This Slow Cooker Pot Roast is slowly simmered to fork-tender perfection along with carrots and onions. It’s a comfort food classic that the whole family will love.
If you are looking for the perfect simple Sunday pot roast, this Slow Cooker Pot Roast is the only recipe you need. Our recipe calls for slow cooking, either chuck, sirloin or rump roast on a bed of veggies along with the cream of mushroom soup and some simple seasoning. There’s no browning or searing the roast in olive oil ahead of time - just dump and go!
This is a great way to turn an inexpensive cut of meat into something unbelievably tender and delicious. Serve with your favorite veggies, mashed potatoes, and rolls, and you have a complete dinner that everyone will absolutely love.
Jump to:
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Pot Roast
If you are looking for some of the best sides to serve with pot roast, be sure and try:
- Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes or Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
- Oven-Roasted Red Skin Potatoes
- Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Best Cornbread Muffins
- Garlic Herb Twist Bread
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Beef Roast - the best cuts of beef for pot roast are chuck, sirloin, or rump roast.
- Carrots - use either large carrots that have been peeled and cut into 2” chunks, or baby carrots would work.
- Onion - we like to use white or yellow onions, cut into 2” chunks.
- Italian Seasoning- We like to use Good Seasons brand, but any type of dry Italian Dressing Mix you can find will work. Good Seasons packets are 0.7 oz each.
- Cream of Mushroom Soup - this adds great flavor and a bit of extra moisture to cook the roast in.
- Garlic - fresh minced garlic tastes best.
- Cornstarch - this will be mixed with cold water and stirred into the gravy to thicken.
- Water - make sure and use cold water for your slurry.
How to Make the Best Sunday Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Place the beef roast in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Add carrots, onion, Italian Dressing Mix, cream of mushroom soup, and minced garlic.
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat can easily be shredded.
- Transfer the roast onto a plate or dish and use two forks to shred the beef.
- Once you have shredded all of the beef roasts, transfer to a serving dish and cover with foil until ready to serve.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pot Roast Gravy
- Using a fork, remove the onions, carrots, and any large chunks, gristle, or fat from the slow cooker. Transfer the drippings to a blender, adding in a chunk or two of onion for sweetness. Blend until smooth.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the blended drippings and bring to a low boil.
- Taste your gravy and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt, beef broth, onion, and garlic powder as needed.
- In a small bowl, add 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch to 3 tablespoons of cold water, stirring until combined and smooth.
- Slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the gravy while heating and stirring until the gravy thickens and coats the back of a spoon. If you over-thick the gravy, add a bit more beef broth; if your gravy needs to be thicker, add more of the cornstarch and cold water slurry.
- Taste again and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately with your pot roast, veggies, and side dishes. Enjoy!
The cook time for your pot roast depends on the size of the slow cooker, the size of the pot roast and how many vegetables you are cooking at a time.
For a 3-5 pound roast, cook on high for 4-5 hours or cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on the factors mentioned above.
If you are serving this for lunch, you can always start the crockpot just before going to bed the night before and let it cook until mid-morning. Once it’s finished, just set it to warm until you are ready to eat! Always avoid having the roast done early as it's easy to turn the crock pot on low and keep the meat warm while the other components of the meal are being prepared.
Yes! You can cook this the day before and reheat in a preheated 350-degree oven the following day. Just cover a baking dish with aluminum foil and add in your roast and vegetables with a few tablespoons of water or gravy and let them warm for about 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe Tips and Tricks
- You can add different vegetables based on your family’s preferences. For example, you can add potatoes or use all carrots.
- The key to a great rump roast is to allow it to cook low and slow so that the connective tissue can soften and melt. If your rump roast seems tough, it probably hasn’t had a chance to cook long enough yet.
- Always give yourself extra time than you think you need to cook the pot roast. If it finishes early, you can let it sit in the crockpot on warm while the rest of the meal is prepared.
- Be sure and cut your veggies large enough that they won’t turn into mush during the low and slow cooking time.
- If you aren’t a fan of smelling beef, cook for 6-8 hours, you can always cook this in the garage or on the patio!
Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb Beef Roast chuck, sirloin or rump roast
- 4 medium Carrots cut into 2" chunks
- 1 large Onion white or yellow, cut into 2" chunks (1 ½ cups)
- 1 0.7-oz pkg Italian Dressing Mix such as Good Seasons brand
- 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 6 cloves Garlic minced
Gravy
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons Cold Water
- 1-2 cups Beef Broth optional
- to taste Seasoning salt, garlic powder, onion powder
Instructions
- Place the beef roast in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Add carrots, onion, Italian Dressing Mix, cream of mushroom soup and minced garlic.
- Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the meat can easily be shred.
- Transfer the roast onto a plate or dish and use two forks to shred the beef.
- Once you have shred all of the beef roast, transfer to a serving dish and cover with foil until ready to serve. Serve with the cooked carrots and onions, homemade gravy and your favorite side dishes. Enjoy!
How to Make the Best Homemade Gravy
- Using a fork, remove the onions, carrots, and any large chunks or gristle or fat out of the slow cooker. Transfer the drippings to a blender, adding in a chunk or two of onion for sweetness. Blend until smooth.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the blended drippings and bring to a low boil.
- Taste your gravy and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt, beef broth or onion and garlic powder as needed.
- In a small bowl, add 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch to 3 tablespoons of cold water, stirring until combined and smooth.
- Slowly whisk the cornstarch slurry into the gravy while heating and stirring until the gravy thickens and coats the back of a spoon. If you over-thicken the gravy, add a bit more beef broth. If your gravy needs to be thicker, add a bit more of the cornstarch and cold water slurry.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately along with your pot roast, veggies and side dishes. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Best Roast Recipes
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Crockpot Mississippi Pork Roast
- Herb Crusted Top Round Roast
- The Best Rump Roast in the Crock Pot
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Roast
- Slow Cooker Deer Roast
- Kalua Pork Roast
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!
This Slow Cooker Pot Roast is a comfort food classic that the whole family will love. The beef is slowly simmered to fork-tender perfection along with carrots and onions, making the perfect Sunday dinner.
Leave a Reply