This easy slow cooker pot roast takes less than 10 minutes to load into your crockpot, and dinner practically cooks itself. Make this melt-in-your-mouth tender beef roast for a special family dinner, or any time! Serve with a simple salad and dinner is DONE!
Does your family have a big Sunday dinner?
Maybe you all gather around the table, have a meat-and-potatoes kind of meal, and just enjoy each other’s company.
I love extra time with the family, but do you want to know a secret? I don’t always want to spend a ton of time cooking a big meal for the family on a Sunday evening.
That’s why I love this slow cooker pot roast recipe – it only looks and tastes like it took a lot of effort! But it’s actually super easy to make.
SLOW COOKER POT ROAST RECIPE
This is the BEST crock pot roast recipe and it keeps showing up on our weekly meal plan. Here’s why:
- Hands-off. You dump everything in one pot and cook it.
- Cheap. Chuck roast, potatoes, and carrots are some of the cheapest real foods at the store.
- Great as leftovers.
- 10 minutes of hands-on prep (i.e. dumping everything in the pot).
- Really, really good.
- Tastes like Mom’s cooking. There’s nothing like a classic pot roast!
- Comfort food made easy.
- Perfect for serving to company!
- Freezer-friendly (both for a future freezer meal or as leftovers)
INGREDIENTS FOR POT ROAST SLOW COOKER
- Beef. Boneless chuck roast works the best, but a round roast will work as well. (Brisket is a tougher cut and not ideal for this recipe.)
- Carrots. You can use baby carrots or make this with large carrots cut into 1” pieces.
- Potatoes. Use baby red potatoes or quartered russet potatoes. 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 the Dry Onion Soup Mix yourself. It takes 2 minutes and it’s WAY healthier than the store-bought packets.
Notice that you DON’T need beef broth, black pepper, flour, olive oil, or garlic cloves (or garlic powder) in this recipe for a roast in the crock pot. All of these ingredients are already in the dry onion soup mix and the mushroom soup!
Psst! Want to kick this recipe for a roast in a crock pot up a notch? Try finishing this recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!). Add a pinch before serving or incorporate it into your dry spice mix to bring out the drool-worthy savory flavor of your roast!
EASY POT ROAST SLOW COOKER SUBSTITUTIONS
- Don’t like carrots? Try different veggies like parsnips, turnips, daikon radish, rutabaga, yams, or sweet potatoes. Cut whichever veggies you choose into 1-inch pieces.
- 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.
THE BEST BEEF FOR YOUR SLOW COOKER POT ROAST
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 of 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’ve never heard of Butcher Box, read my honest review here and how to make Butcher Box worth the cost here! I love to get large cuts like pork roast and chuck roast!
The search for high-quality meat ends here. Amazing taste. Humanely raised and delivered to your door. Sign up today! Click this link to claim the current offer!
RECIPE FOR POT ROAST IN THE CROCK POT
Step 1. Place half the potatoes and carrots in 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 the remaining vegetables on top of and around the chuck roast.
Step 4. Pour the 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, until fork-tender.
Note: I strongly recommend NOT reducing the cook time. In my testing, I made this recipe for pot roast in the crock pot both ways – at a high temperature for fewer hours, and a low temperature for more hours – and the longer cooking time was significantly more meltingly tender and flavorful.
Step 6. Shred meat slightly with two forks and serve hot.
Store leftovers from this slow cooker pot roast recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You may want to put the vegetables in separate storage, as they may soften more when reheating.
RECIPE FOR POT ROAST SLOW COOKER TIPS
- If you cut the pot roast slow cooker recipe in half, keep the SAME cooking time.
- If you want to use a larger, 6 lb roast, make sure your 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.
- 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.
MAKE A SLOW COOKER POT ROAST WITH GRAVY
You can take the liquid in the slow cooker and turn it into a brown gravy on the stovetop:
- Pour the gravy into a saucepan or Dutch oven and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat.
- Combine 3 Tablespoons of cornstarch and 3 Tablespoons of water in a mug and stir together.
- Pour the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan, and whisk constantly.
- The sauce will thicken to a gravy to pour over your slow cooker pot roast.
- If you like, you can substitute red wine for some of the water if you want a richer gravy.
TO SERVE SLOW COOKER POT ROAST
- This recipe for pot roast in the slow cooker feeds my family of 4 and makes at least 2 lunches with the leftovers! We usually pair it with an Easy Dinner Salad.
- Try garnishing with fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary. (If you have extra herbs after you garnish your crockpot chuck pot roast, freeze the herbs for another time – here’s how!)
- 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 slow cooker pot roast!
- Try my Easy Dinner Rolls or serve with a loaf of Simple Sourdough Bread. What a feast!
- If you happen to have two crockpots, I definitely recommend this Slow Cooker Peach Cobbler for dessert.
SLOW COOKER POT ROAST FAQS
Do you have to brown the roast before putting it in the crock pot?
No need to brown the roast before putting it in the crockpot. Some say it helps lock in the flavor, but I’ve made this slow cooker pot roast many times and it’s always been delicious! There’s no need to dirty another pan or skillet!
How much water do you add for slow cooking a beef roast?
You do NOT need to add any water to this recipe!
Is it better to make a beef chuck roast in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot?
Instant Pot roast is YUMMY…but it turns out to be less tender when compared to the crock pot version. I like how a crockpot chuck pot roast turns out better.
Does slow cooker pot roast get more tender the longer it cooks?
Any large piece of meat that you use in the crock pot will get more tender the longer it is cooked. Cooking for 8-10 hours at a low temperature will give you melt-in-your-mouth tender roast beef!
MORE DELICIOUS SLOW COOKER RECIPES
- The Best Slow Cooker Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken
- White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Mexican Potato Soup
- Easy Slow Cooker Brisket
Freezer Cooking: Dump Dinner Recipes
Sign up to get instant access to my step-by-step Freezer Cooking: Dump Dinner Recipe plan, complete with recipes, supply list, and shopping list!WATCH HOW TO MAKE CLASSIC SLOW COOKER POT ROAST
Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
This easy slow cooker pot roast takes less than 10 minutes to load into your crockpot, and dinner practically cooks itself. Make this melt-in-your-mouth tender beef roast for a special family dinner, or any time! Serve with a simple salad and dinner is DONE!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Total Time: 10 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Main meals
- Method: Slow cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 chuck roast (3–4 lbs)
- 1 lb baby carrots (or carrots, cut into about 1″ pieces)
- 1 ½ 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
Betty Cawthra
Hi, Tiffany. I hope all is well in GA. I made your onion soup mix last night. So tonight, I started this pot roast recipe. I will let it cook like you said for 8-10 hours. (Probably more like ten.) I used a grass fed chuck roast with the excess fat removed. It did not have much fat, so that is a good thing for me. I will chill the roast and gravy in the refrigerator tomorrow so that the excess fat will solidify and I can remove it before reheating for dinner. My weight loss is going well. I have lost 52 excess pounds since taking Grocery Budget Bootcamp with you. You are such an inspiration to me. Saving money and loosing excess weight is a win/win. Thank you ver much.
★★★★★
Tiffany
Betty!! Your work through the course and now your weight loss continues to inspire me – CONGRATULATIONS!! I am SO proud of you and how far you’ve come. These changes you’re making are PROOF IN THE PUDDING that you can achieve anything with hard work and determination. DON’T GIVE UP – and please keep up in the loop with your progress!! Much love to you! ♥♥♥
Betty Cawthra
Thank you, Tiffany. You are an amazing teacher. By the way, your pot roast recipe is delicious!!!
★★★★★
Tiffany
Thanks Betty! That’s one of our favorites too. 🙂
Hillary
JUST made this (my house now smells amazing) and its DELICIOUS! The homemade cream of mushroom and onion mix were super easy! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Raven
My roast is 4lbs and it’s been cooking for about 4 hours and I went and checked and stabbed my roast and a little blood came out and got on some of my veggies ): did I ruin it or will the cooking kill the germs when it’s officially done?
Tiffany
You’ll be fine!
Gladys
Can I use dry onion soup mix, like Lipton, instead of homemade?
★★★★
Tiffany
Yes you can!
Maggie Carey
I have a 5lb roast and only added one can of cream of mushroom soup. Is that enough, could I add a can of beef broth or would that make too much liquid?
Tiffany
I’d stick with the one can. 🙂
Alexis
I added cream of celery by the can do I need any water to add if I just put in a can of cream of celery?
Tiffany
Nope – no need to add any water to this recipe. 🙂
Marjorie A.
Hi Tiffany. I am actually making this tomorrow. Followed your recipe to the tee. I have it all prepped in the fridge and plan on turning it on in the morning before leaving for work around 730am. I should be ready to turn it off by 6pm. But I have an important question, my Crock Pot has only 3 settings…low, medium, and high. Which one should I choose for this 10 hour recipe??? Please help lol
★★★★
Tiffany
Low!!
Amy
Can I use Lipton soup mix in place of the homemade onion mix?
Tiffany
Yes you can!
Ashley
If I want to add green beans in the beginning should I use frozen or can?
Thanks
Tiffany
I’d use frozen at the very beginning. Canned beans would likely get too soft after the long cooking time. 🙂
Lori
Can I use any frozen vegetables and when should I put them in?
Tiffany
Hi Lori! I’ve never made this with frozen vegetables, but if you wanted to add peas or carrots, I’d add it to the last hour or so of cooking.
Christina
Thanks so much, that’s exactly what happened haha. But it came out delicious anyway…. great recipe, thanks! I added celery and onion too….yum!
★★★★★
Christina
Hi, i messed up when adding 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom. I added water for each can. Did i ruin it?
Tiffany
Hi Christina! You didn’t ruin it, but you’ll definitely have a lot of liquid in the end. Next time add the soup, but not the water. When the meat is done, turn the liquid into a gravy!
Kesha Mills
Thanks Tiffany! I started my roast 6am this morning and its coming along fine. I didnt put any gravy in it to start so what do you think about a little flour and water to thicken the juices near the end of cooking time?
Tiffany
If you want to make gravy Kesha, you can definitely do a cornstarch slurry. I tested that myself and it was fine (I prefer that over flour, but use flour if you know how to!). I would recommend leaving about 1/2 – 1 cup of natural juices with the meat and veggies though, and serving the gravy on the side. I made the mistake of turning all the liquid into gravy and adding it all back in and it made the whole thing too thick. It was still really good, lol, but very, very thick (especially when it reheated). Plus for those who have texture issues (my husband) it wasn’t as nice as the method written. 🙂
Kesha
Can i use brown gravy in the pack? If so, would i add it at the end?
★★★★★
Tiffany
I guess you could Kesha, but add everything at the beginning.
Jaime
My roast was so over cooked it was inedible and I only left it in for 7 hours. Really disppointed, it also had no favor.
★
Tiffany
I’m sorry to hear that Jaime – did you follow the recipe exactly as written? I’ve made this recipe at least twice a month since sharing it and it always comes out perfect every time!
Bill McRoberts
What is a batch of soup?
Tiffany
Without any additional information Bill, I believe you’re referring to the homemade cream of mushroom soup referenced in the post and recipe.
Tracey Lackey
Sounds like a great recipe! Just wanted to point out a possible error in this question from above
*****
Can I reduce the cooking time on this pot roast recipe?
I strongly recommend 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 tender and flavorful.
*****
I’m guessing you want a negative in that first sentence. 🙂 And I definitely agree on low and slow for as many hours as possible.
Oh and I have done a pot roast in the IP and it’s fabulous! I use a 3-4lb grass fed roast, cut up in chunks, add 1-1 1/2 cup(s) of water (depends on which IP I’m using), a cut up large onion, all sorts of herbs and spices, a handful (or two) or dried mushrooms, and 1-2 large bell peppers, sliced. I pressure cook on high for 60-70 min. Then I let it slow cook for another hour or two. ohmyword! soooo yummy 🙂
★★★★★
Tracey Lackey
Oh and I’m curious if you’ve ever tried US Wellness Meats? I wanted to do Butcher Box (badly!) but I don’t like that they choose what comes. :/ I know that’s picky but it’s pretty pricey when I’m getting a bunch of the cheaper cuts.
I’ve heard good and bad about Zaycon so I’ve stayed away for now. But I’ve got 2 growing boys and I need to find a good source of 100% beef. And I don’t have room for a 1/2 steer right now 🙁
Tiffany
Oh my, yes! That should read “I strongly recommend AGAINST reducing the cooking time… ” Oh goodness, lol. Trying this in the IP is on my list!!
Tan
Is there something else I can sub in for the cream-of-anything soups? I need a nondairy version.
Tiffany
You should be able to use almond milk for non-dairy cream of anything soup Tan.
Michelle
Unfortunately my kids don’t like anything ‘creamy.’ I know, right? 😉 Would you recommend a can of french onion soup in addition to the dry mix? Or what kind of non-creamy canned soup would you use?
Tiffany
Hi Michelle! Well, the soup is really for flavor… the end result isn’t anything creamy, per se. You’ll have juices, which you can either set aside or turn into gravy, but the soup itself will be basically non-existent in the end. If you absolutely must skip the soup, I’d do 1 1/2 cups beef stock + 1 cup chopped mushrooms and salt/pepper to taste at the end. 🙂
Jessica weaver
I messed up and added water! Is it still going to be okay?
Tiffany
Yes! You’ll just have extra liquid to make gravy. 🙂
Danielle
How do you make the homemade mushroom soup?
Tiffany
The link is in the recipe Danielle, but here you go: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2017/03/homemade-cream-mushroom-soup/!
Jessica
Could you use pork shoulder roast instead of beef roast?
Tiffany
Hmmm… I bet you could. Although if I have pork, I’d make this recipe instead: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2017/01/best-slow-cooker-carnitas/
Charlotte
Will this get dry if it cooks longer than 10 hours? My crock pot switches to warming after the allotted time is up but the last few times I’ve used it the meat (chicken usually) gets very dry and the vegetables get mushy by the time we’re ready to eat. I have to be at work by 7am so I am setting it around 6:30am and I usually don’t get home until 6:30pm. Even though the crock pot cuts off and just keeps the food warm I’ve noticed things aren’t tasting as good. I was really excited to find a crock pot recipe that takes longer than 8 hours!
Tiffany
Hi Charlotte! I’m pretty sure I’ve let this sit for longer than 10 hours before without a problem. The meat will make juices, so as long as you shred the meat and then stir back into the pot, you should be fine. You can also add a 1/2 cup stock at the very end too, if it does feel a bit dry.