Patty’s Crockpot Beef Tips with Dumplings
If you need a comforting, delicious, and hearty meal, look no further, because this crockpot beef stew with dumplings is it. It’s everything you want in comfort food – rich flavors, satisfying and not fussy, made with simple ingredients, and feels like a warm hug in a bowl. The beef tips cook slowly in a mushroom gravy until fork tender.
My dear friend shared this beloved family recipe with me and it was one that her late mother, Patty, made often. I’m so grateful she shared it with me and that I can share it with you! We gave it rave reviews and it’s the perfect cozy dinner for winter nights.
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
What You’ll Love About Crockpot Beef Tips
- Ultimate comfort-food meal
- Rich and deep savory flavor
- Satisfying and hearty meal
- Easy recipe for busy weeknights
- Made with basic ingredients you can find at any grocery store
- Just 15 minutes prep time
- Mostly hands off cooking time
Ingredients
- Onion – I recommend using a yellow onion, but a white onion would also work.
- Carrots – I prefer whole carrots, but they will require some peeling so baby carrots are totally fine to use if you prefer the convenience of them.
- Mushrooms – I recommend baby Bella mushrooms, but you can also use white button mushrooms.
- Garlic – Use whole, fresh garlic cloves for best results. If you need a shortcut, you could also use frozen garlic cubes.
- Beef – There are two really great options for this beef stew. You can use steak tips or beef stew meat. Both work really well and because we’re slow cooking this for at least 7 hours, the stew meat ends up being really tender. But if you prefer, tender beef tips are also fantastic.
- Spices – Seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic salt
- Golden mushroom soup – This is a must! This condensed soup has a really elevated flavor (and was new to me!) but it’s perfect in this dish as it imparts a deep and rich beef gravy flavor. It’s made with beef broth, mushrooms, and tomato if you need to look for something similar.
- Baking mix – Use a biscuit mix like Bisquick or something similar.
- Milk – Use your favorite milk. You can use a dairy-free alternative if you prefer, just make sure it isn’t sweetened!
- Oil – This is for the dumplings, so use a neutral vegetable oil like canola, avocado, or olive oil.
- Cheese – Use a shredded cheddar cheese. You could also use another type of cheese that melts well.
Emily’s Tip
You can use beef tips or stew meat in this recipe and both will work. Beef tips will vary a bit regionally, but are typically cut from the bottom sirloin section. They are sometimes also called steak tips or sirloin tips. Stew meat on the other hand tends to be a bit tougher, and comes from the shoulder or chuck roast. While stew meat is a tougher cut, if you cook it long enough, it will end up nice and tender.
How to Make Crockpot Beef Stew
This is an overview, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
- Prep ingredients. Cut onion, carrots, and mushrooms. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- Assemble stew. Place the onion, carrots, mushrooms, and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with seasoned beef tips and pour soup over the top. Lightly stir.
- Cook beef tips in crock pot. Cover and cook on low heat until beef is tender.
- Mix dumplings. In a medium bowl, stir together baking mix, garlic salt, milk, oil, and cheese until combined.
- Cook dumplings. Spoon the dumplings over the top of the stew right into the slow cooker. Place the cover back on and cook until the dumplings are set.
- Serve. Spoon beef stew and dumplings into bowls. Top with freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
FAQs
Yes! Some recipes (like my crockpot pulled beef) suggest browning the meat before putting it in the slow cooker, but for this slow cooker beef tips recipe, we are putting them right into the slow cooker raw. Nice and easy!
No, beef tips are a different cut of meat than beef stew meat but you can use either for this recipe. I found that both were delicious and as long as you cook the stew meat long enough, it will end up just as tender and flavorful as the beef tips.
The tenderness of beef will vary based on cut and actual pieces, but it often means that it needs extra time in the slow cooker. Cook another 30 minutes to an hour until the texture of the beef is tender and falls apart easily.
How to Serve this Meal to Kids
I would recommend serving the crockpot beef stew in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.
While the flavors of this beef stew are pretty kid-friendly, it is not abnormal for kids to not like foods mixed together, so it’s understandable if they are a little nervous by this dish!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat crockpot beef tips in the microwave or a hot skillet until heated through.
Can you freeze beef stew with dumplings?
I would not recommend freezing the stew as the texture will change a bit in the freezing/thawing process.
What to Serve with Beef Stew
This meal is a full meal and you don’t necessarily need to add a side, but if you want something lighter and green on the side (it is a nice balance), try one of these easy side dishes:
More Comfort Food Recipes
If you like these beef tips and gravy, you might also like some of these other comfort food recipes:
Patty’s Crockpot Beef Tip Stew with Dumplings
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 hours
- Total Time: 7 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
If you need a comforting, delicious, and hearty meal, these crockpot beef tips with dumplings are it. Everything you want in comfort food.
Ingredients
For the Beef Stew:
- 1 small yellow onion, cut into wedges
- 16 oz. carrots, peeled and cut into 3-4 inch pieces (approximately)
- 8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms (sliced in half or quartered)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 1/2 lbs. beef tri tips or beef stew meat (cut into 3-4 inch pieces)
- 2 tsp. seasoning salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 2 10.5– oz cans golden mushroom soup
For the Dumplings:
- 2 cups bisquick or similar baking mix
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Prep ingredients:
Peel and cut onion into wedges.
Peel and cut carrots into 4-inch pieces.
Clean and slice mushrooms.
Smash garlic, but don’t chop.
Cut beef roast into 3-4 inch pieces if necessary. Season all sides of the meat with seasoning salt and black pepper. - Place onion, carrots, mushrooms and garlic into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Top veggies with beef pieces and pour soup over the top to cover everything. Lightly stir.
- Cover and cook on Low for 7-9 hours, until beef is tender.
- A half hour before serving, mix together biscuits. In a medium bowl, stir together bisquick mix, garlic salt, milk, vegetable oil, and shredded cheese together until combined.
- Spoon dumplings (1/4 cup of mixture at a time) over the top of the stew, right into the slow cooker. Place the cover of the slow cooker back on and cook on High for 1/2 hour, until biscuits are set.
- Serve stew and biscuits in a bowl.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- This recipe is very forgiving, so you can use beef stew meat or tri tips and both work wonderfully.
- The golden mushroom soup creates a really delicious gravy for the stew and should be easy to find at most grocery stores. You can also order it here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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This was a hit…very easy…very good…perfect for a cold night dinner.
My husband says it’s a “repeat”.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it as much as we do!