Easy Crockpot Beef Stew Recipe with Canned Soup

Transform your weeknight dinner routine with this incredibly simple crockpot beef stew that delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort. This recipe revolutionizes traditional beef stew by using three different canned soups as the base, creating layers of rich, complex flavors without hours of prep work.

Combine tender beef cubes, hearty vegetables, and the magic trio of cream of mushroom, tomato, and French onion soups for a meal that tastes like you spent all day cooking. Perfect for busy families who want homemade comfort food without the hassle.

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What makes crockpot beef stew the perfect weeknight dinner? 

Few dishes are as comforting as beef stew, but traditional recipes require hours of babysitting. This version delivers the same incredibly rich and hearty taste without the need to constantly watch over the pot.

After lunch, simply throw all the ingredients into a crockpot and go about your day. When dinner time rolls around, you can serve your family a homemade meal that will beat any takeout meal hands down.

Why This Recipe Works

The genius lies in the three-soup combination, which creates incredible depth without complicated ingredients. Cream of mushroom soup provides rich, earthy undertones, tomato soup adds acidity and sweetness, and French onion soup delivers savory complexity. The slow cooking process allows tough beef cuts to become fork-tender while the potato starch naturally thickens the stew to perfect consistency. This set-it-and-forget-it method means you can start it after lunch and return to a house filled with amazing aromas.

Ingredients

To prepare beef stew in a crockpot, you’ll need:

• Carrots – Add natural sweetness and vibrant color to the stew
• Potatoes – Provide heartiness and natural thickening through starch release
• Beef cubes – Create the protein foundation that becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender
• Cream of mushroom soup – Delivers rich, earthy base flavor and creamy texture
• Tomato soup – Adds acidity, sweetness, and beautiful color balance. we recommend Campbell soup for best flavor
• French onion soup – Provides deep, savory complexity and umami depth
• Water – Helps achieve perfect consistency and prevents over-concentration

Ingredient notes

The bottom round is an excellent meat choice for this beef stew crockpot recipe. It’s inexpensive and ideal for slow cooking. Buying a whole bottom round and cutting it into large cubes yourself will save even more. Other great choices are beef chuck roast or beef stew meat.

The starch in potatoes thickens the stew. The best potatoes for the thickest stew are russet potatoes. However, if you want the potatoes to keep their texture, use a waxy potato like red or Yukon gold potatoes.

How to make easy crockpot beef stew

To make the best beef stew in a crockpot:

1. Peel the potatoes and carrots.
2. Cut the potatoes into medium dice and slice the carrots into pieces about the same thickness as the potatoes. Add the vegetables to the crockpot.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot and give it a good stir.

4. Cover the crockpot and set it to HIGH. 
5. Cook for five hours or until the vegetables and meat are fork-tender. 
6. Switch to the WARM setting and hold until serving.
7. Serve it in bowls or soup crocks.

Possible recipe variations 

There are almost endless ways to customize a beef stew. Here are a few that you may want to try:

• You can replace some of the water with a dark beer, such as a stout or a porter. If you don’t like the taste of beer, you can substitute beef broth or stock instead.
• Replace some of the water with red wine.
• Swap a carrot or two for a parsnip.
• Add a cup of chopped celery.
• Add 1 or 2 chopped garlic cloves.
• Add one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce for some umami.
• Stir in some frozen peas in the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
• Add a tablespoon of a beef bouillon paste (like Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Roasted Beef Base)

What to serve with this crockpot beef stew recipe

All you need to enjoy this crock pot beef stew is a spoon or fork, but a few sides won’t hurt either. Consider adding one of these to help round out the meal:

• A few slices of bread: The bread will help fill you up and soak up all the gravy. Crusty, artisan bread is best, but quality sandwich bread isn’t bad. Why not try making Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits?
• Roasted vegetables. Although this Crockpot Beef Stew recipe already contains some veggies, you can always use more! Whether you love Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Roasted Cauliflower, cooking veggies in the oven is so easy that you should serve them with every meal.
• A simple salad. Don’t go fancy here. Think simple, like a Wedge Salad or chopped romaine with sliced cucumbers, shredded carrots, and wedges of tomato with a nice dressing. 

Storage & Reheating Instructions

• Refrigerator Storage: Cool completely before transferring to airtight containers. Store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
• Freezer Storage: Portion into freezer bags for up to 1 month. Individual portions make reheating easier and more convenient.
• Reheating Method: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Add beef broth or water if the stew becomes too thick.

More soup and stew recipes

• Beef Tortilla Soup
• Cowboy Soup
• Dutch Oven Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Lamb Stew
• Sausage Stew
• Vegetable Beef Soup

Favorite crockpot recipes

• Crockpot Carne Guisada
• Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
• Crockpot Chicken Tacos
• Crockpot Zuppa Toscana
• Easy Crockpot Chili

Check out my easy soup recipes and the best Crockpot recipes on CopyKat!