Pot Roast Crockpot Recipe

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This Pot Roast Crockpot is an easy dinner for busy weeknights, Sunday dinners, or family meals. Beef roast, vegetables, and savory gravy cook low and slow until the meat is fall-apart tender and full of flavor. Serve it on its own or with buttery mashed potatoes for a hearty, satisfying meal.

 

Ingredient Notes

Here’s a quick look at the ingredients that make this slow cooker pot roast rich, tender, and full of flavor.

• Olive Oil: Use olive oil to sear the roast and help give it a nice golden-brown crust before it goes into the slow cooker.
• Chuck Roast: Chuck roast, sometimes labeled as pot roast at the store, has enough marbling to become tender and flavorful after slow cooking.
• Beef Consommé: Beef consommé adds a rich, savory flavor and helps create a flavorful base for the roast.
• Beef Broth: Beef broth adds extra moisture while the roast cooks and helps build the savory cooking liquid.
• Worcestershire Sauce: A little Worcestershire sauce adds a deep, savory flavor that works especially well with beef.
• Onion: Diced onion cooks down into the sauce, adding mild sweetness and extra flavor to the roast.
• Garlic: Minced garlic gives the cooking liquid a simple savory boost without overpowering the other flavors.
• Fresh Thyme: Fresh thyme adds a light herbal flavor, or use ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves instead.
• Bay Leaf: The bay leaf adds subtle herbal flavor as the roast slowly cooks.
• Carrots: Cut the carrots into large chunks, so they hold their shape while cooking and soak up some of the flavorful broth.
• Butter: Use softened butter to make the thickening mixture for the gravy.
• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour combines with the softened butter to thicken the cooking liquid into a smooth, rich gravy.

How to Make a Crockpot Pot Roast

Most pot roast recipes use similar ingredients. Some add tomatoes or red wine, but I prefer this recipe without them. If you like, add 1 tablespoon tomato paste and replace half the beef broth with red wine.

For exact amounts and full instructions, see the printable recipe card below. Here’s what to expect:

Step 1: Prep + Brown Roast

Remove the roast from the fridge, unwrap it, and pat dry with paper towels to remove moisture. Let sit 45 minutes to an hour to bring to room temperature. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides, then transfer to the crockpot.

Step 2: Add Vegetables, Liquids + Spices

Cover with beef consommé, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and more salt and pepper if desired.

Step 3: Cover + Cook on High

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 longer to cook. The roast is done when it is very tender.

Step 4: Make the Gravy

I use this fat separator from OXO, and it does a great job of separating the fat from the cooking juices, and it also pulls out any large chunks you may have missed that you don’t want in your gravy.

Step 5: Separate Fat from Cooking Liquid for Gravy

Using a slotted spoon, remove the roast to a shallow bowl and set aside. Remove the carrots and onions and place them in a serving dish. Set aside. Pour cooking liquid through a fat separator. Discard fat and measure out 2 cups of hot cooking liquid.

Step 6: Add Butter + Flour to Hot Cooking Liquid, Return to Crockpot

In a large bowl, stir butter and flour together until a smooth paste forms. Pour the hot cooking liquid into the butter-flour mixture and stir to thicken. The heat from the liquid should melt the butter-flour mixture and thicken it pretty quickly. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker and stir to create a gravy. Cover and cook for about 20 more minutes.

Step 7: Shred Meat + Serve

Remove fat from meat and shred. Place into serving dish with carrots. Spoon over hot gravy and serve. Mashed potatoes optional!

Tips for Success

• Brown the roast first. A quick sear adds deeper flavor to the meat and cooking liquid, and it takes only about 10 extra minutes.
• Use beef consommé for the best flavor. It has a more concentrated beef flavor than regular broth or stock, which makes a noticeable difference in the finished gravy.
• Don’t cut the carrots too small. Larger chunks are less likely to turn mushy during the long cooking time.
• Leave enough room in the slow cooker. A 3- to 4-pound roast works well for this recipe, but a larger roast needs a slow cooker big enough to close the lid securely.
• Give the roast enough time to become tender. Chuck roast can still seem tough before the connective tissue has fully broken down, so cook until it pulls apart easily with a fork.
• If the roast is still tough, keep cooking it. Pot roast can be tough before the connective tissue has had enough time to break down. If it seems done but still won’t pull apart easily, cook it for another hour or so until it becomes fork-tender.

What to Serve with Pot Roast Crockpot

Oh, the possibilities are endless! Here are my favorite sides to serve:

• Mashed Potatoes – Creamy mashed potatoes are perfect for spooning the rich pot roast gravy over.
• Roasted Root Vegetables – Roasted carrots, parsnips, and other root vegetables add a little sweetness and plenty of texture.
• Oven Roasted Potatoes – Crispy edges and fluffy centers make these potatoes a great contrast to the tender roast.
• Roasted Cauliflower – Roasted cauliflower brings a savory, lightly caramelized flavor that works well with the beef and gravy.
• Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts – Their crisp edges and slightly bitter flavor balance the pot roast’s richness.
• Homemade Whole Wheat Rolls – Soft rolls are great for soaking up any extra gravy left on your plate.
• No-Knead Crescent Rolls

I hope this easy pot roast becomes a regular on your dinner table. It’s a simple, comforting meal with plenty of flavor.

Pot Roast Crockpot Recipe

Katie Cooksey

This Pot Roast Crockpot Recipe is comfort food at its best! Vegetables, beef roast and savory gravy all cook together low and slow in a crockpot until it's fall apart tender.

4.94 from 16 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 579 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds. Chuck Roast sometimes referred to as a pot roast on the sticker
• salt & pepper to taste
• 10.5 ounces beef consommé 1 can
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 small onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaf
• 2 pounds carrots cut into large chunks
• 2 tablespoons butter softened
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Instructions

 

• Remove roast from fridge, unwrap and dab with paper towels to remove any moisture. Let sit 45 minutes to an hour to bring to room temperature. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Brown roast on all sides and transfer to crockpot.
• Cover with beef consommé, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, 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 and onions and place into a serving dish. Set aside. Pour cooking liquid through a fat separator. Discard fat and measure out 2 cups of hot cooking liquid.
• In a large bowl, stir butter and flour together until a smooth paste forms. Pour the hot cooking liquid into the butter-flour mixture and stir to thicken. The heat from the liquid should thicken it pretty quickly. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker and stir to create a gravy. Cover and cook another 20 minutes or so.
• While gravy is warming, remove any excess fat from meat and shred the rest. Toss meat and carrots back in with gravy and serve. OR serve separately with gravy on the side of the meat and carrots.

Video

Notes

STOVETOP DIRECTIONS: brown the meat in the dutch oven on the stove, add in the rest of the ingredients, cover and transfer to a 225 °F oven for 4-6 hours or until meat is very tender. Remove all ingredients using a slotted spoon and transfer cooking liquid to a fat separator. Discard fat and pour 2 cups of cooking liquid back into the hot pot. Whisk in butter and flour mixture to thicken gravy. You can place over medium heat to thick gravy quickly. Remove fat from meat and shred remaining. Add meat and cooked veggies back into the gravy and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 579kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 47gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 774mgPotassium: 1442mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 25445IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 113mgIron: 6mg

Keyword beef pot roast, slow cooker pot roast, slow cooker pot roast recipe, sunday pot roast

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Like Pot Roast? Try These Other Recipes:

• Garlic and Herb Encrusted Pork Roast with Pregravied Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwich Recipe
• Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
• Crockpot Rosemary Pork Loin

Storing Leftover Pot Roast

Transfer the pot roast to an airtight container with some of the crockpot juices to keep the meat moist, then refrigerate. Refrigerate the gravy in a separate airtight container.

To Freeze: Let the shredded roast cool completely. Store in an airtight container or freezer-safe, airtight bag with some of the roast juices (to keep it moist). Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tag me @laurens_latest.