Slow Cooker Jamaican Beef Stew is rich, exciting, and beautifully tender. Cooked low and slow for hours, this fantastic one-pot meal is loaded with vegetables! Warm, comforting, and hearty.
This slow cooker Jamaican beef stew recipe will have you doing the happy dance. So, break out your cool moves coz it sure does that for me. Dancing with a spoon in my mouth. Boy, oh boy, what can I say?
Infusing Jamaican flavors with beef and vegetables in one pot yields an OUTSTANDING result. This soul food stew is hearty, healthy, and oh-so delicious. Yes, I use that word way too often, but it is what it is.
Weโve all had beef stew, right? Any good beef stew enjoys tender beef and root vegetables cooked in a gravy. However, all those elements are taken to new heights with this recipe. And you get your gravy without any flour. Did I hear gluten-free?
Every element here is highlighted with Jamaican seasonings, including scotch bonnet for some heat, allspice (pimento), carrots for sweet notes, garlic, ginger, and, of course, thyme to round out the bold flavors.
Plus, no need to use your busy schedules as an excuse not to cook at home since the slow cooker does all the work while you rush off to work. Just set it and forget it for hours! Start the stew in the morning, and an effortless dinner is ready when you get home.
Along with convenience, using a slow cooker offers many other benefits. For starters, they transform inexpensive cuts of beef into fall-apart tender meat. Additionally, all the spices have time to fully absorb for more robust flavors. Another plus is that low heat destroys fewer nutrients.
So, letโs gather the ingredients and try this super easy beef stew recipe. When itโs ready, sit down and savor.
How to Slow Cook Jamaican Beef Stew
- Season stew beef with salt and pepper thoroughly.
- Heat the oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven or pan over medium heat. Add stew beef and sear for 2-3 minutes per side (flipping once) until beef browns. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary. Then, add the seared beef to the slow cooker.
- Saute โ Add onions, green onions, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, bell pepper, bay leaf, scotch bonnet or hot sauce, and smoked paprika to the skillet. Stir for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add tomato paste and bouillon. Stir for another minute, add water or broth to the skillet, and scrape the sides down. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and pour it all into the slow cooker.
- Assemble โ Toss carrots and potatoes into the slow cooker and add salt and pepper according to preference.
- Cook โ Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Serve โ Remove and serve with fresh bread. Enjoy!
It will surely be one of your favorite suppers, and the leftovers are even better.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- To make this completely paleo, leave out white potatoes and go with sweet potatoes instead. Or better yet, use plantains. Be sure to cut them in big chunks so they do not get all mushy when done
- Same with the carrots and other vegetables. I didnโt have enough potatoes, so I also included green plantains. Ripe plantains are too sweet and soft to work well
- Donโt waste your money on expensive cuts of meat. Go with the tougher and cheaper cuts, like chuck, leg shanks, and bottom round. They benefit from long hours of cooking as the collagen breaks down for fork-tender and flavorful beef.
- Browning and sautรฉing the stew ingredients first yields maximum flavor. But feel free to omit this step if you donโt have time. It will still be great.
- For extra flavor enhancement, add a tablespoon of brown sugar.
Slow Cooker Jamaican Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (950g) stew beef (cut into small chunks)
- ยผ cup (60ml) canola oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2-3 green onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon (15g) garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons (10g) ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon (2-3g) fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon (2g) allspice
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper (or 1 teaspoon hot sauce)
- 1 teaspoon (2g) smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon (3-4g) bouillon powder, beef, chicken, or vegetable (optional, adjust to taste)
- 2 cups (475ml) broth (or water) more as needed
- 2-3 large carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2-3 pounds (900-1250g) potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 2-3 tablespoons (7-10g) parsley (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season stew beef with salt and pepper to thoroughly cover all sides.
- Heat the oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven or pan over medium heat. Add stew beef and brown well, turning once, 2-3 minutes per side, until beef browns up. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches, if necessary. Add beef to the slow cooker.
- Add onions, green onions, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, bell pepper, bay leaf, scotch bonnet or hot sauce, and smoked paprika to the skillet. Stir for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add tomato paste and bouillon. Stir for another minute, add water or broth to the skillet to deglaze the pan, and scrape the bottom and sides. Bring to a boil, remove, and pour into the slow cooker.
- Toss carrots and potatoes into the slow cooker and add salt and pepper according to preference.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Turn off the heat, and serve with bread. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- To make this paleo, leave out white potatoes and go with sweet potatoes instead. Or better yet, use plantains. Be sure to cut them in big chunks so they do not get mushy when done. Same with the carrots and other vegetables. I didnโt have enough potatoes, so I included unripe or green plantains as well. Ripe plantains do not work well here.
- Donโt waste your money on expensive cuts of meat. Go with the tougher and cheaper cuts, like chuck, leg shanks, and bottom round. It benefits from long hours of cooking- collagen breaks down, leaving the meat fork tender and infused with the flavors from the stew. It canโt be beat.
- As always, 10 minutes of browning and sautรฉing beef, vegetables, and spices yields the maximum amount of flavor. You donโt have to but it is advisable.
- If you want to get an extra touch of sweetness, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Alexandra Avilรฉs says
This recipe sounds delicious! But I wanted to know if the allspice berries should be kept while or if they should be ground for the recipe. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
Cracked or ground works just as well.
Stephanie B says
This recipe is everything. Yum!stephanie
Lolo Daniels says
I made this with lamb on New Yearโs Day. It smelt amazing!!! The flavour and taste was incredible!!! We ate it with basmati rice and salad and I must say it made our day!!! Thank you for this recipe. I am really falling in love with Carribean food and I want to make curry goat next.
ImmaculateBites says
Glad to hear this , so happy it worked out well for you. Curry Goat is a great choice- canโt seem to get enough of it. Enjoy!
Fredddoug says
Love Love Love this stew it is Fabulous!!
The flavor was so goooood! Only thing i added was i floured the meat up front to thicken the stewโฆ. Thanks a Bunch!
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
Aaron says
Hi there, the recipe says smoked paprika but the steps donโt seem to include it.
Terri Fantom says
Use this recipe a lot, itโs lovely and easy.
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you.
Ken says
I. Love. this. recipe! Iโve been making it for over a year and Iโm still in awe by how delicious it is. Plus itโs fairly straight forward and a hearty meal. I could live off of this
Emily Cohen says
This recipe was delicious. However, the instructions werenโt clear, as the ingredients including peppers, but didnโt tell them how to cut them up and it included ginger but didnโt tell us when to put it is the recipe (I added it with the onions).
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Emily! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Recipe updated. Glad you loved the recipe :).
Valerie Whincup says
Would you please let me know what size of slow cooker I should use. Thank you for your help.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Valerie! A 6 quarts slow cooker will work great. If you have a smaller slow cooker, feel free to halve the recipe! Happy cooking!
Valerie Whincup says
I would love to make this recipe, but can you tell me what size of crock pot I should use? Thank you.
Tash says
Hello
This looks delish. Can this be made in a insta pot or pressure cooker?
ImmaculateBites says
It sure can. However, I donโt have exact cooking times.
Lauren says
Hi I have a 6.5l slow cooker will this recipe fill it or will I have to double or triple the recipe? I love to batch cook and freeze!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Lauren,
This recipe would not fill a 6.5qt slow cooker. You should double it .
AJ Fresh says
Iโm picking up the ingredients for this Caribbean beef stew to make it tomorrow. Do you recommend marinating the beef overnight?
Imma Adamu says
Marinating often allows the ingredients to seep deep into the beef, adding flavor.. and you know me I am so big on flavor. However you donโt need to. The recipe should turn out just right.Let me know AJ.
Shannon says
I loved the beef stew stew. I didnโt follow the recipe to a T leaving out the hot pepper and the parsley and I used better than bouillon instead of the cubes. It was so delicious and a big hit with my fiancรฉ and my son. Thank you for sharing
paul bonds says
I totally love caribbean and african food so i have tried this dish as it looks good.It is in the slow cooker now and will be ready in 3 1/2 hours.Will leave feedback on the outcome.Only used half a scotch bonnet because of the kids.I would pesonally use 3-4 but thats my taste.Thanks.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Paul. Do let me know how it works out for you!
Paul says
Thanks.Turned out great.Next time i will spice it a bit more but only for my taste.Everyone enjoyed it and i served it with rice and peas and fried dumplings.Thanks again and ready to try my next recipe on your site.Thanks again.