Dutch Oven Beef Stew
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Dutch oven beef stew is a go-to cold weather meal when you want hearty comfort food. The prep work for making beef stew on the stove top is simple. This recipe makes a stick-to-your-ribs dinner that will warm up everyone at the table, from the inside out.
I don’t know about you, but there are certain days that my family needs a hearty dinner. When the weather starts to get cold and/or rainy, we all crave comfort food. This Dutch oven beef stew recipe is what I make for dinner on those days! It is the perfect comfort food meal.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
With tender beef chuck roast, a rich, savory broth, and plenty of vegetables, this is a classic, kid-friendly dinner that just leaves you feeling nostalgic.
I like using my trusty Dutch oven to make this beef stew recipe on the stove top. Any heavy-bottomed pot will work well, as long as it has a tight fitting lid. The beef and vegetables cook to tender perfection in one pot, in about 90 minutes total.
If you need an easy way to serve a large family, then this recipe is perfect. It makes six hearty servings that are filling and delicious. If you have a really big stew pot, you can even double the recipe!
You can find all the simple ingredients for this recipe at any grocery store. It’s so easy to make and you’re going to love it!
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my most important mom tested cooking tips for making tilapia in your air fryer! We’ve made this countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- Choose a well-marbled piece of beef. And try to cut the roast into evenly sized pieces so that they all finish cooking at the same time. I suggest aiming for 1-inch cubes.
- Pat the meat well with paper towels before seasoning so that the seasoning adheres to each piece.
- If your dutch oven or pot isn’t large enough to fit all of the meat with room between each piece, you will need to sear it in batches.
- Simmer the stew on the stove top, don’t boil it. A slow simmer is all that’s needed, because if it boils for a full hour, the beef will be tough and chewy, and the vegetables will be very mushy.
Ingredients
The ingredients are pretty budget-friendly, and you may even have some on hand already.
Substitutions
- Beef: Chuck roast isn’t terribly expensive, but if your grocery budget is super stretched, don’t worry. You can use beef stew meat instead.
- Arrowroot starch helps to thicken the broth. You can substitute with an equal amount of cornstarch or all-purpose flour.
- Veggies: Feel free to add a cup of frozen peas to your beef stew if you’d like! Wait until the last 10 minutes of cooking to stir in the frozen vegetables, so that you avoid overcooking them.
- Beef stock: Stock has a really rich flavor, but beef broth is a great substitute. For extra protein and a deeper flavor, use bone broth.
- Potatoes: I use russets, but feel free to substitute russet potatoes with red or Yukon gold potatoes.
- Coconut aminos is a gluten free substitute for soy sauce. If this isn’t a concern for you, feel free to substitute it with an equal amount of low sodium soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.
How to Make Dutch Oven Beef Stew
This is just a summary of how to make beef stew on the stove top. It’s pretty straight forward, but the full instructions are in the recipe card.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
- Prep: Chop the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic so that everything is prepped for the stew.
- Using the same pot, add the remaining oil, and sauté the the vegetables until they soften a bit.
- Then, pat the beef dry and season it lightly with salt and pepper. Heat oil in the dutch oven or large pot, and add the pieces of beef. Brown the beef on all sides, then set it aside on a plate.
- Add in the browned beef, beef broth, tomatoes, potatoes, and seasonings. Bring the stew to a boil, but then quickly lower it to a simmer. If it boils, the meat will become really tough and chewy. Be sure to stir the beef stew occasionally as it simmers on the stove top.
Then just season to taste, serve, and enjoy!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Let the leftovers cool to room temperature. Then, transfer them to an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat beef stew in a pot on the stove top over medium heat. Be sure to stir it a few times as it heats up. You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that after thawing and reheating, the texture of the potatoes will be a tiny bit different.
Dutch Oven Beef Stew Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Slow cooking stew is super easy, and the best part is that it can cook all day. Brown the beef separately in a pot on the stove top, then deglaze the brown bits from the bottom of the pot by adding the stock and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Transfer the beef and broth to the crock pot, and add in the seasonings and tomatoes. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours, adding the vegetables in the last hour. Waiting ensures that they don’t overcook and turn mushy.
If the beef is not fork tender at the end of cooking, cover the stew and simmer. Test it every 10-15 minutes until the beef is tender.
If you make this recipe, please give it a star rating and leave a comment below to let me know how it went!
Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chuck roast cut into 1 inch cubes, or beef stew meat
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch cornstarch or all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, divided
- ½ large onion white or yellow
- 3-4 medium carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 cups beef stock or broth
- 3-4 medium russet potatoes
- 10 ounces canned diced tomatoes 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the beef: Use paper toweling to pat the beef cubes dry, then sprinkle with arrowroot starch and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss the beef to coat, then set it aside.
- Prep the veggies: Peel the onions, carrots, potatoes, and garlic. Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Chop the celery and carrots into small bite size pieces. Dice the potatoes. If desired, set the potatoes in a large bowl of cold water to prevent them from browning.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the beef (in batches, if your pot isn't large enough to fit all of it with room between each piece). Brown the beef on all sides, then set it aside on a plate.
- Reduce the burner heat to medium. In the same Dutch oven, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, then sauté the the carrots, onion, and celery until softened slightly, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic during the final minute so it doesn't burn.
- Add in the beef cubes, beef stock/broth, tomatoes, potatoes, vinegar, coconut aminos, and thyme, stirring well to combine. Increase heat to bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and cover the Dutch oven with its lid. Simmer the beef stew for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 40 minutes, remove the lid and allow the stew to continue simmering for another 10 minutes or so, until the the potatoes are cooked through, and the beef is fork tender.If the beef isn't quite fork tender, cover the pot again and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
2025 Update: This recipe is still a family favorite. It has been updated to simplify the cooking instructions and add additional cooking tips for our readers. We hope you love it as much as we do!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this stew all on its own, or with some tasty sides. You can pair it with some healthy greens or a side salad. Don’t forget the cheesy garlic bread or fluffy dinner rolls with butter.
It’s not clear to me what the 1.5 tbsp of coconut aminos are for. I’ve never used it so I don’t know what it’s purpose is.
Hi Chelsea! The coconut aminos are Whole30 compliant way to add a bit of saltiness to the broth. If you aren’t following a Paleo or Whole30 diet, you can use a bit of Worcestershire sauce. Let me know if you have any follow up questions! -Laura