Easy slow cooker pot roast needs just 15 minutes of hands-on time before it practically cooks itself. Use 5-minute homemade cream of mushroom soup and serve with a simple salad with homemade Italian dressing and dinner is DONE!
This DELICIOUS slow cooker pot roast recipe keeps showing up on our weekly menu.
Here’s why:
- Hands-off. You dump everything in the pot and cook it.
- Cheap. Chuck roasts, potatoes and carrots are some of the cheapest real foods at the store.
- Great as leftovers.
- 15 minutes of hands-on (i.e. dumping everything in the pot).
- Really, really good.
- Tastes like Mom’s cooking.
- Comfort food, made easy.
- Freezer-friendly (both for a future freezer meal, or as leftovers)
Here’s What You Need
- Beef. Chuck roast works the best, but a round roast will work as well. (See note below on beef – brisket is a tougher cut and not ideal for this recipe.)
- Carrots. You can use baby carrots, or you can make this with large carrots cut into 1” pieces.
- Potatoes. Use baby red potatoes or russet potatoes, quartered. (Yukon gold potatoes are also good.)
- Cream of Mushroom Soup. I highly recommend homemade cream of mushroom soup, which takes LITERALLY 5 MINUTES and tastes a million times better than any canned soup ever will. If you’re pressed for time, make it the night before.
- Dry Onion Soup Mix. Again, I highly recommend making dry onion soup mix yourself. It takes 2 minutes and WAY healthier than the store-bought packets.
Psst! Want to kick this up a notch? Try finishing this recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! Ava Jane’s Kitchen is offering a bag of salt for ONE PENNY! Add a pinch before serving, or incorporate it into your dry spice mix to bring out the drool-worthy savory flavor of your roast! (Get your penny bag of salt on this page.)
Notes on Ingredients
- Don’t like carrots? Try different veggies like parsnips, turnips, daikon radish, rutabaga, yams and/or sweet potatoes.
- Don’t like cream of mushroom soup? Make cream of celery soup instead OR make cream of beef (substituting beef stock for chicken stock). If you’re going store-bought, you need one can.
- Don’t want to make dry onion soup mix? Store-bought is fine, you need one packet.
Notice that you DON’T need beef broth, pepper, or garlic cloves (or garlic powder). All three of these ingredients are already in the dry onion soup mix and the mushroom soup!
Quick Note On The Beef
Grass-fed beef is very important to my family, so we joined Butcher Box a few years ago and LOVE having quality meat shipped to our front door every month.
They offer subscriptions to grass-fed beef, organic chicken, heritage-breed pork and wild-caught seafood, and you can choose what cuts you want AND how often you want your box delivered. Obviously you’ll want to choose beef for this slow cooker pot roast! If you’re never heard of Butcher Box, read my honest review here.
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Step by Step Instructions for the Crockpot
Step 1. Place half the potatoes and carrots on the bottom of the slow cooker. (If you’re in the market for a slow cooker, this one is highly recommended.)
Step 2. Next, place the chuck roast on top of the vegetables. (There is no need to sear the meat first!)
Step 3. Place remaining vegetables on top and around the chuck roast.
Step 4. Pour dry onion soup mix and cream of mushroom soup over the top. (There’s no need to add any water to the slow cooker.)
Step 5. Cover with a lid and cook on low for at least 8 hours, preferably 10.
Note: I strongly recommend NOT reducing the cooking time. In my testing, I made this both ways – high temp for less hours, and low temp for more hours – and the longer cooking time was significantly more fall-apart tender and flavorful.
Step 6. Shred meat slightly with two forks, serve hot.
Recipe Tips
- If you cut the recipe in half, keep the SAME cooking time.
- If you want to use a larger, 6 lb roast, make sure your slow cooker slow cooker is large enough to handle that size roast (like this 8.5 qt slow cooker, or an 8 qt Instant Pot with a slow cooker function). Double everything else and cook for 10 hours!
- Don’t add any milk or water – it’s not needed.
- Make this crock pot pot roast in the Instant Pot using my slow cooker to Instant Pot conversion guide.
- How to Thicken the Gravy: You can take the liquid in the slow cooker and turn it into a gravy on the stove top:
- Pour the gravy into a sauce pan or Dutch oven and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat.
- Combine 3 Tbsp of corn starch and 3 Tbsp water in a mug and stir together.
- Pour the cornstarch slurry into the sauce pan, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
- The sauce will thicken to a gravy to pour over your slow cooker pot roast.
- (Optional, but you can sub red wine for some of the water if you want a richer gravy.)
- If you don’t want to make cream of mushroom soup or dry onion soup mix, store-bought is fine. You need one can of soup, and one packet of seasoning.
FAQs
No need to brown the roast before putting it in the crockpot.
You do NOT need to add any water to this recipe!
Instant Pot roast is YUMMY…. But it turns out to be less tender when compared to the Crock Pot version.
Any large piece of meat that you use in the crock pot will get more tender the longer it is cooked.
To Serve Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- This recipe feeds my family of 4 and makes at least 2 lunches with the leftovers!
- Use your Instant Pot for steamed broccoli on the side and dinner practically cooked itself! (I know you love your slow cooker, but curious if the Instant Pot is right for you? Read my review.)
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot, sautéed green beans would go great with this pot roast!
- Try my easy dinner rolls, or serve with a loaf of simple sourdough bread to pair with this dish. What a feast!
- If you happen to have two crockpots, I definitely recommend slow cooker peach cobbler for dessert.
- Try garnishing with fresh herbs like fresh thyme sprigs or fresh rosemary.
More Easy Crockpot Recipes
- The Best Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
- White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Mexican Potato Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Brisket
30 Minute Dinners Sample Meal Plan
Sign up to get instant access to my 30 Minute Dinners Sample Meal Plan, complete with recipes and step-by-step instructions!Watch How to Make Classic Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Classic Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Pot Roast is such an easy crock pot recipe. Dump the ingredients in the pot and go! It’s healthy, freezer-friendly, and makes great leftovers!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Total Time: 10 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 1x
- Category: Main meals
- Method: Slow cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 chuck roast (3–4 lbs)
- 1 lb baby carrots (or carrots, cut to about 1″ pieces)
- 1 1/2 lbs potatoes (any variety, cut into about 1″ pieces if necessary)
- 4 Tbsp homemade dry onion soup mix
- 1 batch homemade cream of mushroom soup
Instructions
- Place half the potatoes and carrots on the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Next, place the chuck roast on top of the vegetables.
- Place remaining vegetables on top and around the chuck roast.
- Pour homemade dry onion soup mix and homemade cream of mushroom soup over the top.
- Cover with a lid and cook on low for at least 8 hours, preferably 10.
- Shred meat slightly with two forks, serve hot.
Notes
- Don’t add any additional liquid – it’s not needed.
- A longer cooking time is best – aim for 10 hours on low.
- Chuck roast tastes best for this recipe, but a shoulder roast will work in a pinch.
- If you don’t have time to make dry onion soup mix or cream of mushroom soup, you need one packet of dry onion soup mix and one can of cream of mushroom soup.
Nutrition
- Calories: 1137
Keywords: slow cooker pot roast
It seems kind of dry, was I supposed to mix the dry onion soup in something? I did not mix the canned soup with anything as explained in the directions. It’s cooking now but just doesn’t seem right…
Hang in there Amber – if you added the soup and dry onion mix (no additional liquids), just let it cook. By the time you get to 10 hours, it’ll be amazing!
Will a 4 quart crock pot be big enough for this recipe?
★★★★★
Ooh…. I think that might be cutting it close Nicole. 🙁
My traditional Pot Roast Recipe calls for 2-4 halved large onions which are added at same time as other vegetables. Would you add onions at beginning…or after Roast has cooked a while?
I’d add them at the beginning. 🙂
How do I get these amazing recipes so I won’t lose my place online
I’m not sure what you mean Maura… they’re available all the time?
If I want to add mushrooms, would 8 oz. sliced be enough? And will they hold up for the entire cook time? This recipe will be made Sunday. Can’t wait.
★★★★★
Hi Donna! Yep, they’ll hold up the whole time!
Can I set up the crockpot the night before and refrigerate until the am? Then wake up and let it cook throughout the day.
Absolutely!
Can this be done in an instant pot pressure cooker?
I’m sure it can Brittany, but I haven’t tested that recipe myself yet.
Want size can and how many does this feed ? I would like to made this for a meeting . Thanks
I didn’t realize canned cream of soup came in different sizes, LOL. Whatever a “normal” soup can is – maybe around 12-15 ounces?
If i dont have time to make the cream of mushroom, how much would it be if i used canned?
One can!
I have a 1.84 lb chuck roast, how long should I cook it?
Thank you!
Check it after about 6 hours Kate, but you want a long cooking time for sure!
If i use canned cream of mushroom do i add the milk, as stated on the can?
No – just the soup itself.
Can I use something instead of cream of mushroom soup?
Sure! Cream of celery or cream of chicken would work well. If you want to make your own, you can even do cream of beef (sub beef stock for chicken).
If l want to add a can of cream o mushroom would one can be enough?
If you want to sub a can of soup for the homemade, then yes, one can is enough.
Just pulled a chuck roast out of the freezer — but it’s 6lbs! Can I still use it?? And do I double anything else in the recipe?
Hi Stephanie – that’s a big roast! Before you do anything, I’d see if your slow cooker is big enough to cook a 6 lb roast. If not, cut it in half and save for later. If so, double everything!!
Right?! LOL. We bought 1/4 beef and that’s how it came. If I cut the roast in half can I refreeze the other half or do I need to cook it?
Personally, I’d re-freeze, but I do know some moms will disagree with me. 🙂
If I cut the recipe in half, do I also cut down the length of time to cook in half? I’m using a roast that’s a little over 2.5 lbs.
Nope – same cook time Abby!
Hey! Sorry if I missed this in the article, but how many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Megan! This makes a lot… definitely 6 for dinner, and then some leftover. When I make this, I get dinner for the 4 of us (including seconds) and 2-3 lunches!
Could this work with a Venison Roast?
I don’t see why not Linsey!
So no adding extra water?
Nope, no added water Randy!
Thought atleast 1/2 cup of water. Then put veggies n meat in top.
No water Nivia!
Can this we done in 5 hours ?
I wouldn’t recommend it Jasmine – it really needs the full time in the recipe.
What could I substitute the cream of mushroom with? I’m not a big fan of mushroom.
Hi Catherine!
You could just use beef stock rather than the cream of mushroom. Flavor it with some thyme, garlic and onions like the cream of mushroom is flavored. Let us know how it comes out! 🙂 Thanks for the question.
Hi Tiffany!
I love this recipe so much it’s going to be my first slow cooker attempt! I was just wondering if you had any other suggestions for possible vegetables to put in as opposed to potatoes and carrots. (Try to stay low carb). Thanks!
Hi Cassie! Hearty veggies would work best – bell peppers, cabbage, onion (little pearl onions are so cute!), parsnip, turnip, green beans, mushrooms, and sweet potato would be a great alternative to potatoes. As a rule of thumb, if it cooks quick on the stove (zucchini, squash, etc.) don’t use it because it’ll get mushy If it takes a little bit, add it when you’re 1-3 hours out from eating (if possible). If it takes a while to cook, the beginning is fine. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
I’m using about 5lb chuck roast. Would 10hr still be good?
★★★★★
Yep!
Cannot go wrong with these ingredients ! Thank you so much for your creation !
★★★★★