Light Beef Stroganoff Slow Cooker

A bowl of beef stroganoff and potatoes with a text title overlay.

Stroganoff is classic comfort food and this slow cooked beef and mushroom version is creamy and delicious. Melt in your mouth tender chunks of beef in a creamy sauce that tastes far more indulgent than it actually is. Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff takes very little prep, for an easy weeknight meal that is easy to adapt.

Two bowls of beef stroganoff and mashed potato next to a blue towel.

Slow cooked meat in a creamy sauce - it doesn't get much more comforting than that. Chunks of beef that just fall apart as you cut in to them in a rich indulgent sauce. It is a classic comfort dish that the whole family will love, and easy to adapt to add extra vegetables.

Jump to:

Why should you try it?
What you will need
Step by step
What beef to use?
Stroganoff sauce
What else can you add?
How to make it lighter
What to serve it with
FAQs
Extra tips
More beef recipes
Recipe

Why should you try it?

Classic comfort food
Very little prep
Easy to adapt
A family favourite

What you will need

Diced beef - We used standard diced beef, however you could use chuck beef (braising steak in the UK), beef cheeks or boneless beef ribs.
Mushrooms - We used standard white mushrooms, but any will work well.
Shallots - Adds a little sweetness to the dish. A standard onion can be used instead.
Stock - To make the sauce. We used beef stock.
Butter - To cook the mushrooms and shallots. You can use oil.
Garlic, Worcestershire sauce & mustard - Adds flavour to the sauce. We used wholegrain mustard, but Dijon or even English mustard could be used.
Cornflour - Used to make a slurry to thicken the sauce.
Sour cream - Makes the sauce nice and creamy. Double cream can be used or even yogurt, but this might split.

A plate of raw beef, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, stock, mustard, butter and cornflour all on a wooden surface.

Step by step

One: Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Cook the beef chunks until browned all over. Remove form the pan and set aside.

Two: Melt the butter in the pan and cook the mushrooms and shallots until softened, about 5 minutes.

Chopped shallots and mushrooms cooking in a frying pan.

Three: Add the beef, shallots and mushrooms to a slow cooker pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and season with salt and pepper. Pour in just enough stock to cover the meat. Cook on high for 5 hours.

A slow cooker pot with cooked, beef, mushrooms and shallots all covered in stock.

Four: When cooked, add a cornflour slurry and the sour cream to thicken the sauce. Serve with potatoes, pasta or rice.

What beef to use?

The great thing about slow cooked beef dishes is that you can use a cheaper cut of beef, because cooking it low and slow makes it just fall apart. More expensive cuts of beef are just totally wasted in this dish.

We used standard diced beef, however you could use chuck beef (braising steak in the UK), beef cheeks or boneless beef ribs. If you are making a more traditional stroganoff, that is cooked on the stove, then you would use more expensive steak cuts like sirloin or fillet.

Stroganoff sauce

There is plenty of flavour from the beef, but the creamy sauce is what makes it really hearty and comforting. Luckily, the sauce is super easy to make. It is made up of beef stock, wholegrain mustard (although you could use Dijon if you don't have wholegrain), Worcestershire sauce and paprika, and then some sour cream stirred in at the end.

What else can you add?

Whilst traditional stroganoff wouldn't have mushrooms and onion in it, it bulks it out for you don't need to add quite so much beef and of course it has nutritional benefits too.

We are big fans of finding any ways to add extra greens to our meals too, so why not stir in a few handfuls of spinach at the same time as the sour cream?

Chunks of cooked beef in a creamy sauce topped with chopped herbs and a sprinkling of paprika.

How to make it lighter

There are a few ways that you can make this recipe a little lighter:

You can opt for a lean cut of beef and then chop off any visible extra fat.
Swap the sour cream for Greek yogurt or a reduced fat creme fraiche. Greek yogurt is high in protein too, which is an added bonus.
Opt to serve it with something more nutrient dense. Swap white rice for brown, use wholewheat pasta or swap regular mashed potato for mashed sweet potatoes.

What to serve it with

We served ours on mashed potato. Not sure how to make it? Try our Best Ever Creamy Mashed Potato. You could also serve it on rice or pasta (go for wide noodle type pasta, so the sauce clings to it better).

If you want a lower carb option, you could serve it with Cauliflower Rice.

Beef stroganoff and mashed potato in a bowl.

FAQs

How to store leftover stroganoff

Leftovers of this will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure it has cooled completely and then put in to an air tight container in the fridge. To reheat, you can either microwave or heat through on the stove.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Store the stroganoff without any sides though for best results.

You can make this lighter by stirring in Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, however this a risk of it splitting.
Make sure you add the sour cream at the end, to avoid it splitting.
You can swap wholegrain mustard for Dijon if that's all you have.
You could swap some of the stock for white wine if you like.
You can make this with ground beef instead. Fry it in a pan with a little oil and then drain off any excess and add to the slow cooker at the same time you would the diced beef.
We added parsley at the end, however you can swap that for chives.
Rather than serving it on mash or rice, you could add chunks of potato to the slow cooker and cook it all together.
If you sauce is too thin, add a little more cornflour. You don't want to add too much though, as it will taste floury.
Don't stir it too aggressively when you add the sour cream, as the beef might fall apart too much.

More beef recipes

The BEST Slow Cooker Beef Casserole
Mexican Beef and Potato Bake
Slow Cooker Pulled Beef
Slow Cooker Bolognese

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Recipe

A bowl of slow cooker beef stroganoff with mashed potato

▢ 700 g diced beef
▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
▢ 2 garlic cloves crushed
▢ 4 shallots diced
▢ 1 Pinch sea salt and black pepper
▢ 350 ml beef stock
▢ 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
▢ 2 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
▢ 25 g butter
▢ 150 g white mushrooms
▢ 1 tablespoon paprika
▢ 1 tablespoon cornflour
▢ 250 ml sour cream
▢ Fresh parsley to serve

Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Cook the beef chunks until browned all over. Remove form the pan and set aside.
Melt the butter in the pan and cook the mushrooms and shallots until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the beef, garlic and mushrooms to a slow cooker pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard and season with salt and pepper. Pour in just enough stock to cover the meat. Cook on high for 5 hours.
When cooked, add a cornflour slurry and the sour cream to thicken the sauce. Sprinkle paprika on top (optional). Serve with potatoes, pasta or rice.

You can make this lighter by stirring in Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, however this a risk of it splitting.
Make sure you add the sour cream at the end, to avoid it splitting.
You can swap wholegrain mustard for Dijon if that's all you have.
You could swap some of the stock for white wine if you like.
You can make this with ground beef instead. Fry it in a pan with a little oil and then drain off any excess and add to the slow cooker at the same time you would the diced beef.
We added parsley at the end, however you can swap that for chives.
Rather than serving it on mash or rice, you could add chunks of potato to the slow cooker and cook it all together.
If you sauce is too thin, add a little more cornflour. You don't want to add too much though, as it will taste floury.
Don't stir it too aggressively when you add the sour cream, as the beef might fall apart too much.

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.