The Best Crockpot Beef Bourguignon

You know those recipes that make you feel like a fancy chef even though you barely lifted a finger? That's exactly what happened last Tuesday when I made crockpot beef bourguignon for the first time in my slow cooker.

I'll be honest – I was a little intimidated at first. Beef bourguignon sounds so... French and complicated, right? But here's the thing: when you let your crockpot do all the heavy lifting, this classic French beef stew becomes one of the easiest comfort meals you can make. I tossed everything in before heading out to Amy's soccer practice, and when we got home eight hours later, the whole house smelled incredible.

Bradley actually looked up from his phone when we walked in – that's how good it smelled! John came down from his home office asking what restaurant I'd ordered from. When I told him I'd made it myself that morning, he didn't believe me until I showed him the slow cooker still bubbling away on the counter.

What I love most about this slow cooker beef stew variation is that it gives you all that deep, rich flavor of traditional beef bourguignon without standing over the stove for hours. The red wine, the tender beef, those pearl onions and mushrooms – everything comes together while you're out living your life.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
• Ingredients For Crockpot Beef Bourguignon
• How To Make The Best Beef Bourguignon In Your Crockpot
• Storage And Reheating Tips
• My Personal Tips For Perfect Beef Bourguignon
• Frequently Asked Questions About Crockpot Beef Bourguignon
• Recipes You May Like
• Final Thoughts
• The Best Crockpot Beef Bourguignon

Why You'll Love This Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

• Hands-off cooking – Just 30 minutes of prep, then your crockpot does everything else
• Restaurant-quality flavor at home without the fancy cooking techniques
• Incredibly tender beef that falls apart with your fork
• Perfect for busy weeknights or Sunday meal prep
• Tastes even better the next day, making it ideal for leftovers
• One-pot wonder that feeds a crowd without multiple dishes to wash

Ingredients For Crockpot Beef Bourguignon

For The Beef:

• 8 slices bacon, diced
• 3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For The Sauce:

• 1 ½ cups dry red wine (I use pinot noir)
• 4 cups beef stock or broth (reduced sodium works best)
• 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1-2 tablespoon better than bouillon beef base (optional but adds great depth)

The Vegetables:

• 2 cups frozen pearl onions
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 lb small mushrooms, halved
• 1 lb red or yellow baby potatoes, halved or quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Aromatics:

• 1 bay leaf
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme

For Thickening:

• 2 tablespoon butter, softened
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

How To Make The Best Beef Bourguignon In Your Crockpot

Prep The Bacon:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the diced bacon.

2. Cook until the bacon turns crispy and brown, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, but keep those beautiful bacon drippings in the pan.

Coat And Sear The Beef:

4. Add your beef pieces to a large plastic bag along with 3 tablespoons of flour.

5. Seal the bag and shake everything around until each piece is nicely coated.

6. Turn your heat up to medium-high and add the floured beef to the hot bacon fat.

7. Brown the beef for about 2 minutes per side – you want a nice golden crust.

8. Transfer the browned beef to your slow cooker and top with most of the cooked bacon (save a little for garnish).

Deglaze The Pan:

9. Pour the red wine into your hot skillet and grab a wooden spoon.

10. Scrape up all those browned bits stuck to the bottom – trust me on this one, that's where all the flavor lives!

11. Pour this wine mixture into your slow cooker with the beef.

Add Everything Else:

12. Toss in the pearl onions, chopped carrots, halved mushrooms, and quartered potatoes.

13. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, beef stock, and better than bouillon if you're using it.

14. Drop in your bay leaf and fresh thyme sprigs.

15. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then give everything a good stir to combine.

Let The Magic Happen:

16. Cover your slow cooker and set it to LOW for 7-8 hours.

17. Go about your day – run errands, work, play with the kids, whatever you need to do.

Thicken The Sauce:

18. About 30 minutes before you're ready to eat, mix the softened butter and flour together until smooth.

19. Stir this mixture into your beef bourguignon.

20. Cover and let it cook for another 30 minutes to an hour until the sauce reaches your preferred thickness.

Serve:

21. Fish out the bay leaf and thyme stems (Amy always helps me with this part).

22. Sprinkle with the reserved bacon pieces and serve hot.

I like to ladle this over creamy mashed potatoes or serve it with some crusty bread to soak up all that incredible sauce. Bradley always grabs seconds when I serve it with potatoes!

Storage And Reheating Tips

Refrigerator: Store your leftover slow cooker beef bourguignon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Honestly? It tastes even better on day two after all those flavors have had time to really get to know each other.

Freezer: This freezes beautifully! Let it cool completely, then transfer to freezer-safe containers. It'll keep for up to 3 months. I always make a double batch now and freeze half for those nights when I just can't think about what to cook.

Reheating: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. You can also pop it back in the slow cooker on LOW for an hour or so. If the sauce seems too thick after reheating, just add a splash of beef broth to thin it out.

My Personal Tips For Perfect Beef Bourguignon

Choose The Right Beef: I learned this the hard way when I tried using stew meat once – it just wasn't the same. Chuck roast has the perfect amount of marbling that breaks down during slow cooking and makes the meat incredibly tender. Don't trim off too much fat either; it adds flavor!

Don't Skip The Searing: I know it's tempting to skip this step and just throw everything in the crockpot, but those few minutes of browning the beef really do make a difference. That golden crust adds so much depth to the final dish.

Wine Matters: Use a wine you'd actually drink. I keep a bottle of decent pinot noir just for cooking. John laughs because I always pour myself a small glass while I'm prepping – purely for quality control purposes, of course!

Make It Your Own: Sometimes I throw in some parsnips along with the carrots, especially when they're in season. Amy loves adding extra mushrooms because she thinks they look like little umbrellas. Whatever vegetables your family enjoys, feel free to add them in.

The Better Than Bouillon Trick: This is a secret I picked up from my cooking school days. Adding a tablespoon or two of Better Than Bouillon beef base really punches up the flavor. It's completely optional, but I always keep a jar in my fridge now.

Frequently Asked Questions About Crockpot Beef Bourguignon

Recipes You May Like

Looking for more comforting slow cooker meals? Try my Slow Cooker Beef Stew – it's another family favorite that Bradley requests constantly.

For the perfect side dish, whip up a batch of my Best Mashed Potatoes to serve alongside this beef bourguignon.

Or try my Garlic Butter Melting Potatoes for something a little different but equally delicious.

Final Thoughts

Listen, I never thought I'd be the person making French beef stew on a random Tuesday, but here we are! This easy beef bourguignon recipe has become one of those meals I turn to when I want something that feels special but doesn't require me to spend all day in the kitchen.

The beauty of using your slow cooker is that you get all that slow-simmered, fall-apart tender beef and rich sauce without actually having to hover over a pot for hours. It's the kind of meal that makes you look like you spent way more time cooking than you actually did.

Give this a try this week and let me know what you think! I bet even your pickiest eater (looking at you, Bradley) will be asking for seconds.

Save this recipe on Pinterest so you can find it again later, and happy cooking!

– Stephanie

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