Easy Crock Pot Hamburger Stew Recipe is one of those easy fall and winter crockpot meals. Now it’s no secret like most other moms; I love easy dinner recipes! Slow Cooker Beef Stew is one of my family’s favorites, but with braces, the meat is too tough for them to chew.

I have included affiliate links to products I love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In addition, this post contains affiliate links that will make me a small commission when used to order online,
We searched around on Pinterest and found some Hamburger Stew ideas, but I took inspiration from The Magical Slow Cooker to create this dinner. I love that it only takes a couple of minutes to throw the ingredients together and get it cooking; the result was amazing!
The first time I made this was in 2015, and am republishing it in 2022. It has not been a disappointment, and we have even started to call it Poor Man’s Stew since it’s so budget-friendly and a hearty meal with simple ingredients. After making Hamburger Soup this was a sure bet for the kids to eat! (Grab the recipe -> Stove Top Hamuber Soup)
10 Quart Crockpot8 Quart Crockpot
6 Quart Crockpot
You could easily change the meat to make it more like a slow-cooker beef stew recipe or a traditional beef stew recipe. Sometimes finding expensive cuts of beef on sale at the grocery store can make comfort food and easy recipes. Stew meat, Ground Turkey, chuck roast, or lean ground meat can be interchanged and have just as much flavor, there is no best meat.
Crock Pot Hamburger Stew Recipe Ingredients:
- Ground Hamburger
- Onion– These will be chopped, I tend to cut my large so kids can pick them out. Minced onion or onion powder can be used instead of regular onion.
- Carrots– I use baby carrots and cut them up into smaller pieces.
- Cubed Potatoes-I used russet potatoes when I made this but gold potatoes, baby potatoes, or red potatoes to make this.
- Minced Garlic
- Tomato Paste
- Water
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Oregano
McCormick Oregano Leaves, 5 ozHunt’s Tomato Paste – 12/6oz
McCormick Onion Powder, 22 Ounce
how to make hamburger stew in a crock pot
Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on medium-high heat; you can also use lean ground beef. Strain the grease off the meat to remove excess fat, and set the cooked hamburger meat aside while you prep everything else. (I love pulling mine out of the freezer pre-browned see -> here for tips on how to do it)
Prep all your veggies; start by peeling and chopping potatoes, onions, and carrots. I did have a girlfriend say that sweet potato would be good in this. I favor yellow potatoes, russet potatoes, or baby potatoes. Baby carrots work easiest for this recipe.
I sprayed my crockpot with a non-stick spray, you can choose to skip this step if you’d like! If you want, you can also use Slow Cooker Liners.
Crockpot LinersNonstick Sprays
Combine the beef, carrots, onion, potatoes, and garlic in the crockpot. I place the potatoes on the bottom of the crock so they will cook more with the most direct access to heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. This is the water, tomato paste, and beef stew seasoning you are using.
Pour the water mixture over the beef mixture contents of the slow cooker and cover it with a lid.

Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or until done. The cooking time will vary so the liquid level for the potatoes to cook all the way. If it gets low before the stew is done cooking, add some more!
Serve with bread bowls or bread, this is perfect for a cold night.

What is your favorite stew recipe? Do you have a go-to stew recipe for the winter months?
What to serve with crockpot hamburger stew
No wrong answer on what to serve with this dish! Pick out side dishes your family ikes or just serve it alone.
Bread: Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread, Garlic Parmesan Bisucti Pull Part Bread, English Muffin Garlic Cheese Bread, Easy Cheesy Monkey Bread, Corn Bread
Other Side Dishes: Crockpot Quinoa, Air Fryer Bacon Asparagus, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes, Air Fryer Brussell Sprouts
How To store hamburger stew slow cooker
Allow the stew to cool completely and store in the fridge for up to five days. You can freeze this in an air-tight container for up to ninety days.
Storing leftovers properly requires the right tools! My preferred storage method is if the leftovers can be sealed in a food saver. If not, then an air-tight container or Ziploc bag for the fridge is the way I go. The air-tight container and a freezer Ziploc bag are the next best bet for freezing the leftovers. I also use a food scale to measure portions into serving sizes.
Freezable storage ContainersFood Sealer
Freezer Bags
Food Scale
Alternative Ingredients To Put In Crock Pot Hamburger Stew:
Now just like crockpot beef stew, you can make many variations of hamburger stew crock pot. It is fun to change it up to make a great recipe every time or just the next time.
- Green Beans
- Corn Kernels
- Diced Tomatoes
- Beef Broth
- Celery
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Tomato Soup
- Soy Sauce
- Tomato sauce
- Red Wine
- Beef Stock
- Chicken Broth
- Bay Leaves
- Frozen Peas
- Yellow Onion
OTHER Easy STEW RECIPES TO TRY OUT:
ground beef crock pot recipes
There are nights that crockpot ground beef recipes save dinner time!! Easy Weeknight Ground beef dinners are always a huge hit with all my teens and they make weeknight dinners easy to make and fuel the family as well! Plus they tend to be budget-friendly as well.
Other Slow Cooker Recipes:
My crockpot is my favorite way to cook! You can see all my -> Crockpot recipes; the ones below are some of my family’s favorites.
- Crockpot Lasagna Soup
- Chicken Taco Soup In The Crockpot
- Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
- Crockpot Cube Steak
Crock Pot Hamburger Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Ground Hamburger
- ½ Onion
- 1 Pound Baby Carrots
- 7 Potatoes
- Minced Garlic
- 6 Ounce Tomato Paste
- 3 Cups water
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Oregano
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet on medium-high heat, you can also use lean ground beef.
- Prep all your veggies; start out by peeling and chopping potatoes, onions, and carrots.
- I sprayed my crockpot with a non-stick spray, you can choose to skip this step if you’d like!
- Combine the beef, carrots, onion, potatoes, and garlic in the crockpot. I place the potatoes on the bottom of the crock so they will cook more with the most direct access to heat.
- In a large bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. This is the water, tomato paste, and beef stew seasoning that you are using.
- Pour the water mixture over the beef mixture contents of the slow cooker and cover it with a lid.
- Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours of cook time or until done.
- Serve with bread bowls or bread, this is perfect for a cold night.
Video
Notes
- Canned Green Beans
- Corn Kernels
- Diced Tomatoes
- Peas
- Beef Broth
- Celery
Nutrition

Gloria says
I was wondering if you could use tomato sauce and use 2 cups of water
Kim says
I make a version of this but i call mine poor man’s stew.. .I brown the hamburger meat, drain it and add to a soup pot, cube up as many potatoes as you want, put either some canned, frozen or fresh carrots, use some corn, green beans, onions, and depending on how much you are making I use 2-3 small cans of tomato sauce or a big one and add water to the can to pour in the pot…. then I add two packages of the McCormick beef stew seasoning packages and turn it on medium on the stove and just cook till the potatoes are done… It comes out fantastic.. My son and I eat it with mustard and crackers… or you could make corn bread to go with it…. It’s been a staple in our house for years but especially in the winter… and i forgot i do add black pepper to my soup because we like it just a little peppery but not too much…
Penny Evans says
I am highly allergic to mushrooms what can I use in place of the mushroom soup ????
Jenny says
There is no mushroom soup in this recipe.
Richard Hicks says
Looks great. Something I would like to give a try in the coming weeks
Dolores. Storm says
It look good I will try to make it
Lindsay says
This looks awesome! I LOVE LOVE LOVE crockpot meals!
Cynthia says
what a perfect meal for any time of the year. It’s a filling yet healthy meal that’s sure to never disappoint!
Sandra Garth says
We’re expecting another round of snow this weekend and this is just what we need.
Mother of 3 says
This sounds a lot like my beef stew recipes; just a bit easier with burger instead. Yum!
Melissa Ruddy says
Can’t beat a nice stew for comfort food. I love that it is easy in a crockpot. Thanks for sharing
Charlene Asay says
This looks great. I love stew in the cold weather.
Shirley Wood says
We always look forward to your yummy recipes.
Kayla says
What kind of onion are you using and are you using whole large potatoes or small potatoes?
Thank you!
-Kayla
Jenny says
At that time I was mainly using white onions. YOu can use either white, red, or yellow onion. If the ids aren’t onion fans you can use just minced onion.
For potatoes, I peel and cute down potatoes. But I have thrown in baby potatoes before and the kids love it. It just depends on what I have on hand.
Lynn says
Btw….Omit the seasonings if using knorr’s soup to it.
Lynnie says
Can you double this recipe in a crock pot?
Jenny says
You could!! Just make sure you have enough liquid
Stephanie says
What kind of potatoes did you use? Red or just regular baking potatoes?
Jenny says
I used russet potatoes but you can use any potato in it.
Measha says
Can this be cook on high for 4hours?
Jenny says
It should be. Cut the potatoes and carrots a bit smaller to make sure they cook well.
John says
Would love some crock pot recipes but I have to tell you I am a meat and potatoes kinda bloke not a fan of vegetables
Jenny says
May I recommend this soup for you John? https://cookeatgo.com/crockpot-sausage-potato-soup/ It is amazing without the extra vegetables.
Bree says
Omgoodness this sounds delicious. Have saved to make next week. Thank you
Linda Hallhis says
This soup looks very delicious l think I will try it for myself too.