Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots cooks on low in the Crock Pot until fork tender and delicious. A family favorite recipe for a simple dinner that everyone loves!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to Make Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker
• Cooking Time
• Storage and Leftovers
• Oven and Instant Pot
• Recipe
• Reviews

This easy recipe for slow cooker beef roast with onions and potatoes and carrots is a complete meal made entirely in the crock pot. It's one of my favorite slow cooker recipes for busy days in the fall and winter because it's so incredibly easy.

You just add everything to the Crock-Pot in the morning and go about your day. Dinner is ready when you are, and it's perfect when you're craving easy comfort food.

Sometimes, I make a crock pot chuck roast with red wine and tomato paste. But the ingredients for this delicious pot roast are even simpler, and it's made without wine.

Ingredients

You only need a few ingredients to make this pot roast recipe in the slow cooker. Most of them may already be in your fridge or pantry!

• Boneless beef chuck roast -- the best cut of meat for pull apart roast beef
• Onion soup mix
• Medium or large onion -- cut into large chunks
• Carrots -- use whole carrots or baby carrots
• Baby potatoes -- or use Yukon potatoes or red potatoes and cut them
• Celery -- Use the ribs and leaves for added flavor
• Garlic cloves -- use garlic powder if you want
• Beef broth or beef stock -- use low sodium broth if you can

I usually let people add salt and black pepper if they want. The soup mix is salty enough, so use your judgment here.

How to Make Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker

First, spray the bottom of the crock pot with non stick spray or add olive oil or vegetable oil. Then, pat the roast dry with paper towels. Next, place the chuck roast in the slow cooker.

Do you have to brown the roast before putting it in the crockpot? The short answer is no, you don't!

Sometimes, I brown a roast before cooking it in a crock pot or Instant Pot. Browning causes the Maillard reaction, which adds so much flavor to meat.

You can definitely sear this if you want. But you don't need to for this recipe since you'll get plenty of flavor from the soup mix and beef broth, as well as the cooking juices from the roast itself.

Sprinkle about half of the dry onion soup mix over the roast. I like to pat it into the meat, as well -- kind of like an easy dry rub. Then, add your onion and garlic cloves.

No need to cut the garlic here. You'll get delicious roasted garlic that you can mash into the meat for extra flavor before serving!

Next, add your medium carrots, potatoes and celery, plus celery leaves, over the roast. I always add potatoes and carrots when I add the meat. Since they're on the top of the roast, they won't get too soft or mushy!

Sprinkle the remaining onion soup mix over the vegetables. Then, pour one cup beef broth into the slow cooker.

Finally, place the lid on the crock pot.

Cooking Time

Set the temperature to Low. You can cook a chuck roast on High. But I have to tell you, low and slow works better if you want a truly tender pot roast!

Slow cooking helps break down the connective tissue in the meat until it's completely fall apart fork tender.

Cook the pot roast for 8 to 10 hours on Low setting. Or, cook the roast for 5 to 6 hours on High. If for any reason, the meat seems tough, you can always cook it longer.

When the roast is cooked, it will be fall apart tender and juicy. Seriously, this is the best pot roast. And it is completely out-of-this-world delicious!

I like to add fresh parsley for extra color and flavor. You can transfer the roast and veggies to a serving platter on your dinner table and make a savory gravy with the cooking liquid and cornstarch or flour.

Or, just spoon the juices over the meat and potatoes. This is our favorite way to enjoy this classic pot roast. Easy peasy!

Storage and Leftovers

Store leftover pot roast and vegetables in an airtight container in your refrigerator. It will keep well for 3 to 4 days. You can easily skim any excess fat from the top before heating it up!

For longer storage, store pot roast leftovers in a freezer safe container. Both the pot roast and veggies reheat well in the microwave, oven or on the stove.

You can easily turn leftover roast beef into delicious beef sandwiches or beef tacos!

Oven and Instant Pot

Make this perfect pot roast even faster in your oven or electric pressure cooker. I make my mom's pot roast in an oven bag using the same basic ingredients. It takes about 2 to 3 hours.

You can make an easy Instant Pot pot roast in about an hour. This is the fastest way to cook chuck roast!

Just sub onion soup mix for the seasonings in the recipe to get the same flavor.

Recipe

I hope you and your family enjoy this easy slow cooker pot roast recipe as much as we do.

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