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This Crock Pot Pot Roast recipe is tender and flavorful. It takes only 3 minutes of prep time and then the slow cooker does the rest!
Pot Roast is one of our favorite Sunday dinners. We love to serve it with Mashed Potatoes and of course Gravy!
Best Sunday Dinner!
Sunday dinners are our favorite! It’s the one night each week that we are guaranteed a nice dinner with the entire family.
Because we have church, we often make crock pot meals, and one of our favorites is this Pot Roast recipe.
We love it because:
- Dump and Go! Since it’s made in the slow cooker, you can prep the meal in minutes and let the crockpot do the work.
- Few ingredients. Just a few items are needed to make this juicy, tender roast.
- Versatile. We make this roast to eat on its own, but then we also use the meat for Empanadas, Tacos, Enchiladas, Flautas, Green Chile Burros and more.
Pot Roast INGREDIENTS
The best cut of beef? When cooking a roast in a slow cooker, look for a roast with a lot of marbling like Chuck roast, rump roast, and bottom round roast.
- As the roast cooks, the marbling will break down and help create a fall-apart tender roast. Since this takes time I suggest cooking on LOW heat for 6-8 hours.
Along with the roast, you just need a few more ingredients:
- Water
- Seasonings: Brown gravy dry mix, Hidden Valley dry ranch mix, Italian dressing dry mix
NOTE: Since we make this beef pot roast often, I like to make this seasoning in bulk (usually 1 cup of each dry mix), and then I scoop out ¼ cup of the mixture to sprinkle over the top.
How to Make Pot Roast
- PREP. In a small bowl, mix brown gravy mix, ranch mix, and Italian dressing mix together.
- Place chuck roast in the slow cooker and pour water over the roast. Sprinkle dry mix all over the top.
- COOK. Cover with the lid and cook on the LOW setting for 7–8 hours, or until meat is tender and easy to shred. Top with fresh herbs if desired.
PRO TIP
How to sear or brown a roast. It is not necessary to brown the roast before cooking it, but the caramelized meat will add an extra layer of flavor.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Generously salt all sides of the roast.
- Sear each side for about 2-3 minutes.
- Place the roast into the crock pot.
Adding Vegetables
Cooking vegetables with your classic pot roast recipe is as simple as adding them to the crock pot!
- Place your roast in the crock pot along with the veggies. Then, add your seasoning mix and water.
- Veggies. Typically the following vegetables are used: cut carrots, sliced yellow onion, whole or halved small red or white potatoes, and diced celery.
- Some people like to add them to the bottom of the pot at the beginning so they become tender while other people like to add them later in the cooking time so they are firmer.
- In either case, cut them all the same size so they cook at the same rate.
For more information, check out our Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots recipe.
Pot Roast Gravy from Drippings
To make gravy to pour on top, it’s super simple. All you need is the following ingredients:
- roast drippings
- milk
- flour
Take about ⅓-½ cups of the drippings from the roast in the crock pot and add that to a small pot on the stove. Heat it up a bit, then add 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of milk. Keep adding a little milk and a little flour until it’s the consistency you like. Top off with a little salt and black pepper!
For more gravy tips see this Post Roat Gravy post
Recipe Tips
How to make fork-tender pot roast. The longer the roast has to cook in the crock pot, the more melt-in-your-mouth tender it will become. Here are a few more tips:
- Do not let it overcook otherwise the exterior portions will begin to dry out.
- Use the correct size crock pot and don’t overfill. The ingredients should take up between ½ to ⅔ of the crock pot.
Garnish with herbs like: fresh rosemary, fresh thyme or other favorites.
How much to make? When serving meat as a main dish plan 8 oz per person. If there are big appetites, or you want leftovers, then plan 12 oz of meat per person. I always err on making more, since we use leftovers all the time for other recipes.
serving Suggestions
Depending on how you originally flavored your pot roast, you can easily use leftovers to create an entirely new dish for dinner. Try out some of these ideas: Shredded Beef Taco, Empanadas, pocket sandwich, patty melt, stir fry, roast beef sandwich, or Shepherd’s Pie.
What to serve with roast:
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Potatoes Au Gratin
- Mashed Potatoes
- Dinner Rolls
Storing Tips
Make ahead of time. Pot roast can be made ahead of time. Once cooked, put the entire pot containing the roast and the juices, in the refrigerator.
STORE. Store any leftover pot roast in a covered dish in the refrigerator. Make sure to include any of the juices from the original cooking pot. These juices will keep the roast from drying out in the fridge.
- Cover the pan with the meat and juices and bake in the oven at 325°F until the meat reaches the desired temperature.
FREEZE. Place the roast and some cooking juices in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQ
Can I cook a frozen roast in the Crock Pot?
You will get mixed answers to this question, but the US Department of Agriculture does not recommend cooking frozen meat in a slow cooker as it provides a greater opportunity for harmful bacteria to grow. You can, however, cook frozen roast in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
Do I sear or brown the roast before adding it to the crock pot?
It is not necessary, but it is worth the extra effort as the caramelized meat will add an additional layer of flavor. See above for instructions.
For more beef recipes:
Beef Stew Recipe
2 hrs 10 mins
Recipe Video
Beef Stroganoff Recipe
30 mins
Recipe Video
Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
8 hrs 15 mins
Recipe Video
Beef Enchiladas
30 mins
Recipe Video
4.99 from 116 votes
Pot Roast Recipe
By: Lil’ Luna
This pot roast recipe is tender and flavorful. It takes only 3 minutes of prep time and then the slow cooker does the rest!
Servings: 6
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 7 hours hrs
Total: 7 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon brown gravy dry mix
- 1 tablespoon Hidden Valley dry ranch mix
- 1 tablespoon Italian dressing dry mix
- 1 (2-3 pound) beef chuck roast
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
In a small bowl, mix brown gravy mix, ranch mix, and Italian dressing mix together.
Place chuck roast in the slow cooker and pour water over the roast. Sprinkle dry mix all over the top.
Cook on low for 7–8 hours, or until meat is tender and easy to shred.
Video
Notes
In a Hurry? You can cook this roast on high for 4 hours, but I prefer cooking it on low because the meat comes out more tender.
Want to add vegetables? Add any vegetables you would like, such as diced or baby carrots or diced potatoes, to the slow cooker along with the roast.
Use Up Leftovers.Leftover roast makes a great filling for burritos, Tacos, Flautas, Cheese Enchiladas, Chimichangas, or Empanadas.
POT ROAST GRAVY
After the pot roast has finished cooking, transfer ⅓–½ cup of the drippings from the slow cooker to a small pot on the stove over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon of milk. Cook, stirring and adding a little more milk or flour as needed, until it’s the consistency you like, 4–5 minutes. Top off with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g, Calories: 10kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 0.03g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.002g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Cholesterol: 0.1mg, Sodium: 272mg, Potassium: 1mg, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 0.02IU, Calcium: 0.4mg, Iron: 0.003mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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Categorized as: American Recipes, Beef, Crock-Pot/Slow Cooker, Cuisines, Main Dishes, Recipes
About Kristyn
My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!
More About Kristyn
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