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
- 20g/ 1 tbsp butter , unsalted
- 1 large onion , halved then sliced into 1 cm / 2/5" slices
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 4 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 7 tbsp (60g) flour , plain / all purpose
- 1 litre / 1 quart beef stock/broth , reduced salt
- 1.5 cups (300g) sour cream , full fat best
Garlic Butter Mushrooms:
- 3tbsp/ 45g butter , unsalted
- 700g / 1.2lb 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
- Pat beef dry then sprinkle with all the salt and pepper.
- 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.
- 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.
- Stir in flour, then mustard.
- Add the beef stock and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot, and bring to simmer.
SLOW COOKING:
- 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!! 🤣
YUMMY!!!!
Hi Nagi, I absolutely love your recipes and will come here every week to check out new recipes
On this one,I do not have a slow cooker. If I cook on the stove, how many hours do I need ?
Hi Elaine, Thanks so much for the great feedback!! Try this recipe instead https://www.recipetineats.com/beef-stroganoff/ N x
Made this yesterday …. it was lush. Already looking at what I can make next.
I must have messed something up. I made this and it was bland. The only thing I changed was that I didn’t have fresh garlic (forgot it at the store like a dummy) so I used jarred minced garlic. It smelled incredible and looked amazing but it was just bland. Would jarred garlic make that much of a difference, especially in a slow cooked meal??? Leftovers were better but not as good as I had hoped. Maybe I’ll make it again with regular broth instead of low sodium. I’m wondering if there just wasn’t enough salt.
Big HIT! So delicious, tasty! Will definitely be back for more of this one! Thank you Nagi.
You’re so welcome Dawn! N x
Tried this recipe tonight, it was a hit with my family. They loved it to bits.
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Chanda! N x
what brand or type of Dijon mustard do you use
Hi Chelsea, I use Maille, but any brand is fine! N x
Hi Nagi,
I’ve been following your recipes for years and just thought I’d take the time to say how much I appreciate your posts! I’m a pretty good cook but sometimes I just need to get the vibe for something and I’ll always gravitate toward something you’ve written because you just talk sense!! And your explanations are 👌 So thank you, you’re amazing 😁
Hi nagi,
Could I use Greek yoghurt instead of the sour cream?
Thank you
Another great recipe – worth the time and the steps!
Hi Nagi,
I’ve made this once before and it’s delicious! I was just wondering, if I wanted to add some carrots to the slow cooker, how long would they need? Adding veg where I can for the little ones! : )
A great idea Diz! Chop them up into 1cm chunks and add them with about 4 hours to go. N x
Made this tonight on the slow
cooker and it was an absolute cracker! Thanks for the amazing recipe! The beef was melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
60g equals 4 tablespoons, not 7.
Hi Kathy, 60g of water – yes, flour however weighs less than water and 7 tablespoons equals 60g. N x
I made this last night, stovetop method, and my family absolutely loved it! Hands down the best stroganoff I’ve ever made. Thanks so much!
I added a can of mushroom soup to it and an extra tbsp of mustard. it was delicious!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sallie! N x
Hi Nagi,
Can I use beef bullion cubes instead of liquid stock?
Delicious 😋 I cooked ours in the oven and the meat was so tender and flavoursome. Served with mashed potatoes I put through the ricer with a touch of olive oil and salt.