🥩 Crockpot Beef Tips & Gravy

Tender, slow-cooked beef tips swimming in a rich, savory mushroom-onion gravy. This is classic comfort food made easy in the slow cooker—the beef becomes fork-tender while the soups, broth, and Worcestershire sauce create a deeply flavorful gravy.

Serve it over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice, or buttery biscuits for an easy family dinner.

⏱ Recipe Information

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6–8 hours
Total Time: About 6–8 hours
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Method: Slow Cooker

Ingredients

2 lbs (900 g) beef stew meat
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can (10.5 oz / 298 g) cream of mushroom soup
1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Optional Additions

1 small onion, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter or oil, for browning
Fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Season the Beef

Place the beef stew meat in a large bowl.

Season lightly with salt and generously with black pepper.

Be careful with the salt—the onion soup mix and canned soups already contain a fair amount of sodium.

2. Optional: Brown the Beef

For the best flavor, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the butter or oil.

Brown the beef in batches for approximately 2–3 minutes per side, just until nicely browned on the outside.

Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.

Why brown the beef?

This step isn’t required, but the caramelized exterior adds a deeper, richer flavor to the finished gravy.

If you’re short on time, you can skip it and put the beef directly into the slow cooker.

Make the Gravy

3. Combine the Gravy Ingredients

In a bowl, whisk together:

Cream of mushroom soup
Beef broth
Onion soup mix
Worcestershire sauce

Whisk until relatively smooth.

Don’t worry if there are a few small lumps—they’ll disappear during slow cooking.

4. Add Everything to the Crockpot

Place the beef in the slow cooker.

Pour the gravy mixture evenly over the top.

If using sliced onion, mushrooms, or garlic, add them now.

Give everything a gentle stir.

Slow Cook

5. Cook on LOW

Cover the slow cooker with the lid.

Cook on:

LOW for 7–8 hours

or until the beef is extremely tender and easily breaks apart with a fork.

Faster Option

Cook on:

HIGH for 3½–4½ hours.

For the most tender beef, however, the low-and-slow method is recommended.

Check the Gravy

6. Stir Before Serving

Once the beef is tender, carefully stir the mixture.

The gravy should be rich and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

If the gravy is thicker than you’d like, stir in a small amount of warm beef broth.

If you prefer a thicker gravy, leave the lid slightly ajar and cook on HIGH for another 10–15 minutes, or use the optional thickening method below.

Optional: Thicken the Gravy

If you want a very thick, restaurant-style gravy, mix:

1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Stir until completely smooth.

Pour the slurry into the slow cooker during the final 15–20 minutes of cooking.

Stir gently and allow the gravy to thicken.

Don’t add dry cornstarch directly.

Always mix it with cold water first to prevent lumps.

Serve

7. Spoon Over Your Favorite Side

Serve the hot beef tips and plenty of gravy over:

🥔 Mashed Potatoes

The classic choice—the gravy soaks beautifully into creamy mashed potatoes.

🍜 Egg Noodles

Toss the noodles with a little butter and spoon the beef tips and gravy over the top.

🍚 White Rice

A simple, inexpensive option that’s perfect for soaking up the sauce.

🥖 Biscuits

Serve the beef tips and gravy over warm, buttery biscuits for an especially comforting meal.

⭐ Chef’s Tips

Don’t Add Too Much Salt

The onion soup mix, mushroom soup, and broth can all be salty.

Taste the finished gravy before adding additional salt.

Use Stew Meat

Beef stew meat works especially well because the long cooking time breaks down the connective tissue and makes it tender.

Don’t Open the Lid Too Often

Every time you remove the lid, heat escapes and cooking time increases.

Keep it covered as much as possible.

Low Is Best

Cooking on LOW gives the beef more time to become tender and allows the flavors to develop.

Cut Large Pieces Evenly

If some pieces are much larger than others, they may cook at different rates.

🍄 Easy Additions

Mushroom Beef Tips

Add 8 oz sliced mushrooms at the beginning.

Onion Beef Tips

Add 1 sliced yellow onion for extra sweetness and texture.

Garlic Gravy

Add 2 minced garlic cloves.

Richer Gravy

Replace ½ cup of the beef broth with red wine for a deeper, more complex sauce.

Herb Beef Tips

Add:

½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf

Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Make-Ahead Instructions

This recipe is excellent for making ahead.

Prepare and cook as directed, then allow the beef and gravy to cool slightly.

Refrigerate in an airtight container.

When ready to serve, gently reheat on the stovetop or in the slow cooker until completely hot.

If the gravy has thickened too much in the refrigerator, add a splash of beef broth while reheating.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Refrigerator: 3–4 days.

Reheat until piping hot throughout.

Freezing

Allow the cooked beef and gravy to cool completely.

Transfer to freezer-safe containers.

Freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently.

The gravy may separate slightly after freezing; stirring while reheating will bring it back together.

🥩 Recipe Summary

Crockpot Beef Tips & Gravy is the definition of easy comfort food. Tender beef slowly cooks in a savory combination of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce until everything becomes rich, hearty, and deeply flavorful.

Pile it over creamy mashed potatoes or buttery egg noodles, spoon over plenty of gravy, and you’ve got a cozy dinner with almost no effort.

Set it, forget it, and come back to fork-tender beef and a pot full of rich homemade-style gravy.