This slow cooker oxtail kare-kare recipe pairs tender, gelatin-rich oxtail with a thick Filipino peanut sauce, eggplant, long beans and leafy greens. The slow cooker handles the long cooking time, while the peanut sauce and vegetables are added near the end so they keep their proper flavor and texture.
Kare-kare is rich but not heavily spiced. The sauce gets its warm color from annatto, its body from peanuts and toasted rice flour, and most of its savory depth from the oxtail broth. It is traditionally served with steamed rice and bagoong alamang, a fermented shrimp paste that adds the salty contrast the mild peanut sauce needs.
The recipe takes several hours, but most of that time is hands-off. Brown the oxtail, let it cook slowly until tender, skim the excess fat, then finish the sauce and vegetables shortly before serving.
What Is Oxtail Kare-Kare?
Kare-kare is a Filipino stew made with meat, vegetables and a thick peanut-based sauce. Oxtail is a popular choice because the bones and connective tissue create a rich broth as they cook.
Traditional versions may include roasted ground peanuts, toasted ground rice and annatto. Common vegetables include sitaw, eggplant, pechay and banana blossom.
The sauce itself is usually mild. Rather than adding a large amount of salt to the pot, kare-kare is served with bagoong alamang on the side. Each person can add as much or as little as they prefer.
This version keeps the familiar character of Filipino oxtail kare-kare while adapting the long cooking stage for a 6-quart slow cooker.
Why the Slow Cooker Works
Oxtail needs steady, gentle heat to soften its connective tissue. Cooking it too quickly may leave the meat chewy even when the outside appears done.
A slow cooker gives the collagen enough time to break down, creating tender meat and a broth with natural body. The oxtail can cook unattended for most of the day without requiring frequent stirring.
The peanut sauce should not be added at the beginning. Long cooking can make it overly thick and dull its nutty flavor. Add it only after the oxtail is tender and most of the excess fat has been removed.
I also recommend cooking the vegetables separately. It adds one small step, but it prevents the eggplant and leafy greens from turning soft and muddy during the long oxtail cooking time.
Ingredients You Need
For the oxtail
- 3 pounds oxtail pieces
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce, optional
- 1 teaspoon annatto powder
For the peanut sauce
- ½ cup unsweetened smooth peanut butter
- ¼ cup finely ground roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons toasted rice flour
- ½ to 1 cup cooking liquid reserved from the slow cooker
- Salt, only as needed
For the vegetables
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into thick pieces
- 6 ounces sitaw or green beans, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 small bunch pechay or baby bok choy, separated
- 1 cup prepared banana blossom, optional
For serving
- Steamed white rice
- Bagoong alamang or sautéed Filipino shrimp paste
Traditional Ingredients and Easy Substitutes
You do not need to skip kare-kare simply because some Filipino ingredients are difficult to find locally.
| Traditional ingredient | Accessible option |
|---|---|
| Roasted ground peanuts | Unsweetened peanut butter |
| Toasted ground rice | Toasted rice flour |
| Annatto-seed water or oil | Annatto powder |
| Sitaw or yard-long beans | Regular green beans |
| Pechay | Baby bok choy |
| Fresh banana blossom | Canned banana blossom or omit |
| Bagoong alamang | Filipino-style fermented shrimp paste |
Using both peanut butter and ground roasted peanuts gives the sauce a smooth texture without losing the deeper roasted flavor associated with traditional kare-kare.
Important Ingredient Notes
Oxtail
Look for meaty pieces with a visible center bone and a moderate amount of exterior fat. A mixture of medium and large pieces works well.
Very thin tail-end pieces contain less meat and may become tender before the larger sections. Check the biggest pieces when deciding whether the oxtail is done.
Peanut butter
Use unsweetened smooth peanut butter. Sweet sandwich-style peanut butter can make the finished sauce noticeably sugary.
Natural peanut butter works well, but stir it thoroughly before measuring so the oil is evenly incorporated.
Toasted rice flour
Toasted rice flour thickens the sauce and adds a subtle roasted flavor.
To make it, place ordinary rice flour in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Stir constantly for four to six minutes, until it turns pale golden and smells lightly toasted. Remove it from the pan immediately so it does not burn.
Annatto
Annatto gives kare-kare its warm orange color.
Before adding annatto powder to the sauce, stir it into two tablespoons of warm cooking liquid. This helps it dissolve evenly and prevents small dry clumps.
Banana blossom
Fresh and canned banana blossom require different preparation.
For canned banana blossom, drain and rinse it well. Add it only during final assembly or warm it briefly with the other vegetables.
For fresh banana blossom, remove the tough outer leaves, slice the tender inner portion and soak it in lightly salted or acidulated water to reduce discoloration and bitterness. Cook it until tender before serving.
The banana blossom is optional. The kare-kare will still taste complete without it.
How to Make Slow Cooker Oxtail Kare-Kare
1. Season and brown the oxtail
Pat the oxtail dry with paper towels. Season it evenly with salt and black pepper.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oxtail in batches, leaving space between the pieces.
Brown each batch for about three minutes per side. The surface should develop a deep brown crust rather than simply turning gray.
Transfer the browned oxtail to a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Cook the onion and garlic
Reduce the skillet heat to medium. Add the chopped onion and cook for three to four minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour about ½ cup of the measured beef broth into the skillet. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, then transfer the onion mixture and liquid to the slow cooker.
3. Slow-cook the oxtail
Add the remaining measured broth and the optional fish sauce.
Cover and cook until the oxtail is tender:
- LOW: 8–9 hours
- HIGH: 5–6 hours
Check one of the largest pieces with a fork or pair of tongs. The meat should feel soft and begin pulling away from the bone, but it should not completely collapse when lifted.
When the oxtail still feels firm or chewy, it needs more time. Continue cooking in 30-minute intervals on HIGH or one-hour intervals on LOW.
4. Remove the excess fat
Transfer the tender oxtail to a plate.
Allow the cooking liquid to settle for a few minutes, then skim most of the visible fat from the surface. Leave a small amount behind because it contributes flavor, but remove enough to prevent the peanut sauce from feeling oily.
For easier fat removal, cook the oxtail one day ahead. Refrigerate the meat in its cooking liquid overnight. The fat will harden on the surface and can be lifted away before reheating.
5. Prepare the peanut sauce
Measure ½ cup of the warm cooking liquid into a bowl.
Whisk in the peanut butter until smooth. Add the ground roasted peanuts and toasted rice flour.
In a small cup, mix the annatto powder with two tablespoons of warm cooking liquid. Stir it into the peanut mixture.
Pour the peanut sauce into the slow cooker and stir it into the remaining broth. Return the oxtail to the cooker.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 20–30 minutes, until the sauce is hot and lightly thickened.
The sauce should coat the back of a spoon but still move easily around the oxtail. It will thicken further as it rests.
6. Cook the vegetables
While the peanut sauce finishes, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Cook the vegetables separately:
- Sitaw or green beans: 3–4 minutes
- Eggplant: 3–5 minutes
- Pechay or baby bok choy: 1–2 minutes
- Prepared fresh banana blossom: until tender
- Canned banana blossom: rinse and warm briefly
Remove each vegetable when it is just tender and drain well.
Arrange the vegetables over the kare-kare before serving, or gently fold them into the sauce at the end.
Best Tips for Slow Cooker Kare-Kare
Brown the oxtail first
You can place raw oxtail directly in the slow cooker, but browning gives the broth a deeper, more savory flavor. It also renders some surface fat before the long cooking stage.
Do not cover the meat with too much liquid
Slow cookers lose very little moisture. Three cups of broth should provide enough liquid for the oxtail to cook without leaving you with a thin, diluted sauce.
Add the peanut sauce near the end
Peanut butter does not need eight hours in the slow cooker. Adding it after the meat becomes tender keeps the peanut flavor fresher and makes the final thickness easier to control.
Remove most of the fat
Oxtail broth and peanuts are both naturally rich. Skimming the excess fat creates a smoother sauce that still tastes full-bodied.
Taste the dish with bagoong
The kare-kare may taste mild on its own. That is expected.
Taste a spoonful with a small amount of bagoong before adding more salt to the pot. The fermented shrimp paste provides much of the dish’s salty, savory contrast.
Let the sauce rest
The sauce may appear slightly loose while very hot. Let the finished kare-kare rest for about 10 minutes before adjusting it.
If it remains too thin, mix one tablespoon of toasted rice flour with two tablespoons of cool broth. Stir it into the sauce and cook for another 10 minutes.
If it is too thick, add reserved cooking liquid a few tablespoons at a time.
What to Serve With Oxtail Kare-Kare
Steamed white rice: The classic pairing for kare-kare. It absorbs the thick peanut sauce and balances the richness of the oxtail.
Bagoong alamang: Serve this fermented shrimp paste on the side rather than mixing it into the whole dish. It adds the salty, savory contrast that kare-kare traditionally needs.
Garlic fried rice: A more flavorful alternative to plain rice, especially when serving kare-kare for a larger family meal.
Calamansi or lime wedges: A small squeeze adds freshness and cuts through the richness of the peanut sauce.
Fresh sliced chilies: Serve them on the side for anyone who wants a little heat without changing the mild flavor of the entire dish.
The simplest and most traditional combination is oxtail kare-kare with steamed rice and bagoong alamang.
Storage and Reheating
Allow leftover kare-kare to cool before transferring it to an airtight container.
Store it in the refrigerator for up to three days. The sauce will thicken as it chills because of the peanuts, rice flour and natural gelatin in the oxtail broth.
Reheat it gently in a covered saucepan over low heat. Add a small splash of broth or water and stir occasionally until the sauce loosens and the meat is hot.
Kare-kare can be frozen for up to two months. For the best texture, freeze the oxtail and sauce without the vegetables. Prepare fresh vegetables when reheating.
Slow Cooker Oxtail Kare-Kare Recipe Card
Description: Tender slow-cooked oxtail with vegetables in a rich Filipino peanut sauce.
Cuisine: Filipino
Category: Main Course
Equipment: 6-quart slow cooker
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours 30 minutes on LOW
Alternative Cook Time: 5–6 hours on HIGH
Total Time: Approximately 9 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Oxtail
- 3 pounds oxtail pieces
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce, optional
Peanut sauce
- ½ cup unsweetened smooth peanut butter
- ¼ cup finely ground roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons toasted rice flour
- 1 teaspoon annatto powder
- ½ to 1 cup cooking liquid reserved from the slow cooker
- Salt, only as needed
Vegetables
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into thick pieces
- 6 ounces sitaw or green beans
- 1 small bunch pechay or baby bok choy
- 1 cup prepared banana blossom, optional
For serving
- Steamed white rice
- Bagoong alamang
Instructions
- Pat the oxtail dry and season it with salt and black pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown the oxtail in batches for about three minutes per side.
- Transfer the browned pieces to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook the onion in the same skillet for three to four minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze the skillet with ½ cup of the measured beef broth.
- Transfer the onion mixture and liquid to the slow cooker.
- Add the remaining broth and optional fish sauce.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8–9 hours or HIGH for 5–6 hours.
- Check a large piece. The meat should be soft and beginning to pull away from the bone.
- Transfer the oxtail to a plate and skim most of the fat from the cooking liquid.
- Whisk the peanut butter with ½ cup of warm cooking liquid.
- Add the ground peanuts and toasted rice flour.
- Mix the annatto powder with two tablespoons of warm cooking liquid, then stir it into the peanut mixture.
- Pour the sauce into the slow cooker and return the oxtail.
- Cook on HIGH for 20–30 minutes.
- Blanch the beans, eggplant and leafy greens separately until just tender.
- Taste the sauce with bagoong before adding extra salt.
- Serve the oxtail and vegetables with steamed rice and bagoong alamang.
Recipe Notes
- Use unsweetened peanut butter rather than sweet sandwich-style peanut butter.
- The ½ to 1 cup of liquid listed for the sauce is taken from the slow cooker; it is not additional broth.
- Cook the vegetables separately so they stay bright and retain their shape.
- Chill the cooked oxtail overnight when you want the easiest fat-removal method.
- The sauce thickens as it rests, so wait 10 minutes before adding extra rice flour.
- Slow-cooker temperatures vary. Use tenderness, not time alone, to decide when the oxtail is ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my oxtail still tough?
It has not cooked long enough. Continue cooking until a fork enters the largest pieces easily and the meat begins separating from the bone.
Can I make kare-kare without toasted rice flour?
Yes. The peanut butter, ground peanuts and gelatin-rich broth may create enough thickness. Add toasted rice flour only when the sauce needs more body.
Can I cook the vegetables in the slow cooker?
You can add them near the end, but cooking them separately gives you much better control. Eggplant and leafy greens become soft quickly and should never cook for the full oxtail cooking time.
