This comforting, meaty and flavorful Beef and Dumpling Stew in the Slow Cooker takes a small amount of prep before it cooks to perfection in the crockpot. The dumplings are made with store bought biscuit dough for an easy, homestyle dish that's sure to satisfy! This easy beef stew and dumplings recipe is always a hit!

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Delicious and hearty easy Beef Stew and Dumplings Recipe

Few meals can compare to the mega-comforting, warm-you-from-your-head-to-your-toes feels you get from a hearty bowl of beef stew.

This Crockpot Beef Stew with Dumplings covers all the bases of a great stew. With lots of browned and flavorful beef, mushrooms, herbs, veggies and plump dumplings- this slow cooker stew has got it going on.

What goes into the Beef and Dumpling Stew in the slow cooker?

To make this easy beef stew and dumplings recipe, you will need:

A few russet potatoes. Peel them, and chop into small, bite sized pieces.
Stew meat or chuck roast, cut into 1-2” cubes. Either works, depending on your budget and what's available to you!
Pantry staples such as flour, salt, pepper, canola oil (or another neutral oil) and butter.
A few carrots, cut into small pieces.
A couple medium onions. Cut these a bit on the larger side.
Celery, fresh garlic and sliced fresh mushrooms.
A carton of beef broth or beef stock. You can also use homemade if you have it.
Some red wine, such as red blend or cabernet. Use a wine you'd like to drink, but stay away from anything overly sweet.
Worcestershire sauce. I'm a die hard fan of Lea & Perrins.
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary, and dried bay leaves. You'll throw these in whole for the flavor, and pull it before serving.
Kitchen bouquet seasoning. This browning liquid gives an "I cooked this all day in the oven" depth of flavor.
A can of prepared biscuit dough, cut into small pieces (4 pieces per biscuit). These will serve as the dumplings.

Prepping for the slow cooker

Now, I know you might be saying- "Can't I just throw it all into the slow cooker and let it do the work for me?" And while the answer is mostly yes- I highly recommend you follow these few prep steps for a flavor bomb stew. Trust me, you won't be mad you spent 10 minutes browning some meat.

Brown that meat

Beef stew with meat that wasn't browned is FINE. Stew with meat that was seared and browned is AMAZING. Heat some oil and a bit of butter, flour and season that meat, and sear it before adding it to your crockpot. And thank me later.

Brown those veggies, too

See all that delightful meaty juice/fat left in the pan? Add your veggies to that before you throw them into the crockpot, too. Season them with some salt and pepper and let them take on a bit of color. Veggies need love, too.

slow cooker beef stew with rosemary and mushrooms

Easy ways to build flavor

Once you've got the browned meat and veggies in the pot, you're halfway to Flavortown. At this point, you'll add some herbs, broth, wine and my secret weapon, Kitchen Bouquet. Kitchen Bouquet is a browning and seasoning sauce that my family has used for stews and gravies for as long as I can remember. It's old school, and it's delicious. And a little bit goes a long way.

Adding the dumplings

The dumplings for this stew go in at the very end, after the meat is fall apart tender and the potatoes are cooked through. All you need to make the dumplings is a can of biscuit dough, and a sharp knife. Cut each biscuit into 4 equal pieces, and layer of the top of the stew. Cover and cook 30-40 minutes until fluffy and cooked through.

Making the Beef Stew Recipe with dumplings your own

If you prefer a thinner stew, leave as-is! If you like a thicker, heartier stew- I like to add a cornstarch slurry around the same time I add the dumplings to help thicken it up. To make the slurry, combine equal parts cold water and cornstarch until fully combined and no lumps remain, then slowly stir into the stew. You want to do this toward the end of the cooking process, as it will continue to thicken as it cooks.

Want to give this recipe a try?

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If you make my Beef and Dumpling Stew in the slow cooker, please be sure to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Lastly, if you make the recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram! I love to see your photos!

Looking for more great recipes?

Why not try my Slow Cooker Mexican Pozole, Shrimp Corn Chowder, Shrimp Gumbo with Chicken and Andouille, or Tuna Noodle Casserole with Cheese Tortellini and Egg Noodles!

Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings

Prep Time20

Cook Time8

Slow Cooker on High5

Total Time8 20

Course: Dinner

Keyword: beef, dumplings, stew

Servings: 8

Equipment

5-7 quart crockpot

Ingredients

4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped, (use any potatoes you like!)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoon butter
1-1 ½ lbs stew meat or chuck roast, cut into 1-2” cubes
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ tablespoon coarse kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
4 medium carrots, cut into 1” slices
2 small onions, cut into quarters
1 rib of celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
32 oz beef broth
1 cup red wine, such as red blend or cabernet
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 small springs fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon kitchen bouquet seasoning*
2 dried bay leaves
1 16 oz can biscuit dough, cut into small pieces (4 pieces per biscuit)

Optional (for a thick stew)

4 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoon water

Instructions

Peel and cut potatoes and add to the crockpot.
2. In a medium non stick pan or cast iron skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high until butter is melted and bubbly.
3. While butter melts, toss stew meat in flour to coat, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Add meat to the pan and brown 2-3 minutes a side. You want to add color, but not cook the meat through.
5. Once meat is browned, transfer to the crockpot with the potatoes.
6. Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms, onions and garlic to the pan you browned the meat in, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
7. Cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat to get a bit of color on the veggies, and transfer to the crockpot.
8. Add the beef stock, wine, Worcestershire sauce, kitchen bouquet, rosemary and bay leaves.
9. Cover crockpot with lid and cook on Iow 6-8 hours, or on high 4-5 hours, until meat is tender and breaks easily with a spoon and potatoes are cooked through.
10. If adding cornstarch to thicken the stew, combine 4 tablespoon cold water and 4 tablespoon cornstarch and whisk until cornstarch is fully dissolved. Stir well into stew.
11. To make the dumplings, add cut biscuit dough to top of stew and cover, once beef is tender. Cook 35-40 minutes more on low, stirring once halfway through.

*Notes/Substitutions:

Kitchen Bouquet is a browning and seasoning sauce that amps up the flavor of stews and gravies.

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