Orange Ginger Slow Cooker Beef(Paleo, Whole30, AIP)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

A delicious Asian take on slow cooker beef stew, this Orange Ginger Beef recipe is comforting and incredibly flavorful. It's SO much more fun than carrots and potatoes. Paleo, Whole30, and AIP

Note: This recipe has been modified to be AIP-compliant. If you're looking for the original recipe, just replace the carrots with 1 sliced bell pepper and add 2 tbsp of sesame oil to the recipe.

The cooler days of fall are definitely the days to break out the crockpot, throw some ingredients in, and come back several hours later to a delicious meal. A warming hearty stew, a creamy soup, or an Asian-inspired meal such as this one are just the ticket to warm your body from the chill.

A Note on Slow Cookers

I want to make a note here that slow cookers all act differently. We have a gigantic 7 qt slow cooker and a smaller 1.5 qt one. They both do the same thing, but the larger cooker cooks our stuff in 1/4 of the time.

I read somewhere this is a result of the fact that I'm only adding a small amount of food to the large one and therefore the air temp gets much hotter, acting more like an oven.

So when I make small dishes I've been trying to use the small slow cooker, and then when I make massive batches of things, I use the big one. Or I adjust the time accordingly, like a recipe that says cook for 6-8 hours for chicken would render that chicken inedible in our large one. So after much experimentation, it's 2 hours max for us.

The moral of this story is, just know your slow cooker. If you are constantly getting dried out, overcooked food, it could be because it's too big and you need to either make more food at one time or lessen the time.

Ingredients in this slow cooker meal (plus substitutions)

Anyway – on to the recipe! The following are the ingredients for the meal, but please check the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

• Beef stew meat: You can use any beef stew meat in this – sometimes it comes packaged and sold as “beef stew meat” and sometimes you can just buy a beef chuck roast and dice it up yourself. Either one works and I often find one or the other on sale, so I just get whatever is on sale.
• Carrots: this is the main vegetable of this dish, just like a typical beef stew. However, it doesn't taste like a typical beef stew due to the other ingredients!
• Coconut Aminos: In case you aren't familiar with Coconut Aminos, they are the Paleo and AIP, soy-free replacement for soy sauce. You can find out all about coconut aminos in this post that I wrote. If you can't tolerate coconut you could omit this or you could also make your own coconut-free coconut aminos using this recipe by Mel Joulwan. I recommend making a batch of this and freezing it in an ice cube tray, giving you approx 2 tbs of “coconut aminos/soy sauce” per ice cube to use whenever you need it!
• Apple Cider Vinegar – this just gives the dish a nice tang. If you can't tolerate ACV you could use white wine vinegar instead
• Garlic – used for flavor
• Orange Juice and Zest – this is what gives this dish the orangey flavor. If you don't have an orange you can just use orange juice, but it won't be as flavorful
• Ginger – I call for fresh ginger because that's what I think tastes best in this dish, but if you can't get any you can use 1 tsp of dried ginger instead. Also, time saving tip: no need to peel the ginger before grating or mincing!
• Green Onions – these are those long thing green shoots with white bottoms. They're also called scallions. Also used for flavor. The ones that get cooked lose a lot of their heat, but if you don't like them, omit them from the fresh garnish
• Cilantro – ah cilantro – you either love it or hate it. If you're the latter, skip it! (also called fresh corriander)
• Arrowroot Powder – this is the thicken the sauce after cooking. You can also use an equivalent amount of tapioca starch or even cassava flour if that's all you have.

How to make this beef stew

This is a really easy dish to make. See the recipe card below for exact instructions, but the basic idea is this:

Put the stew meat and sliced carrots into the slow cooker.

In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients except for the arrowroot powder.

Pour over the meat and carrots.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Approx 30 minutes before serving, remove 1 cup of liquid from the slow cooker, mix the arrowroot powder with it, and add back to the slow cooker and give it all a good toss. Cook for 30 more minutes.

You can also just take the sauce out and put it into a saucepan, mix with the arrowroot powder, and then cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens. Then toss back in with the meat and mix. Either way works – just whatever works best with your schedule.

Serve with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro!

What to serve with this meal

I love this dish served over this coconut cauliflower rice but you could also do plain cauliflower rice, mashed cauliflower, broccoli rice, sweet potato noodles, etc

How to make this AIP beef stew coconut-free

If you can't tolerate coconut you could omit the coconut aminos or you could also make your own coconut-free coconut aminos using this recipe by Mel Joulwan.

I recommend making a batch of this and freezing it in an ice cube tray, giving you approx 2 tbs of “coconut aminos/soy sauce” per ice cube to use whenever you need it!

Meal prepping the beef stew

This meal can be made ahead of time, stored in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheated as needed.

It also is a great dump-and-go freezer meal option. Simply mix all of the ingredients except for the arrowroot powder in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months! When you need it, just thaw overnight in the fridge and then throw into the slow cooker and cook as the recipe indicates below.

This ALSO freezes well AFTER cooking as well – so just freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months and reheat when needed.

More Paleo and AIP Slow Cooker Recipes

Thai Chicken Soup (Paleo, Whole30, AIP) – this is all of the flavors of a Thai soup without the nightshades. Also a great dump-and-go freezer meal, it takes minutes to prepare and makes for an easy dinner later!

Cherry Balsamic Pot Roast (Paleo, Whole30, AIP) – if you asked me if I could take ONE dinner recipe with me on a deserted island, this would be it. We eat this at least once a month. So easy to make and so flavorful! (also a dump-and-go freezer meal option)

Slow Cooker Ham (Paleo, AIP) – this is a great dish for a holiday like Christmas or Easter – or just any night. Literally throw a ham and some ingredients into a crockpot and go.

More Helpful AIP & Paleo Resources in the Freebie Library

If you find this recipe helpful, you may really enjoy the resources in my Paleo & AIP Freebie Library! There's a “dump” freezer meal plan, a list of AIP-compliant breakfast toppings, and so much more. Plus, you'll get even more ideas sent to your inbox! Get the password here.

Slow Cooker Orange Ginger Beef Stew Recipe

If you make this stew, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Either comment below or share a pic on Instagram and tag me @thrivingautoimmune!