Slow Cooker Beef Tips with Gravy

Slow Cooker Beef Tips with Gravy is the ultimate comfort meal!  Stew beef slow cooks in a rich flavourful gravy of French onion soup, beef broth, ketchup and seasonings. It’s a crowd-pleasing family dinner, perfect for those colder nights!

Slow cookers and Crock pots are great for feeding a crowd, for family dinner on busy weeknights, and work as an extra oven during the holidays. This Crock Pot Stuffing with cranberries and pecans makes the perfect ‘hands off’ slow cooker side dish while Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup is a family favourite recipe.

Beef Tips with Gravy

Is there anything better than a dump and go easy slow cooker dinner? This hearty beef tips recipe is the ultimate in convenience food, without the delivery. Simply start these crockpot beef tips before lunch and you’ll have dinner ready with almost zero effort. 

Speaking of dinner, these tender beef tips and brown gravy are delicious over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles and even rice. I also like them with mashed sweet potatoes! Add some roasted Brussels sprouts or Maple Balsamic Carrots on the side to complete the meal.

One of the best things about this recipe is how economical it is. During the long cooking time, the fat and connective tissues in the beef stew meat soften. It’s so easy and satisfying to turn an inexpensive cut of meat it into a tender and tasty dinner!

Pro tip: Look for sales and stock up on stew meat for your freezer. Sometimes it’s even more economical to buy a whole chuck roast (inside round, shank or even brisket) and cut it up into uniform bite sized pieces at home.

Slow Cooker vs Crock Pot

You’ll often see recipes using a slow cooker or crock pot but in case you were wondering if there was a difference between the two appliances, there is not. ‘Slow cooker‘ is a general term for an electrical appliance that cooks food for a long time at a low temperature.

Crock Pot is a brand name of just one style of slow cookers. So, all Crock Pots are slow cookers, but not all slow cookers are Crock Pots. The main thing is that you can use either appliance for this or any other slow cooker recipe.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Beef Tips with Gravy

This recipe uses the added convenience of store bought beef stock and a package of brown gravy mix to make the sauce. Feel free to add homemade beef stock and your own herbs and flavourings in place of the gravy mix.

• Stew Beef
• Beef Broth
• French Onion Soup
• Worcestershire sauce
• Garlic
• Brown Gravy Mix
• Ketchup
• Cornstarch
• Water

Use either stewing beef or cut up a chuck roast for this recipe. If you are cutting up a roast, ensure the pieces are uniform sizes for even cooking. For even more flavour, place a tablespoon or so olive oil in a frying or sauté pan and brown the beef in batches before adding them to the slow cooker. 

The rest of the ingredients are there to make up the rich beef gravy. The can of French onion soup provides moisture and flavour along with the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. The minced garlic and package of brown gravy mix add flavour while the cornstarch and water slurry thicken the gravy. 

For added flavour feel free to add sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, and even a bay leaf to the slow cooker. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Add sliced onions or button mushrooms, if desired.

How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Tips with Gravy

To make these delicious crock pot beef tips, place the stew beef*, beef broth, French onion soup, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, brown gravy mix and ketchup in a slow cooker insert (and add any fresh herbs you want to use at this step).

*For even more beefy flavour you can season the beef with salt and freshly ground black pepper then brown it in a sauté pan with some olive oil.

Next, give the beef mixture a quick stir to combine and place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on low temperature setting for 6 hours or high setting for 4 hours.

Before serving, thicken the gravy by whisking the cornstarch and cold water together. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the beef tip gravy and allow to thicken for a few minutes.

Instant Pot Instructions: Brown stew beef (in batches) in olive oil on sauté setting. Deglaze insert with beef stock, scraping up any sticky bits. Add the rest of the gravy ingredients to pot and stir well. Place lid on and close vent. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Release the pressure and check the beef. If it isn’t tender, cook it in ten-minute increments until it is. Release the pressure, then add the cornstarch slurry and cook on sauté mode, stirring until the gravy thickens.

Serve beef tips and gravy over mashed potatoes with a side salad or vegetable of your choice.

Storage Instructions

To store, allow leftover beef tips and gravy to cool to room temperature. Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Freeze any leftovers in portion size containers, ensuring the beef is covered with gravy for up to 3 months.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill, the heart and soul of Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this tasty Beef Tips Recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in a recipe rating. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!