Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
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This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
With over 4,000 5-star reviews, this classic French beef stew is the all-time most popular recipe on my website. It is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Chunks of well-marbled beef are seared in a hot pan, then gently braised with garlic and onions in a rich wine-based broth. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a deeply flavorful sauce. It takes a few hours to make, but the recipe is mostly hands-off. Go ahead and make it a day or two ahead of time; the flavor improves the longer it sits.
This stew is part of my classic French recipe collection, which includes similar slow-cooking comfort food recipes, like coq au vin and braised short ribs, and impressive main courses, like steak au poivre or roast beef tenderloin with red wine sauce.
what you’ll need to make beef stew with carrots & potatoes
The most important thing is to start with the right cut of meat. You want to buy chuck roast that is well-marbled—that means it should have a good amount of white veins of fat running through it. Stay away from meat generically packaged as “stew meat,” especially if it looks lean (I can guarantee you it will not get tender, no matter how long you cook it).
For the wine, use any dry red (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink.
How To Make Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
Begin by removing any large chunks of fat that are easy to get to (like the one my knife is pointing to below), but don’t overdo it with the trimming, as the fat helps make the beef tender.
Next, season the meat generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a bit of oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and brown the meat in batches.
This step is a bit time-consuming but browning the meat adds depth and dimension to the stew. (Note: it’s important not to crowd the pan — if you try to brown all the meat at once, it will steam instead of sear and you won’t get all that lovely color and flavor.)
Remove the meat and add the onions, garlic, and balsamic vinegar to the pan. The vinegar will loosen all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and add flavor.
Cook until the vegetables are softened, then add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more.
Add the beef back into the pan and sprinkle with the flour.
Stir until the flour is dissolved.
Add the wine, broth, water, thyme, bay leaves, and sugar.
Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, add the carrots and potatoes.
Return to the oven and continue cooking for one hour, or until the meat is fork-tender, the broth is thickened, and the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Feel free to adapt the recipe to your liking. You can leave out the potatoes and serve it over buttered egg noodles, or toss in some frozen peas or sautéed mushrooms at the very end. Either way, it’s soul-satisfying comfort food for a cold night.
You may also like
- Slow-Baked BBQ Short Ribs
- Onion-Braised Beef Brisket
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Guinness Lamb Stew with Vegetables
- Texas-Style Chili Con Carne
- Coq Au Vin
- Meatloaf
Video Tutorial
Beef Stew with Carrots & Potatoes
This classic French beef stew is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. After a few hours in the oven, the meat becomes meltingly tender and enveloped in a rich wine sauce.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck (well-marbled), cut into 1½-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks on a diagonal
- 1 pound small white boiling potatoes (baby yukons), cut in half
- Fresh chopped parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set a rack in the lower middle position.
- Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Brown the meat in 3 batches, turning with tongs, for about 5 minutes per batch; add one tablespoon more oil for each batch. (To sear the meat properly, do not crowd the pan and let the meat develop a nice brown crust before turning with tongs.) Transfer the meat to a large plate and set aside.
- Add the onions, garlic and balsamic vinegar; cook, stirring with a wooden spoon and scraping the brown bits from bottom of the pan, for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute more. Add the beef with its juices back to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir with wooden spoon until the flour is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise for 2 hours.
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes. Cover and place back in oven for about an hour more, or until the vegetables are cooked, the broth is thickened, and the meat is tender. Fish out the bay leaf and discard, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve the stew warm -- or let it come to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator overnight or until ready to serve. This stew improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead. Reheat, covered, over medium heat. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
- Note: If you don’t have a Dutch oven or covered pot that is appropriate for the oven, the stew can be cooked on the stove. The timing will be the same and it should be cooked over the lowest setting.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The stew can be frozen for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost the stew in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 539
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Sugar: 8g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 54g
- Sodium: 1189mg
- Cholesterol: 143mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Jenn,
I have had fabulous results in following the stew recipe as written. I want to prepare this recipe for my elderly mother for Mother’s Day, but I would need to make a few adjustments. That would include making it gluten free and making a substitution for white potatoes. Would sweet potatoes work here? Do you have another suggestion? Thanks for your expertise.
So glad you like this! You definitely use gluten-free flour and sweet potatoes successfully. 🙂
I substitute turnips for potatoes because my husband loves this stew over mashed potatoes.
LOVE this beef stew recipe. Only one I’ll make now 😊
Hi Jenn: This recipe is perfect. Really! Yesterday was a rainy day, and luckily I had all the ingredients. Braising in the oven is excellent, so much easier than stove top. My whole home smelled great all afternoon. I cooked it through to adding the vegetables and set aside. Then closer to dinner time, added the veg, popped back in the oven, and it came out so great. Honestly, best stew I have made in many years. Since there are only two of us, I cut the recipe in half, no problem with that. Yum. Thanks, I will be trying your recipes in the future!
Omg! This is the best stew ever! My husband & I enjoyed this so much. I will never make another stew-this is it! Thanks Jenn 😋
I usually make beef stew in a crock pot, but this was easier and delicious! I think the balsamic vinegar really added great flavor. I used less stew beef, so decreased some of the ingredients accordingly. Instead of finishing the stew in the oven, I just covered it, occasionally stirred and simmered it on low until the potatoes and carrots were cooked, about one hour which would depend on how big you slice them. Will definitely make again!
Simply brilliant. my taste buds are dancing. opted for apple cider vinegar as opposed to on balsamic and sweet potatoes. I served the stew on a mashed potato with lentil and butter. Ten out of ten thank you for sharing my family loved it 😇🙏
I love beef stew and this recipe is the absolute best I have ever had. SO SIMPLE to boot. I made 1/2 of a recipe. Reduced all ingredients by half and served it 30 minutes after it was done. It was delicious. I did use beef chunks that had been in my freezer that was not terribly marbled, but I don’t know what the cut was. I followed the recipe without alterations and using good ingredients is important. Don’t skimp on the quality of the balsamic vinegar. It provides wonderful flavor. Thanks for this great recipe.
Hi Jenn,
I made this stew yesterday and we ate it today. My house smelled so good yesterday that my husband wanted to eat dinner early today!!! This recipe is absolutely delicious!!! Due to availability right now we were only able to get 2lbs. “stew meat “ but it cooked beautifully!! My only problem was that I kept to the recipe measurements even though I used less meat. The gravy seemed fine yesterday but was super thick today. I served over egg noodles and taste was fantastic but we had to really mix the meat and noodles to distribute the gravy. Can I add some beef broth to the leftovers I’m freezing? If yes how much do you suggest?Didn’t want to chance ruining the flavor today but would like to see more gray!!
Thanks for your help!!
So glad you enjoyed the stew! Yes, feel free to add another cup or two of broth before you freeze it. And I’d err on the side of adding less rather than more as you can always add more when you’re reheating it. Hope that helps!
I made this last night. I have been making variations of beef stews for 40 years and this was the best! The difference with this one was when to add the flour and the addition of balsamic vinegar. Also longer cooking time. Instead of the potatoes, I added capsicum, green peas and zucchini. And picked the thyme and bay leaves from our garden. It was mouth wateringly wonderful! Great for a cool night in Sydney. Thank You!
Utterly delicious! Made with shin (rendered cut off fat in place of the oil, added streaky bacon snips, black olives & chopped celery and swapped tinned tomatoes for tomato paste and omitted the carrots – didn’t have either, but despite this the meat was beautifully tender and the flavour wonderfully deep and rich – this will now replace Daube de Boef in our menu but I will shop for the full ingredient list next time!
Tastes amazing, however it never thickened, which was a real bummer. I don’t have a Dutch oven maybe that was the issue? Maybe don’t put all the water in at first when adding the liquid? I even uncovered to try and let the moisture out. Either way it still tasted really good. I’ll just tinker with the liquids next time and maybe actually get a Dutch oven.
Hi Scott, Sorry to hear it didn’t thicken as much as you had hoped. Using a large pot instead of a Dutch oven shouldn’t have an impact. Next time you make this, if you’d like it thicker, near the very end of cooking time, you can make a paste with 1 T soft butter and 1 T flour; whisk it in and bring the stew to a simmer and it should thicken up. Hope that helps!
Delicious!! I have made this recipe many times and is now a family favorite! Thank you!
I really want to make this recipe this today. Unfortunately, i didn’t find the recipe until after i bought STEW meat. I know you state it’s important to get a better quality meat but will it still be good with the stew meat or a waste of time?
Hi Tara, What a bummer! It won’t be bad — the meat just won’t get very tender — it would be a shame to spend that much time and energy in the kitchen for a mediocre result! 🙁
I used stew meat and it was still amazing
made it today…ty for the very simple, easy to follow recipe that is easy to make and it is
is so good….my lil gals and wife devoured it…for sure i will do again next week
As I google beef stew looking for this specific recipe, for the 100th time, I thought I should let you know. This stew is amazing! It’s a bit time consuming, but totally worth it, because I know there won’t be any tears about “What’s for dinner?” And with my 3 kids that’s saying something! Thank you!!!
You’re so welcome! 🙂
I only have lamb shoulder in my freezer and am unable to get chuck roast. Would I still be able to make this?
Sure, Zara, lamb shoulder should work here. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use top sirloin?
Hi Diana, for best results, I’d really stick to chuck here. (I worry that sirloin will be too lean and not very tender.) That said, several readers have made the stew with it and have had success. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hello,
A few questions I have
1. Can I use stewing beef instead of beef shank?
2. What can I substitute the Balsamic Vinegar with as I don’t currently have any.
3. What can I substitute the dry red wine with?
Thank you!
Hi Tahirah,
1. I’d stay away from meat packaged as stew meat. Unfortunately, it won’t get tender, no matter how long you cook it).
2. You could use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
2. Just use additional beef broth in place of the wine
Hope that helps!
After two hours it’s still not thickened. Will it be after the last hour or do I add something,?
Hi FC, It should thicken up right at the end. If you’d like it even thicker, you can make a paste with 1 T soft butter and 1 T flour; whisk it in and bring the stew to a simmer and it should further thicken. Hope you enjoy!
I just bought packaged stew meat from Sam’s Club, but I’m now reading your reply to stay clear of package stew meat 🙁 is there a recipe that you would recommend for this type of meat? I promise not To buy package stew meat ever again 😉
Hi Mary Beth, I don’t have a recipe for stew meat — sorry! You can make the stew with it — won’t be bad — the meat just won’t get very tender
can it be cooke ontop of stove insted of in the oven because i don’t have the proper pot for in the oven?
Yes that’s fine – just simmer, covered, over low heat.
If I wanted to make half of this recipe (only two of us at home), besides the ingredients, do I have to alter the time in any way? Thanks!
Hi Nadia, It may take a bit less time to cook, but it won’t be significant. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe is legendary. I have cooked it many times now and every time it is so delicious. My fiancé loves it and asks for it regularly. It is so easy – I simmer on the stove top rather than in the oven with carrots, potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower and it is amazing. We have it on pasta – yum. The balsamic vinegar adds a great element. Lots of flavour and tastes a lot more complicated than it is. Thank you!!
OMG…..this is supposed to be better on the second day…..not sure if there will be any left! Top recipe in my book now. Absolutely excellent!!! I substituted the carrots with squash and sweet potatoes.
I’ve never written a review for a recipe but I have to tell you that this was absolutely incredible. I have made 40 different stews in my life and this will be the only one I will make from now on. Thank you!
This is absolutely the best stew I’ve ever made. Hands down, will make again. Hearty and full of flavour; say goodbye to bland stew.
Made this Saturday for Sunday dinner. My family loved it. Says it’s the best beef stew they have ever had. Thank you!
Made it yesterday for my parents who are on a salt free diet. I had to taste it because the smell was too tempting. It was totally salt free but you would have never know because the flavor exploded in your mouth! This is the best beef stew EVER! When making it I thought this is too much never again. Now it will be my go to recipe.
Do you think this recipe would work in a slow cooker?
Hi Shania, It’s fine to cook this in a slow cooker. I’d sear the beef first as the recipe indicates and then cook it in the slow cooker for 4 – 5 hours on high (and you can put the carrots and the potatoes in with the meat– you don’t need to wait). Hope you enjoy!
Making this delicious stew for the second time. I plan to pack it up fancy and deliver it to my mom so that she will have a nice meal for her birthday.
I made this beef stew with carrots and potatoes…3weeks or so ago exactly how you said, it was amazing…I even froze some (took out potatoes) and it was just as delicious….I am now making it again…thank you so much for this recipe the family love it…….. Tony.
I’ve made this several times now and it is always delicious. I used to make the “famous” classic stew from the New York Times but, I think this one is a lot better and easier to make. Making it again today, special request by the family.
I should add that I “simmer” it in the oven to free up cooking space. I usually set the oven for 275 – 300 deg for the same time it would be on the stove. Add the potatoes and carrots as directed and pop it back into the oven.
I made a smaller amount of stew but it was delicious! My husband finished it in one meal, he’s usually not a stew guy. This is a keeper.
Great recipe and truly delicious. I am an experienced cook and have included it in my repertoire.
Made the first batch and saw first responders on my street and packed up the whole batch to give to them immediately. Our first responders need all the inspiration and assistance to weather this storm.
This second batch I made tonight is for my daughter, son-in-law (and two grandchildren) who have lost their jobs, have no income, and are in dire straights.
I am retired and on a very minimal income but my family needs to be fed.
Hopefully, this will feed them for at least one meal.
Thank you for the recipe.
Elizabeth Montreal, QC
How lovely that you shared this stew with first responders – I would imagine it not only provided them with nourishment but also much-needed comfort! Hope your family is holding up okay — stay healthy and safe. ❤️
Best beef stew ever. Truly delicious.
This is the best beef stew I’ve had! It made so much I gave some away. I got a couple calls back to give me a compliment. ♥️
I made this last night for dinner. I am not one to ever go back on recipes to comment after I’ve made them because I find most of them turn out mediocre and I do consider myself a good cook with my own recipes. I can honestly say that you have perfected this stew recipe. I am so impressed and my husband didn’t have a single critique since he is a huge foodie. I am interested at trying your other recipes now. Thanks for sharing. I’d give it 11 out of 10 stars if I could.
Made it for Easter Dinner. Just spot on! there are so many beef stew recipes even the beef bourguignon recipes which are so labor intensive. This one however, is just spot on. I’ve tried quite a few shares of recipes for beef stew, none with the balsamic and sugar. Just perfect! I did cheat! I seared the meat in an instantpot and prepped everything there and then cooked it in it. It was ready in 1 hour. Next time, I’m making the biscuits to go with it. Thank you, thank you.
So tasty. Two hints: 1. mine came out a bit runny for our taste so I used a slotted spoon to remove the solids and then heated the sauce on the stove top, whisking it until it reduced to the consistency we like (this way you get control over the consistency without adding more flour); 2. I made it the day before and did the reduction before putting it into the fridge for the next day. Perfection! Thanks, Jenn, once again!
I’ve made this stew several times now and it is delicious – thank you for the recipe! I follow the recipe exactly. The last time I made it, the grocery store ran out of chuck roast so I used chuck boneless short ribs which made trimming and cutting the pieces a lot quicker and the result was so good that I’ll be using that cut from now on. I love to freeze half of the stew before adding vegetables to enjoy at a later time.
Can I make this in the pressure cooker or instant pot to cut the time down. I’m in a rush today and would love to have a warm hearty soup for dinner for the family.
Hi Veeni, I think I’m weighing in too late to be helpful, but for future reference, I’ve never made this in an instant pot, but a number of readers have commented that they have and have been happy with the results. One recent comment indicated: “I cooked at high pressure for 35 min, although next time I will add 5 more min, then depressurized, added the potatoes and carrots, and cooked for another 10 min. Also added a bit less liquid, since you lose none in the pressure cooker.” Hope that helps!
So after hours of cooking this today, to serve tomorrow, it seemed to come out pretty runny/liquidy, and I believe I followed the instructions as is, but I just couldn’t seem to get it to thicken up like yours. Is there anything I can do to get it to thicken up before I serve it tomorrow, and do you think you might know what I did wrong; everything else seemed to turn out great?! Thanks
Hi Maggie, You may have found that it thickened up as it cooled, but if you’d like to thicken it further before serving, mix a little softened butter and flour together into a paste, then whisk it into the stew little by little while it simmers (you shouldn’t need more than a tablespoon or so). It should thicken right up. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Hey Maggie. You could also try a bit of cornstarch to thicken the stew, as even with the butter, it may not have time to cook out the taste of newly added flour.
My grocery delivery sent me veal stew meat instead of beef. Can I sub the veal? I have made this numerous times, it’s a family favorite!!!!
Thanks so much!
Glad you like it! Yes, I think veal stew meat should work here. 🙂
Excellent recipe thank you. Such a good idea to add the flour after browning the meat. I used rapeseed oil as it has a higher burning temperature than olive oil.
So easy and so good. Still pretty new to the site, but everything I’ve made so far has been outstanding.
Made this tonight in a pot on the stove as the oven thermostat has packed up! Halved the recipe as it’s just the two of us. Realised at the last minute that we had no balsamic vinegar. I used apple cider vinegar instead. I tasted it after about 30 mins and thought the flavour of the vinegar was too tart and would spoil the recipe, but I was wrong. After 2 hours the flavors had matured beautifully and the tartness had disappeared. It was delicious. Used whole baby potatoes and added some butternut chunks as well as the carrots. Served over basmati rice. Next time I am definitely cooking the whole recipe so there is more leftover for the next day!
This stew is absolutely delicious! The flavors are wonderful in this hearty dish! Thank you.
P.S. I did simmer mine on the stove top and it worked great!
Made this several times, and will continue to do so. It’s excellent. Don’t change a thing. Thank you, Jenn!
My first attempt resulted in above average results due to my mistakes. I used stew meat so the meat was tough. I minced the onions instead of cutting chunks. (My son does not like onions so I thought mincing would keep the onions hidden in the stew. I believe it lead to an overly onion flavor though.)
My second attempt resulted in comments like “five star stew” and “this is the best stew Mom”. Not using stew meat and simply following the directions make this stew the Best. Another lesson learned… when the food tastes amazing, a 12 year old will not question what ingredients are used.
Jenn, a sincere thank you for your cookbook and website recipes. I’ve been making delicious family dinners. Your recipes always produce amazing results, which is invaluable during this time.
Thoughts on cooking time to do this in a slow cooker and at what point to add vegetables? Thanks!
Hi Mike, It’s fine to cook this in a slow cooker. I’d sear the beef first as the recipe indicates and then cook it in the slow cooker for 4 – 5 hours on high (and you can put the carrots and the potatoes in with the meat– you don’t need to wait). Hope you enjoy!
Absolutely fabulous!!! I’ve been making dishes that can freeze in order to limit trips to the grocery. Since potatoes don’t freeze well, I decided to prepare as written, but instead of adding potatoes, I added a few sliced fresh mushrooms and about 1/2 C frozen green peas, then served over mashed potatoes. Served with a good bread and red wine…YUM! Thank you for a keeper!
Hi Jenn! I made this stew for my family… the BEST stew we have ever had! We are a family of foodies😊my grown sons, both in their 40’s excellent cooks, are the cooks in their families, were scraping the pot clean with crusts of bread!
I have a friend who wants an “old-fashioned” pot roast for their birthday dinner. Could I do the same thing as the stew, but just leave the chuck roast whole? Our family loves EVERY recipe we’ve made of yours! Thanks. Robin
Hi Robin, So glad you like the stew! Yes, I do think you could keep the chuck roast whole to serve as more of a pot roast. Hope your friend likes it. 🙂
This was by far the best stew I’ve ever tasted. My husband was thoroughly impressed and he’s never one to make comments about food no matter how hard I try. This will be a keeper!
I really want to make this recipe. I have a Dutch oven but I only have a small bench oven so won’t fit. Can it still be cooked on stovetop instead of in the oven?
Definitely. Just give it a stir periodically as it cooks so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. Hope you enjoy!
So would I set it on a low boil?
Yes, a very low simmer. 🙂
Thankyou for the reply Jen will be making it this week. Starting to get into cold weather here in Australia. Looking forward to warm comfort food.
I made this today for the first time. I was so surprised—I’m not the best cook—it was fabulous. Thank you so much. Do you have a cookbook?
So glad you enjoyed it, Donna! Yes, I do have a cookbook. You can find out more about it here. 🙂
The addition of sugar is unhealthy, I assume you meant refined. We all should know it spikes insulin and causes obesity, diabetes, …
This is absolutely delicious! I’ve made it several times in the past and it always gets rave reviews.
A reply to “Researcher.” If you don’t like the sugar, leave it out. However, I doubt that 1 1/2 teaspoons in the whole recipe will send anyone into a diabetic coma or kill them. This is a place for a review of the recipe, not a supercilious lecture.
Hi, Jen,
I made the stew according to the recipe and my husband and I loved it. The only problem I had was the meat was extremely dry. Not sure what I did to cause the dryness. Do you have any thoughts?
Hi Judy, Glad you liked it but the meat should definitely not be dry. By dry, do you mean tough? If so, did you buy something that was labeled as “stew meat?” If so, it won’t be nearly as tender as beef chuck.
Hi,
Trying to make this right now. I do not have any wine. Can I use a substitute?
I’m guessing I’m too late to help but it’s fine to replace the wine with more beef broth. 🙂
Do you think this would be good in my slow cooker?
Sure. I’d sear the beef first as the recipe indicates and then cook it in the slow cooker for 4 – 5 hours on high (and you can put the carrots and the potatoes in with the meat– you don’t need to wait). Hope you enjoy!