Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff is the stew version of traditional Beef Stroganoff. An incredible slow cooked beef that’s fall-apart tender smothered in a creamy Stroganoff sauce with buttery garlic mushrooms, it’s made with economical stewing beef yet tastes like a million bucks!
Beef Stroganoff
You know that anything that involving the words “slow cooked” and “beef” is going to be a winner. And this one is a ripper!
It’s the slow cooked version of classic Beef Stroganoff. Besides the fact that it takes 8 hours in a slow cooker instead of 15 minutes on the stove, this stew version of Stroganoff differs from the traditional version in a few ways:
Fall apart tender chunks of beef rather than thin strips that are just cooked so they’re juicy inside;
Made with economical stewing beef rather than good to high quality well marbled steak (essential for a really great traditional Beef Stroganoff); and
Deeper flavour in the sauce – owing to the long cook time. You can’t shortcut this kind of flavour!
This slow cooked beef melts in your mouth and the depth of flavour in the sauce is magnificent!
What you need for Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Here’s what you need to make this incredible slow cooked beef dish! It’s the same ingredients as traditional Beef Stroganoff except using economical stewing beef and more sauce so the beef is submerged while slow cooking!
Use Chuck Beef or other economical stewing beef. Do not waste your money on pricier cuts like sirloin!
Best cut of beef for SLOW COOKER Beef Stroganoff
This recipe needs to be made with economical stewing cuts that need to be cooked for a long time to become tender, such as:
- chuck beef
- boneless beef ribs
- beef cheeks
- gravy beef
In contrast, traditional Beef Stroganoff, which is cooked quickly on the stove, is best made with pricier cuts suitable for cooking as steaks, such as boneless rib eye/scotch fillet and sirloin.
Just a few notes on some of the other ingredients:
Sour Cream – this is what makes Stroganoff Sauce creamy. It’s added at the end so there’s no risk of it splitting during the slow cooking time;
Dijon Mustard – for flavour and thickening, a traditional ingredient in Beef Stroganoff Sauce; and
Flour – thickens the sauce. See recipe notes for gluten free option!
How to make Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
This is pretty much made just like traditional Beef Stew – entirely hands off for most of the cook time!
Brown beef aggressively. The better the browning, the better the flavour in the sauce and on the beef!
Sauté the onion and garlic, mix in the flour;
Add everything into the slow cooker (or pot);
Slow cook 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high (see recipe for stove and IP/pressure cooker);
Sauté mushrooms in garlic and butter;
Whisk the sour cream with some of the liquid in the slow cooker – this will ensure you don’t end up with sour cream specks in the sauce (can’t mix vigorously otherwise the beef crumbles!);
Stir mushrooms and sour cream into sauce;
Serve over mash, pasta, egg noodles or even rice!
Here’s what it looks like straight out of the slow cooker.
And the beef…..fall apart….. juicy…..sucked up all the flavour of that Stroganoff Sauce…
I’ve made this as a stew but it could just as easily be transformed into a chunky soup with potatoes and vegetables. That way, it would also be a meal in one, rather than preparing noodles or mash to serve it over.
I’ve popped notes in the recipe for how to make it into a soup – you just add extra liquid to make the sauce slightly thinner which also increases volume so you can add more “stuff” into it. 😇
Otherwise, if you’re sticking with the Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff Stew as written, serve it over one of these:
pasta or wide egg noodles (traditional);
mashed potato (also common for Stroganoff);
rice; or
low carb alternatives: Creamy Cauliflower Mash or Cauliflower Rice
Enjoy! – Nagi x
PS Also, for chicken lovers – > CHICKEN Stroganoff. Because I sauce this good can smother many things.
Watch how to make it
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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1.75kg/ 3.5lb beef chuck or other stewing beef , cut in 4cm / 1.5” cube (Note 1)
- 1.5 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp oil
- 20 g/ 1 tbsp butter , unsalted
- 1 large onion , halved then sliced into 1 cm / 2/5″ slices
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 7 tbsp flour , plain / all purpose
- 4 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 litre / 1 quart beef stock/broth , reduced salt
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream , full fat best
Garlic Butter Mushrooms:
- 3 tbsp/ 45 g butter , unsalted
- 700 g / 1.2 lb mushrooms , sliced into 0.5cm thick slices
- 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Serving:
- Pasta, wide egg noodles, mashed potato
- Chives for garnish
Instructions
- Season beef – Pat beef dry then sprinkle with all the salt and pepper.
- Brown beef – Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot or skillet* over high heat. Add beef in a single layer (not squished) and brown aggressively all over – 4 minutes or so. Remove and repeat with rest of beef, adding more oil as needed.
- Sauté aromatics – Let the pot cool down a bit then return to stove. Melt half the butter, then cook garlic and onion for 3 minutes until softened.
- Add flour – Sprinkle the flour across the surface, then stir. Add the mustard, and stir – it will look gluey, that's ok, it will dissolve.
- Add stock – While stirring, pour in about half the beef stock then mix so the flour mixture dissolves into the liquid. It will thicken quite quickly into a gravy-like consistency .Switch to a whisk if needed, to make it lump free. Then add remaining stock, stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot, and bring to simmer. Cook using chosen method below.
SLOW COOKING – choose method:
- Slow cooker: Transfer all liquid into slow cooker. Add beef, then slow cook 8 hours on LOW or 5 hours on HIGH.
- Stove: Add beef into pot. Cover with lid and adjust heat to low/medium low so the it's simmering gently. Simmer 2 hrs (check at 1.5 hrs) until beef beef falls apart easily.
- Instant pot: SKIP FLOUR, follow Note 5 Gluten Free option. 40 minutes on high, same method as slow cooker.
- Other pressure cookers: 40 minutes on high, same method as slow cooker.
GARLIC BUTTER MUSHROOMS:
- Melt half the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add half the mushrooms and cook until almost golden (~3 minutes). Add half the garlic, salt and pepper, cook until golden. Remove, repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms and garlic.
FINISHING STEW:
- Mix sour cream with 1.5 cups of liquid from slow cooker (Note 2), then gently stir into stew – careful, the beef is delicate!
- Gently stir in mushrooms.
- Serve over noodles, pasta or mashed potato, sprinkled with chives!
Recipe Notes:
- Chuck
- Boneless beef ribs*
- Gravy beef or other beef labelled as “stewing beef”
- Beef cheeks**
** If 200g/7oz or less, cook whole so it looks like this beef cheeks recipe but with Stroganoff Sauce. Chopped cheeks twist and skew once slow cooked – looks better to serve whole (or at most, halved). Other beef cuts ok to use – great for slow cooking but not as juicy all the way through as there are more lean patches:
- Brisket
- Blade roast
Nutrition Information:
Stew Fever!
For fellow lovers of slow cooked goodness, rich sauces and fall apart meat…
Life of Dozer
Furniture shopping with Dozer – he certainly made himself at home!! 🤣
I LOVE Beef Stroganoff recipe for stove top with Ribeye!!
I didn’t have ribeye or I used stew beef. Only thing was this recipe was a little hard to follow. I was confused about the to add sour cream & one part said to put all liquids in crockpot? I added the sour cream with the onion, flour and mustard on the stove top?? Any tips if I use crockpot recipe again. I LOVE THE RIBEYE!! Also I have never heard of Chicken Stroganoff!! I’ll be making it next week! I LOVE YOU RECIPES
I LOVE Beef Stroganoff recipe for stove top with Ribeye!!
I didn’t have ribeye or I used stew beef. Only thing was this recipe was a little hard to follow. I was confused about the to add sour cream & one part said to put all liquids in crockpot? I added the sour cream with the onion, flour and mustard on the stove top?? Any tips if I use crockpot recipe again. I LOVE THE RIBEYE!! Also I have never heard of Chicken Stroganoff!! I’ll be making it next week! I LOVE YOU RECIPES
AMAZING! As always, Nagi’s recipes never cease to delight our family. This recipe is super tasty, delicious and easy to make. I did slow cooker version and served with rice.
Amazing, made this when a friend came to dinner and I wanted to impress! It was a winner and now it will be a solid favourite when I have visitors, thank you
Made this yesterday during winter storm Fern, here in midwest US.
I opted for pressure cooker.
It was easy, the ‘hardest’ longest part is browning the beef cubes on all sides.
The buttery garlic mushrooms are excellent ( I love pepper but decreased on batch 2)
No burn notice for me.. because I scraped the pot after I sauteed and I used a full quart of stock.
Hi.
Could I use boneless, skinless chicken breast?
Made this last night using beef Cheek with stove top method. It was a hit and we have 2 portions in the freezer. Definite keeper and so easy to make. My husband who is learning to cook is going to have a go next time after i showed him the video. Thank you.
Made this last night and finished off today. With 2 portions in the freezer. Used beefcheek on the stove top method. What a hit we both enjoyed it immensley thank you.
Easy, very tasty, sauce was perfect. I chose the stove top version, but didn’t have the time to stir regularly. So after a few minutes of simmering, I put it in the oven at 325 F for 2 and a half hour. Finished the sauce on the stove at the end. Will be on regular rotation in our home.
Really appreciate this slow cooker beef stroganoff recipe! At CaterPanda, we love dishes that are both rich in flavor and easy to prepare — perfect for busy days or casual gatherings. Definitely bookmarking this one!
We have batch cooked this on repeat over several years, we love it! We have had with pasta, made it into pies for my Bro-in-laws 40th and they were a hit.
This was so delicious! My husband said I could make just the mushrooms for a snack any time.
I decided to use some T-bone steaks I had in the freezer and tried this recipe in my pressure cooker to keep the meat tender – what a lucky find that Nagi had this stroganoff recipe! Even though I forgot the sour cream, it was absolutely delicious. I don’t usually like beef much, but this was amazing, and my two-year-oldVisit good girl.com!even asked for seconds – and he hates almost everything!
Fantastic recipe. Would chose this over other stroganoff recipes. Thanks Nagi for sharing all of your recipes with fool proof notes.
By far THE BEST BEEF STROGANOFF everrrr! Served it with your coconut rice – absolutely delicious! Thanks x
Just cooked this for a special family meal. Everyone loved it. Tasty, tender and delicious. Thanks Nagi your recipes never disappoint.
I make a lot of your recipes because your recipes have the perfect combination of ease and yet absolutely delicious that work for most of us busy people. This is my partners favorite meal I have ever made him. He loves decadent pasta dishes and the combo of the sauce and the fall apart meat won him over. Tip: Make sure the beef cubes are big enough and sightly off the bottom but still in liquid or they won’t be as decadently soft!
Fantastic recipe, I cook it on high in my slow cooker, I’ve done it for 3-4 hours before and the meat has been really tender (just depends on your cut). Have come back to this time and again, it’s my kids favourite (9 yo and 4 yo) and we serve it with fresh fettuccine. Delish!
It was my first making beef stroganoff. I parboiled my beef first after realising I wanted to follow this recipe. Still managed to get a nice browning effect on the beef. I only had chicken stock so I used that and so my sauce looked more white. I found the sauce was pretty thick even though I measured the right amount of flour, maybe it needed less? I also felt there was too much Dijon mustard as the taste was quite strong (maybe I added too much). However, after slow cooking the beef and adding the mushrooms, the sauce turned more brown and after adding the sour cream (I only added half the amount) the taste was quite nice actually! Even my 18 month old toddler enjoyed it.
I used the slow cooker method and it was 100% delicious. One of the best tasting stroganoff dishes I’ve ever had/cooked. Beautiful!!