Tender Pot Roast simmered in a rich gravy full of flavour is a perfect weekday or weekend dinner. Slow Cooker, Instant Pot and Oven methods included!
Fall apart, tender Pot Roast slow cooked and smothered in a delicious gravy with potatoes and carrots. A warm and hearty dinner recipe… this beef roast is a perfect complete meal you can prepare with minimum effort.
A reader favourite now on video!
POT ROAST
When it comes to a Sunday dinner, nothing beats a classic as pot roast! Slow cooked dinners that can be cooked in a slow cooker, instant pot or in the oven. A complete meal with veggies cooked right along your meat.
WHAT IS POT ROAST?
Pot roast is a big, tough beef cut (usually a cheap cut perfect for slow cooking), seared, covered and cooked slow with herbs and veggies in a flavourful broth until fall apart tender.
A good pot roast can be made with any cut of beef roast: chuck roast, round roast, or briskets. The beef is seasoned and seared then added to your slow cooker or Instant pot with a braising liquid—for this recipe you’re going to use beef broth and balsamic vinegar which helps tenderise the meat and add a deeper flavour.
There are three main steps to the most perfect Pot Roast, whichever option you choose:
- SEAR your roast first: the flavour you get when searing your meat first is incredible. The fat is rendered while juices are sealed. This step is well worth the extra time and dishes. While slow cooking, the meat will release amazing flavour into your gravy.
- ADD veggies.
- SLOW COOK using whichever method you like!
The amazing bonus is the rich gravy that get cooked right in the pot to drizzle all over your beef roast!
POT ROAST VEGETABLES
A pot roast usually includes a classic mix:
POTATOES: Yukon gold or red potatoes peeled russet potatoes. You will love the buttery texture of Yukon months pot roast recipe.
ONIONS: White or yellow onion are the best to use for adding flavour while slow braising.
CARROTS: Add them peeled or unpeeled. Make sure you cut them into thick chunks, as slicing them into thin discs will turn to mush.
BEST ROASTS FOR MAKING POT ROAST
Tough cuts with lots of connective tissue that would be like chewing shoe leather if you cooked it quickly in a pan are the perfect cuts to use.
- Chuck Roast: tender, falls apart and easy to shred.
- Brisket: has a lot of connective tissue making it fattier cut that gets super tender while cooking slow, but can still be sliced for serving
- Round: (bottom round, top round) a lean and easy to slice cut.
Slow cooking these cuts breaks the collagen down, tenderising the meat. The beef releases its juices into the broth, providing your roast with incredible flavour. Adding flour or cornstarch turns that liquid gold into a delicious, thick gravy.
HOW TO MAKE POT ROAST IN A SLOW COOKER (CROCK POT)
Season roast with a good amount of salt and pepper and sear on all sides until browned (about 5-6 minutes each side). Transfer roast to the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add in all remaining ingredients and cook on low 8 hours. The meat will be so tender and falling apart, and the vegetables soft. Remember to taste test and add any extra balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt or pepper, until reaching your desired flavour.
PRO TIP: It’s better to cook pot roast on the low setting rather than the high setting when it comes to pot roast. Your meat will be tender and delicious every time.
HOW TO MAKE POT ROAST IN AN INSTANT POT (ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER)
Heat oil in the Instant Pot and set to ‘Saute’. When oil is hot, sear on all sides until browned (about 4-5 minutes each side). Add in all remaining ingredients and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes, followed by a 15 minute natural release. Then use the quick pressure lever to release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid and transfer roast and veggies to a warm plate.
PRO TIP: the natural release portion of electric pressure cooking is an important step. We have found that if you release the pressure immediately after cooking, your beef may toughen up. Letting the pressure cooker sit for 15 minutes during the natural release stage produces a tender result.
OVEN METHOD:
SERVE WITH:
Easy Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Cheesy Garlic Bread
Rice
Buttery Sautéed Green Beans
WATCH US MAKE POT ROAST RIGHT HERE!
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 pounds (2 kg) chuck roast or blade roast, boneless and trimmed of excess fat
- 2 yellow onions chopped
- 8 cloves garlic smashed with the back of a spoon (or 2 tablespoons minced garlic)
- 1 pound (500 grams) baby potatoes, white or Yukon gold, (you may need to halve them if they are too large)
- 4 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons crushed bouillon
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons plain flour (optional -- for a thick gravy)
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, to serve
Instructions
SLOW COOKER:
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pan over high heat. Season roast with a good amount of salt and pepper. Sear on all sides until browned (about 5-6 minutes each side). Transfer roast to the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, balsamic, mustard, brown sugar, thyme and bouillon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the stock together with the flour and pour into the slow cooker bowl (don't worry about any lumps, they will cook out).
- Cook on low setting for 8 hours, or until meat is tender and falling apart and the vegetables are soft.
- Taste test and add any extra balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt or pepper, if needed.
- Slice meat, garnish with parsley and drizzle with gravy.
INTANT POT:
- Season roast with a good amount of salt and pepper. Heat oil in the Instant Pot and set to 'Saute'. When oil is hot, sear on all sides until browned (about 4-5 minutes each side).
- Add the onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, balsamic, mustard, brown sugar, thyme and bouillon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the stock together with the flour and pour into the slow cooker bowl (don't worry about any lumps, they will cook out). Place lid on Instant pot with steam valve closed.
- Change Instant Pot setting to 'manual' mode for 60 minutes on 'high' pressure.
- When time is up and cooker beeps, turn off and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, use the quick pressure lever to release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid and transfer roast and veggies to a warm plate.
OVEN:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Heat oil in a dutch oven or heavy based oven-proof pot over medium-high heat. Season roast all over with a good amount of salt and pepper. Sear until brown on all sides (about 4-5 minutes each side).
- Transfer roast to a plate. Sauté garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the stock and balsamic vinegar to deglaze your pan, scraping up any browned bits. Whisk in the flour and let cook for about 4 minutes (don't worry about any lumps, they will cook out).
- Add the onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, mustard, brown sugar, thyme and bouillon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a simmer, cover with lid (or foil) and transfer to the oven. Roast for 3-4 hours until the meat is tender and falling apart. (Check roast after 1 1/2 hours. If the liquid has mostly been absorbed, add 2 cups extra broth and continue cooking.)
- Transfer the roast, carrots, and potatoes to a warm plate. With a spoon, skim the fat off the surface of the cooking liquid. Cut the roast into thick slices, and serve with the vegetables. Pass the pan juices separately.
Laura Lovell says
One of the easiest and most delicious pot roasts ever! Thank you.
David Bradshaw says
Just a few thoughts after having read through the comments: Yes, you can halve the cooking time for half the weight of meat. The bullion is just a highly concentrated beef flavoring, so if you substitute beef stock, either reduce it first, or you will have more watery gravy. Or just add extra flour (cornstarch works too). Same with adding wine or other liquids. I also combined ingredients before adding to the pot, mostly to thaw my frozen minced garlic, but I think she’s right that the slow cooking really does blend and infuse the flavors everywhere anyway.
Kalani2005 says
I made this on 5/11/20 using the oven method provided. I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t have any bouillon. So I searched for a substitute recipe and improvised using a little bit of each herb listed in the recipe. Let me tell you, it was so delicious! Tasted even better today. Yummy! Thank you for the recipe!
Jenn says
Thank you for this recipe. Can you suggest a temperature if my roast is only 2 – 2.5 pounds and we’d still like to slow cook? Can I reduce the temperature so cooking time in the oven is still 3-4 hours?
Bev says
what can I sub for Bouillon?
pam says
I didn’t use the bouillon- I just used beef stock
Leslie Sullivan says
I never remember to pull meat out of the freezer, so I just threw everything in the slow cooker (frozen meat and all) and cooked it on low for 8 hours and OH MY GOSHHHHH I didn’t even know pot roast could taste this good!! Make sure you have some crusty bread or rolls with it because you are going to want to soak up EVERY BIT of that amazing sauce.
Tom O says
The recipe for the oven method did not work for me. The liquid seemed short to me so I added 2 cups of broth and even that amount wasn’t enough and ended up having a burnt taste. If I made this again I would cut the cooking time and increase the liquid even more.
Ricardo says
Delicious Pot Roast! Easy to make. This is the second recipe I have used from Karina. I have not being disappointed both times. You can tell she puts a lot of love into her cooking. Thank you Karina!!
Katie says
I used three cups of beef broth instead of just one, extra Knorr flavoring, added a cup of red wine, a touch of Worcestershire, and a teaspoon each of rosemary and thyme. The sauce came out phenomenal! My fiance said we should make it into a drink with vodka and I agreed. Call it a Beefy Mary! 😂
Madeleine Fuchs says
Dear Karina,
Thank you so much for this Pot Roast recipe. I cooked it in the oven and it came out delicious.
Today we made delicious sandwiches for lunch with bakery rolls.
Jean says
BEST pot roast I’ve ever had!!! The entire family raved about it for days.
Thank you for a great recipe.
Randy says
I cooked my beef in the slow cooker. I mixed a quarter cup red wine and probably three tablespoons of corn starch and dumped that in after I had removed the beef and vegetables because I like my gravy to be a really thick sauce, and wow! This is the first beef roast that I would make again, and I was so impressed that this is the first time that I have ever left a comment on a recipe! This has convinced me that I’m going to have to start buying cheap cuts of meat more often! And just throwing everything in the Crock Pot for eight hours couldn’t be easier. With a crusty loaf on the side, this will feed my family for days!
CKhan says
I made this using the oven method, and with a couple of minor adjustments (I used a small sprinkling of white sugar and squirt of honey, some extra broth as it sat after removing from oven), it produced the best pot roast I have ever had in my life. That is no exaggeration.
simon andrew says
I like it
Darlene Schmoll says
Isn’t the 60 minute cooking time a little long to be pressure cooked? I did a 3# roast with vegetable for 30 minutes and the roast was fine but the vegetables were mush.
Kelly says
I’ve been making pot roast for my husband since we married 11 years ago. It’s always his favorite meal, but we both felt it was missing something. In a moment of brilliance, I thought to search your website and made this version last week. It was amazing! I’ll never make pot roast the old way again. Your site is my go-to recipe page!! I can’t wait to try something else.
Brady says
This is the best roast I’ve ever had. I cooked for about 7-8 hours and enjoyed for days after. I did mix the mustard, balsamic, broth and flour together before i poured over the meat and veggies. More so i felt everything was evenly distributed. But it was the most off the charts roast. I’m making it tonight with mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans w/ garlic and rolls! Mmmmm and of course red wine!
Karin says
That is the BEST pot roast I have ever made…..and I’ve made a lot!!! Made it exactly as written and it was perfect…seasoning perfect…cooked perfect. I did not include potatoes since we prefer mashed with our roast. The gravy was nicely thickened. One thing I will say is a must do is to dear that meat I heavily saddled and peppered it first. I believe it kept it moist and juicy. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
Steven Schwartz says
I used this recipe for a two pound top round roast. We like lots of gravy so we used the same amount of liquid as for the four pound roast in the recipe. The only change I made was to add about a half cup of dry white wine to the cooking liquid. It offset just a bit of the sweetness of the original recipe and made for a wonderful dinner. Thank you!
Hiedie Stokes says
I had a 3 pound blade and cooked it for 7 hours on low. It went a little dry so if your roast is a smaller size maybe don’t cook it as long. Otherwise the flavor was great.
Tyrique Bradley says
The recipe was great it was easy my girlfriend loved it ! The tastes as wonderful
Becky says
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for the recipe! My family loved it!
Patti says
I made this and it turned out great! I think it could’ve been better if I followed direction with seasoning the meat when searing. I added a little more beef stock for juice since my roast was half the size recommend. Thank you for this recipe!!
Stefanie says
Can I put this together the night before and put it up in the slow cooker in the morning?
Bob Hall says
I’m cooking a 2LP blade roast in the crock pot. Your recipe is for a 4LP roast for 7-8 hrs on low. Does this mean that I can cut the cooking time in half, i.e. 4 hrs?
Barbara says
Wondering if you could please tell me how to adjust – both cooking time and liquid, for a 7 lb. boneless roast?
After reading your recipes and all the comments this is the recipe I want to trust my expensive roast to!
Thank you in advance for your reply.
Brenna says
I did the Crock-Pot version with sweet potato instead of nightshade potato, and . . . um, w.o.w! That sauce – heck. Fill up the bathtub and give me a straw, that’s so good. Thank you – keeper for sure!
Mary says
The gravy is very rich and delicious. I love mustard and horseradish with roast beef and it is perfect to off set the flavors. Will make this again. Thank you
Corinna says
Best pot roast ever! Just made it tonight and the whole family loved it, said it was the best one I have ever made. I made the pot roast in the slow cooker, pulled some juice/gravy out and had to make the vegetables in the instant pot (too much roast in my slow cooker). Thank you for a great recipe
Tina says
I tried this and it will now be my go to crock pot recipe. Makes a good “one bowl” meal with a hot roll, yum! Oven roasted my pot roast for years, but this is more tender and savory. I noticed one comment about a thinner final gravy-I left the crock pot lid ajar the last 15-20 minutes of time to reduce a bit of the liquid and it was perfect. Like others, Next time I think II will pan sear my veggies a bit prior to placing in the crock pot next time because I like how it intensifies the flavor. Perfect with those golden potatoes. Thanks for a keeper recipe.
Rachel says
My boyfriend absolutely raved about this pot roast, said it was one if the best ever. I will definitely make again! The only tweaks I made was I added a splash of red wine while combining the sauce and added Brussels sprouts about an hour before serving. Thanks for a stellar roast on a super chilly, snowy weekend!
Christy MoonSmith says
I used crock pot method. I used aged balsamic and doubled the garlic. PERFECT RECIPE!
Sharon says
I made this yesterday and my husband and I loved it. Going low carb next week so I think I can make it again without the potatoes and sugar. Thanks for the tasty recipe.
Karina says
Sounds great, Sharon!
Roxy Ana says
I made it without the potatoes. It was the one ingredient that I didn’t already have.and I like to stay low carb. Came out nice.
Dee says
I’ve been slow-cooking for years. This recipe, which I made twice this week, is now my *ALL-TIME FAVORITE*!! I am sending the link to all my fam & friends. Amazing!
Christy MoonSmith says
I agree!
Betsy says
We loved this recipe! The only thing I did differently was after I moved the meat to the crock pot, I put the onions, carrots and potatoes in the beef drippings and sautéed them for about 5 minutes before I put then into the crock pot. This will be our go-to pot roast recipe from now on.
Robin Latronica says
Do you need to mix during the cooking process in the slow cooker?
Karina says
Only if you would like to. The slow cooker will do the job ;)!!
Anthony says
Made this last night and it was fantastic. This was my second time using my crock pot. The first was ok, and kinda put me off a second attempt, so I’m glad that I found this recipe (and chuck roast on sale). 🙂
I followed the crock pot recipe pretty closely. It took me about 30 minutes in prep time (searing meat, peeling potatoes, chopping veggies). Put the meat into the pot first, then added the veggies and other ingredients Used dried rosemary instead of thyme, and did one yellow and one red onion, and skipped the vegetable stock powder (didn’t have any). And this still turned out great.
Wondering if the stock would have made the sauce thicker, and probably saltier, but I love it just the way it was. I cooked for 7 hours, and the meat definitely fell apart when touched (thought I would need to slice it, but wasn’t necessary).
I was worried that it didn’t have enough liquid, but after about 4 hours, I think the veggies started to sweat and contributed to the sauce.
I mixed the mustard and beef stock together before adding to ensure they were blended.
And I’m looking forward to the leftovers today, the flavors should have had more time to really mix and should be great.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Ashley says
I’m so glad I read this because I was worried there isn’t enough liquid and I didn’t have the vegetable stock.
Jeanne says
Made this today in my crock pot, turned out delicious!!! I will definitely make this again.
Karina says
That is great to hear! Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! XO
Julie Eden says
Do you use prepared mustard or powdered mustard?
Karina says
I use prepared mustard.
JBW says
Waiting on this now! Just for extra flavor, before searing off the meat, i chopped all veggies, threw them on a foil covered cookie sheet, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and threw them under the broiler. Once the meat was seared, the veggies were softened with some caramelized bits. Perfect for added depth! Otherwise, it’s done to the letter.
I’ll write back later with the verdict from the fam!
Katie Thomas says
What was the verdict? 😉
Linda says
Sounds great, but I suggest also searing the veggies first and set them aside before searing the meat for even better flavor.
Laura says
I always thought you were supposed to put the veggies in the bottom of the pot and the roast on top – that’s what I’ve always done, and not sure if that’s the difference but I’ve never had to slice my roast – it falls apart in the pot and I scoop it out with a large serving spoon. I would also mix all the mustard and other things together then pour it in. Just my thoughts.
Bill says
This was my first slow cooking attempt. I put the vegetables in first and the meat on top. I may have messed it up because the meat didn’t fall apart as easily.
While sitting back and congratulating myself on my efforts, I re-read the recipe and realized I messed up. A quick inversion and a few hours later, the result was phenomenal.
Sunny says
There is so much to do with a good chuck or blade roast (if I can find them, I like the ones with the bone-in) – I love this idea and have used it in the oven and crock pot. Also, I like to put a chuck roast in the crock pot and instead of broth or stock use a jar of salsa (some like it hot) along with onions and serranos and when done make burritos or tacos.
Yvonne Shannon says
If my roast is only half the size of yours, do I still in the Instant Pot cook it as long or do I cut the cooking time in half?
Karina says
I would recommend cutting the time in half for the smaller roast. Enjoy! XO
Sharon Ng says
I put together this recipe without reading through all the directions. It was the first slow cooker recipe that showed up. I was dissapointed to find that its actually pressure cooked, not slow cooked, in the instant pot. I was looking for something to cook throughout the day while I was out of the house doing errands. This is done in just 80 minutes (less because I had a smaller cut). Will see how it tastes for dinner time after being on keep warm all day…
Katie Thomas says
Errr…what? This is a slow cooker recipe?!!!
Roo says
Did you miss the two other ways you could have cooked it?? Just a tip, ALWAYS read ALL the instructions BEFORE you cook anything! 😉
Teri says
What is your preferred method for cooking this? Looks delish!
Karina says
I like using all three methods but I always love my slow cooker for the classic way. An instant pot is perfect for the speed process and still have the same flavor and tenderness.
Linda van den Elshout says
I love this recipe! Absolutely perfect.
Jennifer says
In the oven method, the directions are confusing. It states to put the vegetables in at the same time as the meat into the oven. However, later, it states to add the veggies and then cook one more hour. Please let us know which it is. Thanks
Karina says
Thanks for picking that up Jennifer! Recipe has been fixed ?
Julie says
This was delicious! My husband hates roast and he loved it! I am making it twice this week.
Karina says
YES! Julie that’s wonderful!
Jackie says
Amazing! Absolutely a keeper!!!!!
Karina says
Thanks Jackie!