Meet your new favorite way to cure comfort food cravings: Crockpot Beef Tips. Fall-apart tender beef tips slow cook in a silky, deeply savory brown beef gravy. It's hearty, rich, and impossible not to want a seconds. Serve over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes for a cozy dinner your family will love for years to come.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
One of the very first recipes I ever published in my food column for The Eagle newspaper was Dutch oven pot roast, and that same flavor-building technique became the foundation for these crockpot beef tips — and other cozy classics like beef and noodles.
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
Flavor Building | Browning the beef first, sautéing aromatics, and building a gravy from scratch are the little steps that make a world of difference. Just like with any of our roast recipes or beef tip recipes like beef tips and rice, it is so important to me that you end up with an actual brown beef gravy and not a soupy, beefy broth.
This is where the cornstarch slurry is out and a true roux comes in. Don't worry, it's still going to be easy.
Foolproof Gravy Method | This recipe is the ultimate comfort food recipe thanks to a built-in, glossy gravy that strikes the perfect balance of rich, flavorful, and so smooth. Adding the broth a splash at a time prevents clumping and makes for a smooth and velvety gravy. Most slow cooker recipes water down the beef by using way too much broth. But, in the case of the crockpot specifically, less is actually more. Using less liquid creates a rich gravy instead of a watery sauce. Yes, please.
The Right Cut | The right cut of beef and cook time is everything when it comes to fall-apart, tender bites of beef. Similar to our prized braised beef recipe, this recipe calls for chuck roast, a well-marbled cut of beef that does best cooked low and slow--a cut of beef practically made for slow cooker recipes.
Flavor Boosters | We aren't skimping on any flavor opportunities here. Simple pantry staples like Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, ground thyme, and dried bay leaves turn a recipe created for busy weeknights into a gourmet masterpiece.
Ingredients (+ Easy Swaps)
Chuck Roast | The best cut of meat for slow cooking beef tips is chuck roast. Chuck is well-marbled with lots of connective tissue and fat. As the beef cooks, the connective tissue breaks down and the fat slowly melts away, making the meat extra tender and adding richness to the roast. A sirloin roast can be used in place of chuck if needed, but similar to a rump roast, it will not be as tender and will likely require half the cooking time of chuck.
Onion + Garlic + Mushrooms | Onions and garlic come in at the beginning of this recipe to add depth of flavor to both the beef tips and gravy. Button mushrooms join in at the end, adding an extra hearty note to this crockpot beef tips recipe. The mushrooms soak up the gravy, adding delicious umami depth to the dish. Creminis can be substituted for a deeper flavor. If needed, you can leave them out without affecting the recipe's success.
Flour | This ingredient serves as the thickening agent for the beef tip gravy.
Beef Broth | This is the body of the gravy. Make sure you use low-sodium or unsalted beef broth so you have full control over sodium levels.
Worcestershire Sauce + Dijon | This duo adds a tangy, sharp brightness that cuts through the richness of the dish, enhancing the flavors tenfold. This is the combo that takes your crockpot beef tips from weeknight to gourmet with zero effort. If you're fresh out of both, a splash of soy sauce and yellow mustard or stone-ground mustard can stand in.
Herbs + Spices | The classic combo of Kosher salt and black pepper is where we start. Then dried thyme and bay leaf for an herbal, earthy note and smoked paprika for a hint of smoky, fire-kissed flavor.
How Make Crockpot Beef Tips with Gravy
Prep the Beef | Pat beef dry with a paper towel and cut into 1 ½-inch cubes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Toss to combine.
Brown the Beef | Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the slow cooker on Sauté mode (or in a large skillet if your slow cooker does not have a Sauté function). Working in batches, brown beef on all sides for 2–3 minutes per batch. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside.
Sauté Onions + Garlic | Add onion to the pot (or skillet, if using) and cook until softened, 4–5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds more.
Add Flour | Sprinkle flour over onions and stir to coat.
Add Beef Broth | Slowly whisk in the beef broth, one big splash at a time, stirring well after each addition.
Add Remaining Ingredients (Except Mushrooms) | Add the Worcestershire, Dijon, thyme, bay leaf, paprika, and remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer until slightly thickened, 5-6 minutes.
Cook in Slow Cooker | If using a skillet, transfer the gravy mixture to the slow cooker. Add beef and stir to coat. Cover and cook on LOW 7–8 hours or HIGH 4–5 hours, until beef is fork-tender.
Add Mushrooms | Stir in mushrooms during the last 60 minutes on LOW or last 30 minutes on HIGH.
Serve + Enjoy! | Remove bay leaf, garnish with parsley (if using), and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.
What to Serve with Beef Tips
Beef tips and your favorite starchy base is certainly a meal all by itself (especially with those mushrooms), but if you're serving to company or just want to make it a feast, we've got lots of ways for you to accomplish that below.
Classic Base Pairings | To stick with the classics for this beef tip recipe, opt for egg noodles, rice, creamy mashed potatoes, grits, or polenta.
Carbs on the Side | Add carbs on the side in a breadbasket, homemade biscuits, yeast rolls, and cornbread are perfect for sopping up all that savory gravy.
Veggies for Balance | Err on the side of light comfort food, and balance out the richness of this dish with some greens and other veggies, we love southern-style green beans, a house salad, and roasted carrots.
Leftovers + Storage
If you end up with leftover crockpot beef tips, transfer to an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. Enjoy leftovers scooped into a baguette for one of the most delicious roast beef-style sandwiches you've ever had.
More Cozy Crockpot Recipes
- Slow Cooker Spare Ribs
- Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
- Slow Cooker Country-Style Pork Ribs
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
- Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Crockpot Beef Tips
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons avocado or canola oil, separated
- 3 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
- 2 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium or unsalted beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 (8-ounce) package sliced button mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
- Serve over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes
Instructions
- Pat beef dry with a paper towel and cut into 1 ½-inch cubes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Toss to combine.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the slow cooker on Sauté mode (or in a large skillet if your slow cooker does not have a Sauté function). Working in batches, brown beef on all sides for 2–3 minutes per batch. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside.
- Add onion to the pot (or skillet, if using) and cook until softened, 4–5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Sprinkle flour over onions and stir to coat.
- Slowly whisk in the beef broth, one big splash at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the Worcestershire, Dijon, thyme, bay leaf, paprika, and remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer until slightly thickened, 5-6 minutes.
- If using a skillet, transfer the gravy mixture to the slow cooker. Add beef and stir to coat. Cover and cook on LOW 7–8 hours or HIGH 4–5 hours, until beef is fork-tender.
- Stir in mushrooms during the last 60 minutes on LOW or last 30 minutes on HIGH.
- Remove bay leaf, garnish with parsley (if using), and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.
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