Tender, savory, and finished with a silky sour cream sauce, this Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff is the kind of dinner that’s rich, hearty, and full of flavor. Spoon it over egg noodles for an easy comfort food dinner!
There are no canned soups or shortcuts here, just really good ingredients to make dinner from scratch. The slow cooker does most of the work, and it’s much easier than you’d think!
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 4 hours on HIGH (or 8 hours on LOW)
- Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Method: Slow cooker, plus searing
- Main Ingredients: Sirloin, mushrooms, sour cream, egg noodles
- Flavor Profile: Savory, creamy and slightly tangy, tender beef
- Ideal for: Crockpot dinners, comfort food
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Ingredient Notes
- Beef: Sirloin is leaner, so it’s my go-to to make beef stroganoff in the crockpot so the sauce isn’t oily. Since we cut the beef into smaller chunks, it will become very tender as it cooks for a few hours in the slow cooker.
- Cremini mushrooms: Cut them thick-ish slices or quarter them for better texture. Keep in mind the mushrooms are added at the end since they cook fast.
- Sour cream: Full-fat gives the creamiest, smoothest and richest sauce.
- Beef bouillon base: This paste is highly recommended for deep flavors. Since the bouillon paste it’s already salty, go easy on any extra salt.
- Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce: These give the sauce its signature savory, tangy flavor base.
- White wine: Used to deglaze the pan (when searing the beef) and lift up all those browned bits.
- Yellow onions, minced garlic, and fresh thyme are our aromatics.
- Other: Olive oil, flour, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and chopped Italian parsley.
- Egg noodles: Cooked separately and stirred in at the end.
As always, ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
Substitutions and Variations
- Wine substitute: If you don’t want to cook with wine, use extra beef broth with a small splash of balsamic vinegar for similar acidity.
- Pre-cut stew meat works in a pinch. Trim any large pieces of fat. You can also use a chuck roast that has less marbling.
- White button or baby bella mushrooms.
- Cream cheese: Some people like to add cream cheese to make it creamier, that’s totally fine to add to taste.
How to Make Beef Stroganoff in the Crock Pot
- Sear the beef. Season the sliced sirloin with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Sear it in a hot skillet, then transfer it to the slow cooker. Tip: Sear in batches, otherwise the beef will steam instead. You want those browned bits for the onions to cook in next.
- Sauté onions and aromatics. In the same pan, cook the onions until softened, then add white wine to deglaze the browned bits from the bottom. Add the mined garlic and thyme for another 1 minute, then transfer into the slow cooker.
- Cooking liquid. Whisk together the broth, bouillon, Worcestershire, Dijon, and seasonings. Pour into the crockpot and combine evenly.
- Slow cook. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Either setting works great.
- Thicken and add mushrooms. About 30 minutes before it’s ready, stir in a flour slurry and the sliced mushrooms. Cover and finish cooking. Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles separately.
- Temper the sour cream. In a bowl, stir some of the hot cooking liquid into the sour cream. Stir it into the beef stroganoff. Tip: Tempering it prevents the sour cream from curdling and creates a smoother sauce.
- Finish and serve with egg noodles. Stir in the cooked egg noodles and everything is evenly coated in that delicious sauce, garnish with fresh Italian parsley, and dig in!
Tips for Success
- Use a 6-quart slow cooker. It gives everything enough room to cook evenly.
- Add the flour slurry during the last 30 minutes. Dissolve the flour with room temp water first, otherwise it will clump up.
- Consistency: If you like a thicker stroganoff, add an extra ½ to 1 tablespoon of flour to the slurry, but keep in mind that the sour cream and the leftover starch from the noodles will thicken the sauce further.
- Keep some extra beef broth handy. If the sauce looks too thick, thin it out a little. It’s also helpful when reheating.
- Add mushrooms near the end. They cook really fast, so adding them at the end preserved their texture.
- Taste before adding extra salt. The beef base already brings plenty.
Storage, Freezing, Reheating
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave oven until warm or in a small pan, adding an extra splash of broth to loosen it up.
- Freezing: Freeze without sour cream or the egg noodles. I like to divide it into portions with Souper Cubes. The sour cream can be added when reheating.
- Reheating: Thaw overnight or reheat directly from frozen in a saucepan. Then add sour cream (tempered) and serve with egg noodles if you’d like.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use cream cheese instead of sour cream?
Yes! Full-fat cream cheese melts smoothly with almost zero risk of curdling. The sauce will be richer and less tangy.
Why is my stroganoff sauce thin after cooking?
Make sure the slurry went in during the last 30 minutes. If it’s still thin after adding the sour cream and noodles, stir in some extra flour slurry and let it cook gently for a few more minutes.
Can I cook the egg noodles directly in the slow cooker?
Preferably not. They need to be cooked separately first.
Can I use ground beef?
Not for this slow cooker beef stroganoff recipe specifically. With ground beef, it needs a different process and cooking time.
How To Serve Beef Stroganoff
With the egg noodles, this crock pot beef stroganoff is already a full meal, but I sometimes add a simple side. To level it up, try it with an easy buttered noodles recipe.
Veggie sides: Lemon Roasted Broccoli or Balsamic Brussels Sprouts are both great to balance the creaminess of the dish.
Potatoes or rice: Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Butter Rice are great options.
Salad: Keep it simple with my family’s house salad!
Bread: Try my easy Cheesy Garlic Bread or just warm crusty bread for soaking up every drop of sauce.
More Comfort Food in the Crock Pot
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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
This is my favorite way to make beef stroganoff in the crock pot! The beef cooks until tender, and the sour cream based sauce is rich and so delicious. Serve with egg noodles to make it a full meal.
Servings 6 people
Calories 642kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds sirloin steak - cut into cubes or thick slices
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Olive oil - for searing
- 1 large yellow onion - sliced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2-3 cups sliced cremini mushrooms - about 8 ounces, to taste
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream - plus more as needed
- Chopped Italian parsley - fresh
- 12 ounces egg noodles - for serving
Cooking Liquid:
- 2 ½ cups beef broth - plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon beef base
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Flour slurry (to be added near the end)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons water or beef broth - at room temp
Instructions
- Sear beef: Season the sliced beef with ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Heat a few drizzles of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then sear the beef in batches. Transfer the beef to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Sauté onions and aromatics: In the same pan, heat more oil and saute the onions for 5 minutes, then deglaze the browned bits with wine (or broth). Add the minced garlic and thyme, and cook for another 1 minute. Transfer this to the slow cooker.
- Add the cooking liquid: Separately, whisk all the "cooking liquid" ingredients listed above, until evenly combined. Add it into the slow cooker and give everything a quick stir.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook for 4 hours on HIGH, or 8 hours on LOW until tender. Either setting works fine.
- Thicken and add mushrooms: 30 minutes before the time is up, stir a flour slurry (2 tablespoons flour dissolved with 3 tablespoons water or broth). Then, add the sliced mushrooms. Stir to combine, cover again, and finish cooking for the remaining time.
- Cook egg noodles: Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles until al dente and tender. Drain and set aside. We'll add it at the very end.
- Temper and add sour cream: Once ready, in a separate bowl, remove about ½ cup of the warm juices from the crockpot and stir it in with the sour cream to temper it. This prevents curdling. Stir it into the beef stroganoff.
- Add egg noodles: Add the cooked egg noodles and garnish with chopped parsley. Note that the noodles will help thicken it a little more. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Sear the beef in batches so it browns instead of steam. This is how you get those browned bits packed with flavor.
- How to temper sour cream: In a bowl, slowly whisk warm crockpot broth into sour cream before adding. This prevents curdling and creates a smoother sauce.
- How much flour slurry to add: I add 2 tablespoons dissolved with some water. Keep in mind that the sour cream and egg noodles will thicken the sauce further.
- Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 or 4 days. Reheat in the microwave oven or in a saucepan with a splash of broth.
- Freezing: Freeze the base without sour cream or egg noodles. Thaw in the fridge overnight or reheat straight from frozen in a saucepan. Then add the sour cream and serve.
- Wine: Extra beef broth plus a little splash of balsamic vinegar.
- Cuts of beef: Instead of sirloin, you can use cut-up stew beef or a chuck roast that is less marbled to prevent a greasy sauce.
- Varieties of mushrooms: Cremini, baby bella or white button.
- Sour cream: Cream cheese works as a substitute, but you may need less since it’s thicker. If using cream cheese, there is no need to temper it.
Disclaimer: Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
Calories: 642kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 1294mg | Potassium: 1117mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 426IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 5mg
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