Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy

This Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy tastes like you roasted this beef all day, when really the crockpot did all of the cooking for you. With an active prep time of 15 minutes, this is as simple as beef tips and gravy can be. 

During the cold weather months, comforting and cozy recipes are always on repeat in our house. This Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy happens to be one of them. With an active prep time of 15 minutes, it’s ideal for a busy weekday when dinner feels impossible. Plus, with only 6 ingredients, it’s easy to shop for and affordable too!

It tastes just as delicious as making it in the oven or on the stovetop, my husband thinks it’s even better than our favorite Southern restaurant! I like to serve it over mashed potatoes or alongside some garlicky green beans for a complete meal.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• 6-ingredient dinner recipe. I like to keep all of the pantry ingredients for this slow cooker beef tips and gravy in my pantry for quick weeknight cooking.
• Hassle-free with rich flavor. One of my friends asked me once how I had the time to cook beef tips and gravy on a weekday. I told her my secret was the slow cooker!
• Easy to customize with your own flavors. I give you all of the methods to make the spice mixes and condensed soup from scratch. You can even add mushrooms or sautéed onions to the gravy for a richer bite.

Laura Ashley’s Tip: The cuts of beef that will yield the most tender results are chuck roast, sirloin, or tenderloin tips. Stew meat tips works as well, but if they’re a lower grade, they’ll be a bit more chewy.

Ingredients

Scroll Down to the Bottom of this Post for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Printable Recipe Card 

• Chuck roast or stew meat: You can look for this already cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes if desired to cut down on the prep time.
• Condensed cream of mushroom soup: Buy regular or low-sodium here. You can also make my homemade version.
• Brown gravy mix: Buy the package of gravy mix for ease from the store. If you want to make this from scratch as well, see the substitutions section below.
• Dry onion soup mix: Another delicious addition to the gravy for rich onion flavor.
• Low-sodium beef broth: I like to use low-sodium or sodium-free here so that I can control the amount of salt myself with seasoning. The beef broth adds the rich flavor to the gravy.
• Olive oil (optional): Used for searing if you plan to do this step.
• Cornstarch (not pictured): For thickening the beef stock gravy to just the right consistency.

Tools You’ll Need

• Crockpot
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Liquid Measuring Cups
• Cutting Board
• Chef’s Knife

How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy

1. Season beef with seasoning salt or salt and black pepper as desired.

2. Optional Step: Heat oil in a large skillet. Once hot, sear the seasoned beef 1-2 minutes. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Sear in batches if needed.

3. To a crockpot, whisk together beef broth, cream of mushroom soup, the onion soup mix, and brown gravy mix. Once combined, add the beef as well as any of the pan juices.

4. Cover and cook on low 7-9 hours or high 4-6 hours.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the crockpot. Cook on high for 10 minutes or until thickened.

6. Serve over your favorite rice, pasta, mashed potatoes, or light bread.

Expert Tips

• Add some veggies like sliced mushroom or onion and garlic to this delicious gravy. It’s totally up to you, but we’ve tried it both ways and loved it!
• You’ll know when the beef is done cooking when it’s very tender to the bite and rich in flavor. If it’s still tough and chewy, continue cooking!
• Searing the beef chunks first before slow cooking adds so much flavor. This helps the outside of the beef to brown nicely first, adding lots of rich flavor to every bite.
• If your gravy is too thin after slow cooking and adding the cornstarch slurry, simply add more cornstarch slurry and cook on high heat until thickened.

SUBSTITUTIONS

When substituting for chuck roast in recipes, you’ll want to choose cuts of meat that have similar characteristics in terms of flavor, marbling, and tenderness. Some other cuts that can be suitable alternatives for chuck roast are bottom round roast, top sirloin roast or chuck eye roast.

If you’d prefer homemade versions of the ingredients in this recipe here’s how you can make the:

• My homemade cream of mushroom soup is simple, rich and delicious!
• A homemade version of Lipton Onion Soup Mix can be used instead of store-bought. Simply combine 2 ½ tablespoons dried minced onion, 4 cubes regular or reduced sodium beef bouillon, crumbled, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper. This is the equivalent to 1- 1 ounce packet from the box.
• A homemade version of Brown Gravy Mix can be used instead of store-bought. Simply combine 1 2/3 cups cornstarch, 6 tablespoons beef bouillon powder (regular or low sodium), 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. You’ll need to use 2-3 tablespoons of this homemade version in the recipe.

What to Serve with Slow Cooker Beef and Gravy

There are so many options, here are several ways we have served it at home!

• Whipped Mashed Potatoes
• Over egg noodles
• Whipping Cream Biscuits
• 3-Ingredient Savory Rice
• Buttered Potatoes

Storage

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.

Slow cooker beef and gravy also freezes well. Once it’s cooled to room temperature, place in a container to freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as stated above.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Delicious Slow Cooker recipes

• Slow Cooker Pulled Beef
• Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pork Ribs
• Crockpot Honey Mustard Chicken
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast