Slow Cooker Pot Roast
The best, classic, old fashioned, easy slow cooker pot roast recipe, homemade with simple ingredients like cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, chuck beef, potatoes and carrots. Tender melt in your mouth shredded beef is coated in flavorful gravy.
The smell of this dish cooking all day will have your mouth watering and your family begging to know when dinner is ready. The tender and flavorful roast, along with the minimal prep time, makes it a weeknight dinner dream come true. This Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast is another favorite on busy days.
How To Make Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe From Scratch?
- Place the roast in a crockpot– Sprinkle dry onion soup mix, salt, pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic, onions, cream of mushroom soup.
- Mix– Until combined.
- Cover and cook– On low heat.
- Add vegetables- This includes carrots and potatoes.
- Cover and cook– Until vegetables are tender.
- Shred the beef– Enjoy!
This Is The BEST Pot Roast!
- Minimal simple ingredients
- Quick 10 minute prep time
- Fix it and forget it ease
- Tender melt in your mouth meat every single time
- Super flavorful
What Sides To Serve With Beef Chuck Roast (Pot Roast Dinner)?
Potatoes make a great side to complement this protein dish. Serve it with Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes or Slow Cooker Sweet Mashed Sweet Potatoes, or even this Slow Cooker Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole.
Pasta also pairs well with this dish. Serve it over boiled pasts or this Slow Cooker Mac And Cheese.
Vegetables are another classic addition to this meal. Try simple oven roasted vegetables or this Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole.
Bread is always a great addition. Try homemade dinner rolls, crusty old bread, breadsticks.
You can even use it to make sandwiches, wraps and quesadillas. It is delicious in grilled cheese sandwiches.
Storage
Refrigerate– In a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze– In a freezer safe container or bag for up to 1 month.
Reheat– From thawed, in the microwave or overnight in the fridge.
Variations For Slow Cooker Roast
Add more vegetables– Such as carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes e.t.c.
Add variety of potatoes– White, purple, or sweet potatoes all work well.
Add seasoning– Such as Cajun, Mexican, or Greek. I used Italian seasoning, which is the classic choice.
Add wine– Such as a 1/2 cup of red wine for additional depth of flavor.
Add balsamic vinegar– For additional flavor.
Make it spicy– Add red chili flakes, or cayenne pepper.
Make it dairy-free– Use a dairy free cream of mushroom soup mix and dairy free onion soup mix.
Omit vegetables– If you are not fond of veggies, you can just omit them at the 4 hour mark.
Tips And Techniques
How to make gravy thicker? Use a turkey baster to remove all the liquid into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat to reduce it further and thicken it. You can also add flour or a cornstarch slurry, if you prefer.
How to make gravy thinner? Simply add more broth or water.
What cut to use for pot roast meat (best meat for pot roast)? Other cuts of beef can be used, but I think boneless chuck is best.
Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the crockpot? You do not have to, but it does produce a nice crust and texture if you brown the roast first.
Will roast get more tender the longer you cook it? Yes, if you cook it on low heat for 8 hours it will help tenderize the meat.
Can you overcook a roast? Yes, you can overcook a roast at high heat and it will become tough.
Why is my slow cooker roast beef tough? How to keep roast beef from getting tough? The meat needs to be cooked LOW and SLOW in order to prevent the meat from becoming tough. It needs time to allow the fat to melt and the meat to tenderize to perfection. A high temperature will cook the meat quickly, but can also make it tough.
Should meat or vegetables go in the crockpot first? Meat goes in first, and then the vegetables. If you put the vegetables in in the beginning they will taste good, but may get a little “mushy.” If you add them towards the end, they won’t overcook.
Why do you put flour on a roast? I don’t do this, but it is used as a thickening agent for the gravy. It can also create a flavorful crust and insulate the meat from the high heat, if you are browning the meat first.
Use low-sodium ingredients– Because this prevents the dish from becoming too salty!
What is a good substitute for cream of mushroom soup? I really don’t think there is a very good substitute for cream of mushroom soup. Some people have tried cream of celery soup, and said it wasn’t bad.
Adjust the amount of seasoning– Add more or less according to your preference.
Do I need to trim the fat? Yes, trim excess fat from the roast to prevent it from being too oily.
More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 4-5 pound Chuck roast, Trimmed of excess fat
- 1 packet Dry onion soup mix
- Salt, To taste
- Pepper, To taste
- 1.5 tsp Paprika
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1.5 tbsp Garlic, Finely minced
- 1/2 cup Onion, Finely chopped
- 2 cans Cream of mushroom soup , Low sodium
- 3-4 Carrots, Medium size, Cut into circles, Optional
- 2-3 Potatoes, Large, Cut into 2 inch cubes, Optional
Instructions
- Place the roast in a crockpot.
- Sprinkle dry onion soup mix, salt, pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic.
- Add onions.
- Pour cream of mushroom soup and mix everything until combined.
- Cover and cook on Low heat for 6-8 hours.
- Add the carrots and potatoes (if you are using them) at the 4 hour point to prevent them from becoming too soft and "mushy." You can add them in the beginning too when you added everything else but I am not fond of the "soft and mushy" vegetable texture.
- Use 2 forks to shred the beef and enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave.
- If you are short on time, this can be cooked on high for 4-5 hours but it’s not as tender as when you cook it on low for 8-10 hours.
Sorry if I missed it above, but what about water? Do you not add water? I’m thinking the juices from the meat and cream of mushroom soup might be enough liquid, but I wanted to double check bc I want to make this tomorrow! Also I am considering adding red wine, how will that work in to the equation if water is necessary? Thanks in advance
No water is necessary, Trevor. You can add a 1/4 cup red mine for additional flavor, if you like.