Crazy tender, melt in your mouth slow cooker pot roast with carrots and potatoes. This super easy recipe requires little prep and the crockpot does all the work!
I love using my slow cooker to make meals easier! I especially love using it to make tougher cuts of meat fall apart tender.
Growing up this was a staple at my house! Mom always made pot roast at least once a week.
I would say 99% of the time she made it in the oven but I wanted to make a slow cooker pot roast to share with you.
That way I can still make it in the middle of the summer without heating up the house!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- This pot roast turns out super moist and melt in your mouth tender, exactly the way pot roast is supposed to be. No dry, tough pot roast here!
- This recipe is SO easy! Just put everything in the slow cooker, turn it on, and forget it. Then just make a simple gravy at the end.
- Pot roast can really be a budget-friendly meal. Chuck roast, specifically, is an affordable cut of meat, yet it comes out restaurant-worthy.
Ingredients:
First, you will need a chuck roast. Look for one that has good marbling (fat) throughout, because this will make it moist and tender.
Then you will use onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, beef broth, and beef bouillon. In the end, you will need butter and flour to finish the gravy.
For the vegetables, you will need fresh baby carrots and potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes work best, but you can also use red or russet potatoes. If they are large, cut them into big chunks before cooking.
How to make Slow Cooker Pot Roast:
- Sear the roast on high to medium-high heat and then place in the slow cooker. Deglaze the pan with a little beef broth and add to the slow cooker.
- Season the roast with your seasonings.
- Add veggies to the slow cooker.
- Mix the broth and bouillon together and add to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
- When finished cooking, make the gravy. Remove 2 cups of broth from the slow cooker and set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then slowly whisk in the reserved broth and, while stirring, simmer until thickened.
Tips for making pot roast:
- Be flexible with the vegetables. Growing up my mom always had a medley of carrots, potatoes, and onions. But I didn’t include onions in this recipe because my kiddos aren’t fond of large chunks of cooked onions and neither is my husband. Include what you like and leave out what you don’t.
- Choose a chuck roast that is marbled with fat throughout for the most tender results.
- Don’t rush the cooking time. The low and slow method is perfect for tough cuts of meat because it will allow for the connective tissue to break down and leave you with tender meat.
FAQs
Any tough cut of beef will work great. Pot roast cooks at a low temperature for a very long period of time, which breaks down all the connective tissue and makes for meltingly tender meat. Here are some good options:
– Chuck roast: My first choice is always a nice chuck roast. It comes from the front portion of the animal. Look for any roast with the word chuck in it.
– Brisket: Brisket also from the front of the animal, specifically the chest. It has long strands of meat so cutting it against the grain is best for more tender meat.
– Rump Roast/Bottom Round: These are great options if you can’t find anything else. They don’t have quite the marbling of a chuck but they still work.
Your pot roast will be tough and chewy if you did not cook it long enough. The longer it cooks, the more the tissue will break down and become tender. If it is tough, just continue to cook it until tender.
Make sure to cook the pot roast on low (not high). Cooking on high forces too much water out of the roast and makes it dry. It is also possible to overcook your roast. Be sure to check after the 8 hours and if you use a roast smaller than 3 pounds be sure to check sooner. A 4 pound roast is perfect for this recipe.
Pot roast is an ideal recipe for a crowd since it is economical and loved by all! If you are doubling the recipe, I recommend using two slow cookers so you don’t overcrowd them.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
- Asian Chicken Noodle Soup in the Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker Berry Oatmeal
- Slow Cooker Guinness Corned Beef
- BBQ Chicken in the Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
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Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 (4 pound)(2kg) chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups (750ml) beef broth
- 2 teaspoons- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon (I like better than bouillon brand)
- 6 whole carrots; peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 pounds potatoes; washed, peeled (optional) and cut into large chunks
GRAVY:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth (from the crockpot)
Instructions
- Pat roast dry with paper towels. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a little oil and sear the roast on all sides. Place roast in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Deglaze the pan with a little beef broth scraping up all the browned bits and add to slow cooker.
- Sprinkle with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix remaining broth with the bouillon and add to slow cooker. Place carrots and potatoes around the roast. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. **I don't recommend cooking on high**
- To make gravy, remove 2 cups of beef broth from the slow cooker and set aside. In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly. Slowly pour and whisk in the reserved beef broth. Simmer while stirring until thickened. If the gravy is too thick stir in a little more broth.
Notes
- Choose a chuck roast that is very marbled with fat for the most tender result. Other great choices are brisket, rump, or bottom round.
- The carrots and potatoes will be quite tender at the end of cooking time. Thicker carrots will withstand the cooking a little better and not be quite so soft. If you prefer you can wait and add the veggies after the meat has cooked for 1 1/2 hours.
- Add onions or omit any vegetables that you don’t prefer.
- Gluten-Free: Use a cup for cup gluten-free flour or just make a slurry with cornstarch and water and omit the butter.
I added a can of whole cranberries and some roasted veggies at the end. It was good.
Thanks for sharing!
Is there a way to coin for 6 hours instead of 8?
Cook*
You could try cutting the roast into smaller chunks to help it cook faster. Let me know if it works!
When should I add my potatoes if I am using whole canned potatoes?
After everything is done cooking. All they will need is to be warmed up and about 10-15 minutes with the lid on should be enough to warm them.
I highly recommend this dish. Absolute delicious. Very tender and flavorful!
Thank you very much!!
Delicious! Made this for my in-laws and my MIL said “well now I can’t make roast anymore” lol! One of the best roasts I’ve ever had, loved it. I did put the carrots in about 2 hours after the meat had already been cooking and they ended up perfect. I made mashed potatoes instead of including because I just love mashed and the gravy is amazing.
Lol! Thank you so much for sharing and your wonderful comment!! I love it!
Hello question I could not find the bouillon you recommended store was out of it can you leave it out or can you substitute a bouillon cube. Thank you
Yes, you can replace it with a bouillon cube. Hope you enjoy!
I used the better than bouillon- do you just add it to the broth from the jar? Dont dissolve in water?
You dissolve it in the remaining broth before adding it to the slow cooker. Hope that helps.
If you have a Costco they a carry Chicken,Beef and Vegetable broth in this brand
Nothing beats a good traditional comfort food! Thanks for sharing!
I couldn’t agree more!!
This was a huge hit with the whole family! So tender and delicious, thanks for the recipe!
Thank you!
What an amazingly easy and DELICIOUS meal! This was so perfect! I’ll be doing this all winter!
Thank you very much!
Perfect comfort food on a Sunday night in the fall!
I have to agree! It’s a family favorite!
Excellent, a classic
I love the classics!! Thanks Linda!
I have bottom round steak cut into strips, will this work for this recipe?
Sure! Let me know how you like it!
Just .made this tonight. And it was amazing.
Thank you so much! So glad you liked it!!
Made this today and even made the gravy gluten-free (husband has Celiac Disease) by using 2 TBSB of corn starch instead of 1/4 cup flour and turned out amazing! Super easy to throw together and leave cooking all day. Will definitely be making again!
So glad you liked it and thank you so much for sharing!!
Just finished up my biscuits and gravy to go along with the pot roast for Sunday lunch (leftovers will be for supper). I’ve already taste tested everything and it’s all so delicious!!!! I’ve never made beef stock gravy but I’m in love now ❤️ I started my meat alone last night so I knew we could have lunch today, I wanted it to cook long and slow. Set my slow cooker on low, 10 hours. I had to change up my seasonings some to adjust but it turned out amazing. I used salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, Italian seasoning, jalapeño garlic, and smoked paprika. I used 3 cups of beef broth to cover my roast and let it cook all night. (Started around 11:30pm)Woke up early before church this morning shredded my meat, it was so tender. Added my carrots, onions and potatoes. Then I let it all cook together while we were at church. Combination of everything is delicious!!
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment!! It totally made my day so much better!!! Also, thanks for sharing your changes!!
I made this for tonight’s dinner. The gravy was the BEST I’ve ever made! This recipe will definitely make its way into the rotation. Yummy goodness!
Thank you so much!! I am so glad you liked it and thank you for sharing!
If it is a smaller roast (About 1.75-2 pounds), how long should I cook it?
I would say 4-5 hours on LOW should be good. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks!
So good! My entire family loved it.
Thank you!! I am so glad you liked it!! 🙂
Slow cooker pot roast with carrots and potatoes is basically the quintessential dish of my childhood… Even your pictures are getting me a bit nostalgic, haha. I oughta make this soon for a little blast from the past.
Ahhh, thank you so much!! I really appreciate it!! 🙂
This is still one of my favorite meals. When you are in a hurry you can use cornstarch to thicken gravy. I usually do that as you get a clear gravy and I like that but a lot of people don’t. Glad you got over the flu bug, it is making it’s round here, too.
Thanks, Grandma!! 🙂