This Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew is full of flavor and couldn’t be easier — just throw everything in and let it cook! Loaded with veggies and thick honey balsamic sauce. Step by step recipe video.
Looking for more easy crockpot recipes? Check out these Dump ‘n’ Go Slow Cooker Recipes!
Often I think about how I wouldn’t be nearly as excited to see the seasons changing if I lived somewhere further South. Occasionally in the dead of winter it seems tempting, but the anticipation of Spring, then Summer, then Fall and then the first snowflakes of Winter just wouldn’t be there.
So now that we are officially onto Fall food (along with back to school and holiday chaos), I’m here with a a slow cooker recipe that can be an easy weeknight meal or an elegant holiday dinner with a loaf of crusty bread.
The honey balsamic combo is one we are familiar with around here — from this Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pulled Pork (our favorite!) to this Honey Balsamic Grilled Chicken (save that one for summer), we can’t get enough. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and tangy and savory and it goes with everything.
Next month is baby month here friends, and so I chose to keep things super simple. I love that these Little Potatoes are just dump and go — no peeling, not chopping!
If you do want to take this from “easy everyday” to “elegant dinner”, feel free to brown the beef cubes before adding them to the slow cooker. This adds an extra layer of flavor and the juices remain in the beef and don’t dilute the sauce quite as much.
But the flavor of this stew is incredible — the sweet and tangy sauce, the creamy potatoes, the earthy carrots — even without the extra work, so I opted to skip the step and just get a real, hearty dinner on the table even on the days I only have one free hand 😉
Tips and Tricks for Making this Honey Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew:
- 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.
- If you wanted to make this a vegetarian meal, you could simply swap the beef for mushrooms and add in extra veggies.
*This post is generously sponsored by The Little Potato Company and I was compensated for my time in creating the recipe — thank you for supporting the brands that keep us fed!
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Pin this recipe to your favorite boardHoney Balsamic Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe + VIDEO
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*
- â…“ cup balsamic vinegar
- â…“ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/4 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! Â ÂNutrition Information
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A. Hutcheson says
i made this 2 weeks ago and cleaned the crock pot it was so good.
i tried making it again this week (twice)………..and could not eat it at all! Is there a difference in Basalmic Vinegars?
I had invited people for dinner last night and almost threw it all out and went to Sonic for a burger……..Don’t know what is going on!
Ashley Fehr says
That is so strange! Is it possible that any one of your ingredients had spoiled? There is not enough of a difference in vinegars to make that big of a difference. I would guess that maybe something was accidentally doubled or left out.
Kimi says
This sounds great. I’m a big honey balsamic fan. And I’m always trying to find a great stew recipe. However I always struggle w the meat used in beef stew. I’m so use to making steaks using prime cuts of meat. What is the meat to username a stew… Beef? Chx? Lamb? Etc… Thanks!! Kimi
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kimi! I usually use a tougher cut of meat because it becomes incredibly tender in the slow cooker and they’re more inexpensive. You can definitely use whichever cut you prefer!
Hollie says
I just made it with a Honey Balsamic vinegar, still cooking!!! Fingers crossed!
Thanks for the great recipe!!
Ashley Fehr says
I’d love to hear how it goes Hollie!
Beth M Kirkpatrick says
This was quite tasty. My boyfriend, who loves “meat & potatoes”, really liked the different flavor profile of sweet & sour vs the standard beef stew. VERY easy to make. I would double the recipe next time if feeding more than two adults if you want substantial leftovers.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Beth! I’m so happy to hear you both enjoyed it!
Marie says
Just made this tonight. So delicious! Thank you!!!
Aileen says
I hve made this for tonight’s dinner and Although I like the sweet tangy my partner doesn’t and says he won’t eat it, Can I add anythin 2 reduce the sweet tang so that he might eat it?
Kathy Miller says
Please let me know what you can use to cut the sweet. My husband doesn’t like swee-sour. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
The sweet tang is really the whole point of the recipe, so I would suggest finding another more classic beef stew recipe for those who don’t enjoy sweet and sour. You could also reduce the honey and vinegar considerably.
Theresa says
Do you think I could sub the beef and beef broth for chicken and chicken broth?
Ashley Fehr says
I think that would work! If you do try it I’d love to hear how it tastes!
Karen says
Can you mix the night before and then cook?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, absolutely!
Mongilutz says
Do you have to add the honey? If so, is it possible to reduce the amount? This recipe looks delicious btw!
Ashley Fehr says
You don’t have to add the honey but it is needed to balance out the flavor of the vinegar. So if you skip the honey it will be pretty sour and tangy, and likely not all that enjoyable! You can try reducing it or just finding another recipe that doesn’t use honey 🙂
RossC says
Had this today… The finished product looked every bit as good as it tasted..
( that’s usually the other way around but, this was beautiful when plated )
As we are empty nesters, this will be our go to stew this winter..’
Thank you… :O)
Ashley Fehr says
It makes me so happy to hear that! It’s our new favorite!
Tricia says
This looks excellent and I am definitely making it soon, although I am in France and
not familiar with seasoning salt, is it just salt or a mix of other things ?
Ashley Fehr says
It is just a mix of salt and other seasonings! If you search Pinterest or Google you should be able to find a recipe for seasoning salt, or you can experiment with your own seasoning blend.
Tony says
Can you cook in oven
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sure it can be done, but I always make my stews in the slow cooker so I can’t really advise on cook times.
Karen says
Probably cool in an oven on 150 Degrees for 3 hours, stir every hour
Karen says
Sorry that should be cook not cool
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for the tips!
Ava says
Hello Ashley !
Can this be cooked on high and for how long ?
Ashley Fehr says
Oh definitely! Probably about 3-4 hours.
callen says
We doubled the meat and served stew over wide egg noodles. Fantastic! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
Yum! Love that idea!
Melissa Novotny says
Oh holy night, that looks amazing! Trying this during the fall! Thank you!
Laura M says
I made this yesterday and absolutely loved it. My husband however found it too sweet. He ‘doesn’t want any sweet near his meat!’ A friend was over today and she loved it so I sent it and the recipe home with her. My husband is a notorious picky eater which makes my life quite difficult since my main hobby is collecting new recipes and trying them out. Today I was making chicken noodle soup and he asked why the broth was darker than usual. I told him I had added some Worcestershire. He immediately told me he wouldn’t eat it. He keeps a stash of TV dinners in the freezer. I guess he’ll be having one tonight!
Ashley Fehr says
Oh that’s too bad — I’m glad that you and your friend enjoyed it! I love a little sweetness with my meat at times, but it will totally depend on your personal preferences. More for you I guess! 🙂
Jeena says
Can this be doubled, and done in a larger crock? Would timing change?
Ashley Fehr says
I don’t think timing would change if you used a larger crock pot. Should be about the same!
Cheryl says
You forgot the garlic!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks! Added it in 🙂
The Culinary Camper says
OMG, this sounds really good. I just got a new slow cooker and this is now on my list of recipes to try. Thanks for posting!
Ashley Fehr says
I hope you love it!
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven says
This is SUCH a cozy-looking beef stew, Ashley! I’ll bet the honey and balsamic add SO much amazing flavor!
Ashley Fehr says
I think it’s my favorite version! Thanks Sarah 🙂
Kelly Senyei @ Just a Taste says
This beef stew looks like the perfect addition to my fall weeknight lineup, Ashley. And I love the honey balsamic combo, too!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kelly! One of our favorites!