose!
Best beef stew ever!!! I’m in the UK and replaced the beef broth with beef stock, and used lean stewing steak which I think Jen said not to use but it turned out beautifully! I do usually brown ALL of the meat at the same time and although it takes a long time, I think it’s definately worth browning it in small batches. The meat melted in my mouth! I replaced the wine with more beef stock and apart from that followed the recipe. Absolutely delicious, perfect for the cold evenings, and being a northerner it was served with crusty bread and butter!
If I double the recipe would that mean it would need to cool longer?
I made this for my sister and her husband they absolutely loved it. They call me the queen of beef stew lol love love this recipe!
Hi Michelle, I do think it would need to cook longer to thicken.
I always like extra gravy with my stew. Should I just increase each liquid by the same amount, or is there a better way? I’m fine with a slightly thinner sauce.
Yes, that’s what I would do. You can increase the flour proportionately as well if you’d like a thicker consistency.
Hi Jenn,
I have a lot of extra short ribs in my freezer and I wanted to use them to make this recipe. Do you think that I could use short ribs instead of the beef chuck that you called for?
Thank you so much for your help.
Cheers,
Jason
Hi Jason, I’ve never made this with short ribs, but a few readers have commented that they have and were happy with the results. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I use half short ribs, half chuck and it’s always good!
It was a very good stew, but mine didn’t turn out dark like I was expecting. It tasted really good but it was light in color, what do you think I did wrong? I did simmer it a crockpot for a couple of hours.
That’s strange! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? Did you use chicken broth instead of beef broth?
What if I wanted to make in the slow cooker?
Hi Kim, this will work in a slow cooker. I’d sear the beef first as the recipe indicates and then cook it in the slow cooker for 4 – 5 hours on high (and you can put the carrots and the potatoes in with the meat– you don’t need to wait). Enjoy!
i’ve been amazed at the bland looking photos of other beef bourguignon recipes. i cooked yours about a year ago and numerous times since. for those who haven’t experienced the real thing — This is it!
Thank you for this brilliant recipe! The very picky eaters in this house looove it.
Love this recipe! Everyone I share it with loves it too. But I have a question- could you substitute russet potatoes instead of white potatoes?
Glad you like it! Russets are fine. Just make sure you cut them into bite-sized chucks so they cook through.