Dutch Oven Beef Stew

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Let’s make the best homemade Dutch Oven Beef Stew, that’s packed with tender beef tips, potatoes, carrots, and thick rich gravy! It will be a comforting stove top one pot meal recipe for Fall and Winter cold weather.

Stew with beef tips, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a bowl.

One of my favorite meals during Fall and Winter is this hearty homemade Dutch Oven Beef Stew, loaded with potatoes, carrots, peas and slowly cooked on a stove top in a thick flavorful gravy.

Dutch oven is a great way to make One Pot Meals, like my Dutch Oven Pot Roast, Dutch Oven Chili, Dutch Oven Chicken Stew, Pasta e Fagioli Soup, One Pot Chicken and Rice, Short Rib Ragu, White Bean Vegetable Stew, and Dutch Oven Short Ribs.

Also, if you want to cut the cooking time in half, you can try to make this recipe in a Pressure Cooker, like my Instant Pot Beef Stew Recipe.

Stew with beef tips, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a Dutch oven.

Ingredients and Substitution

Beef Tips. The best meet cut for the beef stew in chuck roast. You can usually buy it already cut into cubes in your local butcher shop.
All-purpose flour. The best way to get a perfect seared crust on the meat, is to coat it with flour first, and then sear. This technique will provide the best flavor. Plus, the flour coating will help to create rich thick gravy while slowly braising the meat.
Onion and celery. This duet is always a must for the base of my comforting meals. By caramelizing them, you will create a wonderful flavor and aroma for the whole meal.
Tomato Paste. It provides richness to the gravy.
Worcestershire sauce. Don’t skip this ingredient! It helps to make the gravy very rich and complex in flavor.
Chicken broth. I always like to use my Homemade Chicken Stock but you use a store-bought one too.
Potatoes. In this recipe, I like to use Yukon Gold or baby potatoes for their soft creamy texture.
Carrots. You can use regular chopped carrots or baby carrots.
Peas. I like to use frozen peas, as I always have it in my freezer. And you don’t even need to defrost it. Just add to the stew when it’s almost done and cook for 5 more minutes, so the peas warms up and gets softer.

How to make it

Pat dry 2 pounds beef tips. If it has too much fat pieces, you can trim them, so the stew won’t be too fatty.

Place the meet in a bowl, season well with salt and pepper and mix well. Then add ⅓ cup all-purpose flour and toss everything, so the meat pieces are covered from all sides.

Process photos of mixing beef tips with the flour.

Preheat a Dutch oven with 3 tbsp olive oil over medium/high heat.

Shake the meat from the excess flour and place the pieces in the pot in a single layer. Sear for a few minutes on each side, until brown. It’s better to sear the meat in batches, not to overcrowd the pot.

When done, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Process photos of searing beef tips in a Dutch oven.

Then lower the heat to low/medium and add a chopped onion and celery to the pot and cook for about 10 minutes or until they soften and start to caramelize.

Add 2 smashed cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp tomato paste, and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Stir and cook for a minute.

Process photos of adding onion, celery, garlic, and tomato paste to a dutch oven.

Then add 6 cups chicken broth and the browned beef tips with the juices.

Bring the pot to boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with the lid and let it simmer for one hour or until the meat is tender.

Process photos of adding broth and beef tips to the beef stew.

When done, add diced potatoes and carrots, cover with the lid, and continue cooking for about another 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through.

Process photos of adding carrots and potatoes to beef stew.

Add frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes.

Process photos of adding peas to the beef stew.

Tips for best results

Browning the meat. The best way to get perfect sear on the meat is to brown it in batches in a single layer. If you overcrowd the pot, it will produce a lot of liquid and will boil instead of browning.
Flavor. A lot of flavor in the beef stew comes from browning the meat. So, don’t skip this step! Deglaze the pot with chicken broth and scrape all the burnt bits, it will create the best flavor for the stew.

Storage and Freezing

How to store. You can refrigerate it in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.
How to freeze. You can freeze it in an air-tight freezer-safe container for about 3 months. To thaw, just keep it in the fridge overnight.
How to reheat. Reheat it in a pot over medium heat. If it’s too thick, you can add a splash of water to loosen it up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why to use Dutch Oven for Beef Stew?

Dutch oven is made with cast iron, which helps to retain the heat and cook evenly. Because this is a slow cooking recipe, this type of pot will do the best job to insure that everything is cooked perfectly without burning.

What is the best meat for beef stew?

The best meet cut for the stew in beef chuck roast. You can usually buy it already cut into cubes in your local butcher shop.

How to make stew meat tender?

The key to tender stew meat is to let it slowly simmer for a long time. Depending on the size of the beef tips, it will need to braise it for at least 1 hour before you add vegetables to the pot.

Do I have to add red wine to the beef stew?

You don’t have to. I prefer beef stew without red wine. Instead, I add tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce that add delicious rich and complex flavors.

More comfort meals Ideas:

Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and FAQs in September of 2022.