Toss raw boneless beef short ribs in the slow cooker and 3 other ingredients to get a meal so delicious your family will be begging for more!

This 4-ingredient slow cooker beef using raw boneless beef short ribs is the kind of cozy, no-fuss dinner that keeps everyone circling back to the pot for seconds. You literally toss the raw short ribs into the slow cooker, add just three pantry-friendly ingredients, and let the low, slow heat do all the work. By dinnertime, you’ll have melt-in-your-mouth beef with a rich, savory gravy that tastes like you fussed all afternoon—perfect for busy weeknights, Sunday suppers, or anytime you want a comforting meal without a sink full of dishes.

Serve these tender boneless beef short ribs spooned over fluffy mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or steamed white rice so all that delicious gravy has something to soak into. A simple green side—like roasted green beans, a tossed salad, or steamed broccoli—helps balance the richness. Warm dinner rolls or crusty bread are great for mopping up the sauce. For younger or pickier eaters, you can serve the beef shredded in soft rolls like a sandwich, with carrot sticks or apple slices on the side.

Servings: 6

3 pounds raw boneless beef short ribs, trimmed of excess surface fat

Place the raw boneless beef short ribs in an even layer on the bottom of the slow cooker, keeping them as flat as possible so they all sit in the cooking liquid. This should look like a close-up top-down view of the raw meat nestled in the crock.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, and beef broth until mostly smooth and combined.

Pour the soup mixture evenly over the raw short ribs in the slow cooker, making sure all of the meat is coated. Use a spoon to spread the mixture if needed.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours, or on HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the beef is very tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.

Once cooked, taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if desired (the onion soup mix is salty, so you may not need extra salt). If there is extra fat on top, gently skim it off with a spoon.

Use two forks to gently break the short ribs into large chunks or shred them completely, stirring them back into the gravy so every piece is coated.

Serve the beef and gravy hot over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice, spooning extra sauce over the top.

For picky eaters, shred the cooked beef and serve it on soft hamburger buns or slider rolls like a saucy beef sandwich; keep some of the gravy on the side for dipping so kids can control how much they get. If your family doesn’t love mushrooms, you can swap the cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken or cream of celery soup while keeping the rest of the recipe the same. For a slightly sweeter, more kid-friendly flavor, stir 1–2 tablespoons of ketchup into the soup mixture before pouring it over the meat. If you prefer a thicker gravy, after cooking, turn the slow cooker to HIGH and stir in a slurry made from 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water; let it cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. To add veggies without complicating things, scatter thick-sliced carrots and chunked onions over the raw short ribs before pouring on the sauce—just know this technically adds more than four ingredients, so treat them as optional add-ins. Food safety tips: Always start with fully thawed beef; do not place frozen short ribs directly into the slow cooker, as they can stay too long at unsafe temperatures. Keep the lid on during cooking as much as possible to maintain proper heat. Make sure the internal temperature of the beef reaches at least 145°F, though for tenderness it will usually be much higher by the time it’s done. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking in shallow containers, and reheat thoroughly until steaming hot before serving again.