Apple Cider Beef Stew

Apple cider beef stew is classic comfort food, but with a twist. The cozy stew recipe combines big chunks of beef, carrots and potatoes in a rich brown sauce. The surprise? A generous pour of apple cider, preferably bought fresh from a farm during peak apple season, imparts a delicate sweetness to the traditionally savory dish. Since apples are acidic, they also tenderize the meat so that it practically melts in your mouth. Bookmark this sweet and fragrant beef stew with apple cider as a welcome change of pace to your usual robust beef recipes.

Apple Cider Beef Stew Ingredients

• Beef stew meat: Look for tough, cuts of beef for stew, such as beef shoulder, chuck roast or chuck-eye roast. You can often buy it cubed, but it’s easy to chop a roast into 1-inch pieces.
• Canola oil: Neutral canola oil can sear the beef until it’s nice and brown without scorching.
• Apple cider or juice: We like to use fresh apple cider for its rich flavor and thickness, which lends depth to the stew. If you can’t get hold of it, use apple juice.
• Beef broth: Reach for a tasty store-bought beef broth, or use homemade beef stock if you like.
• Cider vinegar: Many stew recipes call for an acid, such as wine or vinegar, to tenderize the meat and to brighten up the savory flavors. Cider vinegar matches the apple cider flavors.
• Seasonings: When it comes to seasoning, this recipe doesn’t use anything too fancy, just salt, pepper and dried thyme.
• Potatoes: We like to peel the potatoes so they dissolve ever so slightly into the sauce, thickening it up. You can use almost any type of potato: Waxy potatoes like red potatoes will hold their shape better, while starchy potatoes like russets will break down into the sauce a bit more.
• Aromatic vegetables: Carrots, onions and celery are a classic trio in French cooking, collectively known as mirepoix. They lend sweetness, earthiness and complexity to the dish. Try to cut them all to the same size so they cook evenly.
• All-purpose flour: Flour is an excellent thickener for the sauce. Always dissolve your thickening agent in water to prevent it from clumping in the sauce.
• Fresh thyme: Fresh thyme sprigs make a lovely garnish for bowls of stew.

Directions

Step 1: Brown the beef

In a Dutch oven, brown the beef on all sides in oil over medium-high heat. Drain any excess fat.

Editor’s Tip: Browning the beef draws out its complex, savory flavor. This results in tasty pan drippings, also known as fond, which give the sauce oomph. It’s one of the classic building blocks for making stew.

Step 2: Simmer beef and sauce

Add the apple cider, broth, vinegar, salt, thyme and pepper to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook the stew for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 3: Add the vegetables

Add the potatoes, carrots, celery and onions to the pot. Return the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pot. Simmer the stew until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Since the vegetables take far less time to cook than the beef, we delay adding them to the pot. That way, they keep their shape and retain some bite.

Step 4: Thicken the sauce

In a small bowl, whisk the flour and water until they form a smooth slurry. Slowly stir the slurry into the stew. Bring the stew to a boil, then cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes or until it’s thickened. Remove the pot from the heat. If desired, garnish bowls of stew with fresh thyme.

Editor’s Tip: Always dissolve the flour in water before adding it to a cooking pot. If you pour flour directly into a hot sauce, it will almost always clump.

Apple Cider Beef Stew Variations

• Add herbs: Highlight the fragrant flavors of the sauce by adding a bay leaf and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme or marjoram to the cooking pot along with the vegetables. Discard the sprigs before serving the stew.
• Sub winter squash: Lean into fall ingredients by replacing or complementing the carrots with chopped winter squash, such as butternut, buttercup or acorn squash. Sweet potatoes would be tasty, too.
• Mix up the meat: Replace half of the beef with pork stew meat, such as cubed pork shoulder or pork butt. Pork and beef become very tender when cooked together, and the pork complements the sweet sauce.

How to Store Apple Cider Beef Stew

Apple cider beef stew can be stored in the refrigerator. It can be kept covered in the cooking pot, or transferred to an airtight container. In the fridge, beef stew with apple cider will keep for three to four days.

Can you freeze apple cider beef stew?

Beef stew with apple cider freezes well. Allow the stew to cool completely. Transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container, or scoop smaller portions into zip-top freezer bags (lay the bags flat in the freezer until they’re solid, then organize them as you like). Apple cider beef stew lasts up to three months in the freezer. Defrost it in the refrigerator before reheating it.

How should you reheat apple cider beef stew?

The cider beef stew isn’t fussy to reheat. For single servings, it’s easiest to scoop the stew into a bowl, drizzle it with a teaspoon of water and then microwave it until it’s hot and steaming, about one minute. Stir it midway through. Or heat multiple servings or the entire pot of stew right on the stovetop. Transfer the stew to a pot, add a dash of water, cover the pot and heat the stew over medium heat until it’s warmed through, stirring occasionally.

Apple Cider Beef Stew Tips

What can you use instead of apple cider for stew?

Try swapping pear or white grape juice for the apple cider; both will impart sweet, fruity notes. If you want to dial down the sweetness, try a classic beef stew recipe that uses wine instead of cider.

What can you serve with apple cider stew?

We love serving apple cider stew with biscuits to soak up the delicious sauce. Serve the biscuits with butter and slices of rich, savory cheese, such as cheddar, to offset the stew’s sweetness. You can highlight the fruit flavors by serving it with sliced apples—bonus points for unusual apple varieties.