This Slow Cooker Pot Roast is the ultimate family dinner recipe, especially on weekends when you have more time to linger over supper. With just a few minutes of prep work, the slow cooker does the rest, filling your house with tasty aromas all day. It’s a classic combo that’s the perfect comfort food for a Sunday supper with friends and family gathering around the table.
A Sunday roast was on repeat in our house growing up. And you know what? I don’t remember anyone ever complaining about having roast again for dinner! My mom would rotate between beef and pork roasts, but it was always served with potatoes and carrots from our garden.
Watch How to Make Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Fast-forward to now, and I’m still making Sunday roasts, but with potatoes and carrots from a local farm. We don’t currently have garden space, but once you taste fresh veggies, you’ll go out of your way to find them.
In fact, this recipe is even tastier if you can find locally grown veggies in your area! But don’t worry—there are still plenty of flavors to go around if you can’t.
Speaking of flavor, you’ll see I love to use fresh herbs here, but they’re not totally necessary. My mom often made roasts without any seasoning other than salt and pepper. Sometimes, she’d use a bit of Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence. Either option is very affordable and super tasty.
You’ll also find my option for using red wine in a ‘fancy’ pot roast. But broth instead of wine will give you wonderful results with a ‘down home’ flavor. You can’t go wrong with either option, and we go back and forth between the 2 variations.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Beef roast –a chuck roast is my go-to for the best cut of meat for a pot roast meal because it has just the right amount of marbling to produce super tender cooked meat.
- Onion & garlic – add so much flavor here, especially after they get a quick sauté in the pan you sear the roast.
- Potatoes, carrots, & celery – both potatoes and carrots are classics with pot roast, but I also like to add thinly sliced celery. It simply melts into the broth as it cooks, adding flavor. I prefer the nice texture of Yukon golds or red potatoes with pot roast, but the slightly drier Russet potatoes also work.
- Dijon mustard – adds some depth of flavor to this roast, but can be omitted.
- Broth & optional red wine – as I mentioned, we sometimes add red wine for a ‘fancy’ roast, but you can also use broth for a very tasty, more down-home flavor. For depth of acidity, you can also use 1-2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar as a substitute.
- Herbs – I like to add sprigs of rosemary and thyme, or just one if I don’t have much around. I also use Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence if I don’t have anything fresh in the house. And for a plain old-fashioned flavor, you can omit them altogether for classic ‘meat and potatoes’.
How to make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Start by searing the roast to brown both sides. I find a cast-iron skillet works really well for this!
Step 2: Add the roast to the slow cooker, then briefly sauté the onion and garlic, then add the wine/broth to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour this mixture over the top of the roast in the slow cooker.
Step 3: Next, add the carrots and potatoes on top of the roast, and place the fresh herb sprigs on top. If you’re using dried herbs, I like to add them to the wine/broth mixture in step 2.
Step 4: Set the slow cooker to 8 hours on low, and enjoy your day while your dinner cooks! When the roast is tender, serve it from the slow cooker bowl or arrange it on a serving platter.
Ways to serve this
- Serve this crockpot roast recipe with an extra veggie, like Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Asparagus. For an easy stovetop veggie, try my Sautéed Green Beans.
- Omit the potatoes in the slow cooker and make my Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, Best Mashed Potatoes, or Mashed Sweet Potatoes instead.
- Add a fresh note with my Apple Spinach Salad or Strawberry Spinach Salad.
- Make Paleo Gravy or my Gluten-Free Gravy with the juices.
- Serve my Death by Chocolate, Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting, or my Truffle Cream Pie for dessert.
FAQ’s
No, you want to add some liquid, but there’s no need to have the roast submerged in a slow cooker. Follow the recipe’s liquid amount and pour it over the top of the roast. This will give you plenty of liquid to tenderize the roast as it cooks, with enough leftovers to make gravy.
No, but it does add a lot of flavor to the meat and the other ingredients. Taking a few minutes to sear the roast is worth it, even if it means wiping up the stove afterward.
Low and slow is best for a chuck roast because it yields the most tender roast. I have cooked chuck roasts on high, and they’re still good, but low is always best.
Put the roast in first with the vegetables on top, this allows the roast to become tender faster and the vegetables won’t be mushy this way.
Storing leftovers
- To store – place any leftovers in a sealed container and refrigerate for 4-5 days.
- Reheat – add any leftovers you want to heat to a skillet or small pot. Cover and simmer over low heat until heated through, adding a bit of water as necessary. You can also reheat it in the microwave.
- Freeze – I don’t recommend freezing the potatoes because they thaw mushy/grainy, but the beef and carrots can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. The carrots will be a bit softer when thawed. To thaw, place the container in the fridge overnight, then reheat.
Tips & Tricks
- You can use either fresh or dried herbs; both are very tasty. However, we’re extra partial to fresh rosemary sprigs because they’re just so good!
- Don’t skip searing the roast before adding it to the slow cooker because it adds so much flavor. It’s still good if you’re in a hurry and skip the searing step, but it’s worth taking the extra few minutes to sear the roast.
- Try this recipe using a pork shoulder roast in place of the beef chuck roast, it is so good!
- Low and slow is best with this pot roast. You can use the high setting if needed, but definitely give low and slow a go when you can!
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
INGREDIENTS
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- 1- 2 tbsp olive oil – or avocado oil
3 pound chuck roast
1 onion – 1/4″ dice, 3 cups
4 cloves garlic – minced
1 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine – or 1 additional cup beef broth
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 stalks celery – thinly sliced
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes – (4-5 medium) cut into 3-4″ chunks
1.5 pounds carrots – 5-6, cut into 3″ lengths
2 sprigs fresh rosemary & 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme – see notes
1/2 tsp sea salt – or to taste, see notes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1- 2 tbsp olive oil – or avocado oil
INSTRUCTIONS
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Place a large 9-10″ skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and carefully add the roast to the pan. Cook until the roast is well browned, about 4-5 minutes, then turn the roast over and sear the other side.
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Remove the seared roast from the skillet and place it in the slow cooker bowl. Add an additional tablespoon of oil if needed and briefly sauté the onions and garlic, 3-4 minutes, before adding the wine or 1 cup of broth and the Dijon mustard to deglaze the pan.
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Scrape up all the browned bits, then pour the onion mixture over the roast. Next, add the remaining cup of beef broth and then the thinly sliced celery.
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Add the potatoes and carrots on top of the celery, then place the herb sprigs on top. Sprinkle the sea salt and pepper over the top.
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Place the lid on the slow cooker and set the timer for 8 hours on low, or until fall-apart tender. You can also cook this on high for 4-5 hours, but low heat will give you a more tender roast.
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When the cooking time is up, remove and discard the herb sprigs, season to taste with sea salt and pepper if needed, and serve. You can serve this straight from the slow cooker bowl or arrange it on a serving dish.
NOTES
The amount of sea salt needed will depend a lot on how salty your beef broth is. You can always add more at the end of the cooking time if needed.
The long cooking time of 8 hours on low will give you the most tender texture.
For a quick gluten-free gravy, whisk together a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch or tapioca starch with water. Then slowly add it to the strained cooking liquid as needed, and bring to a boil to thicken to your liking. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper, and serve it with the roast.