Slow Cooker Beef Cube Steak (Crock Pot Beef Cube Steak) is a simple 5-ingredient slow cooker recipe that creates melt-in-your-mouth tender cube steaks and luscious beefy onion gravy.
Some dishes are so homey and comforting that they will be attached to the best memories of family and home. This Crockpot Cubed Steak with Gravy recipe is one of those dishes. A single bite of these tender and flavorful cube steaks will transport you to one of those cherished times.
The beef cube steaks slow cook in a deeply flavorful sauce/gravy to become deliciously tender. The aromas of savory beef fill the house while it’s cooking and the meal it delivers is heavenly!
This delectable Slow-Cooker Cube Steak recipe’s exceptional flavor comes from my homemade beef bouillon powder/umami seasoning. I will outline possible substitutes in the post below if you just want to purchase a store brand.
But I really do encourage you to source the ingredients and take five minutes to make this delectable seasoning, especially for use in this mind-blowingly delicious recipe for cube steak in the crock pot.
You will not find a whole-food, healthy substitute that can bring the same level of scrumptious flavor to Crock Pot Beef Cubed Steak with Gravy as my homemade beef bouillon powder.
Cube steak is also fairly economical. I can get four cube steaks for under $8.00. So, it’s not only a fantastically delicious meal but also affordable.
Whether fall colors in Ontario inspire you to bust out the crock pot or the crisp cool temperatures of harvest time in the Midwest turn your mind to hearty, beefy dinners, this delicious cube steak recipe is going to be a hit.
No matter where you live, when the season merits a delicious and easy dish that satisfies everyone’s need for homey, satisfying, comfort food, this will be your go-to recipe.
You and your family are gonna love Slow Cooker Beef Cube Steak! I can’t wait for you to try it!
The Ingredients
- Beef Cube Steaks (may be labeled cube steak, cubed steak, minute steak or swiss/swissed steak)
- Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup: Today, I opted for quick and easy prep, but you could definitely use homemade cream of mushroom if you prefer it to canned.
- Beef Broth: I used store-bought broth in this recipe. If you have homemade beef stock, it should be delicious in this Crockpot Cube Steak recipe.
- Red Onion: I always have red onion on hand. I love the color it adds to dishes and prefer the flavor. That being said, white or yellow onions will work equally well.
- Homemade Beef Bouillon Powder / Umami Seasoning (see below for possible substitutions)
What Is Beef Cube Steak?
Depending on where you’re from, you may see cube steak labeled as cubed steak, minute steak or swiss/swissed steak, too.
Top or bottom round beef steak (or sometimes sirloin) is run through a special tenderizing machine to create cube steak. The mechanical tenderizing appliance is called a cuber or swissing machine.
It pounds cube-shaped indentations into the meat to help break down tougher tissue and make it more tender.
Occasionally, tougher cuts of pork steak can be found that have been tenderized in the same way. You could try those in this Crockpot Cube Steak recipe, but we prefer beef.
If you have a meat mallet, you can use the cubing or swissing side to pound the same cube-shaped indentations into tougher cuts of meat right at home.
Homemade Beef Bouillon vs Commercial Bouillon vs Onion Soup Mix?
Can I Just Use Store-Bought Beef Bouillon Powder?
I haven’t tried this Slow Cooker Cube Steak recipe with commercial beef bouillon powder, though I do believe that you probably can use it. You are going to have to adjust how much you use, however. Here’s how I would start.
Commercial bouillon is mostly salt, some fillers and sugar with MSG, a small amount of beef fat, and some soy and wheat. It is not gluten-free. So keep in mind that by adding commercial bouillon the dominant flavor you will notice is salt.
If using store-bought bouillon, instead of tossing everything in the slow cooker to make your Slow Cooker Cube Steak, mix the soup, broth and bouillon in a bowl first. Only start with 1 Tablespoon of the store-bought beef bouillon.
Add 1 Tablespoon of a commercial brand bouillon and then taste it. If it needs more salt, add more bouillon, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach the desired saltiness.
My homemade beef bouillon powder features many other flavors to mimic savory, umami beef. It’s deeply mushroom-y and herbaceous. It contains many herbs, along with dehydrated vegetables and seasonings that are familiar complements to beef. Commercial bouillon powder won’t have those. So, that will affect the flavors in your Slow Cooker Beef Cube Steak, too.
Once again, I encourage you to mix the liquids in a bowl and add the commercial bouillon. Taste as you go and consider adding additional herbs and seasonings to create that delicious beefy umami flavor I get from adding just my beef bouillon powder.
As a caution, many familiar brands of commercial bouillon contain MSG. If you, or someone you cook for, are sensitive or allergic you will want to carefully read labels before purchasing bouillon.
What is Onion Soup Mix?
I’ll point out all the same issues with onion soup mix. Fillers, anti-clumping agents, possibly MSG, etc., so check the label.
That being said, I would always choose commercial onion soup mix over commercial bouillon when seasoning beef dishes, especially this crock pot cubed steak. Here’s why.
Onion soup uses beef bouillon as just one of it’s ingredients. Typically, it also contains dried onion flakes, onion powder, parsley, celery seed, paprika and black pepper.
So onion soup mix definitely expands a bit on the flavor profile of just plain commercial beef bouillon.
It doesn’t contain the deep umami flavor punching ingredients that homemade beef bouillon does, but it definitely goes beyond what commercial beef bouillon will bring to the table.
FAQ’s
Yes. Place the onions into a lightly sprayed 9×13 pan, instead of your slow cooker. Then layer the cube steaks over the top. Whisk together the cream soup, bouillon and beef broth. Pour over the meat. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350° F for 2 hours, until cube steak is very tender. Voila! Crock Pot Cube Steaks in the oven.
When we’re talking about beef, tougher cuts of meat do well in a slow cooker. They are less expensive and create a more flavorful, fall apart tender end result.
Think of chuck roast, rump roast, round steak, brisket, skirt steak, bottom round roast and ox-tail. Blade chuck, arm roasts or arm chuck, eye of round (not rib eye), short ribs and flank steak also do well in the slow cooker.
Fattier and bone-in cuts tend to produce more flavor. If you don’t have good fat marbling in the cut you choose, you can add one piece of oxtail or a beef shank or even one short rib to the slow cooker to help create the unctuous broth and deep beefy flavor you want.
What to Serve With Slow Cooker Beef Cube Steak
We love Crockpot Cube Steak over creamy mashed potatoes. The cube steaks with gravy are also delicious served with brown rice, egg noodles or homemade pasta.
Any number of vegetable side dishes or salads would be fantastic with slow cooker cube steak and gravy. We have eaten it with roasted asparagus and with air fryer green beans. It’s scrumptious with Broccoli Cauliflower Salad, too. Green salads in every form are also delicious accompaniments to Crock Pot Cube Steak. We particularly enjoy it with this Kale Salad with Apple and Roasted Butternut Squash.
How to Make Slow Cooker Cube Steak
(Full How-To Video in Recipe Card)
- Small dice the onion and spread it in the bottom of your slow cooker insert.
- Lay the cube steaks over the onion.
- Add in the homemade beef bouillon powder (or onion soup mix) and pour the beef broth over that.
- Add both cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup and use a fork to combine the soup with the bouillon powder. It doesn’t need to be perfect. They’ll come together as the cube steak cooks.
- Cover the crock pot and set it on low.
- Cook the Crockpot Cube Steak for 6 to 8 hours or until the steaks are melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- Remove the steaks from the crock-pot and use a stick blender to whiz up the onions in the sauce the beef made. This will thicken it to be more gravy-like. (You could do this in a regular blender, too.) Alternatively, you could use the sauce as is. It will just be thinner and have more onion chunks in it.
- Serve the crockpot cube steak and gravy over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles with your favorite veggie sides.
The Recipe
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Crock Pot Cube Steak
- Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Crock Pot Cube Steak is a delectable and comforting meal whether you serve it with creamy mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice. Tender, beefy steak and a delicious savory gravy cook in your slow cooker all day, so you come home to a family favorite meal you can have on the table in minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 cube steaks
- 2 (10.5 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup (or cream of celery or chicken)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 large red onion minced (white or yellow also work)
- 3 Tablespoons homemade beef bouillon powder (or 1 packet onion soup mix)
Instructions
- Small dice the onion and spread it in the bottom of your slow cooker insert.
- Lay the cube steaks over the onion.
- Add in the homemade beef bouillon powder (or onion soup mix) and pour the beef broth over that.
- Add both cans of condensed cream of mushroom soup and use a fork to combine the soup with the bouillon powder. It doesn’t need to be perfect. They’ll come together as the cube steak cooks.
- Cover the crock pot and set it on low.
- Cook the Crock Pot Cube Steak for 6 to 8 hours or until the steaks are melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- Remove the steaks from the crock-pot and use a stick blender to whiz up the onions in the sauce the beef made. This will thicken it to be more gravy-like. (You could do this in a regular blender, too.) Alternatively, you could use the sauce as is. It will just be thinner and have more onion chunks in it.
- Serve the crock pot cube steak and gravy over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles with your favorite veggie sides.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Main Dish, Beef, Slow Cooker
- Method: slow cooker
- Cuisine: American
Salads to Serve Cube Steak With
- Bell Pepper Salad, Easy Delicious and Crunchy
- Shirazi Salad (Easy Persian Cucumber Salad)
- Coleslaw with Homemade Coleslaw Dressing
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Mandarin Orange Salad | Easy 5‑Ingredient Orange Jello Salad
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad Recipe
- Easy Delicious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad Recipe
- Potato Salad | My Secret Ingredient to Make it Perfect
More Delicious Beef Recipes
- Easy Salisbury Steak, from Laura, at Little House Big Alaska
- Instant Pot Rump Roast, from Lara, at LaraClevenger.com
About Glenda
I believe cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and that YOU can do it. My simple recipes, tutorials, and cooking tips will help you get weeknight dinners on the table with less stress. Forget takeout or the drive-thru. Let me show you how to make homemade easy. Read more...
This steak is everything. So delicious. Highly recommended.
Thank you Greta! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
You’re so welcome, Allyssa!
So simple! I love that this slow cooker dinner only requires 5 ingredients!
Tara, me too! It’s easy, affordable AND delicious!
Oh that gravy is AMAZING, thank you so much the cube steak was cooked to perfection!
Happy that you enjoyed it, Mandy! Gravy turns any meal into comfort food, doesn’t it?
Great recipe with simple ingredients. I love how many uses there are for the cream of mushroom soup! Tasty, succulent and very easy to make! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you, Leva! It’s definitely a favorite in my easy and affordable arsenal!
This was delicious! The gravy was super flavorful!
So happy you enjoyed it, Jen! Thanks for stopping by to let me know.
This recipe reminds me of my childhood. We made this tonight and it tasted exactly like my moms recipe. Thank you for sharing
Yay! for happy memories and tasty comfort food. I’m so happy you enjoyed it, MacKenzie!
Thank you for including the best cuts of meat! It became more flavorful and tender perfectly paired with the delicious gravy.
You’re so welcome, Journa. I’m happy it helped and that you’re enjoying the recipe.
This was amazing and looks delicious! Thanks for this!
Don’t you love when a recipe looks as good as it tastes? Thanks for stopping by the blog, today, Cam!
Cube steak is my absolute favorite and this recipe is so flavorful! Thanks for another great one!
Thank you, Paula! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This was just the right dish to kick off the fall crockpot season! We enjoyed it over mashed potatoes. It really hit the spot!
Heidi, it sounds marvelous! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
This was amazing. I appreciated the tip to include an oxtail in the slow cooker to create a savory broth. It all turned out so well!
Rebekah, that’s awesome. So glad it was helpful!
This was easy to put together around my lunch on a weekday and was ready in time for dinner. The house smells amazing and this was just delicious on egg noodles. Another fantastic recipe – thank you!
It sounds delicious, Genevieve! So glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
This slow cooker cube steak is pure comfort food. It reminds me of the smothered steak my mother in law used to make and this crock pot version is going into our regular dinner rotation. Thanks for the easy recipe.
Missy, that’s exactly the feeling I hope it would give. Yay! I’m happy you’re enjoying the recipe.
I was wondering what to do with the cube steak in my freezer so i gave this recipe a try. It was really good and it was an easy crockpot recipe (my favorites)
That’s great news, Emily! I, like you, love an easy recipe! This is one of the best!
This recipe brought me back to childhood. It’s the ultimate comfort food dish.
That’s wonderful, MacKenzie! So happy you enjoyed it!