Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff is a classic comfort food dinner the entire family will love. Tender steak pieces slow-cooked in an easy homemade stroganoff sauce full of rich flavor.
Beef Stroganoff is one of my favorite comfort foods. What’s not to love about savory beef in a rich and creamy mushroom sauce loaded with flavor? Even better when it’s from scratch, without canned sauce, and made easy in a slow cooker.
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff just might become your new favorite comfort food as well. A slow cooker reduces hands-on time, makes clean-up easy and guarantees tender, flaky beef.
Beef Stroganoff can also be made with ground beef, but I like stew beef for a richer flavor and more authentic stroganoff. It’s also healthier with much less fat since it’s a leaner meat. Besides onions and mushrooms, you’ll also need simple ingredients for the sauce.
Beef Stroganoff Sauce Ingredients
The most unique part of beef stroganoff is the sauce. It’s a creamy white sauce with rich umami flavors of beef, mushroom, and cream. Here’s a list of ingredients for beef stroganoff sauce:
- Beef stock
- Dry white wine
- Sliced white mushrooms
- Sliced yellow onion
- Minced garlic
- Worcheshire sauce
- Corn starch
- Dried oregano
- Bay leaves
- Sour cream
How to Make the Best Homemade Stragaff Sauce
Making the sauce from scratch, instead of using canned cream of mushroom, allows you the control the flavors. Here are a few examples.
- Beef stock is the main base and adds lots of beefy flavors.
- Onions, garlic, and mushrooms add depth and texture to the stock.
- Dry white wine deglazes the pan and incorporates the browned flavor bits into the sauce.
- Worcheshire sauce adds an umami effect and enhances the flavors of the beef.
- Sour cream adds a bit of tang and makes the sauce nice and creamy.
Tips for Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Do you need to brown the meat before?
Browning meat before adding to a slow cooker is recommended. It creates a nice sear for texture and adds more depth of flavor to the sauce. It’s safe to skip this to save time since the meet cooks completely while slow cooking.
Which meat to use for stroganoff
Beef stew meat or beef rump roast has the best texture and flavor for stroganoff. Stew meat is already pre-cut, otherwise cut the beef into thin strips before cooking. You could also substitute with ground beef. Just be sure to cook then drain the fat before adding to the slow cooker.
Deglaze the pan with white wine
Once you brown the meat and saute the onions and garlic, there will be leftover browned bits called fond. Add white wine to the pan and scrape the bottom to deglaze and incorporate extra flavor into the sauce.
How to thicken the sauce
Flour is often used in sauces to create a roux. To keep this gluten-free, corn starch is used to thicken the sauce. Just be sure to stir the sauce constantly while heating to prevent clumping.
Add the sour cream at the end
To prevent curdling of the sour cream, wait until the very end and stir in just before serving. If you add while the meat and sauce is cooking, it will curdle and separate. This is an important step to rich and creamy stroganoff sauce.
How to serve beef stroganoff
Stroganoff is typically served over egg noodles. These are thin noodles with a wavy, ribbon pattern. You could also serve over white or brown rice. Both should be al dente for a nice texture that holds up well with the sauce.
More slow cooker recipes you might like:
- Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Carolina Pulled Pork
- Chicken Pho Soup Recipe
- Slow Cooker Queso Dip
View all Slow Cooker Recipes.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds beef stew meat
- 1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¾ cup beef stock
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 3 tablespoons Worcheshire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup sour cream
- Gluten-free egg noodles or brown rice, cooked
Instructions
- Season beef with salt and pepper, toss to coat. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan or skillet to medium-high heat.
- Add half of the beef and cook 3 to 4 minutes, rotating to brown each side. Remove pieces from pan and place in a slow cooker. Repeat for remaining beef.
- Add onions to the same pan without cleaning it. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and slightly translucent. Add garlic, stir and cook 1 minute more. Transfer onion mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add wine to the pan and scrape the bottom to loosen up leftover browned bits. Cook 1 to 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Stir together beef stock, corn starch, and Worcheshire sauce. Add to pan and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in oregano.
- Pour sauce over meat and onions in the slow cooker. Top with mushrooms and add bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Remove bay leaves, stir sour cream into the sauce, and serve over the desired amount of cooked noodles or rice.
Notes
- Browning the meat ahead of time creates a nice sear and adds flavor to the sauce.
- Don't discard the browned bits or clean the pan after cooking the meat and veggies. Dry white wine is used to deglaze the pan and incorporate into the sauce.
- When adding corn starch, be sure to stir constantly until thickened to prevent clumping.
- Add sour cream at the very end just before serving to prevent curdling while the meat cooks.
I haven’t had Beef Stroganoff in so long, but it was my favorite dinner as a child. Your slow cooker version looks amazing! Pinning to make soon!
I love beef stroganoff! The combination of beef and mushrooms in a sauce makes a flavorfull dinner.
Using a slow cooker makes the beef super tender and soft. This is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day. 🙂
This is pure comfort food at its finest! So hearty and filling, just what you want on a cold, winters day like today. Loved it!
I love the idea of using cheaper cuts of meat to make this dish, in my slowcooker no less! Yum! Can’t wait to make it!
I love beef stroganoff but haven’t had it in ages! It’s like a trip down memory lane. Will have to try this slow cooker version next time 🙂