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This pot roast recipe is foolproof, you literally can’t mess it up. Fresh ingredients (no packets!), tender beef, and lots of veggies smothered in gravy—it deserves a permanent spot in your recipe rotation.
Here’s Why Thousands Rave About This Pot Roast Recipe…
- This recipe makes a tender roast every time.
- It’s easy to make with fresh ingredients—no packets or ‘cream of’ soup needed.
- Vegetables are added to make it a complete meal in just one pot.
- I’ve included step-by-step instructions for a savory gravy.
Seriously, check out the reviews!
Ingredient Tips For The Perfect Pot Roast
- Beef: Chuck roast is the best choice for this pot roast recipe. Other cuts of beef with marbling, like round roast or rump roast, are also great options for cooking low and slow.
- Onions: Cook the onions with the roast—they will dissolve into the gravy, adding flavor. If you’d like chunks of onion, add extra with the other vegetables.
- Vegetables: Carrots, celery, and potatoes are added to this pot roast recipe, but you can add other veggies like mushrooms, turnips, or sweet potatoes.
- Broth: Use beef stock and red wine when cooking the meat. You can replace the wine with additional broth. Do not use low-sodium broth, or the gravy won’t have enough flavor.
- Gravy: The base of the gravy is the juices from the meat, thickened with either cornstarch or flour.
How to Make a Pot Roast
This is an overview of the steps to make a pot roast—find full details below!
- Sear beef: Season and sear the beef roast.
- Add onions & liquid: Add onions, broth, wine, and seasonings. Bake in the oven for 2 hours.
- Add vegetables: Add vegetables and cook until the roast and vegetables are tender.
- Separate fat: Separate the fat from the drippings. I use a gravy separator, but you can also skim the fat off with a spoon.
- Make gravy: Separate the fat from the drippings and prepare the gravy according to the recipe directions.
How to Check if Pot Roast Is Done
For this recipe (which uses the technique of braising), skip the thermometer and go by feel. Insert a fork into the roast and twist it slightly—it should be very tender, have very little resistance, and come apart easily.
If the meat isn’t fork-tender, cover it and cook for 20 to 30 minutes longer, then check it again.
Instead of a Dutch oven, try using an oven-safe pot with a lid, a deep roasting pan covered tightly with foil, or a casserole dish with an oven-safe lid.
You can use additional beef broth in place of wine.
Cooking times can vary depending on the size and type of roast you purchase. Here are approximate cooking times for pot roast in the oven:
– Cook a 3 lb. roast for a total of 3-3.5 hours
– Cook a 4 lb. roast for a total of 3.5-4 hours
– Cook a 5 lb. roast for a total of 4.5-5 hours
This can be made in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. The slow cooker has less evaporation, so reduce the broth to 1 cup and the wine to ½ cup.
I recommend searing the roast for extra flavor. You can certainly skip the searing if you’d like.
More Chuck Roast Favorites
I make this pot roast recipe with chuck roast because it’s so buttery and tender. Here are a few other favorites for chuck.
Storing Leftover Pot Roast
- Fridge: Keep leftover pot roast in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze portions in zippered bags for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Pot Roast Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 to 4 pounds chuck roast or rump roast
- 1 large yellow onion chopped, or two small onions
- 4 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 ribs celery cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- 1 pound baby potatoes or chopped red potatoes
- 2 cups beef broth or as needed
- 1 cup red wine *see note
- 4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
For the Gravy
- all-purpose flour or cornstarch, see notes
- butter optional
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 cook 2 hours.
- Add potatoes, carrots, and celery, and cook an additional 2 hours (for a 4 lb. 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 or flour with 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth.
- Remove beef and vegetables from the pot. Use a gravy separator or a spoon to separate the fat from the drippings.
- Bring the remaining broth/drippings to a boil and whisk in the slurry 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.
When making the roux for the gravy, I use the beef fat from the drippings instead of butter if there is enough fat because it provides even more beef flavor.
excellent. I followed the recipe exactly, but, I used used extra beef stock in place of wine.
thanks
Easy to prepare, this recipe never disappoints! It is tender and tasty every time. I use the Dutch oven in my oven and it slowly cooks to perfection!
Holly, Can this potroast be done in a slow cooker? My oven is out of order
Hi Eileen, it can certainly be cooked in a slow cooker. I would cook for 8 to 10 hours on low, adding the vegetables in at the beginning. I would recommend adding a bouillon cube as well (since there is less evaporation). I generally make the gravy on the stovetop. Let us know how it goes!
Your recipe provides the basic information and allowed me to add personal touches that my family loves.
This is my go-to pot roast recipe. I coat mine in flour, salt and pepper before I brown and also add Worcestershire sauce to the pot with the broth/wine. The key is to let it fall apart and not undercook.
I have been trying for years to make the perfect pot roast and I just now found this recipe. It is perfect! So happy to have the recipe. This is going to be on repeat at my home.