Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe: This easy Beef Stroganoff is made in a crockpot! Its bold flavor a silky texture make it so comforting!
Beef Stroganoff – Two Ways!
There are certain dishes that set a benchmark for comfort. In my mind, beef stroganoff is at the top of the list of comfort food.
It’s not the most glamorous of meals. Yet the perfect blend of succulent slow cooked beef, earthy mushrooms, pasta, sour cream, and boozy essence make it a show-stopper on any cold night!
Today’s recipe, The Best Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff, is my second stroganoff recipe here on A Spicy Perspective. The first Beef Stroganoff I post years ago, is a quickie-version, made with grilled steak and a relatively fast pan sauce.
It’s a fantastic mid-week meal you can make in a hurry… Or when you want to dress up your stroganoff with New York Strips or Ribeye!
Our Best Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff Recipe
However, The Best Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe, is our most beloved mouthwatering crockpot version that you can set-and-forget. Then come home later to a house that smells like pure heaven!
If you buy the right ingredients, and sauté your onions and beef before slow cooking, you too, will experience the best Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff you’ve ever made!
List of Ingredients You Will Need:
- Beef Chuck Roast
- Shallots – peeled and chopped
- Garlic Cloves – peeled and minced
- Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
- White Button Mushrooms – quartered
- Sour Cream
- Cognac
- Beef Base – (5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon beef concentrate)
- Dijon Mustard
- Dried Thyme
- Water
- Extra Wide Egg Noodles
- Salt and Pepper to taste
More Information on the Main Ingredients:
Beef
When slow-cooking stroganoff, it’s important to use a cut of beef that stays moist and succulent over time.
Here I used thin strips of chuck roast. You can also cut the beef into bite-size chunks if you prefer. The marbled fat in the chuck roast gently breaks down over time, keeping the beef tender.
Short ribs are also a good choice, but a bit more expensive.
Onions
Another key element in making this Easy Beef Stroganoff Recipe, is to sauté the onions and brown the beef first, before adding it to the crockpot.
This sweetens the flavor of the onions and improves their overall texture. It also seals in the juices of the beef. Don’t skip this step!
If you happen to have a large Instant Pot or Multi-Cooker, you can sauté the onions and beef right in the crock, then turn it down to “slow cook” without dirtying a skillet.
Beef Base
Two more highly important ingredients for creating the perfect beef stroganoff are liquor and beef base.
Beef base is essentially concentrated beef broth, and provides a deep rich beefy flavor.
When making Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff, the crockpot lid holds in all the moisture, so regular beef stock would not be able to cook down, and concentrate over time. Using beef base (or beef concentrate) with water, creates an intensified punchy beef quality that truly elevates the sauce.
Liquor
I like to use Cognac in stroganoff, because it leaves a gentle lingering slightly-sweet boozy essence. If you love robust flavors you can add as much as a cup of Cognac to the recipe. However, if you’re palette is a bit on the delicate side, use a little less. You can also use brandy or whiskey if you prefer.
Do not skip the booze! It’s an important component, and the flavor cannot be replaced. The alcohol does cook out over time, so don’t be afraid of serving this to your whole family.
How to Make the Best Beef Stroganoff Recipe in the Crockpot
- Set a large 6-quart crockpot to low heat. Cut the beef roast into small bite-size chunks, or cut against the grain into thin strips.
- Place the butter in a large skillet and set it on the stovetop over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the beef pieces. Brown the beef on all sides, about 5 minutes. Then sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir to coat. Cook another 3 minutes. Pour the mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker. *If using an Instant Pot or Multi-Cooker, do this in the crock on the Sauté setting, then lower the heat to Slow Cook.
3. Add the chopped mushrooms to the crockpot. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream, cognac, beef base, Dijon mustard, and thyme together. Pour the mixture over the mushrooms, then add in 3 cups water.
*If using less than 1 cup cognac, add extra water to equal 1 cup.
4. Cover the crockpot and slow cook for 5-6 hours on high, or 7-9 hours on low, until the beef is fork tender. Stir in the egg noodles. Cover again and slow cook another 20-30 minutes, until the pasta is cooked to al dente. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
See The Recipe Card Below For How To Make Beef Stroganoff in the Crock Pot + VIDEO. Enjoy!
More Crockpot Recipes to Try!
- 2-Ingredient Crockpot Taco Meat Recipe
- Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Beef Tenderloin Recipe
- Crock Pot Pork Loin with Vegetables
- Best Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup
Check the printable recipe card below for the nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, potassium, fiber, vitamin, and calcium percentages.
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pound beef chuck roast
- 6 shallots, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 pounds button mushrooms, quartered
- 1 1/2 cups sour cream
- 1/2 – 1 cup cognac
- 2 tablespoons beef base, + 2 teaspoons (or 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon beef concentrate)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 3 cups water
- 12 ounces extra wide egg noodles
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set a large 6-quart slow cooker to low heat. Cut the beef roast into small bite-size chunks, or cut against the grain into thin strips.
- Place the butter in a large skillet and set on the stovetop over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the beef pieces. Brown the beef on all sides, about 5 minutes. Then sprinkle the flour over the beef and stir to coat. Cook another 3 minutes. Pour the mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker. *If using an Instant Pot or Multi-Cooker, do this in the crock on the Sauté setting, then lower the heat to Slow Cook.
- Add the chopped mushrooms to the crock. In a bowl, whisk the sour cream, cognac, beef base, Dijon mustard, and thyme together. Pour the mixture over the mushrooms, then add in 3 cups water. *If using less than 1 cup cognac, add extra water to equal 1 cup.
- Cover the crock and slow cook for 5-6 hours on high, or 7-9 hours on low, until the beef is fork-tender. Stir in the egg noodles. Cover again and slow cook another 20-30 minutes, until the pasta is cooked to al dente. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Making this recipe? Follow us on Instagram and tag @ASpicyPerspective so we can share what you’re cooking!
can you make the night before and reheat it?
Hi Anne,
Sure you can! The noodles might be a bit soft the next day, so if you are worried about that you can leave them out and add them in as you are reheating in the slow cooker.
Awesome recipe. Way to much thyme. Maybe half what you call for. I thought it would be creamer than it was. But besideds that. Add some more sour cream and mozzarella cheese when serving and it tasted awesome.
Could this be made with another type of pasta like rotini? I cannot use egg noodles. Thanks!
Hi Jess,
Sure it can! Most pastas need about 20-30 minutes in the slow cooker to cook properly.
This is an outstanding, simple recipe to make. I upped the quantities to serve 12 people and everyone raved at the flavor of the mushrooms and sauce and the tenderness of the beef. I am making this again for our Thanksgiving dinner. It was that good!
Could you use brandy instead of cognac?
Hi Gaye,
Sure you can. Good choice! :)
I made this recipe for the first time tonight and it was delicious! I will definitely be making this dish again. A few comments/observations:
– the listed 20 minutes of prep time was wildly off. It took me 75 minutes from start to finish to do all of the required chopping, dicing, sautéing, measuring, whisking etc. so by the time I got everything into the crock pot I knew dinner was going to be significantly later than planned. I may not be the fastest cook but I don’t think 20 minutes is a realistic estimate when there’s at least 11 minutes of just sauté time in there for the shallots/garlic/meat and 4 separate things to slice and dice.
-1.5 pounds of mushrooms seemed excessive once they were all laid out in front of me waiting to be chopped. I probably used only about a pound in the end and put the rest away. They cooked down enough that I might have been able to fit the rest, but I don’t think they were needed
-I chopped the meat into bite sized pieces but they shrank enough with the cooking that I probably could have benefitted either from the alternative slicing method or chopping larger pieces. I also salted and peppered the meat while I was sautéing it in lieu of adding salt/pepper after cooking (and no further seasoning was necessary)
-I was able to make up some time by cooking on high and putting the noodles in at the 4.5 hour mark and then serving the whole thing at the 5 hour mark. The meat was perfectly tender at that point and definitely didn’t need another 1-1.5 hours as the recipe suggests.
-I went with the one cup of cognac and the sauce was delicious – very rich and full. The alcohol cooked off nicely.
Hi Sommer! Did you mix everything together once it was in the slow cooker, or do you leave it layered (beef/onions, then mushrooms on top) while it cooks for that 7-9 hours and stir it all together before adding in the egg noodles? Thanks!
Hi Lisa!
You can stir it if you like, but you really don’t need to. I will be stirred later when you add the noodles.
Incroyable 😍😍
Great recipe! I did forget to add the 2 tsp of beef base, I only did 2 tbs. We also used fresh baby bella mushrooms, we couldn’t find any button mushrooms. We used hennessy for the cognac and I was a little afraid because at first that’s all I could smell in the dish. But besides that, had no alterations and it tastes great!! I was a little freaked when I came home and it had kinda separated in the crock pot, but after stirring it a little it looked great!
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I am with Jack (Nov 10 2019) on this one, what exactly does the following excerpt from the recipe mean? —————– 2 tablespoons beef base, + 2 teaspoons, or 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon beef concentrate
Hey Dave!
Sorry, the way our recipe form makes me write it in is a bit confusing… If you are using beef base you need 2 Tb + 2 tsp… The equivalent to 8 tsp. However, if you are using beef concentrate, you need 5 Tb + 1 tsp, which is 16 tsp.
The recipe looks good. However the small print next to the beef base ingredient is confusing. The bit about the teaspoons and tablespoons beef concentrate. Explain that please.
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I have made this twice and it has been a huge hit both times. It’s a family favourite now and will be made for years to come!
I used Brandy instead of Cognac.
Hi, I was wondering if the setting should be high or low when cooking it for 5-6 hours in a crock pot.
Hi Capriana,
The 5-6 hour time frame is for high heat. Happy Cooking!
What is happening in this recipe? Things are browned and added twice. An editing error?
Hi Annie,
I’m not sure what happened here… We are in the middle of a recipe format change, site wide, but I haven’t seen that glitch yet. All fixed!!
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This is an incredibly good recipe. It was an instant hit with all at the dinner.
what can i use instead of cognac? can i use a broth of some kind or water? i dont use any kind of alcohol in my recipes
Hi Melody,
That is a really tricky question because the liquor is a significant attribute to the flavor of stroganoff. It just won’t taste right without it. You could add equal parts beef broth and omit it entirely, or use beef broth and a little boozy extract, like brandy or whiskey extract.
Let me know how it turns out! :)
Made it this past weekend – the best stroganoff I have ever made! I used the cognac – yum. I followed your directions for slicing the beef – I think that’s the key to the results. Thank you. I learned a lot on this one. It’s a great recipe to add to the crock pot repertoire.
Can you substitute Brandy for the Cognac?
It looks delicious I always have made this on stove top. looking forward to cook in slow cooker
Hi Maurita, Absolutely! :)