Pot Roast – fall apart beef, tender flavour infused vegetables and potatoes smothered in a rich gravy. It’s mouthwateringly good, yet simple to make, especially if you use a slow cooker. However, this beef pot roast recipe can be made in an instant pot, oven OR crockpot – pick which method works best for you!
Pot Roast
Confession: I wasn’t a fan of pot roast for most of my life. I just didn’t get it – the beef and vegetables were fine, but typically they are braised in just liquids that aren’t thickened in any way so the end result is like a watery broth.
Plenty of flavour in it, but when you pour it over the beef and vegetables, it doesn’t cling to it at all because it’s watery.
So I decided to change it and thicken the sauce using a touch of flour. So it’s more like a gravy. Now THAT’s a pot roast worthy of company, in my humble opinion!!!
If you love meltingly tender, slow cooked roast beef and deeply flavoured gravy, this pot roast recipe is for you!
How to make Pot Roast
Season beef well with salt and pepper
Sear beef aggressively – this is KEY for flavour in the broth and the beef!
Sauté onion and garlic, then deglaze* the skillet or pot with red wine (or water or broth);
Tip everything into a slow cooker, instant pot / pressure cooker or casserole pot for oven along with beef broth, carrots and celery;
Sprinkle with dried rosemary and thyme then slow cook 8 hrs low, 55 min pressure cook on high, or oven 4 hours at 300°F/150°C;
Add the potatoes partway through cooking and by the time the potatoes are cooked, the beef will be meltingly tender!
* Means simmering liquid and scraping bottom of pan to release the flavour stuck on the bottom of the pan from searing. It adds a ton of flavour into the cooking broth!
Best cut of beef for pot roast is chuck roast
The best beef for pot roast is Beef Chuck Roast. It’s an economical cut of beef that’s marbled with fat that needs to be slow cooked to breakdown the tough connective tissues so it becomes ultra tender to eat.
Chuck roast can be purchased in large pieces that are or aren’t rolled. You want to use rolled chuck roast for this recipe, otherwise the beef ends up all warped. Supermarkets and butchers should carry chuck roast that’s already rolled, otherwise, you can roll it yourself and tie with kitchen string or ask the butcher to do it for you.
It’s essentially a slow cooked Roast Beef!
The key point of difference with this pot roast recipe is that the braising liquid is thickened so it comes out like a deeply flavoured gravy rather than a watery broth which is how most pot roasts are made.
So it’s essentially a slow cooked Roast Beef that’s fall apart tender that comes with a gravy and tender flavour infused vegetables. Complete meal in one pot!
Because the beef needs to be mostly submerged in liquid while it slow cooks, you end up with lots and lots of liquid in the finished dish.
Which means, in my Pot Roast, you end up with lots and lots of very tasty gravy.
This is a sensational “problem” to have. Keep leftovers, drown your potatoes with them, toss through pasta (oh yes!!), serve it as a sauce for tomorrow night’s dinner. – Nagi x
PS Bread to mop your bowl clean wouldn’t go astray. Try these No Knead Dinner Rolls, a quick No Yeast Irish Bread or these moreish Cheese Muffins.
Watch how to make it
Note: My slow cooker looks like a pressure cooker because it’s a multi function slow cooker (but no, it’s not an Instant Pot!).
This pot roast recipe was originally published January 2018. Updated for housekeeping matters. No change to recipe – I wouldn’t dare! 🙂
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Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2 kg / 4 lb beef chuck roast , rolled (Note 1)
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (large), cut into large dice
- 5 garlic cloves , peeled and smashed (Note 2a)
- 5 carrots , peeled and cut into 2.5cm/1″ pieces
- 3 celery stalks , cut into 4 cm / 1.5″ pieces
- 1 cup (250ml) dry red wine (sub with beef broth)
- 3 cups (750ml) beef broth , salt reduced
- 1/3 cup (50g) flour (plain / all purpose) (GF – Note 2b)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 750g / 1.5 lb potatoes , peeled and cut into 2.5 cm / 1″ pieces
Instructions
- Pat beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper all over.
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown aggressively all over – a deep dark brown crust is essential for flavour base! Should take about 7 minutes.
- Transfer beef to slow cooker.
- In the same skillet, add onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until onion is browned.
- Add wine, reduce by half. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Mix together flour and about 1 cup of the broth. Lumps is fine. Pour into slow cooker.
- Add remaining broth, carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme into slow cooker.
- Cover and slow cook on LOW for 5 hours. (45 min pressure cook on HIGH, Note 3a for Oven and Stove)
- Add potato, slow cook on LOW for 3 hours. (10 min pressure cooker on HIGH, Note 3b)
- Remove beef. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thickly.
- Adjust salt and pepper of Sauce to taste.
- Serve beef with vegetables and plenty of sauce! Bread also terrific for mopping up sauce – try these No Knead Dinner Rolls, No Yeast Irish Soda Bread or these fabulous Cheese Muffins.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More slow cooked beef recipes
Because nothing beats the flavour of beef cooked long and slow until it’s meltingly tender….
Life of Dozer
When the homeless man at the dog park isn’t at his car (usually off tending to the park grounds – best groundskeeper EVER!), I tie food to the boot of his van. Pot Roast, in this case!
And this is Dozer, trying to figure out if he can reach the bag. #SHAMELESS
Hi Nagi,
I`m not going to add potatoes and my beef roast weighs 1,2 Kg, it`s half way covered in veggies and liquids. So your recommendation is 8 hours on low or about an hour on high in the slow cooker? One hour on high doesn`t sound very long, so just checking. Your recipe for the lamb leg in the slow cooker was spot on and just perfect…
Thanks! Xx Nikki
Ok, after watching the video I understand you differentiate between LOW heat on the slow cooker and HIGH heat on the pressure cooker! The poster before me seemed to be confused about the same thing which may be because any slow cooker comes with the two heat settings – high and low and it`s listed under slow cooker recipes.
Perhaps you could specify the times high/low for slow cookers and for pressure cookers for this recipe under “instructions” or “recipe notes” more clearly …. I know when you write it yourself it may sound totally foolproof 😉
Oh! I get it now 🙂 I tightened up my writing to make it clearer! N x
And can you make the quantities in the recipe in a small slow cooker ie 3.5 quarts?…or a crock pot?
Hi Nagi, it looks like your using a pressure cooker verses a slow cooker, is that correct or am I seeing things? Thanks
Hi, this was absolutely delicious! Probably the yummiest recipe I’ve made so far! This is definitely one for my recipe binder. Thank you 🙂 Will be back for more recipes for sure!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Maria! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback! N x ❤️
Is there anything I can substitute for the red wine? My husband can’t eat anything with sulfites – no red wine or balsamic vinegar.
Just skip it Linda, and use more beef broth (same amount) 🙂 N x
I just made this now! First time doing pot roast. Smells great already.
I actually make an almost identical recipe when i make plum lamb shanks/chops, only things different is i dice the vegies a bit smaller and at the wine in the saucepan stage i add half a cup of plum jam and half a cup of prunes. And I do mashed potatoes to serve. Its been a keeper in my recipe book for years and i dare say this one will too. Thankyou!
That’s great Danielle! So pleased you enjoyed this, thanks for letting me know! N x
Omg! Thank you for a recipe that doesn’t contain pre-made ingredients! Am also a fan of more gravy-like liquid and instructions for EVERY method of cooking!! I am still in the process of making it, but I can already tell its going to be fabulous!!
Do you mind if I ask which brand of slower are you using?
If I do not have a slow cooker, can I still cook this dish please?
Thanks!
Hi Jan! Yep you sure can, I have notes in the recipe for how to cook this on the stove or in the oven 🙂 I have the Breville Slow-Fast Cooker which is the Australian version of the Instant Pot 🙂 It is a slow cooker and pressure cooker in one! N x
Im making the beef pot roast today for dinner, if i dont have flour can i use beef gravy to thicken or should i run out and grab flour?
Do you have cornflour?? If so please see the notes. I would not use beef gravy it will probably make the gravy too salty 🙂 N x
For the United States, I think you mean what we call “cornstarch” 🙂 We don’t call it corn flour up here. 🙂 Maybe could specify that in your recipes 🙂
Hi! Thank you so much for the recipe! I was wondering what kind/brand of skillet and slow-cooker you are using. Thanks!
Nagi, thank you for letting me know, on instagram, that you had oven-roasting instructions for this recipe! I know it’s probably a little too hot outside to be making pot roast, but I couldn’t resist any longer!! This is the very first pot roast I have ever made and it is, honestly, one of the best things I have ever eaten!! Wow!! It reminds me soooo much of my mom’s pot roast! I have almost literally been blown away from the memories and the deliciousness of this recipe. Thank you soooo much! 🙂 🙂
YES YES YES!!! I’m so super happy to hear that Jamieanne, thanks so much for letting me know!! N xx
This recipe is amazing! I have made pot roasts in my Dutch oven for years, but thickening the broth is a game changer! I love the gravy-like consistency, and the flavor is perfect, without any changes to the recipe. This is the recipe I will be teaching my kids, THANK YOU!
Love hearing that Tracey! So pleased you enjoyed this so much! N xx
I just peeled and cut up a few large potatoes, steamed them with a fresh rosemary sprig for about 10 minutes until semi-soft and then added them to the cooker when the recipe cooking time was over, that way you don’t have to add raw and wait three hours for them to cook. I then just kept the cooker on warm mode until ready to eat and everythig was great. this is the best recipe for pot roast and so simple!
What a great tip Diane! Thanks for sharing that! N xx
Nice
is it ok if there isn’t enough broth to cover the potatoes when they go in? if not, should i just add more broth?
Just cooked this today and WOW !!! What an amazing result !!! I now have a very satisfied and content husband…
He said I’ll keep for another week…..I might have to cook another one of your recipes next week….lol !!!
Thank you so much…
I LOVE hearing that Velda! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
I am presently cooking my second time on your recipe. It’s excellent and the family loves it. A few changes; I never peel potatoes, the nutrients are in the skin, in fact I only peel the onions. I use gravy mix instead of flour, and add the spices to the mix. I like to fry the roast in butter, I’m used to it. This time I used 4 cups of commercial vegetable broth (it was that or chicken broth). I also start the slow cooker on high for an hour, then turn it to low, that means it’s perfect after only 6 hours.
Thanks so much. Oh, I don’t use the wine, my wife doesn’t like wine in foods (I love it), so I drink it while cooking.
LOVE HEARING THAT Mark! N x ❤️
Oh yeah, and I don’t peel the carrots so they always come out perfect. Only the celery gets mushy when it stays in for long.
Yummy yummy. To fix the mushy vegetable issue, I put in half the carrots and celery for the flavor and after 5 hours put the rest and more in for the last 3. Turned out delicious, thank you so much.
That’s so great to hear A! Thanks! N x ❤️
This sounds wonderful. What size was your slow cooker?
Hi Linda! It’s a 6L/6Qt one 🙂
Hi Nagi, I just bought my very first slow cooker that’s oval 6.5l and your recipe will be my first try 🙂 (very excited!!) Since my slow cooker is a bit bigger than yours, do I need to add more liquid to avoid the meat from drying out or is that not neccessary?
How exciting Kristina! It’s going to CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!! Nope, no more liquid is needed, the meat won’t dry out even if it’s exposed because the slow cooker has loads of moisture in it so you’ll find even the exposed part of the meat is beautifully juicy! N xx
if i chuck this in the slow cooker on HIGH with a cut of brisket, do I simply cut the cook time in half?
Not quite 🙂 I’d say 5 hours on HIGH.
Hello. I’m excited about this and trying It today. I have cut red potatoes and I did not remove the skin. Can I throw them in at the same time as everything else and let it slow cook all day, rather than putting the potatos in later? Thank you!
Yes definitely! 🙂