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Boeuf bourguignon is one of the best French recipes with beef. This flavorful beef recipe combines the meat with red wine and herbs for an exquisite result. This dish is sometimes called beef burgundy, because the traditional wine used is from France’s Burgundy region. It is a version of Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon aka beef bourguignon and a great alternative to a traditional stewed beef recipe.

A bowl of mashed potatoes topped with a savory Beef stew recipe reminiscent of Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon, with tender beef, carrots, mushrooms, and herbs.

Whether or not you’ve made Julia Child’s beef bourguignon before, if you have beef, red wine and herbs, you can whip this up when that beef burgundy craving hits!

You might also like simple beef and vegetable stew, a creamy meatball stew, poor man’s stew, or what about this sensational slow cooker chicken stew?

Two bowls of hearty beef stew with carrots and mushrooms rest atop creamy mashed potatoes. A basket of bread, a pot, and a bowl of mashed potatoes are in the background. Kitchen tools hang on a textured wall, evoking the classic charm of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon.

Why You’ll Love It

Full of flavor: This stewed beef dish with pearl onions and red wine boasts rich, robust flavors in every mouthful.
Authentic French cuisine: If you want to enjoy authentic French cuisine, you might not want to start out with frogs’ legs and snails! This authentic recipe is sure to appeal to your tastebuds though.
Easy to prepare: There’s nothing difficult about putting this flavorful dish together. If you’ve made stews before, you’ll find the process very similar.

A plate of mashed potatoes topped with a rich beef stew reminiscent of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon, featuring tender carrots and mushrooms, all perfectly garnished with fresh herbs.

Beef Bourguignon Ingredients

Beef: You need beef stew meat to make this classic French stew recipe. Chuck works well. Brisket would make a good alternative although it isn’t as traditional.
Red wine: Make sure you choose a good wine to make this beef stew recipe. A red from the Burgundy region of France is the classic choice. You can go for a Pinot Noir or Gamay.
Bacon: Adds salty richness to the dish.
Aromatics: Garlic and shallots add amazing flavor.
Herbs: Bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and parsley add plenty of depth to the flavor.
Vegetables: Carrots and mushrooms add color and flavor.

Ingredients for a flavourful beef stew recipe with a bottle of Merlot, carrots, bacon, shallots, mushrooms, herbs, flour, butter, and raw beef arranged on a light surface.
Jan Lehman

How to Make Beef Bourguignon

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Sear the beef: Sear the beef in butter until browned all over.
Add more ingredients: Add flour and then red wine, a little at a time, allowing it to reduce.
Slow cook it: Add the remaining wine, herbs and salt, and cook for 2 hours.
Prepare the bacon and vegetables: Cook the bacon and onions in a separate pan, then add the garlic, mushrooms and carrots, and cook.
Finish it off and serve: Add the bacon mixture to the beef mixture once the beef is falling-apart tender, season to taste, and serve it hot with some fresh parsley.

Stew with beef, carrots, and onions in a pot, served over mashed potatoes on a plate, reminiscent of Julia Child’s Beef bourguignon. Mushrooms and herbs are nearby.

Substitutions and Variations

Vegetables: Carrots and mushrooms, along with shallots, are traditional, but you can use other veggies if you prefer.
Red wine: Something dry, red and French is your best bet. If you prefer not to use alcohol, use a 0% alcohol red wine so you get a similar flavor.

A plate of mashed potatoes topped with a rich beef stew, including carrots and mushrooms reminiscent of Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon. Nearby sit extra mashed potatoes and a pot brimming with this delightful beef stew recipe, ready to satisfy any hearty appetite.

Serving Suggestions

Appetizers: Begin your meal with French onion soup.
Side dishes: This tasty beef recipe has carrots and mushrooms in it, so you don’t need to serve another vegetable side dish. If you want to though, garlic green beans would be good alongside. Or consider a side salad. And a glass of the red wine you used in the recipe!
Dessert: End deliciously with banana muffins or blueberry cheesecake bars.

A plate of mashed potatoes topped with a flavourful beef stew, containing tender beef chunks, carrots, and mushrooms, all garnished with fresh herbs. Bread slices are visible in the background, complementing this delightful beef burgundy creation.

How to Store Beef Bourguignon

Store: This beef stew keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. And in fact every time you reheat it, it seems to taste even better. You’ll soon see why those French cooks in the Middle Ages used to keep it simmering for days over the fire.
Freeze: It also freezes nicely in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Warm it back up in the oven, in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.

A ladle serves rich Boeuf Bourguignon with mushrooms and onions into a bowl of creamy mashed potatoes, set in a cozy kitchen with a blue pot in the background.

Top Tips

The best wine: Choose a dry French red wine, a Burgundy if possible, for the most authentic result.
Don’t season too early: Wait until the last step to season with salt, because the bacon mix will add a lot of salty flavor to the stew.
Make extra: As this freezes beautifully, I recommend doubling the recipe so you can serve half and freeze the rest in individual portions.

Two plates of mashed potatoes topped with a flavourful beef stew, surrounded by a pot of this delightful beef stew recipe, sliced bread, and fresh herbs on a white table.

Boeuf Bourguignon FAQs

What’s the history of boeuf Bourguignon?

This delicious beef stew recipe is famous all over the world today, although it goes back to the Middle Ages. Back then it was considered peasant food (just like lobsters and oysters were, funnily enough!) People in rural areas would make slow cooked meals which were cheap and hearty. They could use cheap cuts of meat because they would slow cook to tender perfection. Boeuf bourguignon in the Middle Ages took two days to make, and the longer it cooked the stronger the flavor would be. The meat would also get more tender the more time it bubbled away over the fire. In modern times, this French beef stew recipe is more of a bistro dish. The first printed recipe for it only goes back to the early 20th century.

What kind of beef is best for this dish?

A large chunk of beef was the historical choice, but today chopped stewing beef is the more usual type for modern beef Burgundy. That is what you will find in Julia Child’s beef bourguignon recipe anyway, and the way many people make it. The exact cooking time depends on the cut of beef you’re using. As soon as you can cut the beef with a fork it’s done. Julia Child’s beef bourguignon also uses lardons, which are little strips of fatty bacon, and they taste great too.

What is bouquet garni and why do I add it to beef bourguignon?

Bouquet garni is French for ‘garnished bouquet’. It’s a bundle of fresh herbs that you add to a beef stew recipe or similar dish to add flavor. Because the herbs are tied together, you can simply remove the whole thing before serving the dish. Sometimes a bouquet garni is tied with twine. The herbs can also go inside a mesh bag. Bouquet garni bags are available online or from the grocery store, and you can use them for infusing iced tea and other recipes.

A Boeuf Bourguignon is simmering in a pot, its flavourful beef pieces mingling with sliced carrots, mushrooms, and onions. A ladle rests nearby as plates and utensils await the delicious beef stew recipe in the background.
Food blogger, Bella Bucchiotti of xoxoBella, shares a version of Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon. This flavourful beef recipe is a great alternative to a beef stew recipe.
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5 from 8 votes

Boeuf Bourguignon

By: Bella Bucchiotti
Boeuf bourguignon is one of the best French recipes. This flavourful beef recipe combines the meat with red wine for an exquisite dish. This dish is sometimes called beef burgundy. It is a version of Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon aka beef bourguignon and a great alternative to a traditional beef stew recipe.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 6

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 ½ Pounds beef stew meat , cut into 1 or 2-inch chunks
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 5 Cups red wine
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 8 Ounces bacon , rind removed and cut into strips
  • 1 Clove garlic, minced
  • 8 Ounces mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
  • 1 Cup carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 10 shallots or pearl onions, peeled and whole (or halved if large)

Bouquet Garni:

  • 4 Sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 Sprig fresh rosemary
  • 8 Sprigs fresh parsley
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions 

  • Pat dry the beef.
  • Heat up the butter in a pot over medium high heat and sear the beef in batches until brown.
  • Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, continuously stirring. Be careful not to burn the flour.
  • Deglaze with a good pull of the red wine, stir and let reduce for 1 to 2 minutes while stirring. 
  • Add another pull of wine, stir again and let it reduce. Repeat until flour is dissolved, and you have a creamy sauce. 
  • Pour in the remaining red wine, add the herbs and the salt and cook covered on low-medium heat for about 2 hours or until meat is fork tender (the exact cooking time depends on your cut of meat).
  • Meanwhile, heat up a pan over medium high heat and cook the bacon and shallots until the bacon is golden and slightly crisp.
  • Add the garlic, mushrooms and the carrots and braise everything covered for 20 minutes. 
  • When the beef is cooked add the bacon-vegetable mix to the pot.  
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve hot with fresh parsley. Mashed potatoes are the traditional accompaniment, but you can also pair it with boiled potatoes, pasta or bread. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the meat and vegetables and then add as much of the liquid as you please.

Notes

The best wine: Choose a dry French red wine, a Burgundy if possible, for the most authentic result.
Don’t season too early: Wait until the last step to season with salt, because the bacon mix will add a lot of salty flavor to the stew.
Make extra: As this freezes beautifully, I recommend doubling the recipe so you can serve half and freeze the rest in individual portions.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 736kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 472mg | Potassium: 991mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3720IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 4mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Ingredients for a flavourful beef recipe called Boeuf Bourguignon are artfully arranged, including tender beef chunks, mushrooms, pancetta, carrots, shallots, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, butter, flour, salt, and a bottle of rich Merlot wine.
In a cozy kitchen scene, a delicious Boeuf Bourguignon simmers in a pot, surrounded by bowls of carrots, shallots, mushrooms, and bacon. A hand poised with a bottle of red wine hovers above the aromatic mixture, promising layers of rich flavor.
Pot of Boeuf Bourguignon with a wooden spoon, surrounded by bowls of sliced carrots, bacon, peeled shallots, sliced mushrooms, and herbs on a white background.
A frying pan with bacon and whole shallots sits beside sliced mushrooms and chopped carrots, reminiscent of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon.
A skillet with sliced carrots, mushrooms, and onions on a light background hints at the beginnings of a flavourful beef stew recipe. Wooden utensils beside the skillet invite stirring to perfection.
A pot of Boeuf Bourguignon, rich with red wine and garnished with herbs, is surrounded by bowls of sliced carrots, bacon, shallots, and mushrooms on a white surface—a classic take on Julia Child’s flavourful beef recipe.

This is one of the most flavorful beef dishes either and it’s easy to prepare. Similar to coq au vin, this recipe is a classic French meal that makes a great dinner. This beef burgundy makes such a good dinner and is a great example of French cooking. It’s hearty and filling for the winter, but you can make it whenever you want!

Other Recipes to Try

A flavourful beef stew recipe featuring Boeuf Bourguignon: tender beef, carrots, and onions nestled beside creamy mashed potatoes, all garnished with fresh herbs.
A close-up of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon with carrots and mushrooms balanced on a fork, showcasing the rich, flavourful beef recipe in all its mouthwatering glory.
Bella Bucchiotti

Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.

 

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Recipe Rating




5 from 8 votes (1 rating without comment)

18 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    The recipe glosses over the usage of pearl onions, but I am not seeing any pearl onions in the recipe ingredients. I love pearl onions and will def use them, but how, in this recipe? Thanks…

    Reply

    1. Hi, sorry for any confusion. The recipe notes suggest using pearl onions instead of shallots if you can get them where you are. I personally love them too!

      Reply