The Easiest and Most Succulent Pot Roast Recipe for the Slow Cooker

Jump to the Recipe

Do you remember Sunday dinners from when you were growing up?

Top down view of a pot roast with carrots and potatoes on a white ceramic plate surrounded by fresh thyme leaves.

I sure do. It was the day that mom pulled out all the stops and spent the afternoon in the kitchen whipping up something magical.

Sometimes it was a roasted chicken, lasagna, or shepherd’s pie. Each was equally enchanting and delicious. And every single one of them was the perfect comfort food dish.

This pot roast recipe is just what would have graced our table back then. Succulent and tender beef with big chunks of hearty vegetables – delish.

A close up with a fork with a bit of pot roast, carrot, and potato stuck on the tines.

Now, it’s my turn to handle the holiday and family dinners. Cooking always was more my thing than it was for my mom, so I enjoy and savor every moment.

Recipes like this are my favorite. The aroma of sauteed onions, garlic, and fresh herbs always make the house smell fantastic.

Glade really should make a household scent that smells like home cooked meals. But, can you really recreate something like that? Probably not.

Top down view of a platter full of homemade pot roast with potatoes and carrots. A plate full of the meal sites to the lower right. Both containers are on a white table cloth and garnished with various fresh herbs.

I’ll just keep cooking and get my aromatherapy the natural way. Besides, I’d be hungry all the time if my house smelled like that 24/7.

The Recipe

Square closeup image of a serving of pot roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes, garnished with fresh parsley and rosemary, with a fork on the right side of the plate.
The Easiest Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Votes: 5
Rating: 4.6
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Love comfort food? Then this is for you. Our pot roast recipe is amazingly delicious and slow cooked to perfection.
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 mintutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 6 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 mintutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 6 hours
Square closeup image of a serving of pot roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes, garnished with fresh parsley and rosemary, with a fork on the right side of the plate.
The Easiest Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Votes: 5
Rating: 4.6
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Love comfort food? Then this is for you. Our pot roast recipe is amazingly delicious and slow cooked to perfection.
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 mintutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 6 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 servings 10 mintutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 6 hours
Ingredients
  • olive oil as needed
  • 2 1/2 - 3 pounds whole chuck roast
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 onions thickly sliced
  • 4 large carrots sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves smashed
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cups Beef broth
  • 6-8 baby red potatoes quartered or cut into eigths
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • parsley optional, for garnish
Servings: servings
Units:
Instructions
  1. Coat bottom of a slow cooker pot with olive oil and set on sear setting.
  2. In a large bowl or large shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Dredge the roast in the seasoned flour mixture, then sear on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Add more olive oil to the pot, if needed. Still on the sear setting, add the onions and carrots to the pot and saute, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are softened and translucent, add the smashed garlic and saute for another minute or two.
  4. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Saute for another 3-5 minutes. Then add the broth and deglaze the pot.
  5. Add the potatoes, rosemary, and roast to the pot. Set to to slow cook on low for 6 hours. Serve while warm.

Nutritional Info*

Nutrition Facts
The Easiest Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Amount Per Serving
Calories 449 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 99mg 33%
Sodium 834mg 35%
Potassium 1197mg 34%
Total Carbohydrates 31g 10%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 6g
Protein 55g 110%
Vitamin A 85%
Vitamin C 22%
Calcium 7%
Iron 31%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Gather and Prep Ingredients

A blue-gray wooden surface topped with four carrots, one halved and one whole yellow onion, a head of garlic and several scattered cloves garlic, four red-skinned potatoes, and a small glass dish of tomato paste.

Wash all produce thoroughly to remove any dirt or debris that may be present.

In a large, shallow bowl mix the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

Slice the onions and set aside. I used two onions, but mine were fairly small. If you have one large onion that should suffice – and if you’re not in the mood for a good cry, check out our article on saying goodbye to onion cutting tears.

Peel and smash the garlic and set aside. The best way to to this is by bashing the garlic beneath the flat side of a chef’s knife, on a sturdy cutting board.

I like to leave my garlic cloves whole for recipes like this. Be sure to crush them though, to help the garlic flavor to permeate the dish.

Cut carrots into 1/2-inch medallions and set aside. Baby carrots can be used if you prefer. These can save prep time as you can add them whole, without having to do any prep work for them.

Slice the red potatoes into quarters or eighths, depending how big they are, and set them aside.

Top down view of a shallow white bowl of flour, a small bowl of peeled garlic, a bowl of sliced carrots, a bowl of chopped potatoes, a bowl of beef stock, a small prep bowl of tomato paste, and a bowl of sliced onions, on a gray-blue wooden surface.

I chose baby red potatoes for the simple reason that I don’t have to peel them, and I can easily and quickly quarter them. They hold up better shape-wise versus russets too, which can become mealy and fall apart in the slow cooker. With this in mind, feel free to use russet, Yukon gold, or any other variety you prefer.

Measure out the packaged or homemade beef broth and set aside. If you’re buying a package, reach for the low sodium version so you can control the amount of salt in your meal. If you have full sodium broth, you may want to decrease the amount of salt you add and season to taste if necessary before serving.

Remove the roast from the fridge and take it out of the packaging. Pat dry and set aside.

Clear a space on the kitchen table or countertop, get your slow cooker out, and plug it in. This recipe is perfect for Crock-Pots, Instant Pots, Breville Fast/Slow Cookers – you name it, just about any type of slow cooker can handle this dish.

If your cooker of choice has a sear setting, this will be a one-pot meal. If are searing in a pan, get that out now.

Step 2 – Dredge and Sear

A cut of beef dusted with flour on a black cutting board.

Add olive oil to a heated pan, or your Instant Pot or Fast/Slow Cooker. Any slow cooker with a sear setting can be used to sear the meat first before setting it to cook low and slow.

Dredge your dry roast in the seasoned flour mixture and add it to the hot oil. Allow the roast to sear for 1-3 minutes on each side, keeping an eye on it to avoid burning the outside. The time that this will take will depend on the size of your roast as well as the temperature of your heating element.

Once each side has been seared, remove it from the pot and set aside.

A seared whole chuck roast topped with some liquid in a slow cooker on a blue stained wooden surface.

By dredging the roast, we are creating a delicious flavored crust on the meat. The flour will also help to thicken the juices, making a fantastic gravy.

Searing the beef helps lock in the liquids, which results in a more tender and juicy finished product.

If you or a family member has celiac or is gluten intolerant, you can use gluten-free flour instead of traditional flour to make this recipe gluten-free and safe for everyone to enjoy.

Step 3 – Saute Veggies and Add Tomato Paste

Top down view of chopped raw carrots and onions in an Instant Pot.

Once the roast has been seared and set aside, you may need to add more olive oil to your pot or pan. Do so if needed, and either replace on the heat or return to the sear setting.

Once the oil is hot, add the onions and carrots. Season with salt and pepper, and saute for about 5 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic cloves and saute for about 2 minutes more. Now, add the tomato paste and saute for 3-5 more minutes.

Cooked sliced onions and carrots in the bottom of a slow cooker, on a stained blue wooden surface.

We are building levels of flavor here by sauteing the veggies and allowing the tomato paste to “bloom.”

There should be a color change associated with the paste once it has bloomed. A darker red color will signify that the sugars in the paste have caramelized, and this will create a more flavorful sauce/gravy in the end.

Step 4 – Add Liquid, Deglaze, and Cook

At this point, you are ready to add the beef broth and deglaze your pan.

What in the world does this mean? Well, essentially, the liquid, when added to a hot pan, will help loosen any bits that have become stuck to the bottom during the sauteeing process. The release of the bits from the pan is called deglazing.

These stuck on bits are called the fond and they hold a tremendous amount of flavor. Pretty great, right? You can read more about deglazing and creating delicious pan sauces here.

When you add the liquid, use a spatula to scrape these bits off and incorporate them into the sauce in the slow cooker pot.

Once the bottom has been scraped clean, add the potatoes to the pot, followed by the roast and sprigs of rosemary.

Top down view of a whole chuck roast that has been seared and placed in a slow cooker with fresh herbs.

Set your Instant Pot or other types of slow cooker to slow cooker mode on low heat, and cook for 6 hours.

Short on time and you just don’t want to bother with the searing and deglazing? No problem. You can make this dish as a “dump” recipe as well. Just prep your ingredients the same way, add them to your slow cooker, and go about your day. We won’t tell anyone that you skipped the searing portion.

The downside of this is that the final results will not taste the same. A dump meal will have much less depth of flavor, since you are skipping the extra steps develop the sugars and build those delicious layers of flavor. It will still be good, just not quite as flavorful and rich as the original version.

Worried about adding to an already busy morning routine? I frequently make recipes like this in the evening and let the slow cooker work while I sleep. Then, when I wake up my food is ready, and I can refrigerate it until needed.

Step 5 – Serve

A white serving dish of pot roast and root vegetables to the left of a white plate of a serving of this dish, garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary with a fork to the left and black serving utensils to the right, on a blue-gray wooden surface topped with a white tablecloth and scattered herbs.

When your one-pot meal is ready, you can serve this several ways. I like to serve it as is with the meat and veggies. The gravy is terrific too!

A fresh green salad and sliced crusty bread on the side makes a nice addition.

I also like to garnish my meals with fresh herbs. For this pot roast, chopped parsley and fresh rosemary is my first choice. Experiment and see what you prefer.

And if you have any leftovers, a whole new world opens up to fun recipes. Use the the leftover meat to make sandwiches, or make our pot roast mushroom soup to enjoy on a chilly night.

Did You Love This Meal?

Food has the ability to soothe and comfort like nothing else. And dishes like this are the epitome of what comfort food should be.

Top down view of a white ceramic serving dish of slow cooked pot roast and root vegetables, on a blue-gray stained wooden surface with sprigs of rosemary and parsley.

Warm and hearty with lots of substance, everyone loves meals like this. You just can’t go wrong with homemade comfort food after a long day of work and other responsibilities. Don’t you agree?

So, grab your fork and dig in. Don’t forget to leave us a comment and tell us what you think of this recipe too!

You know you need more slow cooker recipes! Try another beefy option with Tex-Mex Barbacoa, or a chuck roast with cranberries that is a perfect fall and winter version.


Don’t forget to Pin It!

A collage of photos showing different views of a homemade slow cooker pot roast with carrots and potatoes.

Looking for more recipes with major comfort food vibes? Try some of these meaty mains:

Photos by Leslie Morrison, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published by Shanna Mallon on January 16th, 2009. Last updated: February 25, 2023 at 13:09 pm.

*Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Leslie Morrison

Leslie is a food photographer and writer. She enjoys spending time in her kitchen and behind the lens of her camera and working on her food blog, Deliciously Plated (deliciouslyplated.com). When she isn’t working, she is spending time with her son and her husband.

14 thoughts on “The Easiest and Most Succulent Pot Roast Recipe for the Slow Cooker”

  1. You are certainly not alone in having to go get a new fluffy coat for survival purposes. Especially this morning, with winds dropping the temp where I am to -35! And pot roast is indeed good for these winter days when the climate is trying to kill you.

    Reply
  2. i seriously think the whole Global Warming is a crock. haha, get it. {sorry!}

    anyway, it is cold here too, a balmy 12degrees but with the wind, more like -5. i can’t complain as your friend Kate and you are probably even colder. but cold is cold is cold, isn’t it?

    a trick for you: heating pads or rice sock to heat up to keep in your lap as you wait for your car to warm up or keep in your jacket to keep a smidge warmer. i carry mine around like a security blanket.

    i love pot roast, and you’re right, it’s easy to assemble and forget about. plop in the crock pot and haul ass back to your seat on the couch with a heavy blanket over top. stay warm this weekend!

    Reply
  3. Well it is the upper 50s here (and people are saying they are freezing), but potroast actually sounds great, and it doesn’t have wheat so I can actually eat it. 🙂

    Reply
  4. crock pot? comfort food? dinner ready when i get home from work? -14 degrees? ridiculous metra commutes?

    yes, this post definitely is for me. thank you.

    btw, i wasn’t on the train with the secret service agent (whew! what a mess!) and i (somehow) managed to squeeze into one of the few trains leaving the night of the horrible amtrak derailment (did you hear about that one? yikes.). i’ve been lucky. which scares me.

    chicagoans should get a medal for surviving these winters. or at least a pizza party.

    Reply
  5. We should probably not mention that it has been in the 80s and 90s in Los Angeles for the last week or two. No, we should not!

    But pot roast is good even in the summery winter!

    Reply
  6. After I saw Sandra Bullock in While You Were Sleeping, I declared that I loved the cold and wanted to live in Chicago. I wanted to wear a trench coat and ride the train and have a cute wool hat and marry a carpenter from a funny family. It’s 12 degrees outside now, and I have no intention of leaving my house until it’s at least above freezing. That’s not supposed to be for another two days. I COULD NOT make it in Chicago no matter how cute my hat was. Enjoy your pot roast. It looks awesome.

    Reply
  7. Oh, Kate. Dear, sweet Kate. THANK YOU for telling me somewhere is colder than here. THANK YOU! I heard someone say that Chicago and Wasilla, AK, were 40 degrees apart the other day, and Wasilla was the warmer one. That, I think, was the day I hit bottom, LOL.

    Lan: Double points for the crock comment—clever! (But seriously, WHYTHECOLDCOLDCOLD if there’s global warming? Am I the only one confused?) I’m intrigued about a rice sock and have no idea what you mean. Can I put rice in a sock and heat it up? *wondering what it would smell like*

    Jacqui: Write someone a letter about the pizza party because I am SO IN. My brother does crazy Metra commutes, and he was delayed, I swear, almost every day this week. INSANE. A friend of mine was on the gun train, so she had some fun stories—mainly about all the water cooler talk amongst the passengers. At least it was all just a misunderstanding. And, um, hats off to you for surviving (and being so lucky, knock on wood!).

    Duo Dishes: You. Stink. (And can I come?)

    Rae: Is that all you stick in there? Meat, coke and onion soup mix? I’m interested!

    Kendra @ MFK: I always swore I’d never want a parka (went to college in Wisconsin without one, after all), but, well, this has been the worst winter ever, and, I swear, I think it’s cute now. You’re right, though: the cutest hat (or coat) does not make up for it. My family has been talking about relocating. PS: Love Sandra Bullock and While You Were Sleeping. Cool points for you.

    E.P.: Indeed it is. I’m sure it’d be nice on a warm day, too, but I can’t really remember what those feel like.

    Reply
  8. i saw wise craft’s tutorial for a rce pillow and since i don’t know how to sew, i used socks instead: http://blairpeter.typepad.com/weblog/2008/02/make-a-rice-pil.html

    i put in mint tea bags to have a minty smell but then again, i love the smell of rice so it’s ok without. my friend trish made me a heating pad with deer corn, that does not pop into popcorn. i love it, it’s in a pretty little pillow and i’m going to have to crochet a cover for it because i carry it around everywhere with me.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.