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.
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The family said this was the best pot roast they ever had! I was joking when I read the recipe title “Perfect Pot Roast” but it really was!
I will definently be making this over and over. No changes.
Absolutely the best roast I’ve ever made! And I even forgot the garlic! I won’t even try another recipe! I did use gold potatoes, which were a huge hit!
Hi Holly –
Could you please clarify whether the amount of thyme and rosemary listed in the recipe is dried or fresh?
Considering the amount, I would guess dried but you noted that using fresh is better.
Just wanted to make sure.
Thanks!
Hi David, I use ½ teaspoon each if they’re dried (1 ½ teaspoons each for fresh). Enjoy!
in the recipe it says or as needed by the beef broth, how would I know if I need more, is there a certain level on the pot/roast I should be reaching?
Hi Sam, you want enough broth to fill the bottom of the pan and go a couple of inches up the roast. Enjoy!
I have made many roasts and this is the BEST one I have had
I always enjoy all your recipes! i’m finally making this today unfortunately do not have wine is there anything i could substitute for it?
Thank you Katie, I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipes! You can replace the wine with extra beef broth.
Can I use red cooking wine or do I need regular red wine?
Cooking wine should be just fine in this recipe Allie. Enjoy!
delicious!!!!
Do you season at all with salt and pepper? I only have a low sodium beef broth on hand and I’m worried about it not having enough salty flavor.
The roast is seasoned in step 2.
This is a delicious recipe. I only had 1 russet potatoe and 1 sweet potatoe. I added one of each and it came out delicious. I would definitely recommend this recipe to make. Its easy to make.
Followed the instructions. Didn’t change a thing. It was the most delightful pot roast I have ever made. Thank for sharing your easy to follow instructions. You are my go to site.
Thank you so much for the kind words, I’m glad you loved it!
your recipe called for 2 stalks of celery, but the picture looks to be only about 2 ribs. Can you clarify? I am actually making it as I am writing this, but it already smells amazing. Can’t wait to try it tonight!
Hi Mavin, yes you will want to use 2 individual rib pieces. Enjoy!
I made this and now my family forbids me making it any other way, so good! The only thing different I did is skip the potatoes because they wanted mashed and it was perfection!
The absolute best pot roast recipe, hands down! We served this for Christmas dinner and everyone RAVED! It really is so good. Actually cooking it again today. Can’t wait. It smells heavenly. Thank you!!!
Unfortunately the roast I made was not edible for our household as it was far too rosemary & thyme forward. The recipe said a crockpot or instant pot could be used opposed to cooking in the oven, but there were no modifications listed for the alternative cooking methods. I’m still giving 4 stars with the benefit of the doubt that cooking the typical method would work, but adding in the rosemary and thyme at the start of the cooking made it overpowering.
I’m going to try a few methods to save the roast such as making a gravy with fresh ingredients and hoping for the best. Please beware that the recipe does not work the same if using a different cooking vessel. If a recipe offers alternative cooking methods, modifications needed for those alternative methods should be listed as well. Really hoping that our 4 pound chuck roast does not go to waste.
Hi Shayna, to make this recipe in an Instant Pot we have this recipe here! For a slow cooker, I would follow the times laid in the Mississippi Pot Roast recipe. These links can also be found in the write up above the recipe. I hope this helps!
I am so glad I came across this roast recipe! It turned out mouth watering delicious and sooo tender. I forgot to tell my sister to pick up some potatoes, carrots, etc…didn’t even have an onion! I had a red onion from the day b4 and all the correct seasonings. It still turned out perfect! My roast was a little smaller so the cook time wasn’t as long. It has such a different and flavorful taste than the roast I’m accustomed to. Everyone else loved it as well! Thank you for this very easy and flavorful recipe!
I’ve made this a few times and have LOVED it. It is now husbands favorite meal. I decided to make it again as a surprise this week and accidentally bought a pork roast. I didn’t realize it till it was already in the oven (life with babies) so praying this isn’t a disaster.
Made for Christmas dinner and it was a hit! I seasoned my roast (kosher salt first rested and then other seasonings), used chicken broth instead of beef and only a splash of red wine and my family thinks I walk on water. Thanks for sharing this delectable recipe.
thank you I love pennies recipes.Please keep me updated.
You’re welcome Ernest! To receive emails with new recipes, you can click here to sign up.
Just made this, after years of what we all thought was a great recipe, this is by far the best pot roast we’ve ever had! 10/10