This paleo beef stew is the ultimate comfort food. Perfect for cold fall and winter weather this beef stew is full of flavour and packed with vegetables. It can also be made in a Crockpot, making it the perfect weeknight meal.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- The meat is melt in your mouth tender and so, so flavourful!
- You can make this stew in a slow cooker, Crockpot, Instant Pot or on the stovetop!
- It's a healthy complete meal that is full of vegetables and will keep you full and satisfied for hours.
- It's easy to make and doesn't require any hard to find ingredients.
- This stew is healthy comfort food at its best. It's so hearty and full of flavour.
- It makes great leftovers so is great for meal prep and it also freezes really well.
- Besides being paleo this beef stew is also Whole30 compliant, gluten free and dairy free.
Key ingredients and substitutions:
You should be able to find all of these simple ingredients at your local grocery store. For the exact measurements and full ingredient list refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Stewing beef - They key to this delicious paleo beef stew is beef stewing meat. I prefer to use grass fed and pasture raised for the best taste but you can use any type of beef stew meat that you like.
- Broth - you can use either chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth or bone broth to make this stew. This helps make it so flavourful and tender.
- Dry red wine - don't worry, you won't actually taste this. The wine is added to help tenderize the beef and make it melt in your mouth tender.
- Potatoes - I love adding potatoes to stew. They help make it so nice and filling. You can use either white potatoes or sweet potatoes for this stew. Just note that white potatoes are technically not paleo so if you are on a strict paleo diet use sweet potatoes instead. You also do not need to peel the potatoes before adding them to the stew, making it even easier to make.
- Vegetables - I add onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes to my stew but you can get creative here and add other vegetables if you prefer. Other great options include cauliflower and broccoli.
- Herbs and spices - the blend of bay leaves, herbs de Provence spice blend, salt, pepper, rosemary and Italian seasoning blend perfectly to give this stew the best flavour.
How to make in a slow cooker:
Step one:
In a medium pan on the stove top, cook the meat in bacon fat (or your other fat of choice) until it's browned on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes. Cooking the beef ahead of time will help it become even more tender.
Step two:
While the beef is cooking, add the chopped vegetables, liquids and spices to your slow cooker or crockpot and stir well to combine.
Step three:
Once the beef is done, simply transfer it and the fat it was cooked in into your slow cooker or crockpot. Again, stir the ingredients together to combine them.
Step four:
Now turn your slow cooker or crockpot onto low heat and cook the stew for 8 hours. If you can, stir the stew a few times while it is cooking.
Step five:
After 8 hours, turn the slow cooker or crockpot off and enjoy! Simple as that!
To make this stew in an Instant Pot:
Step one:
To you Instant Pot, add the chopped tomato, onion, carrot, celery, potatoes and beef. Then add the liquids and spices and stir well to combine.
Step two:
Close the lid, set the pressure vent to Sealing and press Stew for 30 minutes. The display will say "on" and the Instant Pot will take about 20 minutes to come to pressure. You will see a bit of steam coming out from the valve, then the float valve will rise and the countdown from 30 minutes will begin.
Step three:
When the display says OFF, the stew is ready. Now your Instant Pot needs to bring the pressure down before you can open it, which will be indicated by a dropped down float valve. You can let it do it on its own which will take about 15-20 minutes (called natural release) or you can do a quick release by turning the pressure valve to the venting position, which takes 2-3 minutes. I recommend doing so outside. It can be very messy!
To make this beef stew on the stovetop:
If you don't have either a slow cooker, Crockpot or Instant pot don't worry, you can make this stew on the stovetop as well!
Step one:
In a large pot, stockpot, or dutch oven on medium-high heat, add the cooking oil and sear the meat on all sides for about 2-3 minute per side. You may have to work in batches so you don't crowd the meat. Then remove the meat from the pot and set it aside on a plate.
Step two:
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot, then add the onions to the pot. Cook for a few minutes, until the onions start to soften and become translucent.
Step three:
Add the red wine to deglaze the pot and then stir in the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, until the tomatoes start to break apart.
Step four:
Add the beef back to the pot and then add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
Step five:
Bring the ingredients to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 1 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and meat are cooked to your liking.
Top Tips:
These are my top tips for making the best stew with tender, melt in your mouth meat:
- Brown the meat ahead of time.
- Add something to tenderize your meat while the stew is cooking. In this recipe I used red wine. The wine will also enhance the other flavours of the stew.
Recipe variations and add ins:
- If you are serving a crowd or want leftovers feel free to double or triple this recipe.
- For even more flavour add 2 tablespoon of coconut aminos to the stew.
- Feel free to change up the herbs and spices you add to this stew. Basil and thyme would also be great additions.
- You can vary the vegetables you use to make this stew - other great options include broccoli, zucchini or cauliflower.
- You can use any type of onion that you like including white onion, yellow onion or sweet onion.
- To make this stew lower in carbs, use turnips instead of potatoes.
- You can use any type of tomatoes that you like to make this stew including Roma tomatoes, field tomatoes etc.
How to serve:
This stew is delicious served as is but you could also pair it with a slice of paleo bread, a paleo cornbread muffin or a paleo almond flour biscuits.
You can also serve this healthy beef stew over cauliflower rice, or pair it with a delicious side salad such as apple and kale salad or super easy broccoli salad.
How to store:
Store any leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It also freezes really well and can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Frequently asked questions:
Yes! The Crockpot is just a specific brand of slow cooker. You can use them interchangeably!
Yes you can but just be aware that it usually doesn't turn out as tender as it would if you brown the meat first.
No, this is not a low carb or keto beef stew. The potatoes, carrots and tomatoes all add carbohydrates to this stew.
Other recipes you will love:
- Slow Cooker Chili with Blueberries
- Paleo meat sauce
- Paleo sloppy joes
- Paleo Slow Cooker Cranberry Maple Beef Roast
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Pork Ribs
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Recipe
Paleo Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs stew beef (I use grass fed)
- 2 tablespoon bacon fat or other cooking fat of choice
- 3 cups beef broth or chicken broth
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 6 tomatoes, chopped
- 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 5 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 white or sweet potatoes, chopped
- 10 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence spice
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Place a medium frying pan on the stove and turn on to medium heat.
- Add the bacon fat to the pan and allow it to melt.
- Add the stew beef to the pan and cook for ~10 minutes (until browned), turning every few minutes to ensure each side gets cooked.
- While the beef is cooking, add the other ingredients to your slow cooker and stir well to combine.
- Once the beef is done cooking, transfer it and the fat it was cooked in, into the slow cooker.
- Stir the ingredients well to combine.
- Turn the slow cooker onto low heat.
- Cook for 8 hours, stirring occasionally if possible.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Browning the beef first will ensure the meat turns out tender and flavourful. If you don't have bacon fat you can use coconut oil, butter or ghee instead.
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