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Learn how to make a tender, flavorful pot roast in your slow cooker! Follow this easy step-by-step guide to make the perfect Crock Pot Roast. Perfect for a cold night or a Sunday dinner.
My Crock Pot Roast recipe is the best you’ll ever taste – a super tender, fall-apart slow cooker pot roast with incredible flavor that’s cooked all day in the slow cooker. Served with a simple brown gravy, carrots and potatoes, it’s a homey and delicious Sunday supper or weeknight dinner. This pot roast in the crockpot is simply perfection.
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The Best Slow Cooker Pot Roast
There’s no better comfort food than a hearty crock pot roast. The veggies cook with the meat, so we just serve it up with some Homemade Dinner Rolls or Garlic Cheese Biscuits and a copycat Olive Garden Salad.
A slow cooked chuck roast really feels like a classy, elegant home-cooked meal making it perfect for Sunday supper or serving company. It’s also total comfort food, the kind that takes you back to your childhood dinner table.
This slow cooker pot roast is fall-apart, melt-in-your-mouth tender. The smell will greet you at the door when you come home after a long day and that creamy gravy will send everything soaring over the top.
For more comfort food favorites, try our Crock Pot Pork Roast, Top Round Roast and Chicken Fried Steak.
Why We Love This Crock Pot Roast
- It’s way easier than cooking it in the oven. Just set it and forget it!
- It makes its own gravy.
- It’s absolutely, incredibly fall apart tender.
- The beef roast and vegetables cook together in the slow cooker, for an easy one pan meal.
- It doesn’t heat up your house like an oven does so you can enjoy it year round.
Ingredients For A Delicious Crock Pot Roast
- Chuck roast – 2-3 pounds is average for what you’ll find in the grocery store and it will feed at least 4-6 people.
- Roast seasoning – salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, dried thyme, and dried rosemary.
- Olive oil – for searing the roast.
- Vegetables – For cooking with the roast and adding flavor. A large onion, a couple of russet potatoes, and some carrots. You could try yukon gold potatoes, but add them about halfway through the cooking time as they don’t take as long to become tender.
- Garlic cloves – added to flavor the broth.
- Beef broth – This is what will combine with the juices from the meat to create that succulent gravy.
- Thickening – Cornstarch and broth water mix to make the thickener for the gravy that you’ll add to the slow cooker at the end.
- Garnish – you can use fresh parsley, fresh thyme or rosemary to garnish the roast before serving.
How To Make A Crock Pot Roast
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cooking a pot roast in your crockpot is probably one of the easiest slow cooker dinners there is, and it’s pure comfort food!
Prepare the roast. You’ll want to start with a nice big chuck roast; trim any large chunks of fat before adding the seasoning. I season my roast with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, dried thyme and rosemary, then brown it in my cast iron skillet on all sides. This means holding it up with the tongs while the shorter sides are seared.
Add everything to the slow cooker. Carrots, onions, garlic and potatoes are placed into the crockpot with the roast is nestled on top. While you don’t necessarily need to add liquid, for this beef roast I add some beef broth to that I will have enough liquid to help the gravy at the end.
Make the gravy. Combine a couple of tablespoons of liquid from the crock pot with an equal amount of cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk until it’s nice and smooth (just a fork works great for this), then stir it with the liquid in the slow cooker (you can turn it up to high to help speed up the process. It should thicken in just a few minutes, then you can spoon it over the pot roast, or put the pot roast back into the slow cooker if you like.
Arrange for serving. Once the meat is fully cooked and the veggies are nice and tender, remove them from the slow cooker to a serving platter and garnish with fresh herbs.
FAQs
A pot roast is a large, tough cut of meat that’s slow cooked in water, wine, stock or broth to make it incredibly juicy and pull apart tender. Herbs and other seasonings can be added. Often the juices are reserved to make a gravy.
You don’t have to brown a roast before cooking it in the crock pot. However doing so will create a more rich and complex flavor profile in the meat by caramelizing the meat and toasting the seasonings. In my experience, it also holds the meat together a little better so you can remove it from the slow cooker for serving if you wish.
Tougher cuts of meat actually make the best pot roast. In lean cuts of meat the high amounts of collagen break down and turn into gelatin which then tenderizes the meat, creating that melt-in-your-mouth succulence. The juices thicken and create a rich, delicious sauce to spoon over the meat.
Chuck, Brisket, and Round roasts make the best pot roast. I also like using tri-tip because I love the flavor, but it doesn’t always turn out as tender.
The great thing about this slow cooker pot roast recipe is that you have a flexible time frame. Chuck roast is a tender cut of beef that is hard to ruin unless it’s severely over or undercooked.
Cook the roast and vegetables for 8-10 hours on low or 6-7 hours on high. I recommend low and slow if you can; slow cooking at a lower temperature will provide the most tender and juicy meat.
A slow cooker roast is best when cooked low and slow. Using the high temperature setting will work and you’ll still get a flavorful roast, but for the most juicy, tender melt-in-your-mouth meat, you want to cook on low.
This roast recipe makes its own gravy! All you need to do is transfer the cooked roast and veggies to a serving platter and add some cornstarch slurry to the slow cooker. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes and you’ll have a thick gravy that will wow anyone who tastes it.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, or just prefer not to use one, you can try our recipes for Dutch Oven Pot Roast and Instant Pot Pot Roast.
Serving Suggestions
The best way to serve this roast is simply with potatoes and carrots and homemade gravy.
If you opt to leave out the vegetables, you’ll want to add a couple of sides, like Honey Roasted Carrots, Garlic Green Beans, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes or Twice Baked Potato Casserole.
Storage and Reheating
Depending on the size of your roast, you may have some leftover. If you’re not planning to use it for another meal, the leftover meat is great for shredded roast beef sandwiches!
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Freezer: To freeze leftovers, cool completely and freeze meat and veggies in a freezer container for up to 3 months. Freeze the gravy separately in a freezer bag. Thaw everything in the fridge overnight. The gravy should be reheated in a small saucepan on the stove while the meat and vegetables can be reheated in the microwave.
Make Ahead Instructions
If you want to prep this recipe the day before, you can certainly do so. It will save you from rushing to get it done in the morning!
Season and sear the meat and chop all the vegetables. Layer everything in the crock pot as directed, cover, and refrigerate. In the morning, you can just place the pot right into the unit and set it to cook all day. You will need to add 15-30 minutes to the cook time since you’re starting from cold.
Expert Tips
- Brown the roast. Don’t skip this step – it seals in the flavor and creates that lovely golden sear.
- Customize the herbs and vegetables. Swap out the potatoes for your favorites, like sweet potatoes, turnips, or other root vegetables. Sometimes I’ll add onions or celery. I also love to use fresh herbs placed right in the slow cooker.
- Kick up the seasoning a little by adding onion powder and Worcestershire sauce, or even onion soup mix.
- Veggies too soft? If you prefer the vegetables more firm, place them on top of the roast or add them during the last half of the cooking time.
- Gravy tips: If you don’t have cornstarch but still want that delicious brown gravy, you can make a gravy on the stove top with a roux. Strain the juices from the crockpot into a large glass measuring cup using a mesh strainer. Melt some butter in a skillet or sauce pan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for a couple of minutes until golden, then pour in about 2 cups of the reserved broth. Simmer until thick.
More Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes To Love
- Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
- Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
- Crockpot Orange Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
- BBQ Chicken Drumsticks in the Slow Cooker
- Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound chuck roast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion cut into large pieces
- 2 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 pound carrots peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups beef broth or stock
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- Fresh minced parsley
Instructions
- Rinse the roast and pat it dry. Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, thyme and rosemary and rub into the roast on all sides.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown roast on all sides; about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Place carrots, onion, garlic and potatoes into the slow cooker. Pour in beef broth, then set the browned chuck roast on top.
- Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
- Transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish. Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl then pour into the slow cooker. Whisk together to combine. Cover and cook on high for 5 minutes, just enough to thicken the gravy.
- Serve meat and vegetables smothered in gravy, with minced parsley for garnish if desired.
Video
Notes
- To make a gravy without cornstarch: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter (preferably unsalted) in a medium saucepan, then whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it’s golden in color. Pour in 2 cups of the beef juices from the crockpot (strain them first so you’ll have a smooth gravy) and whisk to combine. Bring the gravy to a simmer and let it bubble for about 5-7 minutes or until it’s thickened. Taste the gravy before adding any seasonings.
- Make Ahead Instructions: Season and sear the meat and chop all the vegetables. Layer everything in the crock pot as directed, cover and refrigerate. In the morning, you can just place the pot right into the unit and set it to cook all day. You will need to add 15-30 minutes to the cook time since you’re starting from cold.
- Fridge storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave.
- Freezer storage: To freeze leftovers, cool completely and freeze meat and veggies in a freezer container for up to 3 months. Freeze the gravy separately in a freezer bag. Thaw everything in the fridge overnight. The gravy should be reheated in a small saucepan on the stove while the meat and vegetables can be reheated in the microwave.
I first made the roast using the recipe and it was a big hit. The next time I made the roast, rather than greasing the pan for browning the roast, I’ made a pan of bacon and (1) used the bacon grease to brown the roast and (2) put the bacon into the crock pot as part of the mix. It was sensational.
Thank you Tom for sharing your feedback and positive experience. Great idea about the bacon grease and adding the bacon…sounds delicious.
This recipe is delicious if followed as is but it’s also a wonderful base to experiment and make it more “your own”. One way I’ve recently tried is mixing this with my mom’s recipe she used to like by adding condensed french onion, cream of mushroom soup, and worchestershire sauce (I put less onion than the recipe calls for when I do this for obvious reasons).
I pretty much revisit this recipe constantly for reference of proportions and the steps.
Thank you Cody! Your positive statement is absolutely true. the base recipe is perfect for most, quick and simple but adding your own twist can make it extra special.
thanks again for stopping by.
How would you incorporate the mushroom soup into the recipe?
I suppose you could add it to the gravy at the end.
Good shit
Thanks Dillan!
I only bought a little over a pound of chuck roast. Can I still use your recipe? The cooking time in the crockpot should be a lot less, I would gather. Do you have nay idea how long I should cook it and do you do it on low, med or hi??? It’s Father’s Day 2019, and I am making it tomorrow. I hope you can get to me before then.
Hi Joan, I’m sorry I couldn’t get back to you sooner. Yes I would say cook it a little less but not too much. The great thing about a roast like this is that it’s hard to overcook it unless you go many hours over. I hope it turned out great!
Love your recipe which seems like a breeze to make, On Father’s Day I plan to serve 12 people , four of which are men and heavy eaters. What are your recommendations for increasing the amount of roast?
You would need to at least double the amount. One recipe will feed about 5-6. I’d recommend using two slow cookers though if you can. Maybe make a lot of sides to go with it.
Beef broth by itself or with water? Part 2 of the question is how much broth? Thank you!
There is no water added, just the beef broth. It’s 2 cups, as called for in the ingredients list.
should the roast be covered with broth…or is it fine if the roast sits on top of the liquid and veges
The roast sits on top of the veggies and broth. It doesn’t need to be covered.
Excellent!! I was lacking beef broth so I used 1 cup of water and 1 cup of Cabnert Sauvignon. YUM!!! Do not think there will be ANY left overs!
That’s awesome Michele! So glad you enjoyed it!
2 cups of broth [liquid] then?? I wasn’t sure how much I should add
Thanks! Can’t wait to try your recipe. I can eat dinner for several days off a good pot roast. An all-time favorite in my house.
That’s awesome Joanie! Thank you!
Oh my gosh this was the best roast I’ve ever tasted! So tender and the gravy was delicious!!
Came out tender and delicious!
That’s awesome Matthew! thank you for sharing your positive experience!
This is the first thing I cooked in my new crockpot. Taking other reviewers’ advice, I browned a 3.66 lb. boneless chuck roast in a little olive oil after rubbing low sodium Montreal Steak Seasoning and 1 chopped fresh garlic clove. I cut the roast in half before setting it in the crockpot as it was so big. I used 2 cans of beef broth instead of water and used small red potatoes, along with 1 sliced onion and I also chopped up some baby carrots, 2 more cloves of garlic and omitted the celery.
Great idea, love that you made it your own!
Is the roast not supposed to be submerged, even partially, in the liquid? Because once I put the pototoes, carrots, onion, and garlic into the slow cooker, added two cups of beef broth, and then put the roast on top, that’s what happened. The roast is not submerged in any liquid. Well, it’s cooking now. I’ll see what happens.
It’s actually a misconception that meat requires liquid to cook in a slow cooker! The meat provides it’s own liquid and comes out tender and juicy. I know you let this comment a couple of days ago, so I hope you enjoyed the meal!
5 stars for sure! I had a really good piece of Chuck to cook up and we are Not a family of steak eaters. House smelled so good while cooking! And…. everybody ate it! My husband who has said he would never eat roast again because his mother cooked it so dry, my picky 9 year old, and the rest of us.
2.5 lb chuck, as written it’s perfectly seasoned!
5.6-6 hours on high.
I hate spending a bunch of time in the kitchen for nobody to eat any of it. This one is almost gone and It’s a hit!!
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for your detailed review! Glad your family enjoyed the roast.
Can you add a packet of Lipton Onion dry soup mix or would it make it too Salty?
Leave out the salt and I think it would be delicious!
It makes it very tasty just don’t add Salt
Your pot roast recipe has been cooking for about 4 hours and the whole house smells delicious! I know that it will be perfect. Can’t wait to serve it to my wife, sister and 94 year old Mother tonight! Thanks for the help!
Thank you Wes!
I used this recipe for my very first attempt at a roast as I’m very hesitant to do much with red meat. It turned out great! The meat was so tender it fell apart just by looking at it.
I deviated from the recipe a bit in that I used a package of fresh herbs because it came as part of the sale with the roast. I also used some red pepper flakes and dried basil. Didn’t get the heat from the flakes, but definitely got the flavor.
The only thing I suggest is reducing the juices before adding the corn starch slurry in order to get a thicker gravy.
Thank you again!
Thank you for sharing your feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed the roast. For the gravy I’d actually recommend adding more cornstarch/water mixture if it’s not thick enough. To omuch gravy is never a bad thing! 🙂
Seems amazing recipe. Can you also add a section on how we can do this in an oven.
This looks so amazing Kristin. This seems easy too. Thanks
Not enough room in my crock pot, so I put in oven.. not sure what temp, so 350? Not sure how long.. it’s in the oven now, we will see.. ?
Low setting on a slow cooker = 190 degrees F and High setting = 300 degrees F.