A family favourite slow cooker beef stroganoff recipe with tender beef in a creamy mushroom sauce served with pasta or mashed potato.
A tasty set and forget meal that takes just 20 minutes to prepare!
Beef stroganoff has always been one of my favourite meals - it's hearty, creamy and delicious... all in one! And it's even better when it's cooked in the slow cooker all day long until it's a tender and creamy dish to spoon over a bowl of warm pasta or mashed potato. YUM!
The slow cooker is a wonder for easy meals - just set and forget! Apricot Chicken is such a classic and popular family meal, and of course, Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks and Creamy Tuscan Chicken are deliciousness plus!
Chicken & Mushroom Risotto, and fall-apart tender Pulled Pork are just made for slow cooking to really develop the flavours, and to tenderise the meat.
It's very hard to beat a slow cooked family dinner....
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
Why? Because its a winning dish full of the comforting flavours of creamy beef, mushrooms and pasta!
- Hearty family meal - serve over a bowl of steaming pasta or mashed potato for a substantial family dinner that will tempt the fussiest of eaters.
- An economical dish - as you only use strips of beef here, a little goes a long way. And the crock pot tenderises steak such as rump, which is far cheaper than other cuts of steak.
- Hands free dinner - with just a bit of prep time to slice the beef and mushrooms, then its 'hands off' to leave the slow cooker to do the rest. Pop it on in the morning... and dinner is ready at night.
- Freezer friendly - pop any leftovers in an airtight container and freeze ready for a 'grab and reheat' dinner. Preferably thaw overnight in the fridge and then reheat well, although you can defrost in the microwave and reheat immediately too.
What You Will Need
Keep an eye out for a special on steak for an economical family meal.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!
- Steak - I used rump steak, but you could also use sirloin or blade steak as they are cheaper cuts from the more expensive ones, such as porterhouse and scotch fillet.
- Salt & pepper - to season the strips of steak with.
- Olive oil - to fry the beef strips in.
- Butter - just a small amount needed to saute the onions in.
- Onion - 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped.
- Beef stock - I use store bought liquid stock for convenience, but you can also make your own.
- Dijon mustard - adds a smooth and subtle twist to the flavour.
- Worchestershire sauce - adds depth to the creamy steak sauce.
- Sweet paprika - has a mild sweet flavour and is a traditional ingredient in beef stroganoff.
- Dried thyme - or fresh chopped thyme if you have some in the garden.
- Tomato paste.
- Mushrooms - sliced.
- Sour cream - from the dairy section of the supermarket, however it's also simple to make your own if you wish to.
Equipment Required
For this slow cooker beef stroganoff recipe, you will need:
- A frying pan;
- A slow cooker, also known as a crock pot.
Step By Step Instructions
Tender chunks of beef in a creamy mushroom sauce makes this slow cooker beef stroganoff a cosy and satisfying family meal.
Stretch it further by serving over a big bowl of steaming noodles or a classic mash.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!
Step 1 - Sear The Beef
Slice the steak into thin strips and season to your liking with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, and when hot, add half of the sliced beef, spread it out in the pan and cook for about 30 seconds, before turning and cooking the other side for another 30 seconds. The meat will be browned but still pink inside. Transfer the beef strips to the slow cooker, and repeat with the remaining beef strips. Place the second batch in the slow cooker after searing too.
Step 2 - Saute The Onions
Heat the butter in the frying pan and saute the chopped onions until soft.
Add the sauteed onions to the beef strips in the slow cooker.
Step 3 - Add The Liquid And Slow Cook
In a jug or bowl, mix together the beef stock liquid, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sweet paprika, dried thyme and tomato paste.
Pour the liquid into the slow cooker and stir through the beef strips and onion.
Cook for 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high.
Step 4 - Add The Mushrooms Then Sour Cream
With one hour of cooking time remaining, add the sliced mushrooms and stir through.
With 30 minutes cooking time remaining, stir through the sour cream.
Let it simmer away for the remaining time.
Expert Tips
Originating from a Russian dish created in the late 1800's, beef stroganoff is a hearty dish that is popular throughout the world.
- Always cut your beef strips crossgrain to ensure tenderness, or you can buy beef strips already cut for time saving convenience.
- Using a slow cooker (crock pot) means that you can use the cheaper cuts of beef, as the slow cooking method tenderises the meat well.
- Searing your beef helps to lock in the flavour - see FAQ's.
- I have used common button or cup mushrooms here, but another favourite of mine, the larger portobello mushrooms, are rich in a beautiful earthy flavour too.
- You will notice that there's not much liquid in the slow cooker by the time you add the mushrooms - this is absolutely fine as the mushrooms will release plenty more liquid.
- Just before serving, check the thickness of the sauce. If you would like it to be slightly thicker, simply mix 1 tbs of cornflour (cornstarch) will ¼ cup cold water, stir to dissolve and then stir through the mixture in the slow cooker.
- I like to cook beef stroganoff for the full 8 hours on low as it means I can put it on in the morning and it's ready at dinner time! But if I need to speed up the cooking process, then I slow cook for 5 hours on high - either way, it's moist, tender and simply delicious!
FAQs
Ohh, there's plenty of tasty options to serve beef stroganoff with.
My favourite is egg noodles, but any kind of pasta is perfect (long, short, curly, spirals...)
Mashed potato is another traditional accompaniment to beef stroganoff as it soaks up all the creamy mushroom sauce so well, and that's what you want!
Just make sure to add some crusty bread on the side too!
In this recipe, I always sear the beef before it goes into the slow cooker. While it's not an absolutely essential step, doing this is going to take the flavour of your dish to the MAX! Plus searing the beef will keep it's juices inside while it cooks, giving you beautiful tender beef.
If you're pushed for time, you can skip the searing step... but if you have a couple of extra minutes, it's going to make a HUGE difference to your meal.
Once the cook time has finished, place any leftovers into an airtight container and into the fridge immediately. Do not place the slow cooker pot into the fridge as it retains the heat and won’t cool the stroganoff quickly enough.
Consume any leftovers within 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
With barely any 'hands on' time, the slow cooker is just 'set and forget', and dinner is ready! Tell me, what's not to love about that?!
Browse my collection of slow cooker dinners here
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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 750 g rump steak (see notes)
- salt and pepper to season
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 40 g butter
- 250 ml (1 cup) beef stock liquid
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme optional
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 400 g mushrooms sliced
- 300 ml sour cream
Instructions
- Slice the steak into thin strips and season well with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbs of the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add half of the steak strips, spread out with tongs and allow to cook (without turning) for 30 seconds. Turn the steak and repeat for a further 30 seconds (the meat will still be pink inside). Transfer to a slow cooker and repeat cooking with the remaining olive oil and beef strips.
- Add the butter to the frying pan and allow to melt. Cook the onion for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add to the slow cooker.
- In a bowl, mix together the beef stock liquid, dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sweet paprika, dried thyme and tomato paste. Pour into the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook for 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high.
- With 1 hour of cooking time remaining, add the mushrooms.
- With 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, stir through the sour cream.See notes - if you want to thicken the sauce.
- Serve with cooked egg noodles, pasta, rice or mashed potato.
Notes
- Always cut your beef strips crossgrain to ensure tenderness, or you can buy beef strips already cut for time saving convenience.
- Using a slow cooker means that you can use the cheaper cuts of beef, as the slow cooking method tenderises the meat well. I use rump, sirloin or blade steak, rather than the more expensive cuts of steak.
- Searing your beef first helps to lock in the flavour.
- I have used common button or cup mushrooms here, but another favourite of mine, the larger portobello mushrooms, are rich in beautiful earthy flavour too.
- You will notice that there's not much liquid in the slow cooker by the time you add the mushrooms - this is absolutely fine as the mushrooms will release plenty more liquid.
- Just before serving, check the thickness of the sauce. If you would like it to be slightly thicker, simply mix 1 tbs of cornflour (cornstarch) will ¼ cup cold water, stir to dissolve and then stir through the mixture in the slow cooker.
- I like to cook beef stroganoff for the full 8 hours on low as it means I can put it on in the morning and it's ready at dinner time! But if I need to speed up the cooking time, then slow cook for 5 hours on high - either way, it's moist, tender and simply delicious!
- Storing - once the cook time has finished, place any leftovers into an airtight container and into the fridge immediately. Do not place the slow cooker pot into the fridge as it retains the heat and won’t cool the stroganoff quickly enough. Consume any leftovers within 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Gemma says
Hi Lucy,
I've used this recipe before its great but wondering if I could substitute the beef for chicken this time?? Would I just make the cooking time shorter?
Lucy says
Absolutely! And yes - I'd do 6 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH for chicken xx
Bev says
This is a truly wonderful recipe. I didn't change a thing. I've made it twice now, first with rump steak and last time with blade. It was great with both but we preferred the blade. Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe!
Lucy says
I'm so thrilled that you liked it!
Courtney says
Cooked this tonight and my partner and I both loved it! The beef was so tender and the sauce was delicious. Will be making stroganoff in the slow cooker instead of stove top from now on.
Lucy says
Yay! That's absolutely fanastic!!
Sonia says
My boys LOVE LOVE LOVED this! Meat so tender & flavoursome. May add a touch more tomato paste to increase the richness. All your slow cooker recipes have worked out perfectly, PLEASE keep them coming.
Lucy says
Oh that is absolutely fantastic!!! Thank you SO much!!!!