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
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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 flour , plain / all purpose
- 1 litre / 1 quart beef stock/broth , reduced salt
- 1 1/2 cups 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.
- Sprinkle the flour across the surface, then stir. Add the mustard, and stir - it will look gluey, that's ok, it will dissolve.
- Add the beef stock and 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!! 🤣
This was the best beef stroganoff I’ve ever had! The fall-apart beef and sauce were amazing. This is the go-to recipe now. Thank you!
Just love this one! I don’t have a slow cooker, so I cooked it in a 160C oven for 3hours, with a stir every hour. The beef could be cut with a fork. Magic!
Hi, Nagi! I ordered a cross shank. I thought it was perfect for 1-2 people as is but not when cook time is slow. So I ordered 2 more for same-day delivery, a pound of mushrooms. I already have tons of shallots, onions, leeks on hand. You provided the solution! Btw, it’s 17f,-8.333°C
Absolutely INCREDIBLE. Incredible! I made this using the pressure cooker method and it turned out ahhhhmazing. I tried your other beef stroganoff recipe few times but this is the first time I used chuck. I gotta say I like this one better! I love very tender beef and this leaves no room for error. Will defo make this again! ❤️❤️❤️
I am so glad you liked it Rose! N x
Cooked this many times and it’s always a hit everytime, my son loves it every time. Thanks so much Nagi for the recipe.
Do you think this could be made with venison stew meat
I made this yesterday for a church group. It was delicious and got a lot of compliments! I used round steak, which I cut into largish pieces and browned a few at a time, then cooked (stovetop method) until it pulled apart with a fork. I made it gluten-free option, with cornstarch, which was much appreciated by the gluten-free member of our group. The gravy/ sauce was the perfect consistency, thick but not at all gloppy. I’ll definitely use this recipe again! (I used about 3 1/2# of meat and 1 1/2# of mushrooms, for 11 adults, with almost no leftovers.)
The recipe says 7 tablespoons is that correct that seems a lot I usually do 2 tablespoons
That’s correct Ellie – it equates to 60g. N x
This is super yummy. An easy recipe to follow. This will become a regular dish for entertaining for me. Loved it!
I have made a ton of your recipes I love them all and I love you for sharing them
O my days, what a wicked dinner this turned into. First time 😁cooked stove top method and glad I did. Delicious dish
Thanks for your recipe
Hi Nagi! I’ve made this a couple times and it’s always delicious. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes! You are my go to when I want to cook something!
Hi Nagi, I want to make this recipe during the week. I have allergies in the fam to cater for being wheat, corn, and dairy. Could I either replace flour with gluten-free flour or cornstarch with arrowroot powder? Also could I use a soy based Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream? Thanks for your advice!
We just love your recipes. I have a 3 yr old and 1 yr old who gobble up everything that I make under your guidance.
Hi Lauren, use half the amount of flour called for and sub with potato or arrowroot flour (I don’t think you want to use corn starch if you have someone with corn allergies), I haven’t seen soy based Greek yogurt but that or lactose free would work fine. N x
Thanks so much for your recommendations. Kingland dairy-free natural Greek style yoghurt from Coles is the one we use. It must not be available everywhere because my son’s dietician was surprised I found it at Coles. Can’t wait to try this recipe out!! Thanks again.
I have a dairy allergic person in the house as well. I often use diary free cream cheese you can get at the supermarket in place of sour cream. I’d use a couple of tablespoons for flavout but that won’t be the same volume as 1 1/2 cups of sour cream, could I add more stock and perhaps corn flour instead?
Made this as my partner doesn’t like mushrooms so says he won’t like stroganoff – got asked to make it again next week! Just divine!
Hi – my meat came out quite chewy after 8 hours in the slow cooker – any tips for next time? I used chuck steak and followed instructions exactly (for once!) Many thanks
Hi Elizabeth, sorry it came out chewy – if that’s the case, it sounds like it may of needed to cook slightly longer so it becomes soft and tender. N x
Would It be alright to add the cooked garlic butter mushrooms to the slow cooker with the beef and then cook for 8 hours? I know in your instructions you say to add it at the end, but I was wondering if you added them at the start if they would get too soft?
Hi,
Just wondering if I can substitute the sour crew with full fat Greek yogurt. Does this freeze well?
Hi Cynthia, yes you can and it freezes perfectly! N x
Followed the recipe but I ended up with flour lumps, they never fully dissolved. How to prevent this?
Happened to me as well JH , i have made it twice and had lumps on both occasions ….frustrating!
Hi everyone, the way I prevent flour clumps is to add liquids gradually.
Before I added the flour, I added just a touch of stock to the onions so it’s not super dry. Then sprinkled the flour over the mixture, gave it a good stir, added the mustard, gave it a good stir, and then slowly added the beef. It’s a matter of not rushing this part. Once you get a good gluggy mixture, you can pour in the rest of your stock.
Hey! I’m planning on making this tomorrow, will whole grain Dijon mustard work?
Yes that will be fine here Russell! N x
Always get flour lumps how do we stop this
Hi, planning on making this tomorrow. Just wondered if red wine in the beef broth would be a nice idea (I have some to use up). Also wondered if adding the mushrooms in with the beef (for slow cooker method) would give you more mushroom flavour.
I would consider a cup of red wine to be an essential ingredient! Go for it!