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Beef stew is one of the first dinners people crave once the weather turns. The trouble is that a lot of homemade stew ends up the same way: tender beef and carrots sitting in a thin, watery broth that runs right off the spoon. It happens even more with slow cooker beef stew, since the lid holds in every drop of moisture for hours. And if you have ever tried to rescue a thin pot by sprinkling flour straight in, you know it turns into little lumps. If you love slow-simmered dinners like our Slow Cooker Pot Roast or Hungarian Goulash, you already know a silky sauce is half the appeal.
The fix happens at the very end. Once the beef, carrots, and potatoes are tender, ladle some of the hot broth into a bowl and whisk in 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour until it is completely smooth. Stir that mixture back into the pot and let it cook for 2 to 5 minutes. Because the flour is already dissolved in warm liquid, it cannot clump, and as it simmers the starch swells and turns the broth into a glossy gravy that coats every bite. It is the last step in our 5-star Beef Stew, and it builds on flour that went in at the start: the cubes of chuck are tossed with ⅓ cup of flour, salt, and pepper before searing, which gives the broth a head start as it simmers.
How to thicken beef stew in a crock pot
The same trick works in a slow cooker. Cook the bacon, brown the beef, and soften the onion and garlic on the stove first, then add everything to the crock pot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. During the last hour, stir in the flour mixture, or a cornstarch slurry if that is what you have on hand, so it has time to thicken before dinner. Prefer the oven? Bake the covered pot at 325°F for 2 ½ to 3 hours, adding the potatoes and carrots during the last hour. For more low-and-slow comfort, try our Braised Short Ribs or a pot of Pörkölt.
Serve the stew with a loaf of No Knead Artisan Bread or a basket of Homemade Dinner Rolls for swiping up every bit of gravy. It is a great make-ahead meal, too: cook it a day or two early and rewarm it on the stove, or freeze it for up to 3 months and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Get all the details in our Beef Stew recipe.
