A plate of Provencal beef stew with carrots and rich brown sauce served over mashed potatoes, garnished with chopped herbs, sits next to a glass of red wine and a bowl of food on a blue tablecloth.

Beef Daube Provençal (also known as Boeuf en Daube) is the ultimate French comfort food – meltingly tender beef braised in red wine with shallots, carrots, garlic, herbs and pancetta. Like it’s cousin Boeuf Bourguignon, it is incredibly rich, complex and satisfying, turning inexpensive cuts of beef into a thing of beauty! Serve it over creamy mashed potatoes or buttered noodles and prepare for sighs around the table.

A blue pot filled with Provencal beef stew featuring chunks of beef, carrots, and a rich, dark sauce topped with chopped herbs. A serving spoon rests inside the pot, and mashed potatoes are visible beside it.

What’s Daube Then?

The word daube comes from the Provençal adobar meaning “to marinate.” As a dish, daube (a.k.a beef daube, boeuf en daube, or beef daube Provençal) originates from southern France, specifically Provence, where it was traditionally cooked in a daubière – an earthenware or copper pot.

This rustic stew is made with meat slowly braised with red wine, aromatics, tomatoes, olive oil, herbs and sometimes olives, prunes or orange peel for sweetness and complexity. The slow braise turns the beef melt-in-your-mouth tender while the sauce thickens to glossy perfection – like all good stews, it tastes even better the next day.

Close-up of a hearty beef stew with chunks of beef, carrots, and a rich brown sauce, garnished with chopped parsley. A metal spoon is partially submerged in the thick, flavorful mixture.

Here’s What You’ll Need

Beef: Chuck steak, beef shin or any cuts suitable for slow cooking. The beef is dredged in seasoned flour before searing which in turns thickens the sauce.
Pancetta or bacon: Adds a smoky, savory base and depth to the sauce.
Shallots and garlic: A whole small head of garlic (!) and sweet aromatic shallots or diced onion.
Carrots: Chantenay carrots can be used whole, no peeling required. They hold their shape during the slow braise and are naturally sweet. You can replace with regular ol’ carrots of course.
Wine: Beef Daube can be made with red or white wine. A good dry red wine like Côtes du Rhône will create an incredibly rich sauce, while a dry white Sauvignon makes for a lighter stew.
Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes or tomato paste enrich the sauce.
Prunes: diced prunes melt into the sauce adding subtle sweetness.
Beef broth or stock – use a low sodium broth or good quality stockpot.
Bouquet garni: this bundle of herbs, typically thyme, bay leaves and parsley stalks tied together with kitchen twine – all the flavor plus easy to discard! Add a celery stalk and orange peel if you can for added flavor.

A flat lay of Provençal beef Daube stew with celeriac mash ingredients, including cubed chuck steak, baby carrots, shallots, garlic, prunes, pancetta, red wine, tomato, herbs, and spices.

How to Make Beef Daube

Pat the beef dry and sliced into cubes. Toss it with flour seasoned with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat a large Dutch Oven and add the pancetta or bacon, cooking over medium-high heat until the fat starts to render. Add the olive oil and brown the beef, in batches, until nicely colored on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer everything to a plate.
Add the butter, shallots, carrots and garlic. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the shallots have softened.
Pour the wine in and simmer over high heat until it is reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes, prunes and vinegar.

Four-panel image showing steps of cooking: browning beef and bacon, sautéing carrots, onions, and garlic, adding red wine, and stirring in chopped tomatoes and dates in a pan with a wooden spatula.

Return the beef and bacon to the pan, add the bundled herbs and cover with a tight fitting lid.
Transfer to the oven and cook for 2-3 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. Discard the bouquet garni and fish out the garlic. Squeeze the garlic flesh out, mash with a fork and stir back into the stew.
Have a taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with plenty of chopped parsley and serve.

Side-by-side images of a rich brown stew: the left shows chopped vegetables and onions in broth, while the right shows chunks of cooked beef simmering in a thick sauce.

Recipe Notes and Tips

Serving Suggestions: Serve your Beef Daube spooned over creamy mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or soft polenta. Pair with a glass of red wine and crusty bread to soak up every drop of sauce.
Leftovers and storage: Some cooks recommend storing the stew for at least a day to let the flavors develop. While I can’t say I am ever that patient, it’s true that leftovers are amazing! Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze in suitable containers for up to 3 months. To reheat, warm on the stove with a splash of stock or water to loosen the sauce.
Crockpot instructions: Follow method steps 1-5 then transfer everything to the slow cooker. Cook for 8 hours on the low setting or until the beef is tender. Cook with the lid off for the final hour if the sauce needs thickening or stir in 1 tbsp cornstarch slurry and simmer.

👉 If Beef Daube is your kind of dish, check out these rustic stews: Chicken Cacciatore, Beef Stifado, One–pot Vietnamese Beef Stew, Kotopoulo Kokkinisto (Chicken In Tomato Sauce), Spezzatino di Manzo (Italian Beef Stew).