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My Homemade Beef Stew Seasoning makes the most flavorful beef stew you'll ever try! Blending the best spices for beef stew, this is a balanced seasoning recipe that brings out the rich flavors of beef and is key to an amazing stew. It's easy, customizable, and so tasty!
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Seasoning for Beef Stew
If there's one meal I can never get enough of, it's a hearty beef stew. After all, is there anything more comforting than a big bowl of homemade stew and a fresh roll to dip in it?
Now, I'm a known fan of chicken noodle soup or a big pot of creamy mushroom soup, but there's just nothing like beef stew. So color me surprised when I had friend after friend say that they'd only ever had bland, flavorless stew! I knew I had to introduce them to my secret to delicious, flavorful beef soup.
And what is that secret? This homemade beef stew seasoning! I make my own homemade natural beef stew seasoning mix out of easy ingredients, mix it into a pound of stew meat, toss it all in a slow cooker or stew pot, and let that delicious aroma fill the air. I promise, you'll never want to go back to store-bought mixes!
Why You'll Love My Beef Stew Seasoning
- Tons of flavor! If you're used to bland beef stew, try this beef stew seasoning recipe. You're going to love stew once you do!
- Easy ingredients! It doesn't take fancy ingredients to get great flavor. I made sure to use only easy, accessible, shelf-stable pantry ingredients you likely already have at home.
- Thickens the soup! By including flour, this seasoning not only forms a crunchy and delicious crust on the beef, but also melts into a hearty broth and thickens it as it cooks.
- Totally customizable! By making your own seasoning, you have total control of the flavors. This means you can add or leave out anything you want, giving you the ability to adjust it until it's just right for your tastes.
Spices for Beef Stew
- Flour: Using flour will add a nice crust to the meat, and serves the double purpose of thickening the stew. This means a nice, silky, thick broth that clings to the meat! You can use gluten-free flour too and it will work great.
- Onion powder: Onion powder is nice and mellow with a sweet aftertaste. Adding some to the seasoning means it'll cling to the meat, flavoring each and every bite!
- Black pepper: Pepper is essential in beef stew, adding heat that rounds out the richness of the beef. If you're a huge fan of pepper, try white pepper or long pepper.
- Paprika: In my opinion, there might not be a single spice more perfect for beef than paprika! It's warming, flavorful and well-rounded without being too spicy or overpowering. If you've got some, use smoked paprika for even more flavor.
- Celery salt: Celery salt is one of those secret ingredients that makes everything better. I highly recommend picking some up; it's useful in so many recipes, and takes this seasoning from good to truly unique!
- Basil: Dried basil pairs with other fried herbs to bring in a fresh, layered flavor. I prefer dried herbs for stew, as they'll soften up nicely while it cooks.
- Oregano: Like the basil, oregano adds a fresh herbal flavor! If you'd like, you can swap the oregano out for dried thyme.
- Rosemary: Rosemary has a distinctively bright and sharp flavor that adds a subtle complexity to the entire dish. You won't want to skip it!
- Cayenne: A dish as rich as beef stew is even better with a dash of heat! Cayenne brings a flash of spice that's uniquely hot and sharp compared to black pepper. If you want to avoid spice, leave it out; or, crank up the heat by doubling the amount.
- Salt: I like to add a little extra salt to really pull out the flavors of the meat. That said, you can skip adding this if you're using full-sodium beef stock or beef broth.
How to Make Homemade Stew Seasoning
1: Mix Spice Blend
Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until evenly incorporated.
2: Add to Beef
Add 2-3 Tablespoons of seasoning to the pot while browning the stew meat and mix well. This will form a nice crust over the beef, using the fat in the pot to bind it!
Beef Seasoning Recipes
Beef Stew Spices Tips
- If you want, you can use fresh herbs instead of dried. If using fresh herbs, double the amount of each; dried herbs are much more concentrated!
- You can adjust the heat by changing the amount of black pepper or cayenne pepper.
- This homemade beef stew seasoning is totally shelf stable, and works out great as a steak rub or beef seasoning mix!
- This delicious seasoning mix is also great for sprinkling on veggies! You can skip the beef entirely and add it to potatoes, carrots, or other veggies to add a flavorful kick.
- If you don't plan on adding garlic to the stew, feel free to add garlic powder to the seasoning. An equal amount garlic powder and onion powder makes for a great balance of flavors.
- Too much liquid in your stew? Add some to a small jar with a lid, then add extra seasoning mix to the jar. Shake up well and pour it back into the pot to help thicken the broth!
Gluten-Free Stew Seasoning
If you're looking to make a delicious and gluten free beef stew, you'll need to make your own seasoning! Many seasoning packets and store-bought mixes will include flour. With my recipe, you can easily swap out the flour for gluten free flour. It will thicken the soup perfectly!
Storing Spices for Stew
So long as you made this recipe using dried herbs, homemade beef stew seasoning is completely shelf stable! I like to make extra and store it in a jar with a label.
If you make this seasoning for beef stew with fresh herbs, I recommend storing any leftovers in the freezer in a plastic bag, or in the fridge for up to one week or until the herbs start looking dingy.
Seasoning for Beef Stew FAQ
The benefits are all in the ability to fully control the flavor and ingredients! I always find that seasoning mixes are too heavy in one flavor, and not another. Additionally, making your own means you can swap out potentially unwanted ingredients like wheat flour in case of allergies.
Absolutely! While selected to be beef stew spices, this stew seasoning is great for all sorts of dishes. Use it on chuck roast, add some savory spice to sweet potatoes, or toss small potatoes in a tablespoon or two of seasoning before roasting them!
Yes! The only stipulation is that it works best when used to toss meat in before or during the meat being browned. I highly recommend browning the meat before adding it to your slow cooker recipe, as it will result in the most flavorful beef stew that way.
This recipe makes about 1 cup of seasoning, which is enough for 16 Tablespoons of seasoning, or enough to season about 5 pots of stew. That said, you can use more as desired!
Homemade Seasoning Recipes
- "One Size Fits All" Pork Seasoning
- Chicken Seasoning Rub
- The Best Ever Prime Rib Seasoning
- Homemade Italian Seasoning
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
Flavorful Beef Stew Seasoning
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour - or gluten-free flour if desired
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- ½ Tablespoon celery salt
- ½ Tablespoon dried basil
- ½ Tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk well.½ cup all-purpose flour,1 Tablespoon onion powder,1 Tablespoon black pepper,1 Tablespoon paprika,½ Tablespoon celery salt,½ Tablespoon dried basil,½ Tablespoon salt,1 teaspoon dried oregano,½ teaspoon dried rosemary,¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Pour 2-3 Tablespoons of seasoning over 1 lb stew beef and toss well before browning and adding to the stew!
Notes
- If you want, you can use fresh herbs instead of dried. If using fresh herbs, double the amount of each; dried herbs are much more concentrated!
- You can adjust the heat by changing the amount of black pepper or cayenne pepper.
- This homemade beef stew seasoning is totally shelf stable, and works out great as a steak rub or beef seasoning mix!
- This delicious seasoning mix is also great for sprinkling on veggies! You can skip the beef entirely and add it to potatoes, carrots, or other veggies to add a flavorful kick.
- If you don't plan on adding garlic to the stew, feel free to add garlic powder to the seasoning. An equal amount garlic powder and onion powder makes for a great balance of flavors.
- Too much liquid in your stew? Add some to a small jar with a lid, then add extra seasoning mix to the jar. Shake up well and pour it back into the pot to help thicken the broth!
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