Slow Cooker Cranberry Beef Stew

This slow cooker cranberry beef stew is comforting stew with the right amount of tartness. Chunks of beef slow cook until tender beef with root vegetables, tangy cranberries, and naturally sweet maple syrup. This one-pot meal is perfect for chilly evenings or when you want to impress your family with minimal effort. From weeknight dinners to festive gatherings, this cranberry beef stew will quickly become a favorite in your recipe rotation. Instructions to make this hearty beef stew in the Instant Pot are also included.

Ingredients For Slow Cooker Cranberry Beef Stew

• Beef 
• Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
• Maple Syrup
• Potatoes
• Onion
• Garlic 
• Celery
• Carrots
• Beef Broth
• Seasonings: thyme, salt, pepper

How To Make Slow Cooker Cranberry Beef Stew

Slow Cooker

Optional: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt & pepper and add to the skillet. Cook a few minutes until browned evenly on all sides. 

1. Season the beef with salt & pepper.
2. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Stir to mix well.
3. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8.

Instant Pot

1. Set pressure cooker to the high sauté setting. Once hot, add oil.
2. Add beef and cook a few minutes until browned. Remove beef from the pressure cooker and set aside.
3. Add onions, carrots, & celery and cook 3-5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
4. Pour in broth and deglaze the bottom of the pressure cooker by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon.
5. Add beef back to the pot along with the cranberries, potatoes, salt, thyme, pepper, maple syrup, and bay leaf.
6. Add lid, close and seal vent. Select high pressure and set time for 25 minutes. When cook time is completed, natural release pressure 10 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.

Optional step thicken: Mix together arrowroot flour & water. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker or Instant Pot & stir. Cover & cook on HIGH slow cooker for 10 minutes (slow cooker)n OR sauté for 5 minutes (Instant Pot). Or until stew has thickened to your liking.

FAQs & Tips

What Type Of Beef To Use

You can cut up beef sirloin or use beef stew meat.  If you don’t want to pre-cut the meat, use a roast like chuck roast, rump roast, or even brisket.

Should brown your beef stew meat before adding to the appliance?

For the Instant Pot, searing or browning your meat beforehand is included as an instruction. That’s because all Instant Pots have a built in saute function. For the slow cooker, searing your meat before adding it to the slow cooker is listed as optional. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. I will always leave this as a recommended but optional step. I have made plenty of beef stews or roasts in the slow cooker without searing them beforehand and they all came out just fine.

Is this tart?

Cranberries are naturally tart and it was important to me to keep the essence of that flavor. In other words, there will be a bit of tartness.  Knowing that cranberries are tart, the maple syrup is added to balance it out. When the stew is done cooking, taste the broth. If you want a more cranberry (tart) flavor, take the back of a large spoon and mash some of the cranberries to release their juice.

What type of potatoes should you use?

I used very small baby potatoes. Waxy potatoes work well in slow & pressure cooking because they hold their shape well thus less likely to turn to mush during the cooking process. All-purpose potatoes like russet potatoes or even sweet potatoes can also be used. If you use a potato like russet or sweet potatoes, I suggest you cut them into larger chunks than you usually would. This will help them hold their shape better. Omit the potatoes and you have a low-carb cranberry beef stew. Omit the carrots too and the stew is keto.

Is this a soup or a stew?

Originally this was a soup recipe using 7 cups of liquid. The revised recipe you see here is a stew using only 4.  A lot of people mislabel soups as stews and vice versa. Heck I’m guilty of it, a lot of my stew recipes on this blog are actually soups. The main difference between the two is the amount of liquid used. In a stew, the food is barely covered with liquid which is why stews can be served on plates. If you want to make this a cranberry beef soup, use 6-7 cups of beef broth or a combination of broth & water (to reduce the sodium).

How do you serve this?

I like to serve this stew over mashed cauliflower or mashed potatoes. You can always eat it as-is.

How do you store leftovers?

Store leftover slow cooker cranberry beef stew in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

What size slow cooker should you use?

I used a 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Beef Stew Recipes 

Hamburger

Cilantro Beef

Oxtail

Beef Bourguignon

Poor Man’s

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