The Absolute Best Ways to Reheat a Beef Stew

A large pot of beef stew is simmering in the kitchen, filled with carrots, potatoes, celery, veal tips, and broth, to name just a few things.

The aroma makes the whole house smell delicious and you can’t wait to eat it. Is your mouth watering already?

Beef stew is a hearty meal that has literally everything you need in one meal. It has a lot of protein and a lot of vegetables mixed in, and it tastes amazing!

But when you make a pot of stew, you’re guaranteed to have leftovers. There is no way to avoid it. So can you save leftover beef stew and reheat it later?

Can you freeze beef stew and then thaw and reheat?

You’ll be happy to know that beef stew stores and reheats very well. Store the beef stew in the fridge for a few days or store it in the freezer to reheat later. 

Whatever your intentions with the beef stew, there are viable options for reheating the stew instead of letting it go to waste.

Read on for the best ways to store and reheat beef stew. You will be glad you stayed!

How to store and reheat the best beef stew

Beef stew is a great meal. It is a perfect option in autumn and winter, when you want something that warms you from the inside out.

Best of all, it’s a fairly simple meal to create and a little goes a long way.

If you’re worried about having too many leftovers, we’re here to help. There are options for safely storing and reheating leftovers.

The beef stew is also easy to freeze so you don’t have to burn yourself on days of leftovers.

Beef stew is a filling option that contains plenty of vegetables, as well as veal tips or round roast pieces. You’ll get your protein and veggie servings for the day in just one hot bowl of braised beef.

You can even make it ahead of time and freeze it if you like to prep and freeze meals for convenience. I use these storage containers from Amazon to freeze batches of stew ahead of time, and can easily reheat it afterwards!

A pot of beef stew goes a long way more than you might think. There is no way to make just a few servings.

Most of the time, you end up with much more than you can eat at one sitting, and you’ll probably also have enough leftovers for 2-4 meals, depending on your family and portion sizes.

Beef stew is a relatively inexpensive meal to create and is a versatile option because while there are specific vegetables that are recommended, you can include any vegetables you prefer.

Get creative and customize it to your liking or whatever you have on hand to use.

So the question remains: what is there to know about storing and reheating beef stew? Let’s start by covering some of the pros and cons of reheating your beef stew. Below you will find some lists to break down this information.

The Advantages of Reheating Beef Stew

• You don’t have to throw away the leftovers.
• The stew can be made ahead of time and frozen and still reheated well.
• The stew can be reheated in the microwave, on the stove, or in a slow cooker.
• The overall flavor of the stew can improve once it has been stored and reheated because it gives some of the milder spices and vegetables a chance to intensify their flavor.
• The stew is nutrient-dense and makes a great quick meal when reheated.

The Drawbacks of Reheating Beef Stew

• When reheating, you should portion out only what you think you will use. Reheating several times begins to lose flavor or taste burnt.
• If you freeze the stew, the thickening agent may separate. If you make it in advance, leave it out until it is time to heat the stew.
• The stew fat may separate from the stew mixture or thicken on top. This is easy to remove while reheating.
• Reheating can cause potatoes to become soft or mushy.

Now that you know some of the basic ins and outs of reheating beef stew, let’s dive a little deeper into the details and talk about storing beef stew and the best methods for reheating it.

We’ve put together a guide to instruct you on reheating beef stew to make storing and reheating your stew a simple process.

We hope you find this guide helpful during soup and stew season and find the practical details on reheating beef stew.

Detailed Guide to Reheating Beef Stew

Reheating beef stew doesn’t have to be a challenge. It may take a bit of time, as the best ways to reheat require some cooking time. However, there are options for any time you need.

Beef stew is the perfect fall/winter meal option.  It’s easy to prepare or make ahead of time, and it’s also pretty easy to save leftovers and reheat for future use.

Keep in mind the tips for thickening and cooking slowly to avoid losing flavor or burning the stew.

How to store beef stew

First things first: you can’t reheat beef stew if you don’t store it properly. You can save the stew for a couple of days or freeze it to reheat in a couple of months.

It is not recommended to reheat the beef stew several times.

Take the time to reheat the stew the right way, as well as store it the right way, and you won’t be disappointed with the result.

1. To store the ready-made meat stew, let it cool completely. Place the stew in a container with an airtight seal or cover it well and put it in the fridge. You can store the stew this way for 3 to 5 days.
2. Store leftover stew in the freezer. The main option for this is to place the stew in a freezer bag or plastic container that seals well. The stew can be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months.
3. Make the beef stew ahead of time and freeze it for future use. Do not add the potatoes or thickeners until you are ready to prepare and serve.

How to reheat beef stew

You’ve saved your stew and now it’s time to bring it out.

Whether you’ve frozen leftover stew, made stew ahead of time and frozen it, or are getting leftovers out of the fridge, you can mostly follow the same simple steps and reheat your stew in the microwave, on the stove, or in a slow cooker.

1. Microwave oven
   1. Use a microwave-safe dish with a lid. Put the stew in the microwave for 3 minutes.
   2. Stir the stew every 60 seconds. Stirring the stew throughout the heating process will allow the stew to heat evenly instead of leaving overcooked or undercooked areas.

2. On the stove

   1. Place the stew in a pot over low heat. You may need to add some broth or water to get the stew just the right amount of moisture.
   2. Let the stew simmer until hot, stirring often. You will only need about 15-20 minutes to reheat the stew. Be careful not to overcook

3. cooking pot

   1. If you just don’t have time to get into the microwave or oven, put the stew in the slow cooker.
   2. Turn it on low and make sure there is plenty of moisture in the stew to prevent burning. Add water or broth if necessary.
   3. It is best if you can stir the stew occasionally as it heats up, but you can heat the stew in the slow cooker for 2-3 hours.

If you take the stew out of the freezer, you can let it thaw. Be sure to add the thickener and potatoes if you have prepared the food and frozen it instead of reheating leftovers.

You can also reheat the stew in the oven in a casserole dish, but this makes it less soupy.

Following these steps and methods will help you have the best reheated stew, and the various options will allow you to reheat beef stew in the method that works best for you.

Related questions

We hope you find the information in this guide useful when storing or reheating your stew. We want your stew to be flavorful and delicious when you reheat it.

If you still have some questions, we invite you to take a look at the FAQs below and see if they can help you.

How do I prevent the stew from forming a layer of fat?

Due to the properties of stew, you most likely cannot prevent a layer of fat from forming on the stew when reheating it.

However, you can let the substance rise to the top and then remove it from the stew and continue reheating and eating.

Is one method better than another for reheating?

The recommended method for reheating is to simmer the stew on the stove, as this best enhances the flavors.

However, the second method is to heat the stew in the microwave. Using the slow cooker is a convenient option, but the stew is more likely to burn or lose flavor.