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This is a great recipe for Slow Cooker Steak Bites — tender, flavorful beef in rich gravy using affordable round steak with very little prep work for an easy dinner. The best fork-tender, restaurant-quality beef that falls apart with every bite!
👩🍳 Using round steak instead of expensive sirloin steak makes this recipe incredibly economical – we’re talking about half the cost! The long, slow cooking process transforms this tougher cut into melt-in-your-mouth perfection that rivals any premium beef.
My 2 Best Tips For Making Slow Cooker Steak Bites
Choose the Right Cut: Round steak is ideal for this recipe because its tough fibers break down beautifully during the long cooking process, becoming incredibly tender while staying budget-friendly.
Searing is Optional but Worth It: While not necessary, searing the steak bites in a hot pan with a little oil before slow cooking adds incredible depth of flavor and appealing color. If you have an extra 10 minutes, it’s worth the effort!
🩷 Melissa
This is the ultimate busy weeknight meal. Simply dump everything into your crockpot in the morning, and by dinner time, you’ll have tender steak bites swimming in rich, savory gravy. No constant stirring or monitoring required!
My kids absolutely devour this recipe! The tender beef and mild, flavorful gravy appeals to even the pickiest eaters. Serve it over buttery mashed potatoes, and you’ve got a meal that’ll have everyone asking for seconds.
Whether you serve these steak bites over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles, they’re always a hit. You can even make it more of an au jus style sauce for lighter fare, or thicken it into a rich gravy for ultimate comfort food vibes.
Slow Cooker Steak Bites
Ingredients
- 3 pounds round steak, cut into 1 to 1½-inch pieces
- 1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional thickener:
- ⅓ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Cut steak into bite-sized pieces (about 1 to 1½ inches). Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place the steak bites in the slow cooker.
- In a small bowl add the water, onion soup, bullion, and garlic powder. Stir to combine and pour over the steak.
- Cover and cook on Low for 6–8 hours or High for 3–4 hours, until the steak is fork-tender.
- If you’d like a thicker gravy, whisk together ⅓ cup cold water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Stir into the slow cooker during the last 15–20 minutes of cooking. Let it simmer with the lid slightly ajar until thickened.
- Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the steak bites and gravy over mashed potatoes, cooked rice, or egg noodles. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can make this with sirloin steak and it’s delightful but more expensive. I tested this recipe with round steaks because they are much more economical (about half the price in my area) and are really well suited for long cooking time in the slow cooker. It really is a good option for making a round steak tender.
- You can sear the meat up on the stove with a little oil in a hot pan before adding it to the slow cook if you’d like. It adds good color and flavor but I also like not adding an extra step on busy days. It’s up to you.
- Adjust the salt so that the meat and gravy are slightly salty so that when added to something plain like rice, potatoes, or noodles it adds enough salt. You’ll need to adjust it to taste based on what kind of bullion you used.
- You can omit the bullion and use beef broth instead if that’s what you have on hand.
- You can thicken the sauce so it’s a gravy or you can leave it so it’s more of an au jus, we like both!
- Sear the meat: Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add a little oil and sear the steak bites in batches until browned. Remove and set aside.
- Deglaze the pot: Add a splash of water and scrape the bottom of the pot to release any stuck bits.
- Add all ingredients to the pot: Return the steak to the Instant Pot. Add remaining ingredients.
- Pressure cook: Close the lid, seal the valve, and cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Optional thickening: Turn on Sauté mode. Stir in the cornstarch slurry (⅓ cup cold water + 2 tablespoons cornstarch). Simmer for a few minutes until thickened.
Nutrition
How to Make Steak Bites in the Slow Cooker
Step 1: Cut steak into bite-sized pieces (about 1 to 1½ inches). Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Place the steak bites in the slow cooker. In a small bowl add the water, onion soup, bullion, and garlic powder. Stir to combine and pour over the steak.
Step 3: Cover and cook on Low for 6–8 hours or High for 3–4 hours, until the steak is fork-tender. Thicken the broth for gravy, if desired.
Step 4: Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the steak bites and gravy over mashed potatoes, cooked rice, or egg noodles.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! While round steak is economical and perfect for slow cooking, you can use chuck roast, stew meat, or even sirloin steak. Chuck roast will be similarly tender and flavorful, while sirloin will be more expensive but cook faster.
You can substitute with 2 tablespoons of onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon dried parsley. It won’t be exactly the same flavor profile, but it’ll still be delicious!
While not necessary, searing the steak bites in a hot pan with a little oil before slow cooking adds incredible depth of flavor and appealing color. If you have an extra 10 minutes, it’s worth the effort!
More Delicious Beef Recipes To Try
Beef Recipes
Slow Cooker Chili Mac
Beef Recipes
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Beef Recipes
Slow Cooker Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
Beef Recipes
Best Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe
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