My Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast is the best recipe for mouthwatering, flavorful tender chuck roast with potatoes and carrots. Try it today!
A pot roast is classic American comfort food. This slow cooker version of tender chuck roast is slow-cooked with carrots and potatoes in a rich beef broth. Check out my entire Pot Roast Catalog for more mouthwatering versions like French Onion and Indian Butter.
Table of contents
Ultimate Pot Roast
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
This pot roast is near to my heart and one I’ve been sharing even before I started this website. It’s actually a pared-down version of a recipe I adapted for clients whose children were going off on their own. They wanted easy meals they could make that would remind them of the meals I had made for them. This dish delivers on that promise offering a warm, hearty, delicious meal with little cooking knowledge needed. Even without searing the meat, the roast will come out mouthwateringly tender.
The great thing about this Slow Cooker Pot Roast is that it is a whole meal made at once, with veggies, potatoes, and meat. It only takes a little effort in the morning and you come home to the most amazing dinner. You could even prep it the night before to save time in the morning.
Ingredients
- Chuck Roast: This juicy cut is perfect for slow cooking due to its marbling, which breaks down into tender meat.
- Vegetable Oil: This is used to sear and ultimately caramelize the outside of the meat which adds incredible flavor.
- Seasonings: You don’t need much to season this dish, just some dried thyme, minced garlic, salt and pepper. You can use 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder or twice as much fresh thyme.
- Root Vegetables: The potatoes and carrots add delicious earthy flavor plus they turn a roast into a full meal. Feel free to add more root veggies – check out my Variations for ideas.
- Beef Broth: You want to use a good quality broth. My secret ingredient is Better than Bouillon concentrate (with water) and I always add an extra scoop for super beefy flavor.
- Cornstarch: Used to thicken the rich gravy. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a cornstarch slurry before adding it to the pot to avoid clumping.
Step by Step Instructions
Time needed: 8 hours and 15 minutes.
- Season
Pat the roast dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle it with thyme and season with salt, and pepper.
- Brown
Heat a pan over medium-high heat with the oil. (If you have a slow cooker with the ability to brown, you can use it.) Once it’s hot and shimmering, place the roast in the pan. Sear it for 4-5 minutes on each side until it’s deeply browned.
- Cook
Place the peeled and chopped carrots and potatoes in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the minced garlic. Lay the browned beef on top of the vegetables. Pour the beef broth over the meat and vegetables. Cover the slow cooker and set cook time for 8-10 hours on low, or on high for 5 hours.
- Thicken
An hour before it’s done, mix cornstarch with cold water and stir it into the slow cooker to thicken the sauce. Alternatively, remove the meat and vegetables when done, transfer the liquid to a small saucepan, add the slurry, and cook on high for 2-3 minutes until the gravy thickens. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pound carrots , peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- minced parsley , optional garnish
Instructions
- Season the chuck roast with the kosher salt, pepper and thyme (if you are sensitive to sodium, adjust to your taste or you can even leave the salt out altogether since you're adding broth).
- Heat your pan (or if you can brown in your slow cooker, do it in that insert to medium high.
- Add the vegetable 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 carrots, potatoes and garlic.
- Lay the beef on top, then add the beef broth and cover, cooking on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
- In the last hour, mix your cornstarch and water and add it to the slow cooker to thicken the sauce or you can take the food out when done cooking, and add the leftover liquid to a small saucepan with the cornstarch/water slury mixture and cook on high for just 2-3 minutes until the liquid is thickened into a gravy.
- Pour the gravy over the meat and garnish with parsley if desired.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: Switch up the Veggies!
This roast is easy to adapt for the season and what veggies your family likes. I love swapping in root vegetables like turnips, parsnips, and sweet potatoes. If I have onions or shallots on hand, I’ll pop them in for some more flavor. In the fall, I love different squash like butternut squash, acorn squash or pumpkin.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
You can season the meat and prep veggies ahead of time and store them separately overnight. However, I want to point out that FDA Food Safety Guidelines recommend against searing meat and cooking it later. Once it starts cooking, meat must reach a food safe temperature before it can be stored or consumed.
Nutritional Facts
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Searing: Browning the beef in a pan before adding it to the slow cooker is a step I would not skip if possible. That brown crust adds a delicious depth of flavor and you don’t want to miss it.
- Seasoning: Yes it looks like a lot of salt, but you also have to remember you have 3 pounds of vegetables under the meat you are seasoning too.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the liquid you’ll need some cornstarch. I usually add this in the last hour of cooking. You could also thicken the juices on the stove top with the cornstarch but for me, that’s just one more dish to wash.
- Yukon Potatoes: I love the buttery texture of Yukon gold, you can alternately use russet potatoes here without any problems too.
- Look at the Thyme: If you have fresh thyme, by all means, use it, I just like how easy this recipe is and pantry friendly so I normally use dried thyme unless I already have fresh on hand.
How to Store
- Storing: Keep covered when not serving. You can keep it on Warm for 4 hours or up to 2 hours at room temp. Place any leftover pot roast in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in a slow cooker, covered on low, until hot. You can also heat it on the stove top, in the microwave or oven. Stir occasionally to make sure it heats up evenly.
- Freezing: Store leftovers in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Frequent Questions
Yes, you can substitute the chuck roast with top round, bottom round, or rump roast. You don’t want to use a premium cut, tougher cuts do better with the long cooking time.
Mash together 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl until it makes a paste. Slowly add the cooking liquid while whisking to keep the gravy smooth, until it’s about ½ cup total. Stir that mixture into the crockpot to thicken the gravy.
Overcooking can cause them to get too mushy. Cut them into large chunks. You can even place the veggies on top of the meat if you prefer firmer vegetables. They’ll cook in the broth steam instead of being submerged.
Variations
- Italian Style Roast: Replace thyme with 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and 1 teaspoon of dried basil. Add a can of diced tomatoes (drained) into the broth. No additional cooking time is needed.
- Garlic and Rosemary Roast: Increase garlic to 4 cloves and add 2 sprigs fresh rosemary directly to the broth. Use red potatoes for a slightly different texture. Cook according to the recipe and remove the rosemary sprigs before serving.
- Mexican-Inspired Roast: Add 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, and ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika. Add an optional can of diced green chilies for spice and a cup of salsa. Slow cook per instructions.
Related Recipes
More Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipes
Photos used in previous versions of this post.
I used just sweet potatoes and served it on a cheesy polenta
Can I cook longer than 8 hours?? My husband and I are gone for about 10-11 hours for work every day but I don’t want to overcook it.
You can slow cook beef on low for up to 10 hours.
Wouldn’t there be an issue with the potatoes turning to mush when cooking that long? I don’t usually add potatoes until 2-3 hours before serving, when slow cooking.
Our potatoes were soft and perfect for mashing with the yummy gravy. How did yours turn out?
Can I do this in a Dutch oven and cook it it the oven? If so what temperature should I use?
You may want to try one of these recipes instead?
Classic Pot Roast with Vegetables (https://dinnerthendessert.com/classic-pot-roast-with-vegetables/)
Red Wine Pot Roast (https://dinnerthendessert.com/braised-pot-roast/)
Great base. Add a whole onion large sliced and at least one celery stick. More garlic, slightly more seasoning. And bay leaf. No one wants bland food. But a really good start.
Appreciate your feedback Brit!
A question as opposed to a comment. I use a crock pot and a chuck roast. My temperature probe says 173° right now. The roast (4lb) has been in the cooker for just over 3 hours and there’s no way it’s at the pull-apart/shredding stage. I have found the newer crock pots cook at such a fast rate. How do I know when it reaches a nice shredding stage? Help!
Wow, that is surprising. Are you cooking on high or low? If you’re cooking on high, the cooking time would be be around 4 hours. Was the temperature probe inserted at the thickest part of the chuck roast? Rule of thumb is meat is done if inside temperature is between 160 and 170 degrees Fahrenheit (71 and 77 degrees Celsius). Then it is good to let the meat rest around 20 minutes before shredding.
Great base recipe! One thing I do differently is searing my chuck in a cast iron then once it has cooled I put the broth in the pan and scrape up all of the goodness. Don’t want to miss out on all of that extra flavor!
Yep, that sounds good too!
This is my second time making this ! My old pot roast is out the window! My son was hollowing out crescent rolls stuffing them with the meat some potato and drowning it with the thickened gravy. Then asked for leftovers for breakfast! DO NOT skip the thickened gravy step! Trust me!
Really easy and the smell as it cooks makes you want to cheat and taste it early. I used fingerling potatoes, a bag of baby carrots, 2 pints of mushrooms and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. I think next time I may brine my roast overnight first.
Thank you for this recipe.
Hi i plan on making this recipe on Wednesday and i was wondering, since i dont like carrots and planned on adding onion instead if i should add the onion later like around the time i add the cornstarch or with the potatoes so that the onion doesnt get too mushy
I agree with you Aelin! Add the onion later.
Love this recipe so much! I will say that when I make it I like to add a quartered onion and a little (1/4 tsp) cayenne pepper for a little heat.
Very good. I made this in a large crockpot and was worried there wasn’t enough juice because it barely touched the meat. I let it cook anyway and it was perfect. So glad I found a good recipe in the crockpot because it takes no time at all to prep!
Love this recipe so much. Made it for my boyfriend a week after we met, and here we are 8 months later!!!
Thank you Kayla! Congratulations!
Tastes great. This time when I made it, I did the cornstarch step to make a gravy. I was surprised that the liquid didn’t thicken up that much at all. My crockpot was on High, and I let it go on high for over an hr to thicken. Not sure what I did wrong. Wondering if it is supposed to just thicken slightly, or if it is actually supposed to be a thick gravy, that slowly drips off the spoon. That was what I was going for. It was delicious, though. Here in the South we always blame the humidity when the liquid part doesn’t turn out right.
I’m glad you enjoyed the Slow Cooker Pot Roast. Liquid amounts vary and can make a difference for sure in the gravy thickness. Your “in the South we blame the humidity” comment made me laugh…I have heard that before. Thank you for the 5 star review Chrissy!