Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
A fast and easy crock pot beef stroganoff that takes just a few minutes of prep work for a fantastic, hearty, family friendly meal. This is one of the most popular recipes on my site with hundreds of thousands of shares and positive reviews. There is a reason this recipe is well-liked. Easy, flavorful, economic, and hearty; it is a family favorite.
We love this stroganoff with Garlic Bread Twists and Italian Garden Salad, but it is hearty enough to be satisfying on its own. And cupcakes with peanut butter frosting make for the perfect end to the meal.
Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
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Get excited for this simple yet elevated, mouthwatering Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff Recipe! With beef, seared and slow cooked in a creamy gravy to savory perfection, you will soon be enjoying this Stroganoff with a smile on your face.
Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff is simple to make, it only takes a few ingredients and a few minutes of your time. Plus it is a real winner as far as taste and flavor goes. Just look at the comments and reviews, this recipe is a reader favorite!
What Cut of Beef Do I Need?
- Different options: There are several different cuts of beef that can be used from stroganoff, from ground beef to high end marbled steaks and tenderloin or chuck roasts. So when should you use which cut?
- Quick Recipes: In shorter cook time recipes (30-40 minutes), usually a more expensive cut of beef is called for, such as tenderloin or sirloin, as they can break down and become tender, more quickly.
- Mid range cooking time: You can use anything you used for the quick recipes, or ground beef is also a great option.
- Slow Cooking: Value cuts like chuck roast are excellent. Tons of flavor. Great value.
- Slow Cooker Cut = Chuck
In this particular recipe I use a chuck roast because it breaks down to tender perfection while it cooks slowly in the crock pot, uniting with the other ingredients to create a harmony of flavor! Just chunk it up into bite sized pieces, or buy already cut “stew meat” at the grocer.
The nice thing about cooking low and slow is you can use a cheaper cut of meat. Which means you get more value for your money with this meal. You can get away with this tougher cut because you are giving it time to cook.
Low and slow cooking means that tough connective tissue has a chance to break down, giving you tender, delicious meat at a fraction of the price of a more expensive cut.
Chuck Roast
Why we use it:
I love offering my readers more economic options for recipes, and by choosing to work with a chuck roast not only will you save some coin, but giving this roast a chance to cook slowly will release its rich flavor by breaking down its nice balance of meat and fat.
How to make it amazing:
Even though we want to keep things simple with this recipe, giving your meat a quick sear to brown the exterior will make this meal all the more magical by giving a little extra boost of flavor. A quick sear on high heat takes on a few minutes, and can make a huge difference in the flavor.
Although its totally up to you as the chef and how much time you want to invest. After that, its just a matter of letting the slow cooker do the rest! Giving it at least 4-6 hours to tenderize, making it juicy, not chewy.
What is Stroganoff Sauce Made of?
This savory classic sauce is simple and rewarding in flavor using only a few easy ingredients. This gravy-like sauce contains ingredients you will most likely already have in your fridge or pantry!
Using only an onion, garlic salt, milk, cream of mushroom soup, Worcestershire sauce, and cream cheese, when combined and given the opportunity to fuse together in the slow cooker, you will be amazed it was truly that simple!
Of course you can make substitutions and add fresh mushrooms to the gravy, or make your own version of cream of mushroom soup. But the fact remains, simple ingredients, incredible flavor.
Steps for Making Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Prep: Gather your ingredients. And get your slow cooker ready. I used a 5 quart crock pot. You can use bigger, but not smaller.
- Brown Meat: Brown your meat and cook onions slightly in a skillet. I realize this is a slow cooker meal, and it might seem counter productive to use a skillet as well. You can just dump your meat into the slow cooker and let it cook. But trust me, the flavor you get by adding a little browning to the exterior is worth the extra effort.
Get a nice sear on the exterior by patting the meat dry first, and don’t give into the temptation to stir it. Let it sit until the brown crust forms. - Mix Sauce: Mix together sauce, and put both sauce and meat and onions in 5 quart crock pot. You can mix the sauce in a separate bowl, or just dump everything into the crock pot and mix it there.
- Slow Cook: Cook for 4-6 hours on low. This really gives those flavors a chance to meld. Delicious.
- Add Noodles: Add in cooked egg noodles. I do not add the egg noodles to the slow cooker to cook with the rest because I feel like it produces inconsistent results. They end up either mushy or crunchy. Noodles only take a few minutes to prepare, so it is worth it to me to cook them separately.
Customize your Stroganoff
- Mushrooms: Many readers, and myself included, have added mushrooms into the slow cooker during the cook time and the results are amazing. I love using Bella Mushrooms as they have such great complexity to their flavor, but sliced white mushrooms work well too!
- Peas: If you love green peas, rinse a cup or two of frozen or fresh green peas and add them to the beef stroganoff slow cooker with the noodles at the end. They will warm up fine and just right! They add a nice sweetness to the dish.
- Diced tomatoes: When adding tomatoes, make sure you add them closer the the end of the cook time (last 20-30 minutes) as tomatoes break down more quickly and if cooked too long, can turn mushy.
- Grated carrot: When adding carrot, you can throw them in at the beginning, since they take longer to make them soft.
- Grated zucchini: Since zucchini are also a more dense vegetable, you will also want to throw these in at the half way mark.
- Chopped baby spinach leaves: Spinach breaks down and softens very fast, so always add it in at the very end. Giving it a quick stir through will be all it takes!
Really you can use any of your favorite veggies. Get creative and give it a try to up your veggie intake!
Share your favorite add-ins in the comments below.
Storing Leftovers
Fridge:
As recommended by the USDA, you should only store beef in the fridge for 3-4 days after cooking. Its always important to practice sanitary cooking and hand washing. Getting your left-overs into the fridge fast enough is also a component for freshness. Do not let your food sit out for too long after preparing it, and seal it in an air tight container.
If you follow good food safety procedures you can enjoy these delicious leftovers later in the week!
Freezer:
Freezing left-over stroganoff is a great option, if you want an easily re-heatable meal in the more distant future. This stroganoff recipe is freezable because the ingredients won’t congeal, just make sure you store it in an air tight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. When re-heating, stir the stroganoff well as it heats, to prevent it from curdling.
You may also need to add a little liquid when reheating to get the sauce to the right consistency.
Other Make Ahead Meals to Get Dinner on the Table Quick:
- Beef Tips and Gravy Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
- Easy Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Recipe Credit: I got the inspiration from Pinterest from a great looking stroganoff. However, the link was bad, so I couldn’t get the recipe and do not know who to credit for the inspiration. There was a picture to help me get started; and the comments had some good info.
I sort of just looked at that, and made up the rest. Then tweaked it over and over until, voila; a perfect crockpot beef stroganoff.
My kids and husband ask me to make slow cooker beef stroganoff regularly. It is one of those recipes I have a lot of fun with. One thing to keep in mind is to use quality egg noodles otherwise they break and aren’t as good!
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How to Make Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
![Slow cooker beef stroganoff in a crock pot with a spoon scooping some out](https://www.eazypeazymealz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/beef-stroganoff-320x320.jpg)
Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 lb beef stew meat Cut into bite sized pieces, if not already in bite chunks
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 4 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 16 ounce package egg noodles
Optional Ingredients (Note: Many have adjusted this recipe, these are things that have been found to work well)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup fresh mushrooms
Instructions
- Start by chopping up your onion, and putting it in fry pan with your stew meat.
- Season with the garlic salt
- Cook just until the onion starts to get translucent and meat is browned on outside, but not cooked through.This will help keep the meat moist while it cooks in the crock pot. You can skip this and just dump everything into the crock pot, but it won't be as moist and tender when it is done. Taking a few minutes to brown the meat helps a lot.
- In a separate bowl, mix together milk, mushroom soup, Worcestershire sauce, and cream cheese. Stir well so not too lumpy. (If adding in the sour cream and mushrooms, do that here)
- Put sauce mixture and meat and onions in crock pot, put lid on, and cook on low for 4-6 hours. You can stir occasionally.
- Just before finished, boil water and cook noodles according to package directions.
- When noodles are cooked through, and drained, stir into crock pot. Let sit about 5 minutes, then serve.
Video
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
Pin to your DINNER board:
Jay says
I want to try this and I’d like to know if I can use my electric mixer to mix together the cream cheese and other ingredients? I’d like to avoid making a mess. Thanks.
Amy says
Yes!
Ann says
The windchill is going to be -60° tonight with a low of -32°°. I have this in my crockpot cooking. I think this will be the perfect meal for this cold winter night!
Kristin says
We love this recipe! We do use the cream cheese when we make it. We are doubling for guests that are coming for dinner, do you think that the cream cheese should be doubled also or will that be too much?
Rachael says
If you are doubling I would double everything. But if you are worried you can start with 1.5 on cream cheese, then taste and add more if needed.
Steve says
My brother/best friend gave me this recipe because he knows this is one of my favorite meals, and growing up his mother used to make stroganoff for us all the time. With me working so many hours, this was easy to make and leave while I go to work. I didn’t add the fresh mushrooms because I don’t like them, but still used the cream op mushroom soup, added salt and pepper to taste at the end. Thanks for such a great and easy recipe!
Jenn says
no matter how much I make I can never have enough leftovers! I now even get asked to make for parties my friend and I have. Will never say how easy it is!!
Rachael says
Oh yay! I am so glad you like it. This beef stroganoff is definitely one of our favorites.
Kuulei says
With this recipe, how much serving would this make.. I have a big family and wondering if double-I gotta it would be better
Chris says
I thought this was kind of gross. For me it was way too much cream cheese and I like cream cheese. If you’re trying this I would maybe put half as much in.
CC says
Could you use Chicken, in place of the beef??
Rachael says
Yes. However, chicken is going to cook faster than the beef and will dry out if you aren’t careful. So either add it later, cook for a shorter time, use chicken thighs not breasts, or make it stove top instead of in a slow cooker. If I was making it with chicken I would likely use chicken thighs, and start with 2 hours of cook time, check doneness and go from there.
Lindsay Partridge says
Love this so much! But I only cook for two and we don’t eat leftovers. We’re picky, yes I know. I hate wasting food. How do I make half? Just cut everything in half?
Rachael says
Yes, this recipe should work just fine if you cut everything down.
Janie McDonald says
I didn’t know if meat was suppose to be cut up so I didn’t! I was using a roast! I guess I will cut it up after it starts to cook in the cooker! It was lumpy with the cream cheese and all the liquids , I hope it doesn’t show when it’s done! I am Italian so I have never had this or made it I hope it turns out. Oh and what a mess!
Rachael says
The recipe calls for “stew meat” which is cut up, and it is indicated in the post, photos, recipe card and video that the meat is cut up. Hopefully it turned out for you. After it heats and you stir it the lumps disappear. I am not sure what you mean by “what a mess” as this is a pretty low mess meal since you just dump the sauce ingredients in the crock pot, and only need a saute pan and a crock pot to make it come together. I am sorry you are struggling with the recipe, I really try to make things Eazy Peazy, which is why I provide photos, video, and written instructions on most of my recipes.
Abby says
I noticed the recipe calls for sour cream, but the video didn’t use any. What should I do?
Rachael says
The sour cream is optional. As noted in the recipe card. The recipe has been made and reviewed hundreds of time, and many readers suggested adding sour cream, mushrooms, etc. So I added those as optional ingredients.
Gina says
I’m trying to get the actual measurements for the ingredients can somebody please post them
Rachael says
They are in the recipe card in the post.
Danielle says
I love this recipe! I am wondering if I could prep this the night before and then cook in the morning? I am a nurse and love to be able to throw in the crockpot before I leave so my family has a nutritious meal.
Rachael says
Yes you definitely can. It should not make any difference at all.
Lori Schrank says
Sept.3,2019
I made this up at the family cabin over Labor Day weekend. It was a big hit and my husband said, It’s a keeper. Making it next week while I’m working 12 hour days.
Rachael says
That is so nice to hear. I am so glad you all liked it!
Regena says
I make stroganoff all the time..But I do use cream of mushroom soup and mushrooms..I also use Golden mushroom soup also..Very delicious.The next day it is even better..I have use cubes steak deer meat and steak..Love making it..
Mary B says
Is the crockpot set on high or low for 4 to 6 hours?. Thank you.
Rachael says
I do it on high, but base that on your crockpot.
S.Riddler says
I never ever ever review or comment on recipes I find on Pinterest, but you’ve got a winner here, girl! It is a family favorite at my house. I’ve made it over and over and over, sometimes omitting the mushrooms. We love it as is, and I usually get in trouble if I don’t go ahead and double it. It has excellent flavor, it’s filling, and everyone always has a second helping. You know it’s good when nobody talks at the dinner table because they’re all too busy stuffing themselves silly!
Rachael says
Hahah I love it! Thanks for letting me know and I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. It is one of our long time faves.
sonya says
At what point should i add mushrooms in? I do not like mushrooms, so i have no experience with them. But, my husband loves them. I do not want to ruin it and get mushy mushrooms (lol)
Thanks so much
Ginger Cannon says
Add just a simple dinner salad and some crusty bread and you have an extraordinarily satisfying meal. The whole family will love it!