Super tender, juicy, fall-apart crock pot roast is not as hard as you think! This slow cooker recipe uses a few simple ingredients (one of them is patience) to make the most flavorful (yet stupid easy) pot roast ever! Carrots add the perfect touch! Originally posted January 18, 2018.
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I don’t know about you guys, but I kind of wanted to just skip January this year, and all the dumb kale diets that go with it. I’m having some serious December withdrawals. I kind of feel like December broke up with me and I wasn’t ready for it. Now I’m dying my hair, “finding myself,” my face is breaking out and all I want is Ben and Jerry’s. Come on, December. We were so good together.
We’re two weeks into the new year anyway, and that’s usually about when my diet peters out, so I’m comin at you with some comfort food to numb the Christmas break up. POT ROAST AND MASHED POTATOES FOREVER.
You will love this Crock Pot Pot Roast
Pot Roast is a beef chuck roast that has been braised slowly with savory spices like garlic and onions. (If your grandma hasn’t made this for you at least once, you need to get a new grandma. This is American comfort food at it’s finest, especially when you pair it with Creamy Mashed Potatoes.)
Do you suck at making pot roast as much as I used to? You can be a great pot roast maker, you really can be. All it takes is a little patience and a packet of onion soup mix. (Those onion soup packets are pretty magical. I use them to make this 3 Ingredient Roasted Potatoes with Crunchy Onions, too. So good.)
Crock Pot Roast ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need at the store. (Quantities listed in recipe below.)
- 3-4 pound chuck roast
- 2 (1-ounce) packets of onion soup mix. If you have a smaller chuck roast, use 1 and ½ packets.
- Carrots
- Better Than Bouillon Beef Base. You can substitute regular beef broth if you want.
- Dried thyme. For a fun variation, try oregano or Italian seasoning.
- Bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
- Oil (for browning)
What is the best cut for making a Pot Roast in crock pot?
Chuck roast is where it’s at. Chuck roast is a really tough cut of meat, but by the time it’s done braising in the slow cooker for 8-10 hours, it has broken down into a beautiful, tender delight. You just need to wait.
Choose a chuck roast with lots of good marbling. The fat that runs throughout the meat melts while it’s cooking, essentially self-basting the roast. Fat = flavor, so choosing a marbled roast is very important. After a very long cook time, the fat has mostly melted into the meat, making it super tender and flavorful.
How to make Pot Roast in Crock Pot
Here’s a basic overview. All instructions listed in the recipe below!
Choose a well-marbled roast with lots of white fat, then brown it to get the most flavor possible.
Place the roast in a crock pot along with pan juices.
Add spices and onion soup mix, then cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Add carrots in the last 3 hours of cooking.
Don’t skip the gravy
What’s a pot roast without a little somethin somethin? This gravy takes about 5 minutes to make and will really take your pot roast up a notch.
The Drippings from the crock pot are on the left. I like to use a fat separator so that I’m making my gravy with only broth, no fat.
Better Than Bouillon is my favorite beef base. This is what I use to make the broth for the gravy (in addition to drippings). It’s affordable, it has better flavor than any other broth I’ve tried, and I can keep it on hand in the fridge.
Whisk together a little water and flour, making sure to get out all the lumps before slowly pouring it into your simmering broth/drippings.
And voila! Perfect pot roast, with plenty of gravy to go around. If your grandma really hasn’t ever made you pot roast, don’t worry, you don’t need to get a new one. Just make her this recipe and establish your reign as the pot roast ruler in your family!
Pot Roast Crock Pot FAQs
I seriously used to be the worst at making pot roast so I used to ask myself that question all the time. They always came out kind of flavorless, or worse, so tough that you could barely chew through them. But since discovering the onion soup mix trick and the most important rule (waiting), I always get super tender, flavorful, juicy pot roasts.
I love making pot roast in the slow cooker. It just seems so much easier to me than dealing with oven cooking, plus it’s nice to be able to “set it and forget it.” But you can totally make this in the oven if you want! Cook in a covered dutch oven at 300 degrees for about 4-5 hours until tender.
You know how most crock pot recipes you can cook either on low for 8 hours or on high for half the time? I don’t recommend that for pot roast. Cooking at a higher temperature for a shorter time will result in rubbery meat that will make you feel like you’re chewing on an old tire. Chuck roast is a tough cut of meat and it needs plenty of time to break down into juicy, tender deliciousness.
Short answer: no. I tested it both ways and it still tastes great so if you already started your roast or you don’t have enough time when prepping your roast you’ll still have great roast at the end of the day. However, I highly recommend browning the entire roast. It only takes a few minutes and adds a richness that can take your roast to the next level. Hey, if you’re going to the trouble to make this thing you’re probably trying to impress someone, right? You might as well take the extra step to make it amazing.
I like to add beef broth to my pot roast instead of water. It’s a great way to bring in that savory, beefy flavor. I love to use Better Than Bouillon Beef Base to make the broth.
You don’t need much broth. Pot roast is meant to be braised, which means cooking meat slowly over low heat with minimal liquid, covered. If you add too much water/broth, you are going to miss out on that roasty flavor that comes from the top part of the meat cooking above the liquid. Because braising requires a lid, the moisture stays in the pot instead of evaporating, concentrating the liquid and tenderizing your chuck roast into melt-in-your-mouth glory.
Vegetables should go on top. This recipe calls for the carrots to be added in the last 3-4 hours. Now listen here folks, I know it’s annoying to have to come back and add the carrots later. You can totally add them in at the beginning with the roast if you like, but be prepared for overcooked, mushy, and in my opinion, flavorless carrots. They will add nothing to your dinner besides some orange color, because they will have been cooked for 6 hours too long. Those poor carrots! Do yourself a favor and add the carrots later, or cook them separately.
The same goes for potatoes in my opinion. If you want to add them, put them in (cut into chunks) with the carrots. But really what you ought to do is leave the potatoes out of the slow cooker entirely. Make my Aunt Shirley’s Famous Creamy Mashed Potatoes instead. I’m pretty sure this is the way God intended pot roast to be eaten.
How to serve Crockpot Pot Roast
I would never, ever serve pot roast without mashed potatoes, and 95% of the time they’re Aunt Shirley’s Mashed Potatoes. They’re creamy, they’re easy, and they have a secret ingredient
Conveniently, your veggie side dish, carrots, is already cooked with the roast, but don’t let that stop you from serving up even more veggies. Green beans, broccoli, and asparagus are all great (click those links for my favorite ways to cook them).
If this is Sunday dinner, do it right and make homemade rolls: easy ones like these Quick One Hour Dinner Rolls, classics like Aunt Shirley’s Famous Homemade Dinner Rolls, or Garlic Knots, which are totally worth the time and will make everyone love you forever.
Storing Crock Pot Pot Roast
Pot roast can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, right along with the carrots, and some of the leftover juices from the crockpot. You can freeze it, with the juices and in an airtight container, for 2-3 months. The carrots won’t quite keep the same texture but are still perfectly fine to freeze and reheat later. I recommend defrosting in the fridge overnight and then warming up in the oven at 350 with foil on top for 10-30 minutes depending on how large a portion you’re heating up.
Oh, and if you have leftovers and want to make something completely amazing, treat yourself and make Leftover Roast Beef, Carrot, and Creamy Potato Pie. Heaven.
Here’s a few pot roast creations from readers like you! Don’t they all look so amazing??
PS!! I almost forgot to tell you something else very exciting. The entire reason I posted this crock pot roast recipe is so that you have a good basic pot roast for the LEFTOVER recipe that’s coming soon on the blog. Picture this: huge amounts of pie crust. Lots of juicy roast beef. Tender carrots. And cheesy scalloped potatoes, all piled sky high in a pie pan. Oh man guys, it’s so good, can’t wait to share. UPDATE: here it is! Leftover Roast Beef, Carrot, and Creamy Potato Pie.
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Pot Roast Slow Cooker Recipe
Ingredients
For the roast
- 3 to 4 pound chuck roast, *
- salt and pepper, copious amounts, copious I say!
- 1 tablespoon oil, optional (for browning)
- 1 & 1/2 cups water
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base, **
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 1-oz packets onion soup mix
- 2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
For the gravy
- 2-3 cups of drippings from the meat
- 1-2 cups COLD water
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
- 2 tablespoons butter, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
First you are going to have to make a choice about whether you want a really good roast, or a really REALLY good roast. Browning the meat before slow cooking makes it extra special. To do that:
- Heat a wide skillet over medium high heat. Generously salt and pepper all sides of the roast. I would say I use somewhere between 1 and 1/2 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and about a teaspoon of pepper.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to the hot pan and swirl around to coat the bottom. It should be shimmery right away if your pan is hot enough.
- Add the roast to the pan and don’t move it for about 1-2 minutes. Check to make sure it is nice and brown, then flip it over and repeat on the other side. Brown every side of your roast that you can. It should not take more than 5-6 minutes.
- Transfer the roast to your slow cooker (6 quart or larger).
- Keep the hot pan on the stove and add the water and beef base. Stir, breaking up any brown bits on the pan, until the beef base is dissolved. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the roast with the dried thyme or add the fresh thyme. (Just throw the sprig in the pot)
- Add the bay leaf.
- Dump the 2 packets of onion soup mix directly on the roast (not in the water). Use your hand to rub the dry powder into the part of the roast that is exposed. Some of it will just fall off into the water, and that’s fine.
- Cover with the lid and set to low heat. Cook for 8-10 hours. If you are a bit short on time, you can turn the slow cooker on to “high” for one hour to get things boiling, then turn back down to low. I do NOT recommend cooking this on high for 4-5 hours. You can if you want, it will be cooked, but it will not be as tender!
- If you are not browning the meat, it’s so easy. Salt and pepper the meat, rub on the thyme and onion soup mix, and place in a slow cooker. You don’t need the oil. Add all the other ingredients, set it on low, and you’re done!
- Add the carrots: about 3 hours before you want to eat, add the peeled and chopped carrots. See photos, they don’t need to be tiny pieces, I tend to like the bigger chunks myself.
- When the meat is fork tender and easy to shred, carefully remove it to a cutting board and let rest for a couple minutes. Then shred with two forks or slice with a serrated knife against the grain. Transfer the roast and the carrots to a serving platter and keep warm. (Taste a carrot to see if it needs salt and pepper)
- To make the gravy: Use a fat separator to get the fat from the top of the drippings. Discard fat and add the drippings to a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to high. (Use all of the drippings that you have, up to 3 cups. You want about 4 cups of liquid going into your gravy, and at least one cup needs to be COLD water to dissolve the flour.)
- In a measuring cup, whisk together 1-2 cups COLD water (or beef stock, if you’re not using beef base) with the flour. Make sure you get rid of all the lumps.
- When the drippings have heated to a boil, slowly stir in the flour mixture while stirring. Add the beef base and bring the mixture to a low boil.
- Let the gravy simmer for 3-5 minutes until it has thickened.
- At this point you can add the butter if you want. It’s not necessary, but it does add some richness that I love. Season with salt and pepper. Make sure you taste it first!
- Devour, preferably with these Famous Creamy Mashed Potatoes. To die for!!
Has anyone used a casserole crock pot? Does it handle this recipe as well as a regular one? It’s so much shallower, I wonder.
Hey Joy! That’s a good question. I’ve never used a casserole crock pot before. I imagine that as long as the lid seals entirely, it would be fine.
I’m cooking this right now, although I didn’t have all the ingredients, I did have the better than boullion base. It already smells great.
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I have made many roasts in the crock pot and they are often tasty but tough (I think because I cook them on “high” instead of “low” setting. I am very excited about your tips and am planning on make a roast tomorrow. Will be sure to cook it on the low setting for the 10 hours, and hope it is fork tender. I am also going to make your mashed potato recipe!! Can’t wait!
P.S. I’m from the South and say “y’all” but didn’t find you to be offensive in the slightest :)
Thanks again!
Ahh can I come for dinner Valerie?? ;) Mashed potatoes and pot roast will probably always be my favorite meal. I hope your roast turns out fork tender! Thanks for commenting!
PS But what if I consistently misspell is “Ya’ll”? will you still love me? ;)
Hi, Karen! I gotta say, you take negative comments like a champ. I don’t think I could do this sort of thing, I would lose it on people entirely too often!!
I was just gonna add in something I do a little differently, just to share! I don’t add any water at all! I literally put my roast in the cooker, then carrots and potatoes on top, seal that sucker up tight, and let it cook for 10 hours. The heat causes the juices to flow out of the meat and also soaks that flavor back into the meat and into my veggies. They never come out mushy. I’ve been told by several people that I make the best pot roast they’ve ever had, and that’s coming from folks with southern cooking moms and grandmothers!
Haha! Thanks Melanie! It’s true sometimes I have to bite my tongue pretty hard ;)
Okay, I love this no liquid idea. I’m totally going to try it out. I’m really curious to see if it will make me change my mind about carrots and potatoes in the crock!! Thanks for the tip Melanie!!
Thank you for the detailed instructions! Made the roast with 1.5 cups beef stock and only one packet of onion soup mix (this is what I had in the house). Did brown before putting it in the slow cooker. I turned it down to warm after 6 hours or so and ate it after about 8. It was SO tender and flavorful! Did not do the gravy or vegetables – just the meat. This will be my go-to pot roast recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it Jennie! Who needs veggies anyway it’s all about the beef right ;) Here’s to having a new go-to recipe! Thanks for commenting!
Delicious!!!!
My new favorite go to Roast beef Dinner
Added Carrots and Green Beans the last hour of Cooking with a 1/2 c red wine.
So flavorful and tender.
Green beans and red wine! That sounds delicious Nancy!
Recipe sucks. After 8 hours meat was still tough as hell. Dinner wasted (and I followed recipe to a T). I threw it out after spending good money on all the ingredients – tender, fall apart my ass – how bout salty & tough as hell!
Hey Lori! I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. I make this recipe all the time (seriously, it’s a go to for me) and have never had any issues. What cut of meat did you buy? Any chuck roast that you leave on low in the crock pot for that long should at least be tender, even if the flavors are off. I’m wondering if the cut of meat is the problem?
We are not “guys”. Many of us are ladies. Don’t disrespect us just because saying “you guys” is currently “in” especially with uneducated.
Hey Margo! It’s slang. Where I’m from (California), people say “you guys” when they mean “all of you” just like Texans say y’all. I know you guys aren’t all dudes. :) (Do you hate dude too?? ;)
you arent disrepectful. thanks for the recipe
:) Thanks for the support April!
Lol I say you guys all the time and I’m also from California. Maybe I could say ladies and gentlemen or people or whatever. Thanks for taking the time to share your recipe. Sorry about the potatoes ( and rude comments) I hate when that happens. I’m planing on making a roast tonight and this looks really good. Unfourtanly I don’t have a slow cooker, only a countertop, convection, rotisserie oven. So I’m just trolling around for tips lol
Trolling around for tips, lol!! That made me laugh. Thanks Tara!! You guys forever! ;)
As a very classy lady myself, I’m having a hard time understanding how to be offended by being called “you guy” or even “dude.” Maybe I just haven’t evolved yet… ;)
Haha! We’re so classy Lydia ;) love it
Really?!!Smh
Wow, you sound like an expert at disrespecting people, lol.
I am preparing to make a Tender Pot Roast in my slow cooker, and I thought I’d look for a new recipe other than my favorite – time for a change. I found your recipe and I noticed that you use Onion Soup Mix (no pantry is complete without OSM). I like the option you offer of not braising the roast. I have done that in the past – no patience for that extra step at this stage of my cooking. This is how I cooked pot roasts before I had a Slow Cooker, and I was making them in the oven in a Dutch oven pot.
Place the pot roast in aluminum foil in the pot you are using. After the herbs and the Onion Soup Mix, I spooned one can (use more depending on the size of the roast) of “Creamed Mushroom Soup” on top of the mixture. Cover the entire roast. Gather the foil around the roast and loosely seal it. All that goodness enters the roast and makes for a mouth-watering meal, AND, the BEST EVER gravy!!! It eliminates the step of gravy-making, for which I have no patience either. I do the same thing with the slow cooker, but I use slow cooker bags, and I do not seal them – same delicious results. Put the lid on the slow cooker and go shopping. And, I also prefer mashed potatoes and separately cooked vegetables.
“Put the lid on and go shopping” you are my kind of woman Jacque!! Haha! Love it. That is a great idea to use a creamy soup and skip the gravy making step! Genius, I will have to try it out! And I agree, no pantry is complete without Onion Soup Mix. It’s just good for so many things! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment, I love hearing from you!!
Do you ever turn the meat while cooking it. I have found that the liquid tends to only come half way up the meat.
Hey Kevin! I’ve never had an issue with that, the meat is tender all the way through. But you could certainly turn it halfway if you want! Great question!
Have you tried this with your pressure cooker? I just got a copper pot and I’m dying to use it and I happen to have everything to make this again.
I haven’t tried it yet! Call Laura! She’s the queen of Instant Pot!!
So glad I’m going to the store tomorrow. This will be perfect for this weekend!
My heart is broken about those mashed potatoes, I’ve done that too and just about cried. Of all things to have ruined.
Yeah this was super tender and you didn’t mention that we used the leftovers to make tacos because the meat fell apart like shredded beef… mmmmmm…
I forgot! Yes! Amaaaazing tacos :)
One more comment Karen: I read through all your instructions and in my opinion, I wouldn’t make this with a rump or round roast. Maybe it’s just the rump or round roasts that were in my freezer, but I’ve tried this several times with a rump roast and I could not cook it long enough (overnight after an all day slow cook, we’re talking about) to make it flavorful and tender. My mom would do her rump roasts by browning in an oven safe large pan (like a dutch oven), adding some liquid and covering with foil and then the lid and braising in the oven on a low temp for 4-6 hours. When I cooked a rump roast this way it turned out much better, but still nowhere near as tender and delicious as a chuck roast. I had the rump roasts in my freezer when we bought a side of beef. I do not ever buy them. Maybe someone else has a foolproof recipe for a rump roast, but this is the only way I’ve ever had good luck with it.
Ah! Thanks for commenting Kris! I remember you telling me all about your adventures with the persnickety rump roast now, I forgot what cut it was. I changed the notes and just recommended a chuck roast instead. Last night I did a little research and found a few sites that recommended rump for pot roast, so I added it to the list of possibilities. But I trust you way more than the internet, so chuck roast it is!
You always make me smile Karen! I think I broke up with December also and it’s been pretty depressing. Funny that we made this exact roast yesterday! I never get tired of it. I think I first got this recipe when I was in college. One of my roommates made it this way and it was impossible to screw it up. My mouth waters just thinking about it with mashed potatoes!
I feel like everyone has a recipe similar to this, right? But I still like to post it just so that I officially have it in the files. And I’m always shocked when I talk to friends who DON’T have recipes that I think are “basic” like this one.