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Instant Pot beef stew

Old-fashioned Beef Stew Recipe – Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

Instant Pot/ Pressure Cooking, Main Dish, Recipes, Slow Cooker

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This easy beef stew recipe is a favorite at our house. Even more so now that I've converted it to Instant pot beef stew, but no worries, you can use your slow cooker if you haven't joined the Instant pot craze. But I warn you, once you go Instant Pot, you'll never go back.

Instant Pot beef stew

One of the things my pioneer homesteading heart loves about stew is it's a very frugal way to stretch a small amount of veggies and meat into a hearty meal. You can take cuts of meat that aren't generally as tender or desirable and turn them into a delicious supper. Every homestead kitchen needs this simple beef stew recipe- so hit that print button at the bottom of the post!

Beef stew is a rustic farm dish that takes cheaper (holler, love me some frugal cooking) and odd and end vegetables to create a delicious hearty meal. Who doesn't need more of that in their life?

My father grew up during the Great Depression and during my childhood, we never had extra money. But due to my dad's homesteading roots and my mom's from scratch cooking, our table always had food on it.

From necessity my mother learned how to stretch our food into delicious meals. Growing up, this simple beef stew was often cooked on top of the wood stove.

For more recipes and tips on old-fashioned cooking and frugal living, grab your copy of Hand Made: the Modern Guide to Made-from-Scratch Living. 

slow cooker beef stew recipe

Old-fashioned Beef Stew Recipe (shared from Hand Made)

1 pound stew meat

1 Tablespoon butter (may sub coconut oil or lard for dairy free)

1 cup onion, minced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup carrots, diced

1/4 to 1/2 cup celery (optional)

2 to 3 medium sized potatoes, cubed

2 cups corn or green beans

2 cups peas

2 cups tomato sauce

2 cups water or broth

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Stove top beef stew instructions:

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter brown the meat, onions, garlic, and celery (if using celery). When meat is browned and vegetables partially cooked, add in the remaining ingredients. Allow beef stew to simmer on low for an hour or two, until potatoes are cooked all the way through.

Instant Pot Beef Stew instructions: 

Use the Saute function and melt your butter. Brown the stew meat (let it get good and seared on all sides). Remove the seared stew meat and add in the onions, garlic and celery, saute for approximately 2 minutes.  (You can skip the browning part if you're in a hurry, but it does add flavor and is worth the few minutes it takes)

Turn off Saute function. Add in the browned stew meat and rest of all the ingredients. Place and lock the lid into place and select the soup setting. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. If you're in a hurry to eat, use the manual release, not in a hurry, go natural release or let it say on the keep warm setting until ready to serve.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew instructions:

Option 1: dump everything into the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Option 2 (best flavor, pick this one!): Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Melt the butter and brown the meat, onions, garlic, and celery (if using celery). When meat is browned and vegetables partially cooked, transfer to your slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and cook on low for 6 to 8 ours or high for 4 hours.

Beef Stew Keto adaptations:

Beef stew recipe

To keep this beef stew keto or low carb, use green beans and omit the peas. Replace the potatoes with 2 cups of radishes cut in half.

Get over 100+ old-fashioned from scratch recipes waiting for you in Hand Made: the Modern Guide to Made-from-Scratch Living.

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Beef Stew Recipe – Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

MelissaKNorris
4.43 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound stew meat
  • 1 Tablespoon butter may sub coconut oil or lard for dairy free
  • 1 cup onion minced
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup carrots diced
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup celery optional
  • 2 to 3 medium sized potatoes cubed
  • 2 cups corn or green beans
  • 2 cups peas
  • 2 cups tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water or broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Stove top beef stew instructions:

  • In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter brown the meat, onions, garlic, and celery (if using celery). When meat is browned and vegetables partially cooked, add in the remaining ingredients. Allow beef stew to simmer on low for an hour or two, until potatoes are cooked all the way through.

Instant Pot Beef Stew instructions:

  • Use the Saute function and melt your butter. Brown the stew meat (let it get good and seared on all sides). Remove the seared stew meat and add in the onions, garlic and celery, saute for approximately 2 minutes.  (You can skip the browning part if you're in a hurry, but it does add flavor and is worth the few minutes it takes)
  • Turn off Saute function. Add in the browned stew meat and rest of all the ingredients. Place and lock the lid into place and select the soup setting. Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. If you're in a hurry to eat, use the manual release, not in a hurry, go natural release or let it say on the keep warm setting until ready to serve.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew instructions:

  • Option 1: dump everything into the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
  • Option 2 (best flavor, pick this one!): Preheat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Melt the butter and brown the meat, onions, garlic, and celery (if using celery). When meat is browned and vegetables partially cooked, transfer to your slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and cook on low for 6 to 8 ours or high for 4 hours.

Beef Stew Keto adaptations:

  • To keep this beef stew keto or low carb, use green beans and omit the peas. Replace the potatoes with 2 cups of radishes cut in half.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

This book was really wonderful. There are tons of recipes and lots of helpful information and tips on everything a modern homesteader would need. The biscuit recipe in this book makes the best biscuits I have ever tasted. Whether you are just starting out on the simpler living trail or you have been on your journey for years there is lots of information in this book to help you out.

Go here to grab over $53 in bonuses  with your purchase of Hand Made

There you have it, from my homestead kitchen to yours our favorite beef stew recipe!

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Melissa Norris

Melissa K. Norris inspires people's faith and pioneer roots with her books, podcast, and blog. Melissa lives with her husband and two children in their own little house in the big woods in the foothills of the North Cascade Mountains. When she's not wrangling chickens and cattle, you can find her stuffing Mason jars with homegrown food and playing with flour and sugar in the kitchen.

Read more about Melissa

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Comments:

  1. Kari H.

    5 years ago

    This sounds delicious! Do you think I could cut up a chuck roast in place of the stew meat?

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      5 years ago

      I think it would be fine, I haven’t tried it to test the time.

      Reply
  2. Kimberly

    5 years ago

    Lovely beef stew …Nice presentation!

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      5 years ago

      Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Becky

    5 years ago

    doesn’t sound like a beef stew i’ve ever heard of but sounds an awful lot like my homemade soup..only difference is the tomato sauce versus canned tonatoes…will have to try it and see what hubby thinks

    Reply
  4. Theresa M Girolami

    5 years ago

    I made this from your book and OH MY wonderful! Instead of 2 cups of broth, I used 1 1/2 cups and 1/2 cup of Guinness stout. I’ll be making this often this winter.

    Thank you for a really great book.

    Theresa

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      5 years ago

      So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for getting the book!

      Reply
  5. Velma

    4 years ago

    Good Job!!!!

    Reply
  6. Sharon Frisbie

    3 years ago

    This looks lovely and it seems as if it could be pressure canned – just the two of us so 12 servings sounds like great canning.

    Reply
  7. Summer Deeney

    3 years ago

    Do you pressure can your beef stew? If so, do you prepare it in a similar way to this recipe, jar it, and then pressure cook?

    Reply

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