Stroganoff is classic comfort food and this slow cooked beef and mushroom version is creamy and delicious. Melt in your mouth tender chunks of beef in a creamy sauce that tastes far more indulgent than it actually is. Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff takes very little prep, for an easy weeknight meal that is easy to adapt.
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Slow cooked meat in a creamy sauce - it doesn't get much more comforting than that. Chunks of beef that just fall apart as you cut into them in a rich indulgent sauce.
It is a classic comfort dish that the whole family will love, and easy to adapt to add extra vegetables.
For more slow cooker beef recipes, try our delicious Beef Massaman, juicy Roast Beef or our tender Beef Goulash.
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Why You Will Love It
- Classic comfort food
- Very little prep
- Easy to adapt
- A family favourite
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Diced beef - We used standard diced beef, however you could use chuck beef (braising steak in the UK), beef cheeks or boneless beef ribs.
- Mushrooms - We used standard white mushrooms, but any will work well.
- Shallots - Adds a little sweetness to the dish. A standard onion can be used instead.
- Stock - To make the sauce. We used beef stock.
- Butter - To cook the mushrooms and shallots. You can use oil.
- Garlic, Worcestershire sauce & mustard - Adds flavour to the sauce. We used wholegrain mustard, but Dijon or even English mustard could be used.
- Cornflour - Used to make a slurry to thicken the sauce.
- Sour cream - Makes the sauce nice and creamy. Double cream can be used or even yogurt, but this might split.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Cook the beef chunks until browned all over. Remove form the pan and set aside.
Step 2
Melt the butter in the pan and cook the mushrooms and shallots until softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add the beef, shallots and mushrooms to a slow cooker pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and season with salt and pepper. Pour in just enough stock to cover the meat. Cook on high for 5 hours.
Step 4
When cooked, add a cornflour slurry and the sour cream to thicken the sauce. Serve with potatoes, pasta or rice.
What Beef to Use?
The great thing about slow cooked beef dishes is that you can use a cheaper cut of beef, because cooking it low and slow makes it just fall apart. More expensive cuts of beef are just totally wasted in this dish.
We used standard diced beef, however you could use chuck beef (braising steak in the UK), beef cheeks or boneless beef ribs. If you are making a more traditional stroganoff, that is cooked on the stove, then you would use more expensive steak cuts like sirloin or fillet.
Stroganoff Sauce
There is plenty of flavour from the beef, but the creamy sauce is what makes it really hearty and comforting. Luckily, the sauce is super easy to make.
It is made up of beef stock, wholegrain mustard (although you could use Dijon if you don't have wholegrain), Worcestershire sauce and paprika, and then some sour cream stirred in at the end.
What Else Can be Added?
Whilst traditional stroganoff wouldn't have mushrooms and onion in it, it bulks it out so you don't need to add quite so much beef.
We are big fans of finding any ways to add extra greens to our meals too, so why not stir in a few handfuls of spinach at the same time as the sour cream?
How to Make it Lighter
There are a few ways that you can make this recipe a little lighter:
- You can opt for a lean cut of beef and then chop off any visible extra fat.
- Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt or a reduced fat crème fraîche. Greek yogurt is high in protein too, which is an added bonus.
- Opt to serve it with something more nutrient dense. Swap white rice for brown, use wholewheat pasta or swap regular mashed potato for mashed sweet potatoes.
Serving Suggestions
We served ours on mashed potato. Not sure how to make it? Try our Best Ever Creamy Mashed Potato. You could also serve it on rice or pasta (go for wide noodle type pasta, so the sauce clings to it better).
If you want a lower carb option, you could serve it with Cauliflower Rice.
Dannii's Top Tips
- You can make this lighter by stirring in Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, however this a risk of it splitting.
- Make sure you add the sour cream at the end, to avoid it splitting.
- You can swap wholegrain mustard for Dijon if that's all you have.
- You could swap some of the stock for white wine if you like.
- You can make this with ground beef instead. Fry it in a pan with a little oil and then drain off any excess and add to the slow cooker at the same time you would the diced beef.
- We added parsley at the end, however you can swap that for chives.
- Rather than serving it on mash or rice, you could add chunks of potato to the slow cooker and cook it all together.
- If you sauce is too thin, add a little more cornflour. You don't want to add too much though, as it will taste floury.
- Don't stir it too aggressively when you add the sour cream, as the beef might fall apart too much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers of this will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure it has cooled completely and then put into an air tight container in the fridge. To reheat, you can either microwave or heat through on the stove.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Store the stroganoff without any sides though for best results.
More Beef Recipes
If you've tried this Beef Stroganoff recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 700 g (1.5 lb) of Beef - diced
- 1 tablespoon of Vegetable oil
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 4 Shallots - diced
- 1 Pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 350 ml (1.5 cups) of Beef stock
- 2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon of Wholegrain mustard
- 25 g (0.75 oz) of Butter
- 150 g (1.5 cups) of Mushrooms - white
- 1 tablespoon of Paprika
- 1 tablespoon of Cornflour (corn starch)
- 250 ml (1 cups) of Sour cream
- Fresh parsley - to serve
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp of Vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat. Cook 700 g of Beef until browned all over. Remove form the pan and set aside.
- Melt 25 g of Butter in the pan and cook 150 g of Mushrooms and 4 Shallots until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the beef, 2 Garlic clove and the cooked mushrooms and shallots to a slow cooker pot.
- Add 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbsp of Wholegrain mustard and season with 1 Pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper. Pour in 350 ml of Beef stock to cover the meat. Cook on high for 5 hours.
- When cooked, add 1 tbsp of Cornflour (corn starch) and 250 ml of Sour cream to thicken the sauce.
- Serve with 1 tbsp of Paprika and Fresh parsley sprinkled on top (optional).
Recipe Video
Recipe Tips
- You can make this lighter by stirring in Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, however this a risk of it splitting.
- Make sure you add the sour cream at the end, to avoid it splitting.
- You can swap wholegrain mustard for Dijon if that's all you have.
- You could swap some of the stock for white wine if you like.
- You can make this with ground beef instead. Fry it in a pan with a little oil and then drain off any excess and add to the slow cooker at the same time you would the diced beef.
- We added parsley at the end, however you can swap that for chives.
- Rather than serving it on mash or rice, you could add chunks of potato to the slow cooker and cook it all together.
- If you sauce is too thin, add a little more cornflour. You don't want to add too much though, as it will taste floury.
- Don't stir it too aggressively when you add the sour cream, as the beef might fall apart too much.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Clare says
Delicious! Even though I forgot to add the soured cream at the end
Dannii Martin says
It doesn't need the sour cream, it just adds something a little extra to finish it off.
Hayley says
Can I freeze this? I’m making meals for an elderly parent. If so, how is best to reheat? From frozen or defrost first? Thank you :)
Dannii says
You can freeze this, but there is a risk of the sauce separating when defrosting/reheating. Defrost it first and then reheat it on a low heat.
Lexy says
How long should this be in the slow cooker for in the UK? 2-3 hours? Thanks.
Dannii says
You cook on high for 5 hours.
Lexy says
Thanks. Just when I have followed American recipes before it’s been far too long thats all. Will give it a go.
Lexy says
Cooked on high for 1.5 hours then low for a further 2 hours and it was lovely
Rebecca says
All your slow cooker recipes are great! In the ingredients you mention onions & in the instructions shallots .. I'm going to stick with onions & see how I get on!
Dannii says
Sorry, they are shallots (as seen in the ingredients photo). But onions will work just fine too :) Enjoy!