This pot roast recipe is foolproof. With fresh ingredients (no packets!), it has the best flavor and the beef slowly roasts until it is fall-apart tender. It’s a complete, cozy meal in one pot, with tender meat and lots of veggies, smothered in rich gravy.
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Here’s Why Thousands Rave About This Pot Roast Recipe…
- This recipe has been tested to perfection and 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.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “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!”
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.
Ingredient Notes
- Beef: The best cut for pot roast is a chuck roast or boneless beef blade roast. Other cuts of beef with marbling, like round roast or rump roast, are also great options for cooking low and slow. Be sure to select a roast that has lots of marbling in it which carries flavor and helps make the gravy absolutely mouth-watering!
- 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: 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. 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.
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 chuck roast in a Dutch oven or large pot.
- 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.
- 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 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
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.
Turn this into a slow cooker pot roast recipe with the following changes:
Reduce the broth to 1 cup and the wine to ½ cup.
Cook in the slow cooker on 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.
Note: In our tests, we found the roast to be more tender when cooked on low. Larger roasts will need extra time.
I recommend searing the roast to create a flavorful crust. This, along with deglazing the pan, really enhances the flavor of the gravy. You can certainly skip the searing if you’d like.
Turn the sauce into a great pot roast gravy in only 3 steps!
1. Whisk two tablespoons of corn starch in cold water until smooth (this is called a slurry).
2. Remove beef and veggies. Leave the broth and bring it to a simmer. You should have about two cups; add more beef broth if needed.
3. Whisk the slurry into the simmering broth until thickened.
Storing Leftovers
- 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.
What to Serve With Pot Roast
To stretch this pot roast a little further, add some sides to go with your mouthwatering roast.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 to 4 pounds beef chuck roast or rump roast
- 1 large yellow onion chopped, or two small onions
- 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
- 1 pound baby potatoes or chopped red potatoes
- 4 carrots cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 ribs celery cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
For the Gravy
- all-purpose flour or cornstarch, see notes
- butter for optional roux-based gravy, see notes
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, cover 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.
Video
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
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Can I do this in a instapot?
You sure can, you can find the Instant Pot Pot Roast recipe here.
What can I substitute the red wine for?
This recipe can be made with all beef broth if you prefer!
I had just tried this recipe and it came out great even though I didn’t use dry red wine and I only had Stella Rosa rosso sweet wine. I didn’t have beef broth too so I just used water with a bit of beef boullion. One tip is to salt generously. It takes more salt than you think. Don’t forget to taste it halfway so you can add more salt if needed.
Hands down, the best pot roast I’ve ever had. I seasoned my meat with Lowery’s seasoning salt and coarse ground pepper before I seared it off in the Dutch. Followed everything to the tee and it turned out perfect. Biggest bonus is walking inside from the freezing cold and smelling the pot roast flavor from the oven!
I made this pot roast in my brand new Dutch oven cast iron pot. I bought this Dutch pacifically to make this pot roast you talk about meat being tender could not cut the meat falls apart. It only me and the wife we got 2 meals out of it because it was 3 1/2 pounds of Chuck Roast. I put Salt on the meat a day before and put it on my rack put it in the refrigerator took it out the nexted day and used WOW What a difference.
This is a wonderful recipe – so easy and delicious!
Bought a stock pot just for this recipe and it was well worth it. This recipe is great. The whole family loves this recipe and it is the moistest roast I have ever made.
Great recipe! Great flavors and simple to make. Added more salt and pepper to the gravy. Everyone loved it. Will add more carrots and potatoes next time as those went fast.
This is a very good, simple pot roast starter recipe, which can be easily adapted to your taste. I don’t have a Dutch oven, so I make this is a large ovenproof pan. A few things you can consider that will immediately enhance flavor (has been mentioned before in one of the comments): after you fried the beef, take it out and fry the onions in the ‘residue’. Reduce the heat so your onions don’t burn. You can deglaze the pan with wine or stock. Really get in there with a wooden spatula to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom and sides of the pan. Then proceed per recipe. I usually have my pot roast with mashed potato, so I
skip adding potatoes but I’ll still add some carrots and celery (if I don’t forget). Serving this with mash calls for a more thickened gravy, so I’ll do the cornstarch trick in the end.
Could I follow this recipe with a beef tenderloin roast?
Absolutely! You can use beef tenderloin instead of chuck roast, but it cooks faster. Adjust the cooking time, and keep an eye on the tenderloin to make sure it doesn’t overcook.
Does this require a Dutch Oven or can I just put in regular roast pan in oven?
Hi Sandra, it should be fine in a covered roasting pan. You’ll want to cook until the meat is very tender, if it’s not tender, you can add a little more time. Let us know how it turns out for you!
I have now found the base for the perfect beef roast. It is so tender!!! It wasn’t enough flavor for my husband. He’s a hard critic lol I’m not a wine drinker (I drink more hard liquor) so I didn’t know what red wine to buy so I got red cooking wine. Used fresh rosemary. Also used a shoulder roast. I used salt and pepper to taste. Also lots of garlic & onion powder. My husband also had me add Worcestershire sauce. It is sooo good!!!!
Absolutely fabulous!
I used herbs de Provence to add a “French” touch. Other than that I followed the recipe.
I had friends for dinner and they have been raving about it for days!
Thanks so much for the recipe! It truly is the perfect pot roast!
Is the half teaspoon of thyme and rosemary for dried or fresh? I have fresh herbs and wondering if I need to increase the amount, or a half teaspoon of these fresh herbs is the correct amount.
Hi Kyle! These amounts are for dried herbs, but if you would like to use fresh instead just follow this easy guide. Let us know how it turns out!
Made this yesterday and my wife said, “I’ve had a lot of roast and this is the best!” Next time going to add more carrots and celery. Thanks for the recipe.
The best stew I have ever had in my entire life. I did a 2lb piece of meat, and I would say I like a little more liquid in mine, so I added more wine and broth half way through. I also added tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce after sauteeing it was magnificent. Thank you for this!
This was a big hit for a lunch I hosted. I used a 4 lb boneless chuck roast I browned on all sides and used all the ingredients listed. I added 2 extra carrots and 1/2 lb of potatoes and added enough broth to cover the additions. I served it with a salad and bread. I was feeding five people and three were men. I had enough for the lunch and everyone was able to take home leftovers for another meal. I will definitely use this recipe again.
just made this. it was was my very first time cooking in a Dutch oven (that’s usually my husband’s area). I was VERY happy with the outcome. I didn’t have any wine, so I substituted with vinegar. it was delightfully tangy, but the gravy even toned that down. thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Wondering if this recipe translates easily to a crock pot? Thanks!!
Hi Laura, this can cook in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!
Great recipe! Made it twice now and my partner and I can’t get enough. Just made a few small changes:
– sauté 4-5 strips of bacon (cubed) as the first step, until fat it rendered and bacon is crispy; remove bacon and cook the beef in the bacon fat. Add the bacon back at the same time as the liquids are added. It adds quite a bit of flavour!
– once the beef is browned, I remove it from the pan temporarily and sauté the onion, then add the beef back and proceed with the recipe.
– increased the amount of red wine to a full bottle, and made up the difference with beef stock.
Thank you for this recipe – it’s set to become a family staple!
Sounds delicious, Steph! Glad you are enjoying the recipe.
If my roast is larger (5+ lbs), do I need to adjust broth/ cornstarch amts for the gravy? It’s looking like it’s releasing a LOT of juices ( and fat…)
You can certainly add extra cornstarch to the gravy. Mix equal parts cornstarch and cold broth or water and add as needed to the simmering broth.