Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings
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Slow cooker beef stew and dumplings is the kind of cool-weather dinner I like to start early and leave alone for most of the day, enjoying the wonderfully rich aromas wafting from the kitchen into the rest of the apartment! Beef, carrots, celery, onions and mushrooms cook gently with tomatoes, herbs and red wine or beef broth. Near the end, a flour slurry thickens the cooking liquid and soft herb dumplings cook right on top.
Those dumplings are what make this different from an ordinary slow cooker beef stew. I like to use Bisquick with thyme, sage and rosemary, so the dough takes only a few minutes to mix and doesn’t need a separate pan. The Low setting gives the beef a long, gentle cooking time, although High works if you need dinner sooner.
I’ve had this stew take about ten hours on Low, although I’ve also had the beef become tender in around eight hours. The cut of beef and the slow cooker itself can make a difference, so I always start checking at 8 hours instead of assuming it needs the full ten. Once the beef’s tender enough, I switch the slow cooker to High before adding the dumplings.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings at a Glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: Approx 9 hours on Low or 5 hours on High
- Servings: 8
- Cuisine: American
- Main ingredients: Beef, carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and herb dumplings
- Cooking method: Slow cooker
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for 3 to 4 days
Why This Slow Cooker Beef Stew Works
There’s no browning step, so most of the work happens at the beginning and end. The beef and veggies go straight into the Crockpot with tomatoes, herbs and cooking liquid. I judge the beef by tenderness rather than relying completely on the clock because I’ve found that one batch can be ready an hour or even two hours earlier than another.
The gravy and dumplings are finished during the last stage. Flour mixed with water thickens the cooking liquid, then the dumpling dough cooks under the lid on top of the hot stew. The Bisquick and milk make a soft drop-dumpling dough, and stirring only until everything is moistened helps prevent dense dumplings.
Ingredient Notes
- Beef: Top round steak or lean stew beef (stewing beef) works with the long cooking time. Cut it into even 1-inch pieces so the pieces cook at roughly the same rate.
- Carrots, celery and onions: These cook with the beef from the beginning and form the vegetable base of the stew.
- Mushrooms: Button mushrooms cook down in the gravy and their flavor complements the beef and red wine.
- Diced tomatoes: I always add the juice with the tomatoes so the liquid forms part of the gravy.
- Beef broth or red wine: You can use either one or a mixture of both. If your broth is already quite salty, use less of the added salt at first. If you’d like to make the broth yourself, here’s my beef broth in a slow cooker.
- Flour and water: Mix these until smooth before stirring them into the hot stew. This thickens the cooking liquid before the dumplings go on.
- Original Bisquick: This is the base for the herb dumplings.
- Thyme, sage and rosemary: Thyme goes into both the stew and dumplings. Sage and rosemary season the dumpling dough, and mustard goes into the beef mixture.
How the Dumplings Cook in a Slow Cooker
I love cooking the dumplings in the slow cooker instead of making another pan dirty. It works well, so why not? The important thing, when doing this, is the stew needs to be hot before the dumpling dough goes on. If I’ve cooked the beef on Low, I switch the slow cooker to High first. And spoon the dough over the surface rather than pushing it underneath the gravy.
Once the lid’s on, leave it closed for 30 minutes. The hot stew cooks the dumplings from underneath while the steam trapped under the lid cooks the upper part. You can test one of the largest dumplings with a toothpick after 30 minutes. It should come out clean rather than coated with wet dough. If not, give them a little longer and then check again.
Tips for the Best Results
- Cut the beef evenly: Similar-sized pieces cook more consistently.
- Keep the lid closed: Opening the slow cooker repeatedly releases heat and increases the cooking time.
- Check the beef before adding the dumplings: It should be fork-tender first because the dumplings only cook for another 30 minutes.
- Mix the flour slurry until smooth: Break up any lumps before stirring it into the stew.
- Don’t overmix the dumpling dough: Stir the milk into the Bisquick and herbs only until everything is moistened.
- Leave the dumplings on the surface: Drop the dough over the hot stew instead of pushing it underneath the liquid.
Equipment
- 4 to 5-quart slow cooker: You need enough room above the stew for the dumplings to sit over the surface.
- Medium mixing bowl: For mixing the Bisquick dumpling dough.
- Small bowl or cup: To mix the flour and water.
- Measuring cups and spoons: For the stew ingredients and dumpling dough.
- Large spoon or cookie scoop: Either works for portioning the dumpling dough over the stew.
- Wooden or silicone spoon: To stir the stew and flour mixture.
Variations and Substitutions
- Skip the wine: Use beef broth for the full ¾ cup if you don’t cook with alcohol.
- Use both: You can combine dry red wine and beef broth as long as the total amount is ¾ cup.
- Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free flour blend to thicken the stew and a gluten-free baking mix suitable for biscuits or dumplings instead of regular Bisquick. Check the beef broth label too. You can also try this slow cooker gluten-free beef stew.
- Try gnocchi instead: My gnocchi beef stew is another option if you like beef stew with soft doughy pieces.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings
The beef, vegetables and herb dumplings make this filling enough that I don’t usually add potatoes, rice or another heavy side. Thick slices of buttered crusty bread are good for mopping up the gravy if you want something extra.
You might also like something contrasting such as this warm grilled vegetable salad or one of these bean salads.
How to Store
Transfer leftovers to covered containers and refrigerate them promptly. Use refrigerated beef stew and dumplings within 3 to 4 days. Reheat individual portions on the stovetop or in the microwave until thoroughly hot.
You can freeze the stew, although the dumplings become softer after freezing and thawing. I prefer to freeze the beef stew without the dumplings and make fresh dumpling dough when I serve it again. You can also make the stew base ahead, refrigerate it and reheat it before adding freshly mixed dumplings.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings FAQs
I use High for the dumpling stage. Once the beef is tender, switch the slow cooker to High, spoon the dumplings over the hot stew and cook them covered for 30 minutes.
Bisquick is an American baking mix containing flour, leavening, fat and salt. It’s commonly used for pancakes, American-style biscuits and quick dumplings. For this recipe, you simply add milk and herbs to make the dumpling dough. Bisquick is widely available in the US and you can also buy it in the UK.
Yes. Use ¾ cup beef broth instead of the wine, or combine broth and dry red wine to make ¾ cup in total. If your broth is salty, reduce the added salt and adjust it after the stew has cooked.
Yes, although you can’t simply replace the Bisquick with the same amount of plain flour. Bisquick already contains leavening, fat and salt, so use a tested drop-dumpling mixture intended to be cooked this way.
For gluten-free stew, use a gluten-free flour blend for thickening and a gluten-free biscuit or dumpling mix, and check the beef broth label. For dairy-free dumplings, use an unsweetened dairy-free milk suitable for cooking and check the baking mix ingredients.
The stew may not have been hot enough, the dough may have been overmixed or the dumplings may need a little longer. Keep the slow cooker on High with the lid closed and test one of the largest dumplings before serving.
More Beef Dinner Ideas
For another slow-cooked beef dinner, try my Crockpot coffee braised beef roast. My microwave Belgian beef stew is much quicker, while British beef and ale pie gives you beef and gravy under a pastry crust.
You might also like my oven-baked stuffed flank steak or these beef and cabbage wontons with ginger. For another cold-weather British dinner, give toad in the hole a try!
Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) top round steak or lean stew beef (stewing beef), cut into 1-inch (2 ½ cm) pieces
- 2 celery ribs, sliced
- 4 carrots, cut into ½-inch (1 ¼ cm) slices
- 2 onions, sliced
- 14 ½ ounce (400g) can diced tomatoes with juice
- 8 button mushrooms, sliced
- ¾ cup (185ml) beef broth (beef stock), dry red wine or a mixture of both
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, or less if your beef broth is already salty
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 ½ cups (180g) Original Bisquick
- ½ cup (125ml) milk
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
Equipment
- 4 or 5-quart slow cooker
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small bowl or cup
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Large spoon or cookie scoop
- Wooden or silicone spoon
Method
- Add the beef, celery, carrots, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, beef broth and/or wine, thyme, dry mustard and black pepper to your slow cooker. Add the full amount of salt if you're using wine. If you're using beef broth, use less salt to begin with if the broth is already salty.
- Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or High for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
- If you’ve been cooking on Low, switch the slow cooker to High.
- Mix the water and flour in a small bowl until smooth. Gradually stir this into the hot beef stew. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
- Combine the Bisquick, thyme, sage and rosemary in a medium bowl. Add the milk and stir only until the dry ingredients are moistened and a soft dough forms.
- Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough over the surface of the hot stew. Don't push the dough underneath the liquid.
- Cover and cook on High for 30 minutes. Test one of the largest dumplings with a toothpick. It should come out clean rather than coated with wet dough.
- Serve the beef stew and dumplings hot.
Notes
- I’ve had this stew take about 10 hours on Low, although I’ve also had the beef get tender in about 8 hours. I recommend that you start checking it at 8 hours and judge it by tenderness.
- Slow cookers do vary, so the beef may need a little more or less time.
- Keep the lid closed while the dumplings cook because opening it releases the heat and steam.
- Don’t overmix the dumpling dough. Stir only until the Bisquick mixture is moistened.
