Easy Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

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This Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon recipe will transform tough chuck roast into tender, wine-braised perfection with a fraction of the work of the classic dish. Rich red wine sauce, bacon, and mushrooms create restaurant-quality French comfort food at home with minimal effort!

A bowl of mashed potatoes topped with slow cooker beef bourguignon containing mushrooms, carrots, onions, and a rich brown gravy. A silver fork rests on the edge of the bowl.

👩‍🍳 This isn’t just any beef stew – it’s a French masterpiece that transforms humble chuck roast into fork-tender perfection, all thanks to the gentle, steady heat of your slow cooker!

My 2 Best Tips For Making Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon Recipe
How to Make Beef Bourguignon in the Slow Cooker
Recipe FAQs
More Delicious Beef Recipes To Try

My 2 Best Tips For Making Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Don’t Skip the Searing Step: I know it’s tempting to throw everything in the slow cooker, but searing that beef is absolutely non-negotiable. Those caramelized bits create the foundation of flavor that makes this dish extraordinary. Work in batches and don’t rush – good things take time.

Choose Your Wine Wisely: Use a wine you’d actually drink – Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Chianti all work beautifully. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive wine, just one you’d personally drink. The alcohol cooks off, but the flavor concentrates, so quality matters here.

🩷 Melissa

this recipe is inspired by the legendary Julia Child, but I’ve adapted it for our busy modern lives.

While traditional beef bourguignon requires hours of stovetop babysitting, this slow cooker version delivers all the complex, wine-rich flavors with minimal hands-on time.

It’s become my go-to recipe for special occasions, Sunday dinners, and whenever I want to impress guests without spending all day in the kitchen!

How to Make Beef Bourguignon in the Slow Cooker

A selection of beef stew ingredients on a counter, including a large cut of beef, two onions, carrot, garlic, mushrooms, bacon, tomato paste, beef broth, butter, herbs, salt, pepper, and a bottle of red wine.

Step 1: Cook the bacon until crisp and browned, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker.

A white plate piled with several pieces of cooked, browned steak, placed on a granite countertop. The meat appears juicy and tender with a seared exterior.

Step 2: Pat the beef very dry. Sear in batches in the bacon drippings until very well browned on all sides. Move the browned beef to the slow cooker.

A Dutch oven on a stovetop with diced onions and sliced carrots sautéing, showing browned bits on the bottom of the pot.

Step 3: In the same skillet, sauté the carrot and diced onion until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 4 cloves of the garlic for 30–60 seconds. Add the vegetables to the slow cooker and stir in the pearl onions if using.

A slow cooker filled with beef stew, featuring chunks of beef, sliced carrots, pearl onions, broth, and garnished with fresh thyme and bay leaves.

Step 4: Pour the wine into the hot skillet and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Pour the wine mixture into the slow cooker. Stir the corn starch into the beef stock. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, crushed bouillon, thyme, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

A spoon holding a piece of cooked beef over a slow cooker filled with rich, brown broth and chunks of meat. Steam is rising from the food, indicating it is hot and freshly cooked.

Step 5: Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or High for 6-8 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender. About 15 minutes before serving, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until browned, 5–7 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir into the slow cooker.

A white bowl filled with mashed potatoes topped with beef stew containing onions, mushrooms, and carrots, with a fork and a crockpot in the background.

Step 6: Remove the bay leaves. Skim any excess fat from the surface. If the sauce is thinner than you’d like, simmer uncovered on High for 10–15 minutes, or ladle some sauce into a saucepan and reduce on the stove. If it’s too thick, add a splash of stock. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon and is like a thin gravy. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make this without wine?

While wine is traditional and adds incredible depth, you can substitute with additional beef stock plus a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. However, the flavor won’t be quite the same – the wine is really what makes beef bourguignon special.

What’s the best cut of beef for this recipe?

Chuck roast is ideal because it has the perfect amount of marbling and connective tissue that breaks down during slow cooking, creating incredibly tender meat. Avoid lean cuts like sirloin – they’ll become tough and dry.

How do I know when it’s done?

The beef should be fall-apart tender when pierced with a fork. If it’s still tough after the minimum cooking time, continue cooking in 30-minute increments until it reaches the perfect texture.