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The classic comfort food just got easier! This Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff is full of succulent, tender chunks of meat, mushrooms, and onions in a creamy sauce. It’s perfect over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice for a cozy, family-friendly dinner.
Table of Contents
Beef Stroganoff has been a favorite cool-weather supper for as long as I can remember. My mom served it to us when we were kids, and now I’m feeding it to my own family — with less effort! Just toss everything into the slow cooker in the morning, and you’ll come home to a rich, flavorful Crock Pot beef stroganoff at the end of the day.
What is the most tender meat for beef stroganoff?
A slow cooker beef stroganoff recipe does best with a cut of beef that becomes tender and succulent over the low, slow cooking process. The connective tissue and tough fibers break down, creating rich, juicy chunks of meat as they simmer in the sauce.
I recommend boneless beef chuck eye steak or boneless beef chuck eye roast here. The chuck eye is a long, narrow group of muscles that runs along the center of the chuck, or shoulder section of the cow, from front to back. It is a continuation of the same muscles that make up the rib eye, one of the most flavorful and tender cuts of beef.
If you can’t find chuck eye roast or chuck eye steak, try ribeye steak, a top blade roast, or a bottom chuck roast. Even pre-cut stew meat will work in a pinch!
Do you have to brown stew meat before putting it in the crock pot?
No, browning or caramelizing the meat is not necessary. To keep this dish quick and simple, we add the beef directly to the Crock Pot and let it cook in the flavorful broth. That said, if you have some extra time, you can certainly brown the meat in batches in a Dutch oven or large cast iron skillet before transferring it to the slow cooker.
The Sauce
In a traditional beef stroganoff recipe, chunks of tender meat are coated in a rich gravy that includes beef broth as a base, is thickened with flour, and gets its creamy texture and tangy flavor from a little bit of sour cream stirred in at the end.
To keep this crockpot version simple and quick, we’re taking advantage of two cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup. The soup thickens the gravy without the need for a flour-based roux in a skillet. The sauce is thinned slightly with beef broth, and gets additional flavor and complexity from white wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard. Sour cream goes in at the end, too!
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an easy Crock Pot beef stroganoff recipe. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Beef: I like beef chuck eye roast or chuck eye steaks for this recipe, but you can use chuck roast, stew meat, or other similar cuts of beef that will hold up well over the low-and-slow cooking time.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the other flavors in the dish.
- Mushrooms and onion: fresh vegetables add savory, earthy flavor to the dish.
- Bay leaf: for even more earthy flavor that pairs nicely with the beef and mushrooms.
- Cream of mushroom soup: this condensed soup adds a thick and creamy texture to the gravy, which doesn’t get too watered-down and diluted in the slow cooker. It’s a nice shortcut that avoids the extra step of making a roux in a separate pan.
- Beef broth and white wine: the braising liquid that cooks the meat and adds rich flavor to the gravy.
- Tomato paste: provides rich tomato flavor, an acidic component, and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce: for savory umami flavor. Soy sauce works as a nice substitute.
- Garlic and thyme: for even more earthy, savory flavor.
- Sour cream: use full-fat sour cream at room temperature so that it doesn’t break or curdle when combined with the hot sauce.
- Dijon mustard: for zesty, savory flavor in the sauce.
- Dill: this optional fresh herb brightens up the rich gravy.
How to Make Beef Stroganoff in a Crock Pot
Just set-it-and-forget-it! This all-day slow cooker meal is an easier take on the comfort food classic. I’ve included detailed cooking instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but here’s the quick version:
- Combine beef, mushrooms, onion, and bay leaf in a slow cooker.
- Whisk together the sauce and pour it into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook until the beef is tender, about 8-9 hours on LOW or 4-5 hours on HIGH.
- Whisk together the sour cream, mustard, dill, and some of the hot cooking liquid. Stir this mixture into the slow cooker.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley!
What to Serve with this Easy Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
Pair the beef and gravy with any of the following sides:
- Egg noodles or other pasta
- Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes, Make-Ahead Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Skin On Mashed Red Potatoes, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, or Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Southern Cornbread (shown here), Skillet Cornbread, Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Honey Cornbread, Old-Fashioned Corn Sticks, Sweet Cornbread Muffins, Cornbread with Cake Mix, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Pumpkin Cornbread, or Sweet Cornbread
- Rice
- Corn Muffins, Brown Sugar Sweet Cornbread Muffins, or 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Cheddar Biscuits with Bacon and Chives, 4-Ingredient Butter Swim Biscuits, Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Easy Drop Biscuits
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Wedge Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, House Salad with Candied Pecans, or a Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
- Southern-Style Green Beans, Roasted Green Beans, Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon, or Green Bean Casserole
- Creamed Peas
- Southern Collard Greens
- Sauteed Spinach
- Easy Broccoli Casserole, Broccoli and Rice Casserole, or Broccoli and Cheese
- Sauteed Zucchini or Roasted Yellow Squash
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Fried Apples, Applesauce, or Baked Apple Slices with Cinnamon and Brown Sugar
- Southern Succotash
- Roasted Cabbage or Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion
Storage
Leftover beef and gravy will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing the leftovers, since cream-based sauces can separate or curdle when thawed.
If you’d like to make the dish in advance to freeze for later, prepare as instructed through Step 5 (do not add the sour cream mixture). Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, reheat over low heat on the stovetop, and add the sour cream mixture as instructed just before serving.
To reheat, place the beef and gravy in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, just until warmed through. Do not boil.
Recipe Variations
- If you can’t find chuck eye roast or chucky eye steak, substitute with ribeye steak, a top blade roast, a bottom chuck roast, or even stew meat.
- Swap out the Worcestershire sauce for soy sauce.
- For an extra layer of flavor, brown the beef in batches in oil in a hot skillet or Dutch oven before transferring the meat to the slow cooker.
- Don’t like sour cream? Use 4 ounces of diced cream cheese softened at room temperature instead. Just stir the cubed cream cheese into the slow cooker during the final 10-15 minutes of cooking, until it melts smoothly into the sauce.
Tips for the Best Crock POt Beef Stroganoff Recipe
- For tender beef stroganoff, it’s important to cook the meat long enough to break down the tough connective tissue and fibers. If your meat is still tough after about 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH, then cover with the lid and continue cooking.
- Every Crock Pot runs at a slightly different temperature, which is why the recipe gives ranges for suggested cooking times. Just get to know your slow cooker, and keep an eye on the dish the first time you prepare it. You’ll know that the beef is done when it’s fall-apart tender!
- Use full-fat sour cream at room temperature, and temper the sour cream with a small amount of hot gravy before adding the sour cream to the slow cooker. These steps prevent the sour cream from breaking or curdling when it hits the hot pot.
More Beef Crock Pot Recipes to Try
Crock Pot Pot Roast
8 hours hrs 55 minutes mins
Crock Pot Beef Barbacoa
8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Crock Pot Italian Beef {Easy Italian Beef Sandwich}
8 hours hrs 55 minutes mins
Or check out this convenient collection of 30+ Beef Crock Pot Recipes!
Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs. boneless beef chuck eye steak or chuck eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½ -inch pieces*
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 16 ounces sliced white or baby bella mushrooms
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cans (10.5 ounces each) cream of mushroom soup, NOT diluted
- ¼ cup beef broth
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced or grated garlic (about 3 large cloves)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- ¼ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill (optional)
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
- Optional, for serving: cooked egg noodles, mashed potatoes, rice
Instructions
- Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the mushrooms, onion, and bay leaf.
- In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the condensed soup, beef broth, wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, thyme, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- Pour the soup mixture into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook until the beef is tender, about 8-9 hours on LOW or 4-5 hours on HIGH.
- Discard the bay leaf. Using a large spoon, skim fat from the surface of the sauce.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ½ cup of the warm sauce with the sour cream, mustard, and dill. This tempers the sour cream so that it doesn’t break when it hits the hot sauce. Stir the mixture back into the slow cooker.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Serve beef and gravy over cooked egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice, and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
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- For tender beef stroganoff, it’s important to cook the meat long enough to break down the tough connective tissue and fibers. If your meat is still tough after about 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH, then cover with the lid and continue cooking.
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- Every Crock Pot runs at a slightly different temperature, which is why the recipe gives ranges for suggested cooking times. Just get to know your slow cooker, and keep an eye on the dish the first time you prepare it. You’ll know that the beef is done when it’s fall-apart tender!
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- Use full-fat sour cream at room temperature, and temper the sour cream with a small amount of hot gravy before adding the sour cream to the slow cooker. These steps prevent the sour cream from breaking or curdling when it hits the hot pot.
Can’t wait to try this delicious sounding recipe tomorrow!!!
Thanks, Angelina. Hope you enjoy it!
I browned the meat first. Used cubed sirloin that was marked down. Had dredged in flour, s/p. Didn’t use tomato paste but came out fine. We always add a handful of frozen peas last half hour.
We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you, Carl!