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 tried this in the oven (my slow cooker went kaput) and it worked! I used an enameled 6 quart dutch oven. After the browning steps on the stove, I covered the stew with dampened crinkled parchment, put the lid on and stuck it in the oven at 225 degrees. It cooked for a total of 4 hrs (checked it at 3 hrs). I used an unfamiliar cut (beef heel from the Asian market) but it looked like a good low-and-slow cut (thank you Nagi!!). This was a winner as all Nagi’s recipes are! Added bonus was a wonderful smell that permeated the house all day:) Simple easy and tasty!!
Wahoo, thats great to hear Rebecca!! N x
Hi Nagi,
I am making this via crockpot and have just finished slow cooking the beef – the sauce however looks very thick, not thin like it is in the video before adding the sour cream. Is 7 tablespoons of flour correct?
Hi Amy, yes that’s correct – can I ask what size tablespoon you’re using? You can always thin the sauce down if it’s too thick – just add a little extra beef broth ❤️
Just made this amazing stroganoff today for a dinner party, I got so many compliments!!! So much fun make as well. Served it with buttery creamy mash and with parmesan cauliflower, also your recipe. Fantastic meal
YUM!!!
OMG, Nagi! My husband went back twice for this and he’d have gone back for thirds if I hadn’t insisted we needed to have another meal from this stew. I love stroganoff so this hybrid was perfect saving me time and money. It was just as you said: fall apart tender. And then that sour cream sauce on top. I can’ t wait for dinner again! Thank you so much for this… it’s defiinitely on heavy rotation! Although with so many of your recipes in my repertoire now, there’s some tough competition!
That’s awesome to hear Eileen, thanks so much for the feedback ❤️
Dear Nagi,
We made this recipe. Turned out delicious. We sauteed the egg noodles in butter and garlic (after boiling in water for 8 minutes adding a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt). Then we poured the stroganoff on top of the noodles and garnished with extra chives. Thank you for sharing this tasty recipe! God bless.
Sounds divine Frank!!
Was the best tasting Beef Stroganoff I have ever made …
Loved the simplicity of the crock pot…Fabulous
YESSSS! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Edy!
Was the best tasting stroganoff I have ever made …
Loved the simplicity of the crock pot…Fabulous
Nice post this looks delicious,thanks for this recipe.
You’re so welcome De Reiger! N x
I am making this for my wife tomorrow but I don’t have any beef stock. Will vegeta work?
Hi Tony – unfortunately not, you need the beef stock (or stock cubes) for that rich flavour here. N x
I grilled the beef with hickory smoke briskets then did your recipe. I have tasted it, it is fantastic! In an hour or so will be ready.
Yum that sounds SO good!!
Hi, for the stroganoff, here in Mexico sour cream as we know it is impossible to find, only have variations of crema. Any suggestion to use in place? I know it gives that little bit of zest, but here so difficult. Some say, leave the crema out and open and it will sour up but? Thanks
Hi Rick – natural/greek yogurt is the best sub for sour cream 🙂
Sounds delicious, can it be frozen
Yep – I talk about this in the recipe notes! N x
Hi, just wondering how to make it more soup like to add potatoes as you suggested.
Thanks, Deb.
Hi Deb, you can add potatoes at 2 hours to go on the slow cooker (I’d use small baby potatoes cut in half). If you want to thin down the stew a little, just add 1/2 cup more broth – N x
This looks easy & delicious ! Can’t wait to make…:)
It’s so good, I hope you give it a go Lyn!!
I made stroganoff last night and used 3% milk yogurt and there was honestly no difference in the taste than when I use sour cream.
I’m so happy it worked out for you Janice!! N x
Your recipes and your style are fabulous, so entertaining. But I have to confess the first thing I do is scroll for DOZER to see what he’s up to…always! D xxx
I knew he’d steal the show! I don’t blame you, I’d do the same thing 🙂
Hi Nagi, making this scrumptious meal tonight, one question….can the leftovers be frozen? Thanks
I made this and it’s DELISH! The option to use economical cuts of beef in a slow cooker gives busy working folks the chance to come home to a rich and sumptuous feast that tastes like they’ve stopped in at a 5 star restaurant. I used 1/2 shitake & 1/2 white mushrooms and added a dash of sherry to the saute. Also used Beef Better Than Boullion for the stock & added a dash of nutmeg & crushed rosemary. The beef is very tender and the intense ‘beefy’ flavor paired with the sour cream is crave-worthy! Everyone loved this! Thank you!
Sounds like you nailed it KMCM!!!
Is this Keto? No, but looks delicious and with cornbread yummy!
Cornbread is the PERFECT addition!!! N x
Would Greek yogourt work (well) in stead of sour cream?
Hi Zen, yes it will – I often use greek yogurt in place of sour cream as it’s always in my fridge! N x