This slow cooker beef stroganoff combines fall-apart chuck steak, mushrooms and a creamy Greek yogurt sauce with Worcestershire and English mustard (because I've found that Dijon loses a bit of the oomph in the slow cooker). It makes eight servings with minimal hands-on cooking so it works for a winter weeknight dinner with some freezer-friendly leftovers for future you.
I already have a beef stroganoff without sour cream that I make on the stovetop, but making a large batch means quite a bit of standing around searing beef in batches. I figured there had to be a lazier way. I developed this slow cooker version for one of my gym meal preps and ended up making 15 portions, with very good feedback that it was exactly the sort of cosy meal everyone wanted in winter.
I've also kept my usual Greek yogurt swap. I use the same approach in my slow cooker buffalo chicken pasta because I prefer creamy sauces that don't feel excessively heavy after the third or fourth meal of the week.
TL:DR
- Servings: 8
- Prep time: Cook time: 15 minutes Cook time: 6 hours high / 8 hours low
- Meal prep: This is a batch-cook perfect for your meal prep with extras for freezing.
- Fridge storage: 4-5 days in airtight container (store beef stew and pasta on opposite sides)
- Freezer storage: 3 months for best texture (freeze beef and pasta separate)
- Reheating: microwave 1 minute intervals (approx. 3 minutes) or stovetop approx. 5 minutes
- Customise: Serve with pasta, mashed potatoes or rice; add extra vegetables; or change the chuck steak for another slow-cooking beef cut such as gravy beef or brisket.
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Why you'll love this recipe
No heavy creams. Greek yogurt replaces the sour cream used in traditional beef stroganoff, keeping the sauce creamy without feeling quite as heavy when you’re eating it day-after-day for meal prep.
Cheap beef cut. Chuck steak is designed for slow cooking and is often more affordable than the tender steak cuts used for quick stovetop stroganoff.
Minimal effort. Once the beef is browned, most of the cooking happens in the slow cooker, which is why recipes like this are regulars in my slow cooker meal preps.
Ingredients
Beef chuck. Chuck contains connective tissue that softens during slow cooking, making it much better suited to this method than the more expensive quick-cooking steaks I use for stovetop stroganoff; I cut it into cubes because I've found this gives me the most consistent pull-apart texture.
Garlic. I don't actually use garlic in my stovetop stroganoff, but slow cooker recipes benefit from layering flavour early so you are not left with a bland sauce after several hours of cooking.
Button mushrooms. Button mushrooms are inexpensive, easy to find and absorb plenty of the stroganoff sauce; I leave mine whole because they shrink considerably in the slow cooker and usually break up slightly on their own anyway, saving me another chopping job.
Greek yogurt. I use thick plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for the creamy, tangy finish; full-fat or higher-fat yogurt is the most forgiving, while very low-fat yogurt is more susceptible to splitting when heated.
Worcestershire sauce. This is one of my favourite shortcuts for building savoury depth in beef meal prep recipes (like in my savoury mince).
Beef stock. Beef stock gives the sauce the deepest savoury flavour, although chicken or vegetable stock can be used if that is what you have; my homemade chicken stock also works because it has plenty of flavour already built into it.
English mustard. English mustard provides more punch than Dijon after several hours of slow cooking, which is why I prefer it in this version even though Dijon works well in my faster stovetop stroganoff.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and variations
Beef chuck alternatives. Gravy beef is the easiest alternative because it also becomes tender through long, slow cooking, while brisket works but tends to have a slightly more fibrous, shreddable texture; avoid lean quick-cooking steaks unless you substantially reduce the cooking time because they can dry out during an all-day slow cook.
Vegetables. You can add in some potatoes and carrots at the beginning and they'll soften over the long cook. You could also add some spinach, peas or beans at the end to bulk it out a bit more. For vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, add these within the last hour - you can add them at the beginning but they will lose a lot of their integrity and the colour will diminish a lot.
Serve with. The recipe makes eight servings, so you do not need to commit every portion to pasta. Serve some with mashed potato, rice, roasted potatoes or even toast to make the same batch feel slightly different throughout the week.
How to make slow cooker beef stroganoff
Step 1: If you have a searing slow cooker, saute the onion over medium heat for approximately 4-5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic for the final 30-60 seconds.
You can do this in a frying pan instead if your slow cooker does not have a searing function.
Step 2: Season the beef chuck with salt and pepper, then quickly brown it in batches.
On a hot stovetop pan, approximately 1 minute per side is enough to develop colour; using my slow cooker's searing function takes closer to 3 minutes per side because it does not become quite as hot. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker as each batch is finished.
Step 3: Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, English mustard and whole button mushrooms.
Step 4: Stir, cover and cook for approximately 5 ½ hours on HIGH or 7 ½ hours on LOW, until the chuck is very tender and can be pulled apart easily with a fork.
Note - Do not panic if there appears to be a lot of liquid. Slow cookers trap steam, the mushrooms release additional water as they cook and this version is deliberately saucy because some of that liquid is thickened at the end.
Step 5A: SERVE IMMEDIATELY OPTION If you are serving the whole batch immediately and want to cook the pasta in the slow cooker, add it approximately 30 minutes before serving. Push the pasta underneath the liquid, replace the lid and cook for approximately 15 minutes before checking and separating the strands. Stir in the Greek yogurt once the pasta is tender and serve.
I do not recommend this method for meal prep because the pasta will continue absorbing sauce during refrigeration and reheating. Cooking it separately gives you much better control over its final texture.
Step 7: With approximately 30 minutes remaining, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the hot cooking liquid into a small bowl and whisk it with the cornstarch until completely smooth. Stir the slurry back into the slow cooker. Do the same with the yogurt by mixing with a bit of hot liquid before adding in.
Leave the lid off for the final 30 minutes so the excess moisture can escape and the sauce can thicken.
Step 8: Cook pasta while you're waiting for the sauce to thicken then serve (or store for meal prep)
Lauren's Top Tips
Sear the beef in batches. Crowding a kilogram of beef into one pan drops the temperature and causes the meat to steam rather than brown, so give it enough room even if it means an extra batch.
Expect the sauce to look thin before finishing. Slow cookers hold onto moisture, so judge the consistency after the cornstarch, Greek yogurt and lid-off cooking time rather than halfway through the recipe.
Add the Greek yogurt at the end. Long, high heat is more likely to make yogurt separate, so warm it with a little sauce first and stir it through once the main slow cooking is finished.
Recommended Equipment
A 6-8 litre slow cooker is useful for this eight-serving batch because you need enough space for 1kg of beef and 800g mushrooms without filling the appliance to the brim. I prefer a slow cooker with a searing function because it saves another frying pan, although a regular slow cooker and large frying pan work just as well.
Meal prepping slow cooker beef stroganoff
Slow cooker beef stroganoff is particularly useful for meal prep because one batch makes eight servings and the slow cooked chuck remains tender after refrigeration and reheating. The mushrooms and beef are already coated in plenty of sauce, while the pasta can be kept alongside rather than underneath it so you have more control over how much additional moisture it absorbs.
If I am making the recipe specifically for the week ahead, I cook the pasta separately (and for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions) rather than in the slow cooker. It takes another pot, which is mildly offensive to my preference for fewer dishes, but the texture later in the week is worth it.
Storing
Firstly, note that the sauce will look quite runny when it finishes cooking. This is normal and as it cools, the cornstarch and Greek yogurt will help it thicken so after storing you'll notice it noticeably creamier.
Place the pasta and stroganoff on separate sides of your meal prep container rather than spooning all the sauce directly over the pasta. Store refrigerated for up to 4â€"5 days and combine them when reheating.
If you're meal prepping with the pasta, I recommend only cooking 2 minutes less than the packet says (and half the time if freezing). This is because the stroganoff sauce, when stored, will continue to hydrate it and when reheating it'll cook further. If the pasta is cooked al dente it'll get mushy.
Store the stroganoff and pasta on separate sides of the container (like shown in the photo) for up to 4-5 days.
Bulk meal prepping
I tested this recipe on a much larger scale when I made approximately 15 servings for my gym meal prep. It is exactly the sort of recipe I prefer for bulk cooking because increasing a slow cooker recipe involves considerably less active work than trying to sear 15 portions of quick-cooking stroganoff steak and assemble them individually.
I still had to sear the beef in batches so they browned rather than steamed, but the main adjustment I made was allowing extra cooking time. For essentially doubling the recipe, I needed about an extra hour before the beef reached the same pull-apart texture as the original recipe.
Reheating
Stovetop. Add the stroganoff to a saucepan over medium-low heat with an extra dash of worcestershire sauce and a spoonful of yogurt and warm for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the pasta for the final 2-3 minutes so it heats in the sauce without spending the entire reheating time soaking up additional liquid.
Microwave. Add an extra drizzle of worcestershire sauce, an extra spoonful of yogurt and maybe a splash of water if the sauce has thickened considerably.
Add to the microwave on 1 minute intervals (don't stir initially as you may break the pasta). Stir in between until heated (this will take approx. 3-4 minutes depending on the serving size)
Store the stroganoff and pasta on separate sides of the container (like shown in the photo) for up to 4-5 days.
Freezing
For the best pasta texture, freeze the stroganoff sauce on its own and cook fresh pasta when you are ready to eat it. This also means you can use the frozen stroganoff with mashed potato, rice or another side rather than committing every freezer portion to exactly the same meal.
If you do want to freeze the complete meal, keep the pasta and sauce as separate as possible (or at the very least layer the pasta on top like I do in my 2-cup souper cubes in the image above) and undercook the pasta by half of what is on the packet instruction so that it's much firmer to allow for hydrating while the meal cools, freezes, thaws and reheats.
For best quality and texture, I recommend eating within 3 months.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Chuck steak becomes tender when its connective tissue has had enough time to soften, so tough beef usually needs more cooking rather than less. Continue cooking until a cube separates easily when pressed with a fork, particularly if you have increased the recipe or filled the slow cooker more heavily than usual.
Yes, if you are serving the stroganoff immediately, but add the pasta only near the end and keep a close eye on its texture. I prefer cooking pasta separately for meal prep because pasta left in the stroganoff continues absorbing sauce during storage and can become too soft.
Add Greek yogurt near the end rather than letting it cook for several hours. Reduce the heat and mix a few spoonfuls of hot sauce into the yogurt first before gradually stirring it into the slow cooker, then avoid aggressively boiling the sauce.
Other slow cooker recipes you'll like
Or, you can have a browse through my slow cooker meal preps for more delicious eats.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) pasta, see note 1
- 1 kg (2 lb) beef chuck, see note 2
- 2 onions
- 6 cloves garlic, fresh recommended
- 800 g (1 ¾ lb) button mushrooms
- 1 ½ cup stock, beef or chicken
- 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt, thick, subs note 3
- ¼ cup worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoon English mustard, see note 4
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Preparing
- Dice the 2 onions and finely chop the 6 cloves garlic. I leave the 800 g (1 ¾ lb) button mushrooms whole because they decrease in the slow cooker and fall apart. You can slice in half if you wish.
- Cut the 1 kg (2 lb) beef chuck into evenly sized cubes and season with Salt and pepper (to taste, recommend at least 1 teaspoon of each at this stage).
Cooking
- Using the searing function on your slow cooker (or in a large frying pan), sauté the 2 onions over medium heat for approximately 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the 6 cloves garlic and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
- Brown the 1kg beef chuck in the slow cooker (approx. 3 minutes each side) or on a hot stove (approx. 1 minute each side).Note - do this in batches if required so that the beef sears, not steams.
- Add the 1 ½ cup stock, ¼ cup worcestershire sauce, 3 tbsp English mustard and mushrooms. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for approximately 5 ½ hours on HIGH or 7 ½ hours on LOW, until the beef chuck is very tender and separates easily when pressed with a fork. Note - The mixture may look quite liquid during cooking. This is normal because the slow cooker traps steam and the mushrooms release additional moisture.
Option 1 (if serving immediately)
- If serving the entire batch and you want to add the 500 g (1 lb) pasta into the slow cooker, do this in the last 30 minutes. Make sure to coat with the liquid. Then close the lid.
- Once the pasta is al dente, stir through the 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt and leave the lid off for approx. 10 minutes to thicken and cool slightly. Note - I've found that you don't need the cornflour slurry as the pasta thickens up the sauce, but add if needed).
- Serve immediately with salt and pepper to taste.
Option 2 (if meal prepping)
- With approximately 30 minutes remaining, spoon about 2 tablespoons of hot cooking liquid into a small bowl and whisk with the 1 tbsp cornstarch until completely smooth. Stir the slurry back into the slow cooker.
- Place the 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt in a bowl and stir through a few spoonfuls of the hot stroganoff sauce to gradually warm it. Stir the yogurt mixture back into the slow cooker, then leave the lid off for the final 20-30 minutes so excess moisture can evaporate and the sauce can thicken.
- During this time, cook the 500 g (1 lb) pasta separately according to the packet instructions, reducing the cooking time by approximately 2 minutes so it remains slightly firmer than al dente (if freezing, do it for half the time).
- Drain the pasta well, rinse with cold water and portion beside the stroganoff rather than underneath it.
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