Slow Cooker Pot Roast

December 31, 2023 by Beth Pierce 205 Comments

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This Slow-Cooker Pot Roast combines slow-cooked tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef chuck roast with onions, carrots, baby potatoes, and a perfect blend of flavorful spices in a rich brown gravy.

This Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe combines slow-cooked tender melt-in-your-mouth beef chuck roast with onions, carrots, and potatoes and a perfect blend of flavorful spices in a rich brown gravy.

Slow-cooker pot Roast is an easy beef roast recipe that yields delicious results every time. Even the novice chef can handle it. The easy-to-make gravy mixes right in the crock after the vegetables and beef are done. If you like this tasty dish, you will love my Swiss Steak, Beef Tips and Gravy, and Hamburger Stew.

What is Slow Cooker Pot Roast?

Slow-cooker Pot Roast and Vegetables are tender, flavorful, slow-cooked chuck roast, onions, carrots, and potatoes smothered with creamy beef gravy seasoned to perfection.

This is such great comfort food and close to heavenly when served with warm rolls and sweet cream butter. It takes just a few minutes to throw in the crock pot to enjoy one of my favorite meals ever, with wholesome farm-fresh ingredients.

Slow cooker pot roast in a slow cooker with potatoes and carrots.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Meat: chuck roast or rump roast
Vegetables: onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes
Spices and herbs: kosher salt. freshly ground black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.

How To Cook a Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker

A Pot Roast Recipe is easy to cook and one of my family’s favorite meals. It is a dump-and-go recipe of beef, vegetables, herbs, and spices slow-cooked in the crock pot or a Dutch oven.

How to make slow cooker pot roast. Brown the chuck roast in a skillet. Add the browned beef, onion mixture, beef broth, wine if using, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves to the crock pot.

When the roast is finished, use the juices to make a simple gravy. You can add everything at once, or if you don’t want your vegetables to be pretty soft, add them two hours before the roast is complete.

How to make slow cooker pot roast. Add the browned beef, onion mixture, beef broth, wine if using, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves to the crock pot. Cook for 2 hours. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook on high for an additional 2-3 hours.

Preparation Tips

Cook this recipe in a crock pot or Dutch oven. It is a little faster in a Dutch oven but not by much.
A Dutch oven is a large, heavy pot with a lid suitable for both the top of the stove and inside the oven. So you brown your roast right in the pan on the top of the stove, add all your goodies, put the lid on, and pop it in the oven. It is fantastic for anything slow-cooked; brisket, ribs, chuck roast, pork roast, and even soup and chili. The Dutch oven is inexpensive and works like a charm.
Chuck roast is by far my favorite cut of meat for this recipe, followed by rump roast.
If using a little red wine, choose a dry, bold red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Make sure it is a wine that you would enjoy drinking.
A lot of recipes call for throwing in the potatoes and carrots at the beginning with the chuck roast. I find it better to let the roast cook for a while and then add the potatoes and carrots. This keeps the veggies from getting too soft and turning to mush.
Season with fresh or dried herbs. The rule of thumb is to use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh herbs.

Tender, flavorful, slow-cooked chuck roast, carrots, potatoes, and onions smothered with a rich beef gravy that is perfectly seasoned all in a large serving bowl.

What Cut of Beef is Best?

I personally think chuck roast is the best choice for this recipe because of its flavor and tenderness. Chuck roast has fat and cartilage, which makes it so tender after it is slow-cooked in a crock pot or Dutch oven. Rump roast is a great second choice.

Storage and Reheat

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop over low heat.

To freeze, first cool completely, then store the roast and veggies in a sturdy freezer container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat in the microwave at reduced power or on the stovetop over low heat.

Got big eaters? You can easily increase the size of the chuck roast and throw in another onion and a couple more carrots. You will not need to change any other part of the recipe.

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