Crock Pot Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe That Cook Themselves

Want dinner done before you even get hungry? This crock pot beef tips and gravy recipe is the lazy cook’s dream. I toss everything in the pot in about ten minutes, walk away, and come back to a beef tips crock pot recipe that smells like Sunday at grandma’s. Bonus: you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry right now.

“It’s like butter, it’s so soft and tender.”

That’s what I said after my first forkful on camera, and I meant every word. The meat barely touched my fork and fell apart. I’m still thinking about it.

Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Beef Tips Recipe

I filmed this as one last comfort meal to close out the year. It uses a can of soup, two seasoning packets, and some stew meat. No fancy skills, no weird ingredients, no stress.

Here’s what makes it a keeper:

• Dump and go. Ten minutes of prep, then the crock pot does the heavy lifting.
• Budget friendly. Cheap stew meat turns tender and fancy after eight hours.
• Super flexible. Swap the soup, the broth, or the onion, and it still works.

What You Need for Crock Pot Beef Tips

The list is short, but each item has a job. Here’s what each one does and how to swap it when your pantry looks different from mine.

The Liquid and Soup Base

• Beef broth (1 can): This sets the flavor foundation. No broth? Use water and add a little extra seasoning. IMO, low sodium broth is the better buy because it lets you control the salt. Mine wasn’t low sodium, so I skipped the salt entirely.
• Cream of mushroom soup (1 can): It gives the gravy its creamy body. Hate mushrooms? Cream of celery works great. I’d skip cream of chicken, since it pulls the flavor away from beef.

The Flavor Packets

• Onion soup mix (1 packet): It packs onion flavor and saltiness into one tear. I grabbed the name brand because Sam’s only had that. A store brand works just as well, FYI.
• Brown gravy mix (1 packet): It deepens the color and gives the sauce a head start on thickness. I only had a little left in my big container, so I used that. Don’t skip it, or your gravy tastes like soup.

The Seasonings

• Onion powder and garlic powder: Add them to your taste, and start light. The soup mix already carries onion, and too much powder turns the gravy bitter.
• Black pepper: A little pepper keeps the rich gravy from feeling heavy. Skip the salt for now, because the soup, broth, and mixes already bring plenty.
• Cooking spray: Spray the pot first so the gravy doesn’t bake onto the sides. A slow cooker liner works too if you hate scrubbing.

The Meat and Veggies

• Beef stew meat (about 1 pound): This is the star. My pack said “lean” and still showed plenty of fat, which I’ll let slide. The long cook melts most of it into the sauce.
• Chopped onion (1): It softens and sweetens the gravy. Hate chunks? Use dried minced onion flakes instead.

The Thickener and Rice

• Cornstarch and water (1 tablespoon each): The gravy looks watery after eight hours, so this slurry fixes it fast.
• Long-grain white rice: I promised real rice in an earlier video, so I kept my word. Follow the package directions, and add a tablespoon of butter, salt, and pepper.

How to Make Crock Pot Beef Tips and Gravy (Step by Step)

1. Spray the Pot and Pour in the Broth

Coat the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray. Then add one can of beef broth.

2. Add the Cream Soup

Stir in one can of cream of mushroom soup, or whatever cream soup you have. It forms the creamy base of the gravy.

3. Dump in the Packets

Tear open the onion soup mix and the brown gravy mix, then pour both in. They dissolve into the liquid and season the meat from the start.

4. Season It

Sprinkle in onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Skip the salt for now, and taste at the end instead.

5. Stir Until It Looks Like Gravy

Mix until the powders disappear. Mine looked like gravy right away, which told me I was on the right track.

6. Add the Onion and Beef

Stir in the chopped onion, then add the stew meat. Push the meat down so the liquid covers it.

7. Cook on Low for 8 Hours

Put the lid on and set it to low. I start mine in the morning so supper is ready that night. Keep your hands off the lid, because every peek adds cooking time.

8. Make the Cornstarch Slurry

After eight hours, stir the pot and look at that thin, watery liquid. Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. It feels way too thick at first, but keep stirring and it loosens up. Don’t add extra liquid.

9. Stir in the Slurry and Turn It Up

Pour the slurry in and stir right away. Clumps of cornstarch feel like biting into a weird gel blob, and nobody wants that. Then put the lid on and cook on high while you make the rice.

10. Cook the Rice

Follow your package directions, and add butter, salt, and pepper to the water. Bring it to a boil, turn the heat down to low, and cover it. Simmer for about 15 minutes without lifting the lid, then fluff it with a fork.

11. Taste and Serve

Taste the rice, because bland rice ruins good gravy. Spoon rice onto a plate and ladle the beef tips and gravy over the top.

Pro Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Beef Tips

These small habits turn a good pot into a great one:

• Hold the salt. Taste after the long cook, then add salt only if you need it.
• Mix the slurry in a separate bowl. Cornstarch tossed straight into the pot clumps, and you can’t fix it later.
• Stir right after adding the slurry. A few seconds of delay gives the starch time to form lumps.
• Pick low over high. Slow, gentle heat gives you tender meat, while high heat can leave stew meat tough.
• Season your rice. Plain rice under flavorful gravy tastes like a letdown.
• Skim the fat. Fatty stew meat melts into the sauce, so a spoon removes what floats to the top.

What to Serve with Beef Tips and Gravy

I serve this over fluffy white rice, and honestly, I rarely change it. But I’ll happily share a few other options:

• The classic supper: Rice with green beans on the side. This is what I made in the video, and it works every time.
• Something lighter: Roasted or steamed asparagus cuts through the rich gravy.
• Quick veggie side: Steamed broccoli takes almost no effort and adds color to the plate.
• A different base: Egg noodles or mashed potatoes soak up the gravy just as well as rice.

Want it to look fancy? Serve it in a wide, shallow bowl so the gravy pools around the rice. A sprinkle of fresh parsley adds a pop of color.

Crock Pot Beef Tips FAQs

Final Thoughts on This Easy Crock Pot Beef Tips Recipe

This is comfort food at its laziest and best. You dump a few things in a pot, wait eight hours, and thicken the gravy with a quick slurry. Remember the big wins: skip the salt early, mix your slurry separately, and season your rice.

Give it a shot this week, and let me know how it turns out. Did you swap the soup, or load up on extra onion? Tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear what you changed!

Crock Pot Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe

Fork-tender beef in a rich brown gravy, served over seasoned rice.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 8 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings 5

Ingredients

  

• Cooking spray
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 1 packet brown gravy mix
• Onion powder to taste
• Garlic powder to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 lb beef stew meat
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water
• Rice per package directions
• 1 tbsp butter plus salt and pepper for the rice

Instructions

 

• Spray the crock pot and add the broth.
• Stir in the cream soup, onion soup mix, and gravy mix.
• Add onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper.
• Add the chopped onion and stew meat, and stir.
• Cook on low for 8 hours.
• Mix cornstarch and water, then stir into the pot.
• Cook on high while the rice cooks.
• Serve the beef tips and gravy over rice.

Video

Notes

• Swap in cream of celery, or use water instead of broth.
• Use dried onion flakes in place of chopped onion.
• Taste before adding any salt.