Crockpot Round Steak

Fork-tender Crock Pot Round Steak, nestled beneath caramelized onions and mushrooms and smothered in a cream of mushroom sauce, is such an easy and delicious meal. Keep reading to find out one special ingredient that makes this recipe like no other!

If you are looking for more easy round steak recipes, try my Air Fryer Round Steak or Thin Cut Steak Stir Fry.

For the first time in my life, I am actually excited about a slow cooker round steak meal, and even more excited to share this cooking method and recipe with you.

We’ve all been there with that pile of cheap, round steak that we bought at a fantastic price on sale. Then we face the question of how to cook all that beef so our family will actually be excited to eat it! I bet you know exactly what I mean.

I am happy to report that this recipe had very few leftovers because my family loved the first round so much that they had seconds before they left the dinner table. It reminds me of my Hamburger Steak and Gravy with Onions and my Sizzzle Steaks with Mushroom Gravy in that way.

Then, as an added bonus, I discovered that the leftovers were even more delicious because the meat absorbed more of the flavorful sauce as it rested! Not one bite was left uneaten!

I attribute this big success to one main ingredient: spicy brown mustard slathered onto the meat before any other ingredients are added to the slow cooker. The mustard’s flavor intensifies as it rests on the meat and also acts as the perfect binder, infusing the flavors of the other ingredients in this recipe.

Ingredients and Substitutions

For a complete list of ingredients, see the detailed recipe card below.

• Round Steak: Opt for tenderized round steak from the grocer’s meat case, often labeled beef cube steak. Or use a handheld meat tenderizer at home if needed. This pierces the meat with mechanical force, breaking down tough connective tissues and protein fibers to help tenderize it. You can also use a mallet to pound out the round steak, if preferred.
• Spicy Brown Mustard: I used spicy brown mustard because it’s zesty and robust, really complementing the round steak. If you are partial to mustard, you can slather on more before adding the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker.
• Onions and mushrooms: These aromatics provide the flavor foundation for this dish. Even if you have picky eaters who will object to onions and mushrooms, I’d still include them in the cooking process. For serving, you can always push the vegetables aside and go for just the meat and sauce, if that picky eater persists. White or yellow onions work fine (take your pick), and I think portobello mushrooms are “meatier” in texture and flavor, but you can use any mushroom you prefer.
• Dry Onion Soup Mix: A packet of onion soup mix adds a good punch of savory, umami-rich flavor to any dish, especially meat. I love the convenience of this ingredient since it’s so easy to tuck a few packets away in the cupboard for when you need them.

Step by Step Instructions for Crockpot Round Steak

Step 1: Season each tenderized round steak on both sides, overlapping them slightly as you do.

Step 2: Spread a generous layer of mustard on one side of each steak. Place the prepared steaks into a greased 6-quart crockpot.

How to Tenderize Round Steak at Home

Sometimes tenderized round steak (also known as beef cube steak) isn’t available at the meat counter or the butcher shop, and we have to tenderize it ourselves.

Some people opt to tenderize with a mallet, but I find this smashes the meat fibers more than it actually tenderizes the beef. However, if this is your only option, you may want to make this easier by placing each piece of round steak into a gallon bag and pounding each piece one at a time until they are of an even, thinner thickness.

The gallon bag helps contain meat splatter, and you can successfully substitute parchment paper for this task as well. Use the smooth side of your mallet when working with a plastic bag or parchment to pound out a round steak.

I have found that a handheld blade tenderizer works better for tenderizing round steak because it uses dozens of very sharp, spring-loaded blades to pierce the meat, cutting through the protein fibers and tough connective tissue. I also like this tool for creating tiny holes that enable marinades to penetrate the meat for added flavor.