Pot Roast in a rich garlic balsamic gravy is perfect for an easy weekday or weekend dinner. Slow Cooker, Instant Pot and Oven methods included!
Fall apart, tender roast beef slow cooked and smothered in a delicious gravy with potatoes and carrots. A warm and hearty dinner recipe… this Pot Roast is a perfect weeknight or weekend meal you can prepare with minimum effort.
A reader favourite now on video!
Crock Pot Roast
I LOVE slow cooked meals but I never stick to one method. Depending on where I need to be while dinner is cooking, I’ll either use the slow cooker, instant pot (for a faster dinner option), or the oven if I’m home all day with the kids.
A complete meal with no sides needed.
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.
How To Make Pot Roast
There are three main steps to the most perfect Pot Roast, whichever option you choose:
- Sear your roast first. Many people add their beef into slow cook raw. While there’s no hard and fast rule about this, the flavour you get when searing your meat first is incredible and adds amazing flavour to your sauce.
- Add the rest of your ingredients in and COOK AWAY. Don’t be tempted to add too much stock or broth into your mixture. Remember, the meat will release enough of its own juices.
- You can add in different root veggies such as pumpkin, sweet potatoes or parsnips.
- If you have yukon gold potatoes, you will love the buttery texture in this. Or you can use Russets if you prefer.
- Try it with different herbs, like Rosemary, Oregano or Tarragon.
- Serve your roast with the rich gravy included while cooking.
Best Beef Cut
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: Chuck roast, shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, chuck shoulder pot roast, chuck seven-bone pot roast, or beef chuck arm.
Brisket: Brisket comes from the well-exercised breast section of the cow, and this means it has a lot of connective tissue.
Round: Rump roast or bottom round.
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.
MORE SLOW COOKED RECIPES:
Beef Bourguignon (Julia Child Recipe)
Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup
Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs
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
- 1-2 teaspoons vegetable stock powder or bullion powder
- 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, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, thyme, stock powder (or bullion) and 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 high setting for 4-5 hours, or low for 6-8 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, until reaching your desired flavour. (We didn't need to add anything to ours. It was perfect.)
- Slice beef. Garnish with parsley, drizzle over the gravy and sprinkle with black cracked pepper to serve! ENJOY!
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, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, thyme, stock powder (or bullion) and 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 80 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 175°C | 350°F. 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).
- Add the onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, thyme, stock powder (or bullion) and 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).
- Bring to a simmer, cover with lid and transfer to the oven. Roast for 3-4 hours, or until meat is starting to falling apart.
- 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.
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?
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!
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!
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…
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!