Here's the easiest way to make rich, tender steak bites that melt in your mouth. This recipe for Crockpot Steak Bites with Garlic, Rosemary & Honey Balsamic is sweet, savory, and the ultimate easy dinner for busy weeknights.
Why You'll Love It
The Crockpot Steak Bites with Garlic, Rosemary & Honey Balsamic recipe is one of my favorite slow cooker meals for the whole family. It's packed with tender bites of steak coated in a garlicky honey-balsamic glaze that's sweet, salty, and full of great flavor. With minimal effort, you'll get a comforting meal that tastes like it simmered all day, even though the crock pot does all the work.
The best part is that this slow cooker recipe works with almost any type of steak. You can use chuck roast, beef stew meat, or sirloin steak cut into bite-size pieces. The slow cooking process transforms simple beef cubes into juicy steak bites with a rich, glossy sauce. It's a great recipe for busy weeknights, a hearty dinner for the entire family, or even a good option for meal prep because leftover steak bites taste even better the next day.
For the best results, serve these slow cooker steak bites over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or green beans. You can also spoon them over pasta with my parmesan cream sauce for a complete meal that everyone will love.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This simple recipe comes together with pantry staples and everyday ingredients. You can swap cuts of beef or adjust the sauce depending on what you have on hand.
- Chuck Roast: The ideal cut for slow cooking. It breaks down into tender steak bites with incredible flavor. You can also use round steak, sirloin steak, or beef stew meat.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Adds depth and a hint of sweetness to balance the savory garlic butter flavor.
- Soy Sauce: Gives the sauce that umami richness. You can also use Worcestershire sauce or an au jus gravy mix for a similar effect. Beef broth could also work but you'll want to add some regular salt (kosher - not table salt - it's too salty!) to your beef tips.
- Ketchup: Adds a tangy sweetness and helps the sauce thicken as it cooks.
- Honey: Sweetens and caramelizes the sauce for perfectly balanced flavor.
- Garlic: A must-have for rich, aromatic taste.
- Rosemary: Fresh rosemary gives the steak pieces a hint of earthy flavor.
- Cracked Pepper: Adds a little spice and rounds out the sweetness.
- Salted Butter: Creates a rich, silky texture in the sauce. You can use unsalted butter if you prefer to control the salt level.
- Seasoning Salt: Adds an extra layer of flavor to bring everything together.
- Brown Sugar: Makes it a little bit sweeter with more depth - leave it out if you don't like sweet meat.
- Optional Additions: Sweet onion or yellow onion, Kosher Salt and Fresh cracked black pepper can be added at the end when you give it a final taste.
How to Make It
This slow cooker steak bites recipe is a total easy weeknight meal. It only takes a few minutes of prep, then the slow cooker handles the rest.
- PREP THE STEAK: Cut the chuck roast into small pieces or bite-size cubes. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and let come to room temperature before cooking.
- ADD TO CROCK POT: Place all ingredients except the cornstarch and brown sugar into a 7-quart slow cooker. Stir to coat the steak pieces evenly.
- FIRST COOK: Cover and cook on the high setting for 3-4 hours, or on low heat for 6-8 hours, until tender.
- THICKEN THE SAUCE: Remove the lid. Scoop out 3 tablespoons of the sauce into a small bowl and whisk in 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with cold water. Stir until smooth, then pour the mixture back into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- SECOND COOK: Add brown sugar, stir well, and cover again. Cook for 1 more hour until the gravy thickens and coats the steak bites.
- SERVE: Spoon the tender steak bites over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Add a garnish of fresh parsley for a pop of color.
- SAVE: Store leftovers from this delicious recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Or freeze this family favorite in a large freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat in a large skillet over medium-high heat with a little olive oil or butter until warmed through.
What to Serve It With
These Crockpot Steak Bites make the ultimate easy dinner any night of the week. They pair perfectly with rotini noodles tossed cheesy parmesan cream sauce and this Steak House Creamed Spinach Recipe. But you could also do sometihng as simple as egg noodles and green beans. Or for another complete meal, add these garlic butter steak bites to some mashed potatoes. Then drizzle the delicious gravy over it all!
For more tasty steak recipes, try these:
- Garlic Steak Bites Appetizer with Boursin Cheese
- Steak Picado - Perfect for Tacos, Rice Bowls & More!
- Balsamic Boneless Petite Sirloin Steak Skewers with Burrata
- Easy Slow Cooked Pulled Beef Recipe (Crockpot or Oven)
Recipe
Crockpot Steak Bites with Garlic, Rosemary & Honey Balsamic
Video
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs Chuck Roast Cut Into Small Pieces
- ½ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
- ½ Cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ Cup Ketchup
- ¼ Cup Honey
- ½ Cup Garlic Minced
- 2 springs Rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon Cracked Pepper
- 1 stick Salted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 3 tablespoon Corn Starch
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except cornstarch and brown sugar to a 7-quart Crock-Pot Slow Cooker and stir.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Scoop out 3 tablespoons of sauce into a small bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and stir until smooth.
- Pour the cornstarch slurry back into the Crock-Pot along with the brown sugar and stir.
- Cover and cook for 1 more hour until sauce thickens.
- Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes and garnish with fresh parsley.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Tam says
I’m going to make this, just wondering about the amount of garlic. Is it too overpowering? Love garlic though.
MacKenzie Smith says
it's not at all - totally mellows out in the slow cooker!
Christian says
So so good!!