Slow cooker Jamaican Beef Stew
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.
We’ve 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, let’s gather the ingredients and try this super easy beef stew recipe. When it’s 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 – 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 – Toss carrots and potatoes into the slow cooker and add salt and pepper according to preference.
- Cook – Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Serve – 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 didn’t have enough potatoes, so I also included green plantains. Ripe plantains are too sweet and soft to work well
- Don’t 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 sautéing the stew ingredients first yields maximum flavor. But feel free to omit this step if you don’t 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)
- ¼ 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 didn’t have enough potatoes, so I included unripe or green plantains as well. Ripe plantains do not work well here.
- Don’t 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 can’t be beat.
- As always, 10 minutes of browning and sautéing beef, vegetables, and spices yields the maximum amount of flavor. You don’t 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.
I am in the middle of cooking this receipe. Before using any receipe I check the reviews. Reviews for this receipe were “great” so it was a “go”.
Been in the cooler for about 2 hours and looking good and smelling good!
I do want to add small comment. The ingredient list includes “paprika” however it was not mentioned with the instructions. I assumed it should have been added with stovetop mixing for the sauce and included it then. Was that correct?
I am looking forward to chowing down with this beef stew in about 5 hours with a bed of rice and some nice sweet plantains!!! Thanks for the receipe and the pictures!
Yes, you guessed right . Thanks for bringing this to my attention! I know you are going to love it .
Bon Apetit!
Hi, I love beef stew but i’ve never had the Jamaican version. So I am making this dish for dinner on this rainy day. I noticed about 5 minutes after I had pressed cook that I didn’t add any ginger! I knew I had seen it listed in the ingredients. So i read through the directions again to see where I missed it. I don’t see it but i’m guessing I was suppose to add it with the garlic and bell peppers? anyway, I ended up throwing in two chunks of ginger, thats how I usually do it anyway. I’m excited to try it!
Hi Jodel! Glad you took the plunge ! That’s where it’s suppose to go. Thanks for taking the time to bring this to my attention .
Bon Apetit!
I got tripped up on this too, and the smoked paprika. I too added them with the onions, garlic, chillie peppers etc.
It’s about an hour in and smells amazing already, cant’t wait to try some more of your recipes
Hahaha Jodel…I, too, just realized, after skimming the comments, that I forgot to add the ginger! I realized the smoked paprika was missing from the instructions and added it in last minute but did not realize the ginger was left out of the instructions, too. Oh well! It was delicious even without the ginger so I’ll just make a note for next time.
Hi Imma! I stumbled upon your website because I did a Google search for baked rice recipes. I’ve spent the last few days positively salivating over all your wonderful food! This Jamaican Beef Stew was the first one I decided to try. I made it for dinner tonight, and my entire family loved it and everyone wants it added to the “regular” rotation! It was incredibly delicious, and my son, who is not a spicy guy at all ate an entire bowl (with a glass of milk, LOL) and that was even though I minced the scotch bonnet! I will most definitely be trying lots more of your recipes. Thanks so much!
Oh boy! I think you made it irresistible . My son is the same way , if its’s tasty and spicy he’ll eat it . So glad to hear it was a hit with the whole family.Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Made this recipe last weekend using our home grown scotch bonnet peppers! Spicy and delicious!
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know
One of the best stews I’ve ever made. I was hoping to find a new twist on an old dish and this recipe exceeded all expectations. I’ve shared it with my daughter, who happens to be a chef, and a few other friends. Just perfect :). Big hit with my oh so picky husband!!!! Now I’m waiting for that cookbook!!!’
FIVE STARS FOR SURE (for some reason it will only allow me to mark four)
YESS!!!!Thank you , Thank you Thank you
OMG that was awesome! what a hit! I learned a few things I will alter next endeavour. 1) cut the meat into slightly smaller chunks, personal preference 2) brown it a bit faster and darker 3) mix the meat, potatoes, carrots together in the crock pot together before I add on the “soup” mixture, and possible add chunks of onion 3) for my shape of 6 quart crock pot it takes exactly 3 cups of stock,water,liquid tops it up perfectly 4) remove the habanero, scotch bonnet pepper before serving, my husband ate it whole thinking it was a piece of potato and was in pain for 10 minutes!
Do you leave the scotch bonnet whole? Maybe cut the top off to let the flavors escape? It might be even good chopped up!
Yes, I usually do. I have a kid at home and he would starve , if it’s spicy. So I leave it whole; I get the flavor but not the heat. If you are a heat seeker by all means chop it up.
I meant for that to be 5 star rating btw. so, even if you leave the top intact you get that smokey scotch bonnet flavor? That’s good because I’m having company and while I could take it they probably couldn’t! I am making this today btw. have a great weekend
This is my first time on your blog and the first recipe i made. This was beyond good; i dont have a slow cooker so i cooked mine on the stove top. The meat was sooooo tender!!! On to the recipe!lol
Typo next recipe!
AWESOME!!! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi! I want to try this recipe but can I omit the scotch bonnet? My kids will be eating this as well.
Hi Czarina! You sure can.
Thank you 🙂 looking forward to making this dish!
I’ve just prepped this now ready to fry up and throw in the slow cooker in the morning. Not sure about your prep time of 15 minutes, took me an hour just to peel, chop and mince everything up as per the instructions but I sure can’t wait to taste it. I did the rice and peas last week in the rice cooker and despite my reservations it came out fabulous, lovely and moist. I had it with a Caribbean curry from another slow cooker cook book and it worked out well together. I’ve gone slow cooker crazy at the moment and I love Caribbean food so I’ll be trying out your other recipes in due course!
Hi Leeroy,
I hope the extra time spent on chopping and prep made up for the taste.Thanks for not only giving my recipes a try but also taking the time to share your thoughts with us. Happy Cooking!!!
So yummy! Very easy to make and very easy to find ingredients. I didn’t have chicken broth, but I ended up using vegetable broth instead and the flavors came together quite nicely. I will definitely be trying this recipe again.
YES!!! Glad it worked out well for you. Thanks for the feedback.
I don’t have a slow cooker alas, but can I tell you one thing? Your photos of your meat dishes are THE BEST, I am a huuuge meat lover and every time I see your meat dishes I want to swim inside them. The cost of meat and the distance from the nearest butcher kinda hamper my meat consumption unfortunately, but one day I WILL make your pb meat soup…and by the way: I learned you can make meat “cubes” at home with the meat and vegetables of your choice and store them like a jam, they should last a long time if refrigerated. I will try when I can, and I will tell you back (as I see you are a cube lover like my granny was lol). These should be healthier and surely meatier than cubes which are almost vegan . Bye Didina
Yes, you know me well. I use a lot of cubes in my recipes. I like it – hubby doesn’t . I guess I got it from my granny. No Joke. Well, I mean it’s cultural and we use it a lot in our cooking.But now it’s a matter of preference. Can’t wait to hear how it homemade version turns out.
I wish you were closer and could send some of these to you. You really need to try it out. Happy Cooking .
Thank you, I would gladly take your stuff (mango lemonade!!) but I guess I will just cook it for myself until teleportation comes. Too bad my sis and dad are picky and don’t want new stuff in their plates . They don’t deserve me hahaha. Btw, my granny’s surname was Maggi!
Did I read Cookbook??? Where? When? Can I pre-order like now?? Lol! Can’t wait!
You are too Sweet Girl. Always glad to hear from you.
Your photo sure looks delicious, and the recipe looks good too! Wish I had some right now! Thanks for sharing.
You can. This is tastes SO good. Hope you take time to make it.
I’m actually seriously eating some Caribbean Stew right now, made with cheap Lamb Neckbone section and really good. This Beef Stew definitely looks great also. Got all the Flavors I like in my Caribbean Stew. I’d also throw in a handful of Cilantro for extra goodness. As my island grandma used to say, Good Food that sticks to ya Ribs!
For Stews like this and it don’t necessarily have to be Beef, you are most correct in just using “Cheap” cuts of meat or even bone section with meat on it. Allot of people don’t often notice but good cuts of meat for making good flavored stews are often dirt cheap at the store. Sometimes too it can be bone with meat or cartilage sections with meat that most people don’t often choose to buy but make great stews. However always love me some good Island Beef Stew though. Add in some dumplings and be in stew heaven.
That’s right! Dumplings would take this over the top. And it would definitely make it stew heaven. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
This looks so good! I love that it’s made in the slow cooker and that you don’t even need to add flour to thicken the gravy. I’d love to try it with plantains!
YES, to Plantains
Lol. I feel your pain when it comes to tech issues..It takes me hours to figure things out as well. I dont ear beef, but I made your blackened shrimp & pasta Saturday night. It was so freaking good. Its was resturant quality. I got so many props for that dish. Cant wait for your cookbook!
Hi Alicia! Thank you so much for taking the time to chime in. Appreciate you! Working on the Cookbook. Just need an extra push.
Can’t wait for the cookbook to come out. Just ran into your blog a week ago. Have tried two recipes so far and both have been great. Thanks Queen for sharing your gift. Much appreciated.
Love & light
My pleasure!! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. It really warms my heart.
All the best!!!
oh!! I could totally do a bowl of this stew right now. Its just perfect for the weather we are having right now.. ad looks so so good. Root veggies + meat = perfection
This reminds me of so many curries I grew up eating! So comforting, flavourful and reminiscent of so many things!
YEs, it is comforting!
You know I actually know very little about Jamaican food. Your post was really insightful! I’ll be adding scotch bonnets to my next big shop 😀
Glad I could shed some light on Jamaican food.