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. Just like my classic Pot Roast with Vegetables, I wanted to share some 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
- parsley , chopped, 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. As an alternative you can take the food out when done cooking, then add the leftover liquid to a small saucepan with the cornstarch/water slurry 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.
Does it depend on the type of chuck roast? I only buy “English” cut chuck roasts when I do it in the oven. If it’s a regional cut – I’m n northern Ohio.
It does not. Just as long as it’s a chuck roast. 🙂
It was satisfying but I think I need more seasoning. Make no mistake, I still had two plates. I used the same amount of seasoning on a 2 3/4 lb rump roast. Maybe that had something to do with it. I like the idea of putting the rub on it the night before. Any other tips would be great.
You can definitely up the seasoning. I like to add an extra heaping spoonful of Better then Bouillon – it really brings out the beefy goodness!
Hi,
How would you modify for a smaller slow cooker? 1.5qt ( just for me and my toddler)
Is it not even worth the trouble and should I just get a bigger one?
Thank you!!
You can adjust the servings size by hovering over the serving amount a slider will appear. You will reduce your cooking time depending on how many lbs.
But personally – I would get a 4 qt cooker if you can. You can always freeze leftovers and that makes dinnertime even easier with a little on in the future 🙂
The smaller ones can burn easily do your homework when you are looking for a good one. Good luck!
If I’m only making it for three people how much meat do you think I need to purchase and also how long do you think I should cook in the slow cooker for please help
You can adjust the servings amount if you hover on the number of servings (it is green in the recipe card) A slider bar will appear. If you move it 4, it will be a 2-2.5 roast that I would recommend cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 4 to 5 hours. Enjoy!
Delish! Used Better Then Bouillon as my broth and added some to the oil when browning. That stuff is sooo flavorful! I did brown both sides including the sides. Gravy was delish. My family was amazed!!!! Can’t wait to make it again! Thank you Sabrina!
BTB is the best! I don’t know how we lived without it before! 🙂
Hello! I’m making this for my family today and the comment you made about not getting the browned bits from the pan struck me as odd. I’ve never seen a crockpot brown meat, but I figured that after I seared the meat, i could just pour the beef broth in the pan to get the browned bits, and then pour it all into the crock. Smelled so good! Can’t wait to make the gravy out of it. 🙂
I did the same thing with my skillet, just used tap water to get all the bits loose from the pan, then add into the crock pot. worked well
Made this pretty true to recipe but added fresh thyme and rosemary while browning the meat and added two whole garlic cloves. Added 1 extra cup beef broth and parsnips with carrots and substituted Yukon for red potatoes. Absolutely delicious. We finished the roast in one sitting!
It would be helpful to note if you are setting the slow cooker on HIGH or LOW and adjust the times for each setting.
In the recipe card, at instruction 5 I have the times for each setting. Hope this clears up any confusion!
I bought two 3-pound roasts, for a total of 6 pounds. Think that will be OK? And would you recommend browning both pieces? Making this on Tuesday…Thank you so much!
That should be fine, as long as your slow cooker can fit it easily. You do want to brown both pieces (more flavor 🙂 ) Let me know how it turns out!
So I’m in the process of making this now and the beef broth does not touch the roast in the crock-pot. Is that okay or do I need to add more both so that the roast is covered in the liquid? Hopefully someone will respond quickly!
So sorry I didn’t see this until now. You shouldn’t have needed to add more broth. Hopefully it turned out okay.
Thanks for the recipe! Made it two nights ago and I found it quite dry! Not sure what went wrong. I also never cook beef. Any tips? It was also a much smaller roast than the one you suggested.
Thanks
It may have been cooked too long due to the size. If you try again and use a small roast, start checking the temp at 3 hours.
I place a frozen Cross Rib Roast on high in my crock pot at 7:00 AM. with 2 cups of water & 2 large beef cubes. About noon I add potatoes, carrots, onion, & celery with seasonings and turn on low for about 5- 6 hours. Before serving I use cornstarch mixing well to my beef broth. Always a success!
I do same as Gibby. Meat cooks in broth hours before adding vegetables. Always perfect.
Made it a couple nights ago and already thinking of making it again!
Here’s a few things I added:
4 or 5 Celery stalks, about 5 small yellow onions peeled and left whole, a bay leaf and garlic salt.
I sucked out the juices after the roast was done with a turkey baster and put them in a sauce pan, added more corn starch than recommended because I was looking for a thicker consistency.
Everyone loved it and asked to keep the recipe!
Really enjoyed this recipe!! Thank you
Sounds delicious and so happy to hear it was a hit! The turkey baster to get the juices is a great hack 🙂
I always add coffee (make instant if you don’t have fresh) to make a rich gravy I put about 1/2 cup to 1 cup in slow cooker..yummie
Hi! I have a severely stupid question:
When going through the instructions, is the Better than Bouillon the same thing as the beef broth that’s directed to put on top of the meat? Or am I supposed to put liquid broth and the BtB paste in the pot? Thanks!
No stupid questions when cooking – it’s always a learning process! 🙂
The Better than Bouillon is separate and definitely not something to skip if at all possible – it adds a deeper beef flavor than just the meat and broth
Thank you kindly! Buying both as I type this!
You’re welcome! Let me know how you like it!
The recipe currently lists the broth and the BTB as the same step, just an FYI. Thank you for the delicious recipe!
Better Than Bouillon is the beef broth I use. I mix it with water to make 2 cups of broth. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!! Thanks for coming back and letting me know! 🙂
Can we make this in a ducth oven on the stove top?
I haven’t made it on the stove top in the dutch oven, but here is my recipe for cooking it in the oven.
https://dinnerthendessert.com/classic-pot-roast-with-vegetables/
Sure you can. Just add enough water or broth to cover the roast after browning it and bring to a rolling boil with the lid on, then turn down to a medium boil, and cook with cover on until meat is fork tender, about 3.5-4 hrs. Check every hour or so to add water, if it gets low
Add your veggies in the last hour or so, if you are cooking on the stove top. You don’t want them to get mushy.
Mine is in the crock pot now! Very excited to try. Did you shred the meat when you took it out? Or slice? Thanks!
I usually just slice it, it will fall apart a bit (which is a good thing) but no need to shred unless you want to use the leftovers that way.
I love using my electric knife to slice it. Works like a charm for both thick or thin slices.
I made this & the meat was great(!!!), but the vegetables were overcooked. Next time, I will either remove the meat & add veggies later (then put meat on top) or just cook them on top.
This turned out perfectly. Definitely don’t skip on browning the roast!
I’m making this roast now… I’m using a beef chuck pot roast and cutting down in the ingredients because my roast is smaller. I put in my roast on the crock pot at 3pm on high I need this done by 9pm, I hope it will be enough time. I will see how it comes out
Just curious did you make the deadline
I was going to make a pot roast for tonite but I don’t have 2 of the items, will get in the morning on my way home.
I do have one question B4 i shop….IF i don’t use the corn starch, can I use a rue?
I simply cannot wait to do this tomorrow morning!!!
Looking forward to ur response!!
Sorry I missed this before you made it! You can use a rue in the future for sure. Hope it turned out great for you!
Roux is the correct spelling; not “rue”, as in “rue the day”. ?
How would you go about making this with just the meat and no potatoes?
You could swap out the potatoes with your root favorite veggies or squash. If you leave them out, you may want to reduce the salt as you’ll be seasoning items, depending on your taste.
I love this recipe! Now that I’ve made it a bunch of times, I just wanted to come back and tell you that. Thank you!
Thanks Barbara 🙂
I didn’t see additional instructions on what to do or not do to prepare this meal the night before. I’d love to try this recipe but certainly don’t have time to prepare everything before leaving for work.
You can prep the veggies beforehand and then layer them in the morning, adding the beef without browning it. While I love and almost always recommend browning the meat before adding to your slow cooker, you can skip that step to save time.
One thing to definitely not do is sear or partially cook the the meat the night before. It is not safe to partially cook meat, chill it, and then cook again.
Be on the safe side and skip the searing to save time. 🙂
AWESOME!! The flavors that popped outa this meat was NO LEFTOVERS! Everyone loved it and raved. Thanks.
That’s definitely a success! Thanks for the 5 stars.
Tried the slow cooker pot roast twice. First attempt was exactly as written including searing the meat.. Results were OK, but very average. Second try I made changes: Ingredients- Added celery and chunks of onion and garlic/ginger paste I make myself in a blender( keeps for3-4 months in jar in fridge.. Prep: Make a dry rub of garlic powder, dry thyme, tarragon and all purpose seasoning ( I use Badia, excellent available in Safeway markets). No need for separate salt and pepper. With knife tip make many shallow holes in top and bottom of roast. Rub on with fingers. Finish with a good squirt of Worcestershire sauce. Let marinate over night. In the morning dredge with all purpose flour. This replaces corn starch which I find pasty tasting. Cook as original.
This was much better tasting than original, but still not like “mother made”. Maybe pot roast just belongs in a black iron pot or dutch oven.
Hi Wilkes, Thanks so much for trying the recipe twice before commenting and reviewing. I think your addition of a garlic ginger paste would add a wonderful unique flavor to the roast! An overnight marinade would also be amazing! They’re both fantastic ideas. I think maybe part of the issue is you may not be a fan of the slow cooking method which is meant to be as simple as possible yet will not provide the same tender result as the oven method. I have another post on the site for the oven method you can reference too: https://dinnerthendessert.com/classic-pot-roast-with-vegetables/
On the note of the cornstarch, if you found it to taste pasty I’m wondering if it may have been added in a way that it either clumped or it didn’t cook long enough or you didn’t have enough liquid for the amount of cornstarch. In all the times we’ve made this dish I can’t say it has tasted pasty to me.
If it tastes pasty, you didn’t cook the gravy long enough.
Made this tonight for dinner exactly as written. My family loved it. The only thing I would add next time is mushrooms. The recipe wasn’t missing anything, I just love mushrooms:)
Not as flavorful as I had hoped
Sorry it didn’t live up to your expectations. You can always adjust the seasoning to more of your liking if you decide to try again.
Made this roast for our anniversary dinner and it turned out great! I was only cooking for 2 so I only got a 1.5 lb roast. I used 5 carrots, half an onion, and 1.5 pounds of petite fingerling potatoes. I worried about how long to cook it for but after 7 hours on low, it was PERFECT. Definitely will do again!
Yay!! Thanks for coming back to let me know Sarah.
I’ve made this twice now. We love it! I made it this time because my daughter is visiting from 4 hours away. She loved it too and wanted the link to the recipe. I love how simple it is and yet so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing!
I liked it, husband didn’t. The meat was tasty and tender. I enjoyed this dish. But my husband took three bites and would not eat anymore. He said he didn’t like the taste. I guess I will be the only one enjoying the leftovers!
tried this today and didn’t change a thing …so very good we all loved it….thank you so much for sharing this recipe
BEST roast You have ever put in your mouth! I added more potatoes and carrots with a lil more salt. Family of 4 ate on it for four days. Awesome recipe. ??
I’d definitely call that a winner! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Can you use a different oil other than canola in this recipe?
Yes, you can use whatever oil you prefer. 🙂
I followed the recipe to the tee. I’m not sure where I’ve gone wrong since all the reviews are so amazing. The only difference I did was start on low for 3 hours then turn it to high to speed things up. It has been on now for 7 hours and the meat feels super tough. I haven’t cut into it or tried it but do you think I just need to cook it longer?
Yes, it sounds like you just need to cook it longer.
My second time using the recipe and it’s delicious. Just a word to check the meat if you are using a smaller roast. I changed the serving size to match my roast size (1.85lbs), but the time was still way too long. I also confess that I set the temp to high for 1 hour then to low. It was definitely done within 4 hours total, more like 3 to 3.5. I added mushrooms and they are amazing. Thanks!
Looks delicious, I Will b making it tonight .
I use a big can of Cream of Shitake mushroom soup with one bag of Lipton’s Onion soup mix and no water…
This turned out so good! I used water instead I feel beef broth and it was delicious. I used a rump roast and followed the steps exactly. Definitely making this again!! Everyone loved it.
So good and easy to make! My husband said it was his favorite meal ever which is saying something.
Yum… couldn’t be easier, toughest aspect is searing the roast, lots of flavor- I skip the salt … easy cleanup because my family devoured it!. Add whatever veggies you like- I used carrots and baby potatoes since that is what I had on hand
This is the best receipe ever for roast. So easy and everyone loves it. Made it month ago, fixing it again tomorrow.
If I have smaller potatoes could u put them in the last hour to not have them mushy?
Sure 🙂
Served it for Sunday dinner and everyone loved it! I am making another one to take to my dad and step mom because pot roast is one of his favorite meals! He will love it! G
This is the best slow cooker roast I have ever made. I followed the steps exactly as written and I used a bottom blade roast. It literally falls apart when you cut into it. And the gravy brought me back to my childhood. I would not hesitate to serve this at a dinner party. Thank you!
I’m not able to find the recipe card that is referenced where you can adjust the size of the roast and determine your cook time?
If you hover over the servings, a slider tool will pop up that you can adjust. Hope this helps!
Where do I find this. I have a 3 1/4 pound roast how long shall I cook it
For a roast that size, you’ll need to cook it on low for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!
This is hands down the best roast ever! I have tried all sorts of recipes and they are all really good but this is not only simpler but so much tastier! Whenever trying new recipes, I follow the instructions exactly as written and I did just that. I use my slow cooker for convenience so I usually shy away from recipes with multiple steps such as the extra step for searing the meat first. I only do a roast on Sundays and Sabrina has never led me astray (lol!) so I tried this recipe. The entire prep, including the searing, was pretty quick and so worth it. In the end, I felt like a bona fide chef. I forgot to add the cornstarch at the end but it was still awesome. My family loved it so much that I am making it again today and will add the cornstarch this time. I am sure this would be good with substitutions according to individual taste, but it is not necessary. I love recipes with few ingredients and quick prep and this fits the bill. The taste makes one think that I spent a lot more time prepping than I actually did.
Thanks Sabrina!
Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. I’m so happy you all enjoyed it so much.
If you cook this recipe using two crockpots (4.5qt and 3qt) will you need to add 2 cups of broth to both batches or is it reduced to one cup of broth?
I would still use 2 cups of broth in each. Enjoy!
The store only had 2.5lbs chuck roasts! How should I adjust the cook time if I follow this recipe with only a 2.5lbs check roast?
I would recommend cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 4 to 5 hours. Enjoy!
This was good! I had about 3lbs of meat. It was done in a little over 4 hours. I cooked it on low. I sprinkled a pack of onion soup mix over the potatoes and I dissolved beef better than bouillon in boiling water for my broth. Thanks!!!
Fantastic!! Best pot roast ever!! I have an 8qt crockpot and got a small roast (2.7#) on accident. Added onions and 3 cups beef broth (total). I probably would’ve been fine with just the 2 cups but my crockpot cooks HOT fast. The roast was done within 6 hours – I cannot wait to make this again! Thank you so much for a great recipe and clear directions!!