Best Crockpot Beef Bourguignon

This time of year, I’m torn. Part of me is over the cold and snow and yearns for warmer temperatures, and the other part of me doesn’t want to give up the bundling up, and of course, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. 

I can’t get enough of casseroles, soups, and stews, like this one!

Beef bourguignon doesn’t have to take hours in your oven; you can make it low and slow right in your crockpot and come home to an amazing meal.

I always thought beef bourguignon was so hard and complicated to make, but once I tried it a few years back, I realized it’s actually pretty simple!  And the flavor.  Ohhhh, the flavor.  So rich and deep, just BEGGING for some crusty bread to be dipped in it!

What do I need to make this recipe?

• Bacon – you can use any type of bacon that you like, it just adds extra savoriness.
• Beef – you want a cut of beef that’s well marbled and meant for cooking for a long time, like a chuck roast.
• Flour – nothing fancy here, just all purpose flour.
• Red wine – the wine is used as a flavor enhancer, as well as to deglaze the pan after searing the beef.
• Pearl onions – (not pictured, whoops!) to save time and prep, I like to use frozen pearl onions.
• Carrots – I like to use regular carrots, since baby carrots tend to fall apart during the long cooking process.
• Garlic – if you’d rather use pre-minced garlic, you can, just use about 2 tsp.
• Tomato paste – since you only need a few tablespoons, I suggest picking up a tube of tomato paste vs a can. The tubes are resealable.
• Beef broth – this recipe was tested with reduced sodium broth.
• Beef base – optional, but recommended for a deep beefy flavor. You can use reduced sodium if you’re concerned about the sodium amount.
• Bay leaf – you can use fresh or dried.
• Thyme – I prefer to use fresh thyme, but if you’d rather use dried, just use about 1/2 tsp.
• Mushrooms – any type of fresh mushrooms will work for this recipe.
• Potatoes – baby potatoes are great because they don’t need to be peeled and only need halved or quartered.
• Salt and pepper – classic seasonings that elevate the other flavors.

How to make slow cooker beef bourguignon?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Cook bacon. Cooking the bacon first means you’ll have delicious bacon drippings to cook the beef in.
2. Coat beef. Add the beef and flour to a bag and shake to coat.
3. Sear beef. In the bacon grease, sear the beef pieces until golden.
4. Add meats to slow cooker.
5. Add remaining ingredients and cook. There’s no particular order, then cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Variations of this recipe

• Beef – if you’d rather not use chuck roast, you could use brisket or round roast.
• Wine – instead of a pinot noir, you could use a cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, or syrah.
• Alcohol-free – if you’d prefer not to consume alcohol, you can substitute with an equal amount of beef broth.
• Broth – I prefer to use reduced sodium beef broth or stock, but if additional salt doesn’t bother you, you can use regular.
• Potatoes – I love to use the baby potatoes, since they don’t need peeled or much chopping, but russets will also work well. Just use an equal weight and peel the potatoes before chopping them into bite-sized pieces.
• Mushrooms – you can use any variety of mushrooms that you’d like. I prefer to use cremini (also called baby bella mushrooms), but plain white button mushrooms might be a bit more economical and will work well.
• Alternate cooking instructions – if you’d rather not use the slow cooker, don’t worry, I’ve included oven, stovetop, and instant pot directions right below the recipe.

Making beef stew ahead of time

Recipes like this one are completely perfect for making ahead of time, since the longer they sit, the better they are!

You can also prep ahead:

• Bacon – the bacon can be diced and stored in the refrigerator.
• Beef – the chuck roast can be cut up and stored in the refrigerator.
• Veggies – the carrots, garlic, mushrooms, and potatoes can be cut (according to the ingredient list below), and stored in the refrigerator.

Freezing

Beef bourguignon freezes well! Just make sure to cool it completely, then store it in an airtight container. Place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw, then reheat until hot and bubbly.

Storage

Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days, if you can make them last that long! 

Rich beef stews like this taste even better the next day, so our leftovers are usually gone within a day or two