Melt in your mouth tender, full of rich beefy flavor, and all cooked in just one pot, the ultimate comfort food.
Every home cook needs to have a classic pot roast recipe served with carrots, potatoes, and rich brown gravy!
This easy recipe is great for beginners and delivers incredible results every time! Chuck roasts are inexpensive cuts of beef that cook in the oven at a low temperature for a few hours. Add in a handful of veggies and some savory herbs for the perfect meal.
What is Pot Roast?
This is a classic recipe and for good reason! A pot roast is a beef roast that generally starts with a tougher cut of beef. Cooking at a low temperature for a long time breaks down the tough connective tissues resulting in deliciously tender beef with a flavorful gravy. The meat is seared, surrounded by carrots, onions, and a savory combination of herbs and spices and baked or oven-roasted until melt in your mouth tender.
This is one of the best pot roast recipes because it isn’t overly salty with additions like packets of onion soup or canned soups.
The Best Roasts for Tender Pot Roast
The best pot roast is made with the right cut of beef. For pot roast choose meat with nice marbling throughout and cook it low and slow. Tougher cuts will become fork tender.
- boneless beef chuck roast (my favorite choice)
- round roast
- rump roast
How to Cook a Pot Roast
Similar to Mississippi roast this can be made in a slow cooker (this recipe is made in the oven), but pot roast can also be made in an instant pot (or pressure cooker) too! While this oven version is our favorite an instant pot pot roast is great when you’re short on time!
Here’s how to make pot roast:
- SEAR BEEF Add oil to the pan and sear chuck roast in oil (bacon grease is better if you have it!) until browned on all sides.
- ADD BROTH Place the onions around the roast and add wine, broth, rosemary, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and then bake two hours in the oven.
- ADD VEGGIES Add potatoes and carrots and bake until the potatoes are tender, about two more hours. Remove the bay leaf.
- SERVE Cut the roast into smaller pieces or shred with two forks and serve.
Pot roast is an instant favorite! Not only is it easy to put together, but it makes for great pot roast sandwiches as leftovers with gravy or in a crusty bun dipped in the leftover juices (like a French dip). Serve this hearty and heartwarming recipe over creamy mashed potatoes and with a side of homemade garlic bread.
How Long to Cook a Pot Roast
This recipe is based on a typical chuck roast, about 4lbs (give or take). Pot roast is best cooked at a low temperature for a long period of time to break down any tough tissue.
- Cook a 3lb roast for 3-3.5 hrs
- Cook a 4lb roast for 3.5-4 hrs
- Cook a 5lb roast for 4.5-5 hrs
Cook times can vary based on the type of roast. Check the roast with a fork, if it is tough, the roast probably needs MORE time to cook. Cover it back up and let it keep on cooking.
How to Make Pot Roast Gravy
Turn the sauce into a great pot roast gravy in only 3 steps!
- Whisk two tablespoons of corn starch in cold water until smooth (this is called a slurry).
- Remove beef and veggies the broth and bring to a simmer. You should have about two cups, add more beef broth if needed.
- Whisk the slurry into the simmering broth until thickened.
Tips for the Perfect Roast
- Select a roast that has lots of marbling in it -which carries flavor and helps make the gravy absolutely mouth-watering!
- Baby potatoes are a great choice. They don’t require peeling and hold their shape well (russet potatoes tend to fall apart, although they still taste great)
- Cut the carrots and celery a bit bigger so they don’t overcook
- After searing, add a little of the broth to the pan and scrape up any browned bits, they add lots of flavor.
- Fresh herbs are best but dried ones can be used, just use them sparingly since dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor than fresh.
- Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste to the broth if desired.
Favorite Cozy Beef Meals
Did you make this Pot Roast? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Perfect Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3-4 pounds chuck roast or rump roast
- 1 large onion chopped, or two small onions
- 4 carrots cut into 2" pieces
- 2 stalks celery cut into 1 ½" pieces
- 1 pound baby potatoes
- 2 cups beef broth or as needed
- 1 cup red wine
- 4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Season roast with salt and pepper.
- In a large dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on each side until browned, about 4 minutes per side adding more oil if needed.
- Arrange onions around the roast. Combine broth, wine, garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Pour over the roast. Add bay leaf.
- Bring just to a simmer on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Once the broth is simmering, cover and place in the oven and bake 2 hours.
- Add potatoes, carrots, and celery, and bake an additional 2 hours (for a 4lb roast) or until the roast and potatoes are fork-tender.
- Discard bay leaf. Gently pull beef into large pieces with a fork or slice into thick pieces. Serve with juices (or make gravy below if desired).
Notes
- Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth.
- Remove beef and vegetables from the pot and set on a plate to rest.
- Bring broth to a boil and whisk in cornstarch mixture a little bit at a time until thickened. Add extra broth if needed.
- Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Beef, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Too funny……. your website it called “spend with pennies”……. that 3 lb. chuck roast was $22.00!!!!!
This recipe is outstanding…. I made it for the first time two weeks ago…….. and my men requested it again today!!!! Also, thank you for writing down the time to brown the meat (4 minutes each side)….. I always wonder if my meat is browned enough!
My roast is currently in the oven and im so excited to see how it turns out!! my question is do i need to halve the baby potatoes or keep them whole? and my second question is i remove the beef and veggies and then i can use the left over juices to make the gravy? thanks!!
If they’re larger I sometimes half them and if they’re smaller I leave them whole but either will for just fine. You can certainly use the juices to make gravy, you can find the directions in the notes of the recipe. Enjoy and let us know how it goes!
Hi Holly, your recipe sounds exactly like what I’m looking for. Just one question, would it be okay to prep the roast the day before, refrigerate and then roast the next day. Thanks so much for the recipe and your help. Judy C.
Hi Judy, you can prep it the day before for sure! Just keep in mind if it’s going into the oven on the colder side, it might need a couple extra minutes of cook time :) We would love to know how it turns out for you!
Hi Holly, thanks for your prompt reply. I’m going to try this over the weekend and I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes. Thanks for your help. Judy
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
Hi Adrianna, this can be made in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Let us know how it turns out!
I am looking forward to making this but what can I substitute for the wine – more stock?
Hi Patty, yes you can substitute the wine for more beef stock :) I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
I always find myself coming to your recipes for basically every traditional meal that I go to make for my family!!! THANK YOU HOLLY, for sharing your delicious recipes and giving myself and so many others the instruction on how to create and perfect our meals, and desserts!! whenever I find a recipe and it has your photo and name, I KNOW I am in good hands. Thanks internet Mom!!!
Sincerely,
Samantha- 25 year old Mama of 2 ❤️
Thank you so much for the kind words, Samantha! <3
Can I do this in a instapot?
You sure can, you can find the Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe here.