Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff is pure comfort food: tender beef and mushrooms in a creamy, savory sauce over buttery egg noodles. The slow cooker makes the beef melt-in-your-mouth tender with almost no effort.

Browning the beef first adds deep flavor, and the sour cream goes in at the end with a little cornstarch so the sauce turns thick and silky instead of splitting.

It reheats beautifully, so it is a great make-ahead meal for busy weeks.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Fall-apart tender beef
• Creamy, savory sauce
• Mostly hands-off
• Great leftovers

Ingredient Notes

Beef: Chuck roast or stew meat turns tender over long cooking. Sirloin works on LOW for 6 hours. Use halal beef if you keep halal.

Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream is least likely to curdle. Let it come to room temperature and add it at the end.

See the recipe card below for full measurements.

How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

1. Brown the beef

   Season the beef with salt and pepper and toss with the flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a 6 quart slow cooker.

2. Load the slow cooker

   Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, broth, soy sauce, paprika and thyme. Stir to combine.

3. Slow cook

   Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is fork tender.

4. Thicken

   Stir in the cornstarch slurry, cover and cook on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

5. Add sour cream

   Turn off the heat. Stir a ladle of the hot sauce into the sour cream, then stir the mixture back into the slow cooker.

6. Serve

   Cook the egg noodles according to the package, drain and toss with butter. Spoon the stroganoff over the noodles and top with parsley.

Tips for the Best Results

• Browning the beef in batches gives the best flavor; crowding makes it steam.
• Deglaze the skillet with a splash of broth and add it to the slow cooker.
• Never boil the sauce after adding sour cream.
• Cook the noodles fresh rather than in the slow cooker.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Substitutions

• Beef chuck: Ground beef, browned and drained (LOW 4 hours).
• Egg noodles: Mashed potatoes or rice.
• Sour cream: Plain Greek yogurt, stirred in off the heat.

What to Serve With It

• Honey roasted carrots
• Steamed green beans
• Chicken Caesar salad
• Soft dinner rolls

Storage and Reheating

Fridge: Refrigerate the stroganoff and noodles separately for up to 4 days.

Freezer: Freeze the stroganoff before adding sour cream for up to 3 months. Add sour cream after reheating.

Reheat: Reheat gently on the stove over low heat; do not boil.

Tools That Make This Easier