Slow Cooker Pot Roast
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No-fuss, fall-apart pot roast made in your crockpot with the most tender vegetables! And the gravy is perfection.
Featured Comment
This is the absolute best pot roast I’ve ever had. I am glad to replace our family recipe using packaged onion soup mix with wine and fresh herbs. Thank you for this recipe! It is damn delicious!
why i love this recipe
- Classic comfort food. Sometimes you just need a classic comfort food dish that brings you back home. Something mom used to make, and something you can enjoy on a Sunday night with friends and family.
- Easy slow cooker recipe. This is the easiest pot roast recipe that can cook all day long in your crockpot. The pot roast also comes out unbelievably fall-apart tender with the most perfect gravy that you can make from the cooking juices. Not to mention, all the tender potatoes, carrots and celery that soak up all that lovely flavor.
- Freezer-friendly. Pot roast is a great dish to freeze for meal prep, for a new mom, a neighbor or a loved one recovering from surgery, keeping in the freezer for up to 3 months.
how to make the easiest crockpot pot roast
- Season the chuck roast generously, and sear on all sides until a nice crust forms
- Whisk together the beef broth mixture – beef broth, wine (or additional beef broth), flour, tomato paste and Worcestershire
- Add all the ingredients into a slow cooker, topping with the seared chuck roast
- Slow cook for 7-8 hours (the pot roast will be done when it’s fork-tender and falling apart)
- Make the gravy, skimming the fat (or else you’ll end up with greasy gravy)
- Shred the meat and serve with gravy
tips and tricks for success
- Sear the meat. Searing the chuck roast – top, bottom, sides, everything and all around – over medium high heat will add all the extra, deeper flavors here, sealing all the juices inside.
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry red wine (cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir or merlot) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Yukon golds hold up very well. Yukon golds hold up much better throughout the long cook time than russet potatoes, which tend to break down and fall apart. Red potatoes can also be used.
- Carrots and celery should be cut in larger pieces. The vegetables should be cut a little larger here as they will cook down quite a bit in the slow cooker (or else they will be overcooked, fall apart and turn to mush).
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste is a key ingredient in pot roast, adding body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the roast. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- Freeze as needed. Pot roast freezes like a dream! Freeze the shredded meat separately from the sauce, packing the meat tightly in freezer bags with a little bit of the cooking juices to prevent the meat from drying out. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking in the leftover gravy!
PRO TIP
Pot roast makes for great leftovers.
Use the leftover meat for sandwiches, soups and stews, stroganoff, tacos, burritos, quesadillas and casseroles.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH POT ROAST
Slow Cooker Pot Roast: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different cut of meat?
We recommend using chuck roast for the best results possible. Brisket or rump roast (bottom round roast) can also be used.
Do I have to use red wine?
Additional beef broth can be used for red wine as a non-alcoholic substitute. Broth will be less acidic and more mild in flavor than red wine.
Can I use dried herbs instead?
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Can I make pot roast in the oven instead?
Yes! Don’t have 7-8 hours to wait in the slow cooker? Here is our favorite pot roast recipe made in the oven.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Is pot roast freezer-friendly?
Yes! Pot roast freezes beautifully and can keep in the freezer for 2-3 months, perfect for quick and easy meals during those busy weeks ahead.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
No-fuss, fall-apart pot roast made in your crockpot with the most tender vegetables! And the gravy is perfection.
Ingredients
- 3 pound boneless chuck roast, excess fat trimmed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- 1 ½ cups beef broth
- ½ cup dry red wine
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 3 carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 2 celery ribs, cut into 3-inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Season beef with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- Heat canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add beef and cook until evenly browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together beef broth, wine, flour, tomato paste and Worcestershire; set aside.
- Place potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in beef broth mixture; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with beef.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, or until beef is fork-tender.
- Remove beef, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion from the slow cooker; shred beef, using two forks. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Strain cooking juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan over medium heat; discard solids. Skim any remaining fat from surface and discard. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until desired thickness, about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve beef, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion with juices immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
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Delicious as is! Great recipe 🙂 I have an idea for those wishing to add the fine to the pot: use the seat feature on your slow cooker (if it has one of course) and you won’t miss any flavor or browned bits! I also wanted to see if anyone has attempted this in a pressure cooker? Thoughts? Thanks!
I love this recipe. I made it originally just as listed. I love Pickapeppa sauce for soups, roasts and stews so I use that instead of Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste, but I sometimes add tomato paste also. I thicken the gravy with a roux instead of just flour. Recipe is perfect as it is written though.
As said by my fiancé…”Best slow cooker roast he has ever had! Flavor was amazing!”. I would agree! Next time he wants more carrots though. 😉 I browned the meat in a cast iron frying pan and since I also didn’t want to let all those good brown bits from the pan go to waste, I added some of the wine/broth mixture to the pan to remove them and add to the slow cooker. Although next time time I will do that before I add the flour to the mixture. Thanks so much for the tasty recipe!
Can I use this same recipe in a FOUR QUART CROCK POT ??
Awesome!
I don’t think you’ll find a more perfect recipe. It’s simple, reliable and tastes amazing! The wine and thyme add wonderful layers of flavors. If I have anything to add, like some other reviews here, I take out the veggies a few hours early so they stay firm. Or you can add them a few hours before finish time. Can’t recommend this enough!
This is my go-to pot roast recipe! I add the carrots, potatoes, and about 1/3 of the onions, along with a mess of mushrooms, around the 6 hr mark; otherwise, my slow cooker turns them to mush. If I’m feeling saucy, I’ll double the gravy, which is DELICIOUS.
The mention of the Nutella pocket only leaves me wanting some Stan’s (next time, try the biscoff pocket- it’s become an unexpected favorite!)!
Been making this recipe for years and always come back to it when it starts to get cold.
Loved this, my long term recipe was replaced very quickly after trying this recipe. The gravy has a thicker and richer consistency than my old recipe.. The term “comfort food” reached a new level >
This was a great dinner to make ahead in the crockpot! I only had to mess with the gravy a little bit after it was done cooking. I admit I got lazy with it and just added a little cornstarch and water in the saucepan to thicken it. It turned out delicious and the kids loved it. Only one serving survived out of a three-pound roast and all those veggies.
I did add about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce for more flavor, as suggested by another reviewer.
Great recipe! I did not have celery or parsley but it still tasted so good. The gravy is to die for.
This recipe is very flavorful as is! But the cook in me causes me to explore so I tweek it every time I make it and have fun. It has become my go to foundational recipe that I build on. That said, I leave out the celery and add parsnip, and at the end add 1/2 c English peas 10 minutes before serving. The wine in the broth adds depth of flavor so try not to leave it out. Other ingredients to consider are 1 Tbs of low salt Soy sauce & 1 Tbs of mushroom powder. One time I didn’t have flour so I added 1 packet of brown gravy mix in the broth at the end which thickened & flavored it nicely. Pot roast is so flexible, hearty and delicious and has become a comfort food in my family. Give this recipe a try, you’ll be happy you did.
Another damn delicious recipe! I did not have red wine in the house so I subbed 1/2 cup cranberry pomegranate juice and a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. The meat was fork tender after 7 hours and the gravy delicious. Thank you!
This recipe makes a delicious pot roast. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I’m not sure what I may have done wrong after looking at all the 5 star reviews. This is a pretty easy recipe to make but I didn’t think it was all that flavorful. In terms of seasoning the meat before searing, I put a fair amount of salt and pepper and also quite a bit of garlic powder. I used extra garlic (you can never have too much garlic!) as well, but the final result was lacking. I’m not what was missing. I’m thinking some mushrooms would definitely have helped this. I also used some wine to deglaze the pan after searing and added that to the liquid.
I will try this again, but use additional salt in the broth.
One suggestion…. in terms of using the flour, I put the flour in a small bowl and then poured in a couple or three tablespoons of the broth and mixed it up into a kind of paste before putting with the rest of the liquid ingredients to make sure the flour didn’t lump up.
This was the best crockpot pot roast recipe that I have ever used! The meat literally fell apart it was so tender. The only thing I did differently was use a little cornstarch in the final step to thicken the juices a bit more. Will definitely make this again. Thanks!
Wow this was really good! To save myself some time I used a 1 lb. bag of baby carrots and it worked great. This makes a lot of food and it’s nice to have leftovers or freeze some. All of her recipes are so good!
One massive error in this recipe. The beautiful and precious browning pan has been ignored! After you dear your roast and remove it, add some wine and use a rubber spatula to get every last brown bit from the bottom of the pan. Add that to your “sauce” mixture. Also, a tip, slice or shred your meat and let it rest in warm sauce. Makes it much more juicy.
My observation also. Don’t ignore that delicious fond left in the bottom of the browning pan.
It’s funny.. I didn’t see your comment about deglazing the pan and made a comment about that as well in my review, lol.
Thanks for all the great recipes! I have made this for my husband several times and it comes out perfect! I am a vegetarian, so your basic recipes I make for him and I use them to be inspired to make veggie versions. I just bought your meal prep book on Amazon – looks like a lot of good ideas there. Love your site and recipes! Don’t change a thing!
It’s super easy and delicious THANK YOU