Comfort food doesn’t get any better than Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew! This stick to your ribs beef stew is hearty, flavorful as can be and loaded with beef and veggies. You’re gonna love this set it and forget it crockpot recipe!
Stay warm this winter with more stew recipes like Classic Beef Stew, One Pot Chicken Stew and Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken Stew.
Table of Contents
- What people are saying
- Why we love this Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe:
- Honey Balsamic Beef Stew Ingredients:
- How to make Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Recipe Tip
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to store leftover Beef Stew
- Can I freeze Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew?
- Can I brown the beef first?
- Serving suggestions:
- More Crockpot recipes you’ll love!
- Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe Recipe
My Crockpot stays pretty active year round, but especially during the chillier fall and winter months. I love staying warm with cozy crockpot recipes like this Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew!
The flavor in this stew is downright mouthwatering. Tangy flavor from the balsamic vinegar and natural sweetness from the honey come together perfectly with other flavorful additions like Worcestershire sauce, garlic and more.
Oh, and have I mentioned just how easy this Crockpot beef stew recipe is?! You basically just have to toss everything into the slow cooker and let it work its magic for you.
What people are saying
“This was absolutely delicious just as it’s written. Made this with no modifications and came out perfectly. Everyone went back for seconds. A sweeter take on beef stew that I will definitely be making again! Thanks!” Michele
Why we love this Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe:
- Flavorful: The sweet and tangy sauce is pretty addictive. It’s so good that I often find myself thinking about it long after the last dish gets washed!
- Easy: This is the definition of a set it and forget it recipe. After 10 minutes of prep time, the Crockpot slowly cooks the beef and veggies to tender perfection.
- Filling: You won’t be left hungry after a hearty serving of this beef stew! It’s packed with the perfect amount of beef and veggies to satisfy even the hungriest bellies at the dinner table.
Honey Balsamic Beef Stew Ingredients:
- Beef: You can buy beef stew meat, but I find it more economical to buy an inexpensive round steak and cut it myself. The steaks are often fresher as well! Since we are cooking it low and slow, we do not need a tender cut of beef.
- Veggies: I use a medley of classic stew veggies – celery, carrots and onions.
- Cornstarch: This is what thickens the sauce.
- Beef Broth: I like to use unsalted or low sodium broth when I cook. That way, I can sprinkle in salt as needed and better control the amount of sodium in the dish.
- Honey: You can add more or less to adjust the amount of sweetness in the sauce.
- Potatoes: You can half or quarter the potatoes. They’ll cook all the way through either way.
- Balsamic Vinegar: I don’t recommend swapping this key ingredient with anything else! You need both the tangy and sweet flavors of it to compliment everything else.
- Tomato Paste: A little goes a long way with this.
- Seasonings: Seasoning salt and pepper are all I use, but you can feel free to sprinkle in whatever others spices sound good to you. Herbs like thyme or bay leaves would also be nice.
- Garlic: You can measure this one with your heart!
How to make Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Here’s a quick sneak peak of how to make the BEST slow cooker beef stew recipe! For more detailed info, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Add the beef and veggies to your slow cooker.
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Pour the sauce over the meat and veggies, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Recipe Tip
With most slow cooker recipes, I find that the flavors become muted after cooking for such a long time. With this stew though, I didn’t find that at all! It was still so good and didn’t need any adjustments after cooking, other than a bit of extra corn starch if you want a thicker sauce.
Variations and Substitutions
- Add more veggies: Feel free to improvise and use what you have on hand. Some frozen peas added at the end of the cook time add a great pop of color!
- Make it vegetarian: If you wanted to make this a vegetarian meal, you could simply swap the beef for mushrooms and add in extra veggies.
How to store leftover Beef Stew
Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time it stops, until warmed all the way through.
If a lot of the liquid has been absorbed, add a splash of water or broth before reheating.
Can I freeze Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew?
Sure thing! Let everything fully cool to room temperature before freezing in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Take the stew out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge prior to reheating.
Keep in mind that the texture of the potatoes can change after being frozen. If this is something you don’t enjoy, I recommend storing it in the fridge.
Can I brown the beef first?
You can absolutely brown the beef in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker. This will build flavor and prevent some of the liquids of the beef from escaping into the gravy. For my purposes, I wanted to keep this recipe super simple so we skipped it!
Serving suggestions:
You can always serve this stew with some Homemade Dinner Rolls or a loaf of crusty Artisan bread if you feel like showing off! I’m also pretty fond of Homemade Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls too. Rolls are always great with stew because they help soak up all of that delicious sauce!
More Crockpot recipes you’ll love!
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Gravy — the perfect Sunday dinner!
- Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken — just be sure to grab a straw to slurp up that sauce 😉
- Crockpot Zuppa Toscana — full of flavor!
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef — skip the takeout next weekend!
Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby potatoes (halved or quartered)
- 1 lb round steak (cut into 1" pieces)
- 3 large carrots (cut into ¾-1" pieces)
- 1 rib celery (chopped)
- ½ medium onion (cut into ½" pieces)
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth*
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Instructions
- Add potatoes, beef, carrots, celery, and onion to a 3-4 quart slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, vinegar, honey, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, seasoning salt, pepper and corn starch with a whisk until combined. Add to slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until potatoes and carrots are tender. If desired, strain out sauce and thicken further on the stove top with a corn starch/water slurry.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired before serving.
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Beef broth: I have increased the beef broth in this recipe from ¼ cup to 1 cup for a saucier stew. If you prefer, you can reduce the broth or increase the vinegar and honey as you prefer. Potatoes: any variety of potatoes cut into 1/2-1″ cubes will work just fine! Beef: you can buy stewing beef, but I find it more economical to buy an inexpensive round steak and cut it myself. The steaks are often fresher as well! Since we are cooking it low and slow, we do not need a tender cut of beef. Vegetables: feel free to improvise and use what you have on hand. Some frozen peas added at the end of the cook time add a great pop of color! Honey and balsamic vinegar: I know these seem like strange additions, but trust me on this one! If you love a slightly sweet and tangy sauce, you’ll love this version. It’s a little unexpected but packed with flavor!Browning beef before adding:
You can absolutely brown the beef in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker. This will build flavor and prevent some of the juices of the beef from escaping into the gravy. For my purposes, I wanted to keep this recipe super simple so we skipped it!Nutrition Information
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Claire says
The sauce was sickly sweet. Still trying to to figure out how to rescue it. Suggestions?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Claire! It sounds like this recipe wasn’t for you. With the broth and vinegar to balance out the honey, it should not be “sickly sweet” so I would keep an eye on the measurements. If you are one who doesn’t enjoy meat in a sweeter sauce, you’ll like want to omit or look for a classic beef stew recipe.
Ruthy Gedacht says
Hi Ashley, is it possible to make this recipe without a slow cooker? If possible, how long does it need to cook on the stove?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! You would follow similar cook times to this beef stew recipe: https://www.thereciperebel.com/beef-stew-recipe/
Ruthy Gedacht says
Can I prepare this recipe without slow cooker?
Ashley Fehr says
Definitely! You can follow the instructions for this stovetop beef stew recipe: https://www.thereciperebel.com/beef-stew-recipe/
Linda childs says
My apologies, my previous comment was to say this is the most delicious Stew I have ever tasted. I will never make stew any other way. I did have a question.Can you double the recipe?
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Linda! Yes, absolutely!
Krista says
Easy to make (seriously- just follow the instructions) and delicious turn out for someone that doesn’t like to cook. Hearty meal that our family loved and it didn’t take long to make! Will be making it again!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Krista!
Shannon says
I agree with the previous review about the taste of the sauce just being too much—too sweet and too sour at once. I would recommend doing as another poster did and reducing the vinegar and honey to one tablespoon each.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for your feedback Shannon! This is a honey balsamic stew recipe, so if you make it according to the recipe, yes, you will taste both of those 😀
Kristin says
I’ve never put honey in beef stew, but this gal knows what she’s talking about. Amazingly delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Haha, thanks Kristin!
Lisa A says
Looks great. What is the cooking time if we double the recipe?
Ashley Fehr says
If you use a larger slow cooker, the cook time would be about the same
Leslie says
Had anyone prepared the raw ingredients and frozen for a crockpot dump meal?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t, but I imagine it could be done if you leave out the potatoes and add them just before cooking (or just serve with potatoes or over mashed potatoes).
Elaine says
Hi, I made this – & will make it again – used only 1 TBS honey & 1 TBS balsamic vinegar so did not follow the exact measurements for these two ingredients. However, I also browned the meat first & then onions & garlic. Was absolutely divine. Thank you.
Brie says
Weirdly sweet, not much complexity or depth. No idea why this is so highly rated.
Trying to fix it before I horrify my family.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Brie. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Ashton Jimenez says
Too sweet for my family and I
Claire Cross says
Really easy recipe though if I make it again I’d reduce the amount of vinegar. It was a bit too tart for me in the end.
Haley says
I love this! But have you recently changed the recipe for the sauce? For some reason it tasted different than when I made it a few months ago? The amount of beef broth perhaps?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Haley! Thanks for asking and I apologize for the confusion. I did add additional broth based on the reviews who wanted things a little more saucy — I’ll add a note to the recipe so there is no more confusion.
Bethany says
I absolutely LOVED this recipe! So good! I tripled the recipe, used russet potatoes (cut into chunks), baby carrots, and elk meat instead of beef, otherwise followed the recipe 😆 it turned out great!
Michele P says
This was absolutely delicious just as it’s written. Made this with no modifications and came out perfectly. Everyone went back for seconds. A sweeter take on beef stew that I will definitely be making again! Thanks!