This iconic crock pot roast beef is in a league of its own. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an easier slow cooker pot roast recipe with more flavor, depth, and color. The contrast of the carrots, potatoes, and beets makes this pot roast recipe stand out.
Contents
If you are a home cook and love pot roasts, then you'll appreciate my ultimate bottom round roast with a delicious horseradish cream sauce and my slow roasted eye of round recipe with fresh chimichurri.
🌟 Why this recipe is the best
Nothing beats a nice slower cooker roast beef for simplistic cooking and maximum flavor! All you need to do is throw the ingredients in the crock pot and let the small kitchen appliance do the work for you, giving you peace of mind and a fantastic slow cooker pot roast dinner.
For this tender beef roast recipe, we're browning the beef to add color and flavor, then slow-cooking it for 6 hours until the meat falls apart.
Then the leftover beef juices are saved to make a delicious beef gravy to serve with the potatoes and carrots.
Although there is a fair amount of ingredients for this beef pot roast, the prep work only takes 25 minutes to cut the veggies and prepare the gravy, and by the end of it all, your family will thank you for serving them such a delicious pot roast dinner similar to my collection of best recipes using beef stew meat. So yum!
Slow cooker pot roast recipes give you perfect results every time compared to oven roasted. And the flavors you get from slow cooker beef create a rich and flavorsome beef broth that tastes garlicky, herby, and savory.
Slower cooker recipes are some of the most delicious recipes and easy recipes. Try my recipe for crock pot beef roast and enjoy this fantastic meal with the whole family.
🍽 Key Ingredients
The flavors from slow-cooking for several hours with other key ingredients like garlic, onion, and herbs create a rich and flavorsome beef broth.
Beef roast - Ask your butcher for a boneless roast for the perfect pot roast. No chuck roast, try one of these best cuts for roasts as an alternative.
Vegetables - Use Yukon gold potatoes and thick carrots to hold up during cooking and chopped garlic cloves and onion. Red potatoes are another good option!
Liquid ingredients - Use olive oil for browning the meat and beef broth, beef consommé, and Worcestershire sauce for the gravy.
Herbs - Fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and bay leaves add flavor to the beef
Gravy thickener - Butter and all-purpose flour mixture to thicken the rich gravy.
Substitutions
Potatoes
Yukon gold potatoes are the best for a long cooking time because they stay firm during the cooking process. Although if you can't get them, another equal substitute is russet potatoes, red potatoes, and lastly baby potatoes.
Optional
Add depth and flavor to your favorite pot roast by adding 1 pound of red beets and a cup of red wine (note 3).
🔪 How to make a Tender Pot Roast
Making a tender slow cooker pot roast is easy when you have help-in-hand from a crock pot. The only thing you need to do is cut the vegetables and brown the roast, then set the machine timer for 4-6 hours to work its magic!
Preparation
- Remove roast from the fridge, unwrap, and pat the roast's surface with a paper towel to remove any moisture.
- Let the meat sit for 30-60 minutes to bring to room temperature. Pat again with a paper towel to ensure the roast is dry and ready for seasoning.
- Generously season the entire roast with salt and pepper. Don’t hold back; use a liberal amount of salt and pepper.
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Pre-heat a cast iron skillet on high with safflower or canola oil (note 1). Brown roast on all sides and transfer to a crockpot.
Step 2
Cover with beef consommé, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce.
Step 3
Time to add the veggies: onion, carrots, potatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and salt and pepper.
Step 4
Add red beets and red wine for extra flavor. These are optional but in my experience elevate the flavor and richness of my pot roast.
Step 5
Cover with lid and cook 4-6 hours on high. If your roast is on the smaller side, it will take less time to cook. If your roast is on the larger side, it will take more time to cook. Roast is done when it is very tender.
Step 6
Remove the meat to a shallow bowl using a slotted spoon. Remove carrots, potatoes, and onions, and place them into a serving dish. Set aside.
Making the gravy
Step 7
Skim fat, measure out 2 cups of hot cooking liquid (note 2), and reserve. I often use more, but prefer a thinner gravy.
Step 8
In a large bowl, combine butter and flour until smooth paste forms. Pour the hot cooking liquid into the butter-flour mixture and stir to thicken. Pour gravy into the slow cooker, stir to create a gravy, and cover and cook for another 20 minutes or so.
Serving
Step 9
While the gravy is cooking, shred the roast, removing excess fat. Add the meat and vegetables to the gravy and serve. Or serve separately with gravy on the side.
Cooking Notes
- Cooking oils have varying smoke points. Safflower (510 °F) or canola (428 °F) oil are two of the highest and are fantastic for searing and browning meat at high temperatures. If you do not have either, you can use olive oil (350 °F) as a backup; however, reduce the heat to medium-high to avoid burning the oil.
- Skimming fat is easy with a fat separator like Oxo’s 4 cup fat separator. Otherwise, try sucking the fat off with a turkey baster.
- Optional ingredients like red beets and red wine add flavor and depth. Plus, I love the color contrast between the orange carrots, yellow potatoes, and red beets. And the red wine ties everything together perfectly.
💭 Tips for Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Thickener
To thicken the gravy further, you can mix 1 tablespoon of cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water and pour it into the gravy to instantly thicken up.
Veg size
When chopping the vegetables, make sure to cut them into large pieces to come out tender in one piece and not mushy after hours of cooking.
📖 Recipe Variations
I love making this moist slow cooker roast beef recipe! They're easy and flexible with the ingredients you add to the crock pot. Try some of these utterly delicious variations.
Mississippi Pot Roast
You'll love this variation if you're a fan of ranch dressing. Add 1 packet of ranch dressing mix and 5 pepperoncini peppers with the beef before cooking for 4 to 6 hours - the result is mouth-watering tender beef with a sublime gravy.
Pot Roast with Onion Soup Mix
Add a sachet of dry onion soup mix to the boneless chuck roast will give it an intense depth of flavor, and brown the beef with a sprinkle of onion and garlic powder to generate a robust meaty flavor.
Pot roast with cream of mushroom soup
Give your meat a touch of cream with this simple variation. Substitute the beef consomme for a can of mushroom soup and let the flavors simmer away until the beef is tender, then stir in 1 cup of sour cream when making the gravy for a seriously tasty creamy dinner.
🥗 What to serve with
Pair one of these delicious side dishes with your savory pot roast and gravy for an incredible family meal.
Mashed Potatoes
I love a good mashed potato recipe for dinner. Mashed potatoes go with meat and fish recipes, and this creamy and garlicky mashed potato recipe with cream cheese is a game-changer. Plus I love potatoes and gravy!
Asparagus
Buttery and crunchy asparagus with almonds is a great side dish for tender beef, and it's so easy to make in less than 20 minutes and less than 100 calories per serving.
Cauliflower Rice
Unlike traditional rice recipes that are starchy, this summery cilantro and lime cauliflower rice recipe is full of flavor and delicious with this slow cooker roast beef recipe.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the crock pot?
Yes, browning a roast beef will add more flavor to the meal itself. However, not every slow cooker recipe states to sear the roast before slow cooking for several hours, but if you brown it off first, your gravy will be more flavorsome.
Should the pot roast be covered with liquid in the slow cooker?
No. For best results, the liquid should only cover half of the roast. You want that roasty flavor that the top half produces as it cooks. The beef and veggies will also add more moisture as they cook, giving you more liquid.
What's the best roast for a pot roast?
Chuck roast is one of the best roasts for slow cooking because it has the right amount of marbling and lean meat. It's inexpensive too and full of flavor. Alternately, there is rump, bottom round, or sirloin. Check best cuts for roast beef for detailed information.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ Reheating
You will likely have some leftovers, depending on the size of your beef roast, and you can easily refrigerate or freeze them.
Fridge - Wrap the leftover roast beef in aluminum foil and store it in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Freezer - Transfer roast to an airtight container or a freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Reheating - Reheat the leftovers in a preheated oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes until the beef is warm. It doesn't need to be piping hot, otherwise, it will dry out the longer it cooks.
👪 Serving Size
This slow cooker pot roast recipe will provide you with enough tender beef and veggies for approximately 6 people, depending on the size of your chuck roast.
Pot roasts are a foolproof way of cooking beef perfectly every time - even if you leave it longer than required - it will be even more tender. You can add your favorite veggies to the crockpot or an onion soup mix for a richer flavor. The possibilities are endless with pot roasts!
Looking for cheap and easy meals? Learn more about easy cheap dinner ideas in my 50 best budget-friendly recipes.
🎥 Watch how to make it
📋 Recipe
Crockpot "Pot Roast" Slow Cooked to Perfection
Equipment
- 1 crockpot
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 Knife
- 1 Skillet
- 1 tong
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 10.5 ounces beef consommé - 1 can
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme - or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary - or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 2 bay leaf
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 pounds carrots - cut into large chunks
- 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes
- 1 large onion - diced
- 2 tablespoons butter - softened
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- salt & pepper to taste
Optional
- 1 pound red beets
- 1 cup red wine
Instructions
Preparation
- Remove roast from fridge, unwrap, and pat the roasts surface with a paper towel to remove any moisture.
- Let the meat sit for 30-60 minutes to bring to room temperature. Pat again with a paper towel to ensure the roast is dry and ready for seasoning.
- Generously season the entire roast with salt and pepper. Don’t hold back, use a liberal amount of salt and pepper.
Cooking Instructions
- Pre-heat a cast iron skillet on high with safflower or canola oil (note 1)
- Brown roast on all sides and transfer to a crockpot.
- Cover with beef consommé, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, onion, carrots, potatoes, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, red beets, red wine and salt and pepper if necessary.
- Cover with lid and cook 4-6 hours on high. If your roast is on the smaller side, it will take less time for it to cook. If your roast is on the larger side, it will take more time for it to cook. Roast is done when it is very tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a shallow bowl and set aside. Remove carrots, potatoes, onions, beets and place into a serving dish. Set aside.
- Skim fat and measure out 2 cups of hot cooking liquid (note 2) and reserve.
- In a large bowl, combine butter and flour together until a smooth paste forms. Pour the hot cooking liquid into the butter-flour mixture and stir to thicken. Pour into the slow cooker, stir to create a gravy, and cover and cook for another 20 minutes or so.
- While gravy is cooking, shred the roast, removing any excess fat.
- Add the meat and vegetables to the gravy and serve. Or serve separately with gravy on the side.
Video
Notes
- Cooking oils have varying smoke points. Safflower (510 °F) or canola (428 °F) oil are two of the highest and are fantastic for searing and browning meat at high-temperatures. If you do not have either of these, you can use olive oil (350 °F) as a backup, however reduce the heat to medium-high to avoid burning the oil.
- Skimming fat is easy with a fat separator like Oxo’s 4 cup fat separator. Otherwise try sucking the fat off with a turkey baster.
- Optional ingredients like red beets and red wine add flavor and depth. Plus I love the color contrast between the orange carrots, yellow potatoes, and red beets. And the red wine ties everything together perfectly.
- To thicken the gravy further, you can mix 1 tablespoon of cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water and pour it into the gravy to instantly thicken up.
- When chopping the vegetables, make sure to cut them into large pieces to come out tender in one piece and not mushy after hours of cooking.
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