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
Made this today for dinner with my in-laws and parents and it turned out really well…had a lot of fat to cut off my roast and I ended up shredding the beef so it was easier to bite into the sandwich! Everyone really liked it, even my husband who can be picky. I fried the veggies to have on the side and so my vegetarian mother in-law could have a sandwich!
thank you so much for adding the non processed cheese option, i was going to have to move on until i saw the delicious provolone option. it’s not that i don’t eat anything processed, but cheez whiz ain’t one of them! can’t wait to make these!
You’re welcome, Lucia!
Well I’m trying this recipe with a sirloin roast. I’m praying it stays tender!
If I wanted to make this recipe in a pressure cooker would you know how I could do that?
I haven’t tested it yet so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation. I’m sure you could find a recipe online with similar ingredients and follow that as a guideline.
This was amazing can’t wait to make it again!
It’s in the crockpot now! Smells amazing – looking at the other comments- I could come out the hero here – I’ll let you know (thanks for sharing)
Would the taste change much if I left out the beer?
You can always substitute more broth for the beer. 🙂
So tell me again….why is this a “copycat” recipe????????
10
Made the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich recipe. Used provolone and Guinness. Put veggies and mushrooms in for last hour, next time (and there will be a next time!) will be for last 45 min to try and leave just a bit of crisp in the vegetables. Or I’ll likely saute instead. Served with oven roasted quartered medium sized potatoes boiled in rosemary water before roasting. Combination was outstanding. Next day thickened a portion of juice with mayo for a sauce used on more reheated sandwiches. Wow.
You’re making me hungry now, haha! So glad you enjoyed it!
I made it without green peppers as I’m just not a fan; followed all your directions decided to try the 5 hrs. On hi turned out yummy definitely liked the chz wiz haven’t had that in years! Boyfriend was pleased with the end results having to smell it all day long & wait until I brought it to work for his dinner break.
Thanks for the 5 stars Kari! So glad you enjoyed it!
Is this gluten free??
You’ll want to make sure to use a gluten free beef broth and condensed french onion soup but I believe everything else on the ingredient list is gluten free. Hope this helps!
I made the recipe as stated. The taste was just ok. I expected a little different flavot but instead it just tasted like pot roast in a sandwich but not philly cheesesteaks. I won’t try this again but the leftovers tasted better on top of rice instead of on bread. Thanks for the recipe anyway.
Can you use arm roast that all I have on hand
It’s a bit leaner but it should work fine since it’s being put in a slow cooker.
I was hosting 30 Philly people during SB52. I wanted to do cheesesteaks, but didn’t want to bother cooking during the event. I used this recipe proportionately for 8lbs of chuck in the crock pot. I seared all six sides on a griddle for both pieces for total of 5 mins for each piece of meat (~4lbs each). Before the flip of the coin (after 8 hours of cooking) I pulled/cut the fat off the meat. The beef pulled like pulled pork. At halftime, everyone dug in. I’ve had it for leftovers the last few days and would absolutely do again.
Although my wife was apprehensive utilizing a new recipe for a Super Bowl party, we crushed it thanks to you.
It may not be a perfect replication of a SE Philly cheesesteak, you will crush a Philly party with this recipe. Believe me, I have eaten a few cheesesteaks!
One exception, we cooked the mushrooms, onions and peppers separately in a pan and served on the side due to picky customers. It worked out well bc you can pan fry vs sweat cook the veggies.
Hot Cheez Whiz on the side will authenticate this sandwich!
So awesome!! Thanks for coming back to let me know how much of a success this was for you…..and congrats on the win!!
Made this on the cheap for a group of 25 hungry Philly fans on Super Bowl Sunday. Used an 8 pound rump roast I lucked into for 3 dollars a pound, and simmered on low in your broth recipe for 10 hours. I then removed 2/3 of the yummy broth to freeze, cut the beef and “pulled” it as pulled pork, and cooked the veggies for an hour in the remaining broth with the meat. For cheese, I used 3 cans of white queso, which I simmered in the broth with the meat and veggies. Simply divine! It was a huge hit and is now called “magic cheese steak”by its fans. I’m going to use the frozen (delicious) broth as a base for a beef barley soup next Sunday. Thank you so much for an amazing recipe!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad everyone loved it! Congrats on the win!!
Do you drain liquid before putting sliced meat back in? A little confused..
I didn’t drain the liquid because I like the meat to sit in the juices. I just used tongs to get the meat and veggies out to load the hoagie rolls up.
Do you think I could make this in my instant pot?
I’ve never tried it before so I’m not comfortable making a recommendation. I’m sure you can find a recipe with similar ingredients and follow that as a guide. Good luck!
So after you slice do you put back in crock pot so people can serve themselves at their leisure? Planning to make for SuperBowl!!
Yep, easy peasy!
My husband and I made these for group of 10 for the Philadelphia Eagles game yesterday! Since I was raised in Philly, I was looking to make something pretty close to an authentic cheesesteak but in bulk. These were SO easy for a big crowd, and everyone loved them! We cooked them on high for 4 hours, and got 2 x 2.5 pounds of meat that sat on top of each other in our slow cooker (ours is smaller than yours). We rotated the hunks of meat around 2 hours, and then we sliced the meat at 3.5 hours to make sure it cooked evenly. We also cut off some fat around that time too. They turned out so tender and delicious!!!! Thanks so much. Since the Eagles won, we think these are good luck and plan to make them again if they go to the Super Bowl!
Congrats on the win!! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This looks great! One question: we don’t drink, so what can I use to substitute out the beer? Coke? Root beer?
You could just leave it out all together or add more broth as a substitution.
Believe it or not, right here in Houston Texas; I could not find a can of french onion soup. So I use some dried onion soup mix, along with the other ingredients. Left my crock pot at my daughter’s house for Friendsgiving. So I just cooked it at 200 in the oven for about 5 hours. I did do the sear before putting it in the oven. I am not a major beef eater, but this was so amazingly good!
That’s crazy you couldn’t find it, but you did a great job substituting! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
These were amazing! I baked it in the oven on 200 rather than a crock pot….didn’t have one! Everyone loved them.
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
It was a little bland for our tasting. We added sautéed garlic cloves to the broth mixture, more black pepper and more salt. Overall it was really good.
When making these recipes, I really try to cater to a broad audience but most dishes are customizable to our individual tastes. While garlic isn’t true to the original cheesesteak, I think it makes a wonderful addition. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I used a chopper and cut the onion and bell peppers very small before I realized u said 1/4, does it matter as long as I used a whole onion and pepper?
It really doesn’t matter. I like keeping them bigger so they still have some texture in them after cooking but you’ll still get the flavor either way. No worries! I hope you enjoyed it!
I have chicken broth, can I use that instead of beef broth?
Yes, it will slightly adjust the taste but definitely still does the job.
Very disappointing. It smells great while cooking but the meat was very bland. I even added more Worcestershire sauce and it didn’t help. Didn’t work for me.
So sorry you thought it was bland. This recipe is made to satisfy most pallets. Perhaps seasoning the meat more aggressively next time would be more to your liking.
I made this tonight, except used my instant pot pressure cooker. I sliced the beef thinly across the grain, no browning. Added everything but the veggies and cooked on high pressure for 35 minutes . I let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes , added the veggies and cooked on high pressure for 3 more minutes . Then quick released the pressure. So tender and the jus was excellent.
*also… If anyone has seafood allergies… Soy sauce is a good substitution for worcestershire.
Awesome, thank you so much for giving the instructions for the IP!! So glad you enjoyed it!!
Made this today and absolutely love it, the family loved it too!
Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you all loved it!
Sounds & looks delicious. One question: What do you mean by 1 inch of onion, and 1 inch of green pepper? If you mean a 1 inch slice (diced), it doesn’t seem like enough for 8 servings. Please clarify, since I’ve never seen such an amount.
Thank you for catching that! The recipe plug in was not imputing that correctly. I edited it but it should read 1 onion and 1 bell pepper.
My husband is allergic to mushrooms. Would adding more bell pepper and onion compromise the recipe?
No, not at all. You can use any veggies you prefer 🙂 Enjoy!
My family loved it! Will definitely make again!
So wonderful to hear everyone loved it!!
I made this recipe for my boyfriend’s family today when they needed a lunch break from seeding crops in the field. I added a few extra peppers, mushrooms, onions and a couple extra shakes of Worcestershire sauce. It turned out amazing, I’ll definitely be making this again soon!
Perfect! I love that this meal is so easily customizable.
Tonight is sandwich night and the beef is in the slow cooker now, I can’t wait! Will let you know how it turned out! My mouth is watering already!
Wonderful! I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Thanks!
I don’t understand 1 inch pepper and onion cut into 1/4 inch slices. That would only give you 4 of each? Looks very good!
So sorry for the confusion. You want to cut the bell peppers into 1 inch long strips about 1/4″ wide.
Can i just not use the beer or substitute with something else?
Can you omit it altogether or add more beef broth if you want. Enjoy!
Thank you! We don’t drink much. I? was going to look to see if I? could buy one can of beer at the grocery. Then I? remembered it was a Sunday in Indiana!
Oh, that’s right! I always forget about the different state laws when traveling. Glad it’s Monday and you’re free to go!
Wait .. what? No beer on Sunday?
You can substitute coke or pepsi for the beer, or better yet, coffee!
Agreed! Or broth! 🙂
Could you use Sirloin Steak for this?
It would depend on the size and the marbling. If it is too lean you’ll end up with meat that is incredibly dry. Chuck steak with good marbling tends to be a better cut for the slow cooker.
I don’t have any french onion soup on hand could i use cream of mushroom?
I can’t vouch for a “cream of” soup as I don’t have experience with them, but since there isn’t really a creamy element in this soup I would shy away from it. Perhaps just use beef broth or consomme or if you have a Lipton Dried Onion soup packet add that with beef broth?
I’m a ranchers wife in the middle of Montana. We have a branding every year where I have to feed abt 30 people, that is after a long day of working cattle along side everyone. My question is, can this be made the day before and reheated? Trying to figure out a yummy meal, not my father in laws plain roast beef sandwiches.
Yes! I would hold off on the veggies until you go to warm the next day though. I have to say I’m picturing an amazing meal to be served with some amazing quality beef. This would’ve been a dream gig as a chef.
This looks amazing…trying it now. Was short on time so did high on the crockpot hope its just as tender…but I am confident it will delish. Have you made it on high before?
I’ve only ever done it on low but I think you’ll be fine. Give it 4-5 hours.
5 hours on high was successful for anyone wondering. It was super awesome
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know!
YAY! Thank you! I have it in now for 5 hours! The smell is amazing!
This looks awesome! I am wondering if we could freeze the left overs? It’s just my self my husband our 10 month old so we could never finish this. I am still trying to figure out the rules of freezing food and what does well and what does not! Thank you!
Yes, but I would freeze before adding the veggies, then when reheat add in the vegetables then 🙂
Making this for supper tonight. Already smells amazing. Such an easy meal to make. Had everything on hand. Cheesesteaks are one of our favs. Can’t wait til it is done. Love your recipes!
Thank you! Enjoy!!
One of my favorite sandwiches! Love that it’s make in the slow cooker too!
Thanks Angie!
This looks SO good! I need to try this ASAP!
Thank you Jen!!
These are like the PERFECT meal for get togethers with family or friends!!
Definitely! Everyone will leave happy and full!
Tried your mo jo pulled pork. It was very tender with mild flavor (I left out the red peppers). My husband liked it with bbq sauce added.
Will now try your Philly steak sandwich.
I like your recipes because they use on hand ingredients, are simple and quick to put together.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for coming back to let me know how much you and your husband loved it!
Oh yum!! This is one amazing sandwich!! My husband would love it!!
Thanks Katerina!
My goodness. These sandwiches just sound and look AMAZING. I’ve never made a cheesesteak at home before, and I just ADORE that you made this in the slow cooker! Brilliant!
Thanks Erin!
Why have I never thought to do this before? And OH MY GAHHH that shot with the cheese. I need it!
My mouths watering at the photo! I’d love one of these for lunch!
Thanks Erren!