Nothing beats a hearty and flavorful Crockpot Roast– and that’s just what you’ll get with this recipe! Fall-apart succulent beef with perfectly tender (and never mushy!) veggies. Thicken the leftover sauce in the pot into an irresistible gravy to drizzle over everything.
Love a good roast prepared in the slow cooker? You’ll be obsessed with thisMississippi Pot Roast or try out these Roast Beef Sandwiches next!
Crockpot Roast
This Crockpot Roast with potatoes and carrots comes from my friends, Donna and Chad, over at The Slow Roasted Italian. The recipe comes from their cookbookThe Simple Kitchen
— a truly stunning cookbook and wonderful resource!
The Simple Kitchen Cookbook has more than 80 quick and easy recipes with a full-sized photo for every recipe. Inside The Simple Kitchen, there are eight chapters and each chapter has at least 10 tested-to-perfection recipes that are tried and true favorites. There are also tons of kitchen tricks and techniques sprinkled throughout. The dish I’m featuring today is called “Down-Home Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes” (found on page 13).
This roast is fantastic! Fall-apart-tender meat, perfectly cooked and seasoned veggies, and a delicious flavorful gravy that is the perfect complement and finishing touch.
This recipe has a bit of prep work to it (such as preparing and cutting the meat), but trust me, the 20 minutes you’ll spend is well worth it.
With that, let’s jump into the details!
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Just to clarify, when we say “crockpot,” we mean any type of slow cooker. “Crock-pot” is a trademark, but we use it as a generic term for all slow cookers.
Let’s Chat Meat
In our humble opinion, abeef chuck roast — especially a well-marbled one–is the best roast for this recipe! The beef cooks to be so tender, it literally falls apart — no dry and flavorless meat here!
Other cuts that are either the same (or come from the same area), but may have different names, including blade roast, shoulder roast, cross-rib roast, and seven-bone roast. Some butchers may simply label a chuck generically as pot roast. When in doubt, ask the butcher in your store for guidance in finding the right meat for this recipe!
We sear the beef before adding it to the slow cooker, which adds layers of flavor and imbues an even better texture. Two tips: Thoroughly pat the meat dry with a paper towel (this will ensure a better sear), and generously season with salt and pepper. It may seem like there is a lot of salt and pepper, but the chuck roast needs it for full flavor potential!
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Other favorite recipes where we use a beef chuck roast:Beef Gyros,Beef Ragu, and thisCrockpot Beef Stew.
How To Season a Crockpot Roast
A good seasoning blend makes a world of difference for a roast and veggies. While a lot of recipes call for onion soup mix, we prefer to make our own seasoning blend with slightly different flavors.
This recipe calls for a Tuscan seasoning blend that contains thyme, sage, marjoram, basil, oregano, and rosemary. The blend of these seasonings is unbelievably good with the meat and veggies.
The flavor of the spices only intensifies as the roast simmers for hours and they have a chance to meld with the other ingredients.
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If you find yourself making this crockpot roast often, you may want to make up a bigger batch of the seasoning blend. Here’s how to do that: Combine 3 tablespoons dried rosemary, 3 tablespoons dried oregano, 3 tablespoons dried basil, 1 ½tablespoons dried thyme, 1 tablespoon dried marjoram, and 1½ teaspoons dried sage. Whisk all of the ingredients together and add only 2 tablespoons of the blend to the pot roast. Store the remaining in a glass jar in a cool, dry, dark place.
How To Make A Pot Roast Tender
The secret to an ultra-tender pot roast is starting with good meat and then cooking it low and slow... which is exactly what the slow cooker does for us!
Some other tips:
- Cook the meat for longer. The meat needs more time in the slow cooker than the veggies. This is why we add in the veggies at the halfway point. If we throw the two together from the start, either the meat will end up tough and undercooked (by the time the veggies are done), or the veggies will be very mushy (by the time the meat is tender).
- Cook on low. While you can prepare this easy crockpot roast beef on the high setting, we always recommend low. The low temperature brings up the internal temperature of the meat so slowly that the whole roast cooks evenly across its entirety — the roast will be perfect from crust to center!
- sear the beef, Don’t skip this step!This adds a nice crust which will create a much deeper flavor and yield a better texture of meat.
How Long To Cook Pot Roast in a Crockpot
This recipe calls for a slow cook on high for 5 hours or low cook for 10 hours. If you can plan in advance, I’d highly recommend low for 10 hours. The tenderness of the meat is unbeatable!
As a general rule of thumb, cooking on the low setting takes about twice as long as cooking on the high setting. (In most models the difference is 170 degrees F for low while high is 280 degrees F.)
The size of the roast will affect the cooking time.Smaller roasts will cook quicker while larger roasts take longer. A 2-pound roast can be done in as little as 7 hours on low while a 3-pound roast will take closer to 9-10 hours.
Crockpot Roast FAQs
1Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the crockpot?
Technically you aren’t required to sear the roast before cooking, but we highly recommend this step! If you have a few extra minutes, browning the beef before adding it to the slow cooker is going to maximize flavor and give the beef a better texture.
2Is it better to cook a roast on high or low in a crockpot?
We’ll always recommend low heat for this recipe. Not only is there more room for error, but the meat is also more tender and tasty when cooked low and slow!
3Do you add water when cooking a roast in a crockpot?
We do need some liquid to create steam, but for a better flavor, we recommend adding beef broth/stock and wine instead of water.
4Should my pot roast be covered in liquid?
No! Pot roast is meant to be braised which means the meat is cooking, covered, slowly over low heat, and with minimal liquid. So if too much liquid is added, the roast will be missing out on flavor. Keep in mind that the meat will also create its own liquid.
5Can I put a frozen pot roast in the crockpot?
For food safety reasons, do not add a frozen or partially frozen roast to a slow cooker.
6Why is my Crockpot Roast tough?
This is most likely because the roast has not cooked long enough. Cook until the meat shreds very easily with two forks.
It’s also important to use the right cut of meat. Chuck cooks up perfectly, but some other roasts won’t.
7Can the Crockpot Roast overcook?
Yes. While the meat will be tender, it will taste dry if overcooked.
This is one of the reasons we recommend cooking on low– because it’s harder to mess up the roast with the lower temperatures.
8Should meat or vegetables go in crockpot first?
Because the vegetables cook so much quicker than the meat, we add in the meat first and partially cook it before adding veggies. At the halfway point, add the vegetables on top and gently stir them in.
What To Serve With Crockpot Roast
One of the great things about a crockpot roast is that you’ve really got it all in one — succulent beef, perfectly cooked veggies, and a luscious gravy! That said, it is a heavier meal and can certainly benefit from some lighter and more vibrant sides:
- Salad. Some crunchy lettuce with fresh veggies is another welcome side to offset the meat’s richness. Try our favoriteCaesar Salad,Italian Salad,Garden Salad, orOlive Garden Salad.
- Roastedveggies. The meat is very rich, so it’s nice to offset that a bit with some color and crunch. Try one of the following on the side:Roasted Broccoli,Roasted Carrots,Roasted Asparagus,Roasted Green Beans, orRoasted Cauliflower.
- Crusty buttered bread. Crusty bread or warmedDinner Rolls are the best to sop up the extra gravy from this Crockpot Roast!
Love Crockpot Recipes? Try One Of These Recipes Next!
- Porcupine Meatballsmeatballs made with white rice!
- Taco Chiliwith deliciously seasoned ground beef
- Crockpot BBQ Pulled Porkwith the BEST homemade BBQ sauce
- Spaghetti Bolognesewith loads of hidden veggies
- Crockpot White Chicken Chili a reader favorite and winner of many chili cook-offs!
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Crockpot Roast
5 from 44 votes
- Review this recipe
Nothing beats a hearty and flavorful Crockpot Roast and that is just what you'll get with this recipe! Fall-apart succulent beef with perfectly tender (and never mushy!) veggies. Thicken the leftover sauce into an irresistible gravy to drizzle over everything.
Crockpot Roast
5 from 44 votes
- Review this recipe
Nothing beats a hearty and flavorful Crockpot Roast and that is just what you'll get with this recipe! Fall-apart succulent beef with perfectly tender (and never mushy!) veggies. Thicken the leftover sauce into an irresistible gravy to drizzle over everything.
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword Crock pot roast, Crockpot Roast
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cooking Time* 10 hours hours
Total Time 10 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 525kcal
Author Chelsea Lords
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Tuscan-style seasoning blend (Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) OR you can substitute with additional beef stock
- 3 cup low-sodium beef stock
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 2 pounds baby red potatoes, cut in half or quarters if large (~6 cups)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
US - Metric
Instructions
PREP: Pat beef dry all over with a paper towel. Cut the beef into 3-inch chunks and season with salt and pepper.
SEAR: Warm 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or oven-safe heavy-bottomed pot) over medium-high heat. Once you can feel the heat when you hold your hand 6 inches above the pot, place the roast pieces in the pot. Brown the pieces on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side. To get a good sear don't overcrowd the meat; it's better to sear the meat in batches. (Don't skip this step-- we are adding layers of flavor here.) Once the roast is nicely seared with a good crust, remove it from the Dutch oven and place it in your slow cooker. (Use a 5-quart or larger slow cooker).
DEGLAZE PAN: Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sliced onions to the Dutch oven and cook until the onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the seasoning blend and add the Worcestershire sauce; stir to combine. Pour in the wine (or additional beef stock). Deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula as it bubbles. Pour in the beef stock. Stir to combine, and then add the contents of the pot into the slow cooker.
COOK: Cover and cook for 5 hours on high (or 10 hours on low). Add the carrots and potatoes halfway through the cook time.
GRAVY: Remove the roast and vegetables from the slow cooker Place them on a serving dish and tent with foil. Ladle the cooking liquid into a 4-quart saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and whisk until completely smooth to create a slurry. Pour the slurry into the pot and stir. Boil the gravy until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as necessary.
SERVE: Serve the pot roast and veggies with the gravy on the side.
Video
Recipe Notes
*Recipe timing: Total time depends on whether you are cooking this roast on high or low. I recommend cooking it on low for maximum tenderness and flavor.
Note 1: Tuscan-Style Seasoning Blend
- 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ¼ teaspoon dried sage
Whisk all of the ingredients together and add to the pot roast.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1265mg | Potassium: 1461mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4511IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 7mg
We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.
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