Slow cooker beef satay

Tender New Zealand beef in a rich peanut sauce

Serves

6 - 8

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

4 hrs 30 mins

Packed with tender New Zealand beef, vegetables and a rich creamy peanut sauce, this meal will be a new weekly dish in your household. It is just 10 mins prep, then you let the slow cooker do the work! It's perfect for meal prep or feeding a crowd.

What we love about this recipe is that you can also add whatever vegetables you have in your fridge or freezer. Don't throw out that limp broccoli, ratty onion, or wrinkly carrot!

Vanya Insull

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Ingredients

Stew

1kg Quality Mark chuck steaks
diced
2 Tbsp cornflour

1 onion
sliced
2 capsicum
sliced
2 carrots
diced
250g green beans
sliced

Marinade

400g can coconut cream
we chose light
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
100g peanut butter
about 5 level Tbsp
1 Tbsp ginger paste
3 Tbsp salt-reduced soy sauce
2 Tbsp curry powder
mild
2 Tbsp brown sugar
½ cup water
boiling

To Serve

white rice
steamed
fresh coriander
chopped
broccoli
steamed

Method

In the base of a slow cooker, combine all of the marinade ingredients.

Mix well, then add your chopped vegetables and diced beef.

Cook on high for four hours or on low for seven hours, until the beef is cooked through and falling apart.

Mix the cornflour with 4 Tbsp of cold water to make a slurry and add to the curry 30 minutes before serving.

Add the beans at the same time. Stir and leave to cook the vegetables through and thicken up.

Serve the satay beef on top of steamed rice, and broccoli, and garnish with coriander.

Why we love it

There’s nothing quite like coming home to the smell of a slow-cooked dinner bubbling away, especially when it’s this creamy, flavour-packed beef satay. It’s hearty, family-friendly, and great for using up whatever’s hanging around in the fridge or freezer. With tender New Zealand beef as the star of the show, you’re serving up a wholesome, protein-packed dinner everyone will love.

Whether you’re feeding a hungry household or getting ahead on meal prep, this one’s a keeper. It makes a big batch, so freeze the leftovers and enjoy a fuss-free dinner later in the week.

Make it work with what you've got

One of the best things about this recipe is how adaptable it is. You don’t need to stick to just one specific cut of beef - go with what’s available or on special.

Chuck, casserole steak, gravy beef or blade steak These all work beautifully in the slow cooker. They’re flavoursome cuts that love a long, gentle cook - turning meltingly tender as they soak up all the rich satay flavour. So if chuck isn’t on special at your local butcher or supermarket, grab whichever braising cut is looking good. Just make sure to dice it into even chunks for a consistent cook.

Tips to make it your own

Switch up the veg: Got mushrooms, courgette, or spinach to use up? Toss them in. Frozen peas or beans also work a treat.
Change the base: Try brown rice or quinoa for extra fibre. Noodles also work well - whatever you’ve got on hand.
Make it work for meal prep: Spoon leftovers into lunch containers with rice and veg — they’ll keep in the fridge for a few days or freeze well for up to three months.
Coconut milk vs cream: Either will work. Coconut cream makes it a bit richer, but go with what’s in the pantry.
Boost the greens: Add chopped spinach, broccoli florets or shredded cabbage in the last 30 minutes to lift the veg count.

This is the kind of recipe that becomes a family favourite. It's one of those go-to dinners you know will always hit the spot.

A great way to empty the fridge and reduce food waste

We all know the feeling - a half head of broccoli here, a lonely carrot there, or a bag of frozen veg that’s been sitting at the back of the freezer for too long. This recipe is perfect for pulling all those bits and pieces together and turning them into something hearty and delicious.

Slow cooker meals like this one are a great way to cut down on food waste. The satay sauce is super forgiving, which means you can add just about any veg you’ve got on hand — fresh, frozen or even canned.

Some of our favourite add-ins:

Fresh: mushrooms, courgette, pumpkin, kūmara, cauliflower, spinach, silverbeet
Frozen: peas, beans, corn, stir-fry mixes
Canned: baby corn, water chestnuts, chickpeas, lentils

Just chop your additions into similar-sized pieces and add them at the right stage. Root veg can go in from the beginning, while greens and quick-cooking vegetables are best added in the last 30 minutes so they keep some bite.

It’s a simple way to stretch a meal, use up what you’ve already got, and feel good about wasting less. Plus, it’s kind on the budget which always helps.

Prepare your ingredients by chopping the vegetables. Feel free to swap the beef cut or veggies for what you have on hand.

In the base of your slow cooker, mix the marinade ingredients.

Stir through the onion, capsicum, carrot and diced beef until well coated.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours, until the beef is tender and falling apart.

Add the cornflour slurry and beans 30 minutes before serving. Stir through and cook until the sauce thickens.

Enjoy the satay curry served over rice with a side of broccoli.

What’s a cornflour slurry, and why do we use it?

A cornflour slurry is a simple mix of cornflour and cold water that’s used to thicken sauces, stews and slow cooker meals. You’ll often see it added near the end of cooking, like in this satay beef recipe, to help the sauce go from runny to rich and glossy.

To make it, just stir together 2 tablespoons of cornflour with 4 tablespoons of cold water until smooth. Then pour it into your dish, give everything a good stir, and let it cook for another 20–30 minutes. The heat activates the starch, which thickens the sauce without changing the flavour.

It’s an easy little trick that helps bring everything together, especially in slow cooker recipes where there’s often more liquid to deal with.

Give it a go

This recipe is a weeknight lifesaver. It's low-effort, full of flavour, and packed with nourishing ingredients - everything we need when juggling family life. Plus, with freezer-friendly portions and a flexible ingredient list, it helps make use of what’s already in the kitchen.