Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches that are so tender and flavorful you’ll feel like you’re in Philly. Perfect for a crowd!
Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches are the answer to all your Philly Cheese Steak dreams. We’ve made this recipe three times in the last two weeks and I think I’ve enjoyed so many I’ve already matched my 2016 beef consumption in just that time.
The beef is super tender, the liquid left behind is magic (I actually froze what liquid I didn’t add to a little bowl for dunking – I know like a cross between a french dip and a Philly cheesesteak but the liquid was SO good). The bell peppers, onions and mushrooms add a delicious flavor to the beef, the liquid and the sandwich.
I’m by no means a purist when it comes to cheese steaks, I will take them any way I can get them I love them so much, so these Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches were right up my ally. We made them for the superbowl party we had and they were such a hit we just haven’t stopped.
I will say the most authentic thing about these Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches that people from Philadelphia won’t be upset with me for is the Cheez Whiz that I add to them. It melts and acts like a delicious sandwich glue that you’re going to love.
The blog has been slow cooker obsessed these last few weeks. I think it has to do with the terrible weather we’ve been having, but seeing a slow cooker slowly bubbling away on the counter just makes me so happy these days.
Looking for more Cheese Steak recipes? Look no further!
- Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes
- Ground Philly Cheesesteak Grilled Cheese
- Philly Cheesesteak Meatloaf
- Philly Cheesesteak Hamburger Helper
- Philly Cheese Steak Burgers
- Pat’s Philly Cheese Steak (Copycat)
- Cheesesteak Egg Rolls
- Chicken Madness Philly Sub Sandwich
Some quick tips on these Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches:
- I brown the beef for a good five minutes on each side before putting it in the slow cooker. I mean look at that crust in the sandwich photos!
- I add the veggies in the last hour, if you add them into the pot in the beginning they’ll melt into nothing. If you forget/arent home in time you can also sauté them quickly with canola oil, kosher salt and pepper on medium high heat, then just add them on top or even stir them into the slow cooker just before serving to get some of the cooking liquid on them.
- This isn’t a sandwich you have to dip to enjoy, and I would say about 50/50 were pro-dip vs no-dip, but the liquid left behind is amazing, don’t toss it.
- Consider Cheez Whiz, but if you’re anti-processed cheese I highly suggest Provolone, thats what my husband puts on his and it is also awesome. To give his cheese a better melt I dunk the provolone slices in the liquid with some tongs for a few seconds before putting them onto his sandwich.
- Consider buttering very lightly and then toasting your hoagie rolls. It takes the bread to another dimension.
- Enjoy and please come back and tell me your thoughts!
Tools Used in the making of these Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches:
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this slow cooker. For larger roasts I also brown the meat in the insert and not lose a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.
Worcestershire Sauce: I have been using this brand most of my life and when my husband came home with the store brand one day and I figured “eh no biggie” I could immediately taste the difference. Stick with the original.
Cheez Whiz: I know what you are thinking, Cheez Whiz? YES, but I really only use Cheez Whiz when it comes to cheese steaks. Sometimes you have to go with the authentic ingredient and push the thought of “processed cheese product” out of your mind. Alternately feel free to use provolone which is also delicious.
Strand Brewing Company Beer: Love their beer, if you are in California you can even buy it at Costco. No sponsorship here but just lots of delicious beer.
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed French onion soup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup beer we like Strand Brewing Company - any dark beer will work though
- 1 yellow onion sliced into 1/4" slices
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced into 1/4" slices
- 10 hoagie rolls
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Cheez Whiz or Provolone Cheese
Instructions
- Season the chuck roast with the Kosher salt and pepper (if you are sensitive to sodium, adjust to your taste or you can even leave the salt out altogether since you’re adding broth and soup).
- Heat your pan (or if you can brown in your slow cooker, do it in that insert) to medium high.
- Add the canola oil and when it ripples and is hot add in the roast and brown, deeply, for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- In your slow cooker add the beef, the beef broth, the french onion soup, Worcestershire sauce, and the beer. Enjoy drinking the second half of that beer!
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Add in the onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper in the last hour of cooking.
- To serve, toast your hoagie rolls with a bit of butter spread onto the cut sides.
- With a very sharp knife cut your beef against the grain.
- Add you cheese of choice, some of the meat and top with the cooked veggies.
- I like to have a bit of the liquid (with the fat skimmed off on the side,) but it is totally optional.
Video
Nutrition
Fantastic recipe, but I skipped the browning portion of it. Instead, I had our local butcher shave down 2 lbs of sirloin and cut back on the beef broth to half a cup. Perfect!
Is it possible to cook on high for 4 hours ?
4 hours minimum, I would check at four and assume maybe as much as 5 to make fork tender.
you promised a recipe for left over beef. you lied
This will definitely become a regular in our household. It was so easy to make and absolutley delicious! I didn’t have time to slow cook so I simmered it on the stove and it came out perfectly. Thanks for the new favorite recipe!
You can’t even view the recipe because of so many ads. No thank you
Have you ever viewed your page.
Looks Fantastic!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Okay, this recipe is awesome on sooo many levels. The result isn’t exactly a cheese steak but rather the unholy progeny of an illicit love triad between a Philly Cheese Steak, French Dip and Chicago Beef. And will definitely scratch the itch for either 3. I’ve made it 3 times. Exactly as is, and an attempt at a “cost effective” one. Stick with the chuck in the recipe. Also, if you’re not sandwich dippers you’ll have a glorious bonus. The au jus left behind. Save it. I will say as a sandwich condiment or gravy base it’s perfect. If you use it for soup, you will need to dilute it at least a third to a half with unsalted beef stock. Otherwise it will be too salty. But dang is it good cooking Ramen in it.
Loved it! So yummy! Used frozen peppers and mushrooms. What do you use the liquid for?
Hi, are you talking about the remaining liquid from the slow cooker? Sometimes I drizzle that on the sandwich itself for a little kick of flavor!
Everybody loved it. Thanks and will be cooking for super bowl ?
Everybody loved it. Thanks and will be cooking for super bowl ?
Awesome recipes for the BBQ Roast Beef sandwiches and Philly Cheesesteaks. Both were excellent recipes. I will definitely use in the future. They were so good.. Thanks.
My chuck roast is 2.5 lbs , with cooking it on low how long do you think it should take?
I live in the Philly Suburbs and this isn’t a bad play on a Philly Cheese Steak. If you’re going for a true blue Pat’s or Gino’s style Philly Cheese Steak at home then DO NOT MAKE THIS RECIPE. Your expectations will not be met.
That being said this a great recipe to play with. My husband loves the flavors, and I love that it’s a crock pot meal. I usually end up making a sauce/gravy for dipping. If you do the prep work the day before, it’s much easier to throw it in the crock pot the next day. Also it’s easy enough to customize with your choice of meat, veggies, beer and cheese.
Call it whatever you want but it’s definitely a favorite in my house year round.
If you are going to call it a Philly cheesesteak then don’t put GREEN PEPPER in it. Never ever does Philly use green pepper. Call it something else
I believe food is very much up to interpretation, meaning anything can go into a recipe that wouldn’t be in it originally. In my personal opinion, I thought that the bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms added a delicious flavor to the beef. There is always room for substitutions as well. If you make this recipe, feel free to take things out or put other things in.
How do I cook it in the oven instead of a crockpot?
Good news! I have a recipe for that:
https://dinnerthendessert.com/oven-baked-philly-cheesesteak-sandwiches/
Hi Sabrina, I love in Dubai and you can never find decent Philly cheese steak sandwiches here so I’m making your recipe.
I’m cooking this with topside roast as that’s all I could find. I hope that’s OK. And I’m cooking with 2 pounds of topside.
Also provolone cheese is very expensive here so I’m trying gouda cheese.. In addition I will use a little bit of mayonnaise on the bread..
Will let you know how it turns out.
Is it OK to slow cook for 7 hours and then wait for 2-3 hours and then add the veggies and slow cook again for an hour?
I’m so glad you able to give this recipe a try. When you mention waiting for 2-3 hours, do you mean the slow cooker is on the warm setting or off? If so, I think it might just be better to make the veggies separate. Good luck!
Made this tonight. Essentially, it’s a pot roast sandwich. Nothing close to a steak and cheese flavor. Won’t make again.
If I’m ever down in south philly and hungry enough to order a cheesesteak
From pats or geno’s
I always make sure I say
with as straight a face as possible:
Oh Yo Bro
No Whiz On My Cheeseteak
I’m planning on starting this on my lunch break today. Can I go on high for 4 hours?
I prefer low and slow but that would work too. Enjoy!
These sound like a great sandwich, but they are not a Philly Cheesesteak…..wrong type of meat. Green peppers???
I made these last night and they turned out Amazing. I followed the directions to a tee. Such an easy recipe, but yet great flavor. I used a Stone IPA, good choice I believe. I also used toasted Artesano sausage rolls. Perfect match. I did take the topping for each sandwich topped with provolone and heated it up the skillet to melt the cheese. Family loved them. Will definitely make a them again.
What kind of broth would be good to use as a substitute instead of beer?
I’d use beef broth. Enjoy!
What are your suggestions for using a pre-cooked roast beef ?
I’d cook it on low 4-5 hours on low until it’s tender. Enjoy!
Hello there, I am from New Zealand and we can’t get cans of french onion soup here. What could I use as an alternative? I would love to try this recipe, it looks & sounds so good!
I’m working on a homemade version. Stay tuned!
This looks like my kind of recipe – EASY!!! But I have some questions.
I plan to serve this at our April Camping Club Pot Luck, there will be about 20 people to feed. I have cooked two chuck roasts (6-8 lbs) in my 9×13 crockpot before (Mississippi Pot Roast) to serve this group of seniors. My question is should I just double the broth and French Onion Soup (hope it fits)? Is there any other adjustments, I should make?
Also, this is a Church group – can I use broth instead of the beer?
You can definitely use broth instead of beer, no problem. As long as you’re not overcrowding the slow cooker, you’ll be fine. Enjoy!
I want to make this for company coming. We don’t keep beer in this house what is a good substitute?
Beef broth 🙂
Can red or white wine in place of the beer?
I’ve not tested it that way before but if you decide to try, I’d love to know what you think. Thanks!
I don’t have dark beer right now. Would Budweiser work!?!?
I’ve not tried it with that kind before but I think I saw another commenter say they used it and it worked. Good luck!
Greatest
We made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! It was my first time making Philly cheese steaks and this was SO easy and SO delicious! Thank you so much for this great recipe. We write all our favorite recipes in a small journal/notebook, and whenever we try a new recipe, we always talk about if it’s “book-worthy.” Well, this one is definitely book-worthy and will be in regular rotation at our house!
You are too kind, Christine. Thank you so much.
Hey, sounds great! I’m just wondering what you’d replace condensed French onion soup with – I couldn’t find it. Would the Lipton onion soup mix work, somehow?
It’s not a dry mix, it’s in a can sometimes found in the soup aisle.
Can you use the dry soup mix too?
Sorry for the late response Emily. We don’t use mixes on the site as a rule. I haven’t tested this recipe with a dry soup mix so I can’t advise you. Did you try the recipe?
My sister has made this before for me and it was delicious so I am making it today at my house.
Can you leave it on low for 10 hours (work schedule is getting in the way) ?
I would suggest getting a slow cooker that automatically turns to a “warm” setting once the cook time is complete. You don’t want to risk drying out the meat from overcooking it. Enjoy!
I work at a restaurant that has an amazing Philly, but this is still better.
I made this tonight, except I used venison roast instead of beef and followed the directions exactly and added a tad of Dijon mustard just because. This was wonderful. Used the crockpot and cooked on high for 4 hours. Will make again! Yum.
Yum! I haven’t made it with venison, but sounds delicious. Glad you enjoyed!
Our family loves cheesesteaks and we love potroast. Was beyond skeptical about this working, but with the great reviews and the possibility of easily creating great cheesesteaks at home, we went for it. Sadly, these taste nothing like a Philly Cheesesteak. The beef came out amazing…but it tastes like a french dip sandwich/pot roast tryng to pose as a cheesesteak. For us it was disappointing but shouldn’t have been. Reading the recipe should have told us exactly how this would taste and come out. If you are a true cheesesteak lover…this is 0 out of 5. 2 stars because the beef comes out perfect if you want to make French Onion Dip sandwiches. We didnt waste any…but these only look like philly cheesesteaks. Thanks to the author for posting. Happy for her that most people clearly arent discerning cheesesteak eaters 🙂
It’s definitely as authentic as my Philly cheesesteak recipes or even better a Pat’s Philly cheesesteak 🙂 But I’m glad that you were able to enjoy 🙂
I normally dont comment on these, but that looks delicious and cheese whiz is a must for an authentic philly…normally people use ribeye but I think this would be just fine, gonna make it for the family tonight, thanks
Hoping they turned out good! And yes to the cheez whiz!
Can you make this in the Instapot?
Certainly!
I would use the instructions in my Pot Roast recipe that were adjusted for Instant Pot (in the post, not the recipe card)
Let me know how they turn out!
https://dinnerthendessert.com/classic-pot-roast-with-vegetables/
Hello Sabrina,
I would love to make this but I can only get eye of the round beef. Any tips on using it instead of chuck roast ?
Making this for company tomorrow, so I would really appreciate if you could get back to me quickly.
Thanks !
Both cuts will work the same, I don’t think you need to make adjustments. Let me know how it turns out!
If I leave out the beer, what can I substitute? Can I just leave it out?
I would substitute instead of omitting to keep the liquid ratio. I suggest beef broth, coke, or even apple cider, depending if you want to play with the flavors a bit.
This recipe was DELICIOUS ?! My family loved it! We used Modelo Negra* beer & provolone cheese. Great recipe. Have already sent to several friends.
So great to hear! Thanks for sharing with your friends and letting me know you liked it!
Can you slice the roast prior to placing it in the crock pot? I am having a large birthday party, and would like to do the minimal amount of work during the actual party.
You won’t want to slice it up before cooking it, sorry. After it’s finished you can leave it in the slow cooker and just shred it for your guests.
Sounds amazing
Did you ever work at NVCC
Nope not sure what that is.
Can you cook this on high for 4 hours?
I’ve only ever cooked it on low but I think you’ll be fine. Give it around 4-5 hours. Enjoy!
Excellent. I see why you like eating it every day. It’s the best . Thank you for such a great recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it so much!
Whether this is the ‘original’ recipe or not, it’s fantastic! Very flavorful, and it was enjoyed by all. We used Provolone, since it’s more ‘original’ than Cheese Whiz, since Cheese Whiz was not invented until around 1952. We loved the green peppers in it, since they add a lot of flavor. I’ll try using red bell peppers next time, or a combo of both. I used my homemade garlic butter to spread on the toasted hoagie buns. I’m definitely keeping this recipe in my arsenal of “Terrific Stuff”. Thanks 🙂
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
5 stars for sure! The only thing I’d change is to increase the bell pepper from one to two.
My husband is going to love, love, love this recipe! I totally agree with you regarding the “Cheez Whiz”…need to keep this authentic. Thank you, l can feel the love in your recipes and cooking style.
Thanks so much!
Hi! I used to be a vegetarian for years, so meat is still kind of fun for me to try in different recipes. So as not to sound to dumb, but needing to know- does it say Chuck roast right o the package? I’ve never cooked one! And is that the only type of meat that should be used? Thanks bunches!
It should but you can always ask your butcher too. They’re always there to help!
Hi Sabrina, is it ok to brown the meat the night before and then place it in the fridge? Mornings are a challenge, would love to simply turn my crockpot on in the morning. Thanks!
Unfortunately you can’t. You never want to brown or partially cook beef to refrigerate and finish cooking later because any bacteria present wouldn’t have been destroyed. Sorry.
My only complaint is that there was not much left over because it was so darn good! I opted for provolone although I’m sure the Cheez whiz would be tasty as well. We toasted the hoagie rolls before loading them up. Oh so good!
Sounds like the perfect problem to have! So glad you all loved them.
I was wondering what would need to be changed if anything, when the roast is frozen.
You’ll want to have it completely thawed before placing it in the slow cooker.