Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon offers a simple way to enjoy classic French cuisine. Perfect for any occasion or casual meal. Try this today!
There is no better comfort meal than a big bowl of Soup or Stew! This recipe turns my classic Beef Bourguignon into a delicious slow cooker meal. If you enjoy this recipe be sure to check out my Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew!
Why You’ll Love This Beef Bourguignon?
- Toss it in the slow cooker and let dinner handle itself!
- This comfort meal has minimal prep but will have everyone begging for more!
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon seems like it should be more difficult than it is. The French dish that is considering daunting to most chefs is a deliciously easy comfort food recipe I make any time I need to decompress and destress. It turns a little prep into a rich comforting meal. The slow cooking gives everything time to meld together while freeing you up to get on with your day so you can come home to a dinner that feels special without much last-minute effort.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 3 lbs chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper , divided
- 1 pound crimini mushrooms , cut in half
- 3 carrots , peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 cups beef broth *
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 4-5 stalks fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 pound white pearl onions , peeled
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Preheat an aluminum slow cooker insert or cast iron on high heat (Okay to use Dutch oven or another skillet/pan) if needed.
- Cook the bacon until crisp, then remove.
- Season the beef with half the salt and the pepper.
- Add to the skillet and brown on each side for 4-6 minutes or until deeply browned on each side.
- Remove the beef from the pan and add in the mushrooms and lower the heat to medium high.
- Cook the mushrooms for 3 minutes, stir then cook another 3 minutes.
- Into the slow cooker add the mushrooms, carrots, half the bacon, broth*, second half of the salt, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, pearl onions, and red wine.
- Cut the beef into 2-inch chunks and add it to the slow cooker.
- Stir all the ingredients until well mixed and cook on low for 7 hours.
- In a small bowl mix the butter and flour and add it to the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook an additional hour or until thickened.
- Stir in the remaining fried bacon and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
Want to make your Beef Bourguignon even more delicious? Brown the beef to a deep brown color. The browned beef will pay off in the end. Please don’t cook this without browning the beef; you will lose a ton of flavor.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon is a cozy, hearty stew with tender beef, onions, mushrooms, and carrots, and a rich savory sauce that gets even better as it cooks. The secret is letting the slow cooker break down all the connective tissue as it cooks low and slow. It’s great for and easy dinner or when you want something a little special, and the slow cooker makes it easy to prepare ahead and enjoy with all of your favorite sides.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Slow Cooker: I made this recipe in a slow cooker with an insert. I brown the meat in the insert without losing much flavor by transferring it and leaving the browned bits behind.
- Cast Iron Skillet: If you don’t have a slow cooker with a stovetop friendly insert, this is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the best sear ever.
- Pig Tail Flipper: I use this to flip the chuck roast quickly. I use this tool EVERY time I cook something that requires flipping; it is fantastic.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, this dish can absolutely be made ahead of time! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 4 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then reheat in a pan over medium-low heat with a splash of water until heated through. Just be sure not to leave it out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Don’t overcook the bacon. Burnt bacon is bitter, and it will not stay crisp in the stew anyway. Get a good crisp, but don’t stress perfection.
- Cremini mushrooms add more flavor than white button mushrooms and shouldn’t be more than a couple of cents a pound more expensive. You can use sliced mushrooms, too, but cutting them in half tends to help them stand out better in the end dish.
- Pearl Onions are a classic addition to the dish, and I love them. I used fresh, but you can also buy frozen. Just be sure you peel off any of the “papery” layers; they won’t soften in the stew.
- The recipe calls for beef broth, but I use beef paste instead of, or in addition to, beef stock/broth. I can double up on the intensity without waiting for beef stock to reduce to intensify the flavor. I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken, and vegetable paste in my refrigerator. I highly recommend it.
Pairing Suggestions
Serve this hearty Beef Bourguignon with a warm Crusty French Bread with a little butter for dipping into that rich sauce, or add a simple Arugula Salad on the side to brighten things up. The dish really stands on its own but if you want a starchy side, add some buttered Homemade Egg Noodles.
How to Store
- Store: Once the stew has cooled you can put it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep well for 2-3 days.
- Reheat: To maintain the best consistency add a splash of water and reheat it on the stovetop on medium-low heat until warmed through.
- Freeze: Place cooled stew in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Frequent Questions
Beef stew and beef bourguignon traditionally have very similar ingredients, but beef bourguignon is made with the addition of red wine and is slowly cooked for several hours. Beef stew typically doesn’t include wine and can be made on the stovetop in less than an hour.
Burgundy is traditionally used to make the beef stock in a beef bourguignon recipe, but if you don’t have Burgundy, you can try using a pinot noir or Chianti. The rule is to use only a full-bodied red wine you would also drink, or you may not like the flavor in the food!
You can go the easy route and get beef stew meat, or opt for cutting your own out of chuck, oxtail, or brisket. You want the meat to have a good amount of marbling; leaner cuts will dry out as your stew cooks and add a lot more flavor to the beef stock in general.
Related Recipes
More Delicious Beef Stews
Images used in a previous version of this post:
The recipe is amazing! I am tracking nutrional info on all i eat and while I appreciate the detailed nutrional info on this recipe, the serving size has to be wrong as it is listed as 1 gram. That wouldn’t even be enough for a single bite. Can you clarify how much of a serving the nutrional information is based off of?
Thank you for pointing this out. When there is no specific measurement listed in the serving size, it automatically defaults to 1 gram, which is definitely confusing. The nutrition facts are correct though, and were divided into 8 servings despite saying such a small amount. The measurement per serving is approximately 425 grams. Thanks for enjoying the recipe, and for the positive review.
Can I make this ahead and freeze?
Absolutely!
I was surprised how simple this was for such a fancy dish. The beef was melt-in-your-mouth good. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you Igor! Appreciate the kind review.
I just saw that the recipe calls for putting 1/2 the bacon into the slow cooker. What do you do with the other 1/2? I’m making the recipe now and it smells amazing!
Oh my goodness Marsha, I wrote this recipe ages ago and no one has ever caught my typo. THANK YOU. I have updated the instructions on the recipe card. Stir in the remaining fried bacon after thickening! Enjoy.
I want to try this recipe! I don’t normally do anything with a chuck roast except fix it whole in the oven or slow cooker. I can only find a very thick chuck roast. Should I cut it in half horizontally so it’s thinner, and sear bottom and top of each piece?
You can. This recipe calls for 2 inch pieces of beef so you seer your beef pieces stir fry style and then add to the slow cooker. Let us know what you decided to do and how your recipe turns out!
So easy and delicious! Perfect for a cold day and there were plenty of leftovers for the week. I served it with some toasty garlic bread and salad. I always love a set it and forget it recipe!
Can I use frozen pearl onions?
Pearl Onions are totally classic to the dish and I love them. I used fresh but you can also buy frozen. Just be sure you peel off any of the “papery” layers, they won’t soften in the stew.
I made this with a few modifications it was a hit-a family of 8 and everyone said it was a keeper! My youngest doesn’t like soup style food and she had two bowls! I omitted the bacon,used Beech mushrooms and Cherry wine as that was what was on hand. I also I added quartered roasted potatoes at the very end.
Can I brown the meat the day before?
I’ve made this recipe about three times now and it is always a hit. The recipe is easy to follow. The hardest part is peeling the baby onions, but worth it. My 11 year old grandson told me it’s now his favorite which is high praise.
I drop Pearl onions in a pot of rapidly boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain water. Cool to touch. Snip bottom of onion with kitchen scissors. Holding top of onion, apply gentle pressure, pinching until onion slides out of unwanted outer peel. Easy.
Very tasty!! I added heaps of fresh herbs and chopped celery. I also swapped the tomato paste for a tin of crushed tomatoes. Family loved it!
I love this recipe and have used it many times. Everyone loves it. I have one day a week that I cook for 18 and triple this recipe. I usually put it in the cooker at night let it cook all night. Could I assemble it several hours before and keep refrigerated until later that evening before I turn on the slow cooker?
This is a quick and easy recipe and it turned out so good ????
What do I do with the other half of the bacon
Can I cube and flour the beef before browning it, use the same pan for the mushrooms then deglaze the pan with a couple splashes of wine before adding it all to the crockpot? Will it mess up the liquid content? This looks like an amazing recipe!
I think that sounds wonderful!
Very tasty recipe! However, you direct us to put in half of the bacon, then never reveal where the other half is used. Is it a topping? Is it for the cook? ( that’s my favorite)
Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Haha, the cook can definitely partake but yes, you’ll want to use it as a topping before serving. Never enough bacon, right?
In my house we just use it for breakfast the next morning or the morning of
Looking forward to trying this recipe for Christmas! Can I sub grass fed stew meat for the chuck? Will it be just as tender in the slow cooker?
No, a different cut of meat would have different marbling. I’m assuming if you’ve got great marbling in that beef it should work okay though? Usually stew meat doesn’t have great marbling which is why the butcher cuts it up to sell it off.
Does the butter need to be melted or just softened? Thanks!
Softening it will work perfectly. Enjoy!
I made this exactly as written today and it was ridiculously good… I was shocked, actually. Just to ask, though, why do you not say to use Burgundy wine in this crockpot recipe like your non-crockpot Beef Bourguignon recipe? Does Burgandy no work well in slow cooker meals? I ask for knowledge and because next time I make this, I would like to try Burgandy in the crockpot version. Thanks! 😉
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This is the original version so I was trying to make recipes using more pantry items or items people would readily have in their kitchen. You can definitely use brandy in this slow cooker version.
I’m anxious to make your slow cooker beef bourguignon recipe. Before I begin, I have 2 questions. 1) recipe says to use half the bacon into slow cooker . . . What is the other half of bacon used for? 2) Exactly how much beef base do you add?
Thanks, Susan
Sorry about that. The other half of the bacon I use as a garnish and sprinkle it on top before serving. I usually add a scoopful of the base to deepen the flavor of the broth. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Thank you much for your help. I will make this for Christmas dinner,
Sabrina all of your stews look delicious. My question is what would you serve as a side to a stew. Rice, salad, mash…?
Generally I do a salad with creamy dressing (I like blue cheese) because with something hearty like a stew I want fresh vegetables alongside it. Sometimes in a hurry I even just do carrots and tomatoes for bursts of fresh flavors. I think the balance works because stews are generally so hearty.
As always…thank you for your talent!
You’re so kind, thank you.
Thanks for the recipe Sabrina, can’t wait to try this weekend!
Enjoy!
If wanted to cook it on high. How many hours on high?
4-5 hours.