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
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.
Delicious! Only change I made: used turkey stock (l.o. from holiday). Also made gravy with juices and it was fantastic. I’ve been making pot roast for decades; this is the best.
hi! it looks like about an hr per lb of roast? I have a 2 lb-er on hand. I plan to check for doneness, but not sure when to add veggies.
Yes, roughly 1-1.5 hours per pound. The veggies will need about 2 hours so you can add them at the same time and remove veggies if the roast needs more time, or add veggies 30 minutes after the roast. I hope that helps!
Hello! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I am sober so I was wondering if you had an alternative for the red wine? Thanks!
You can use extra beef broth in place, enjoy!
Making this now and it is smelling great! One question: I just added the potatoes and carrots, etc; when I did, I tried some of the onions and they were very soft. Accordingly, when making the gravy at the end, I assume I leave them in?
You can leave them in the gravy or serve them with the other vegetables. The onions do become very soft but add such good flavor to the gravy.
Hi Ian. I totally understand about the onions becoming soft. What I do– When it’s time to add the carrots and potatoes, I remove the already cooked onions and add new, quartered onions at the same time as the carrots. I just discard the soft onions. This way the first batch of onions flavors the roast while it cooks, and the additional onions added with the carrots are nicely cooked and are not mushy when served alongside the meat and other veggies. This requires twice the amount of onions and given their low cost, I don’t mind using extras. I’m sure something can be done with the first batch of onions instead of tossing, but aim not that creative. Perhaps they can be pushed through a strainer or a hand mixer can pulverize them making them a tasty way to thicken juices for a gravy(?).
I am making a 6 pound roast, how long should I cook?
Hi Jennifer! For a 6 pound roast, aim to cook it for around 5.5-6 hours. You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly, just make sure your pot roast reaches an internal temperature of at least 145°F. Happy cooking!
Hi there,
Quick question. My grocery store only had a 2.85 pound roast. Should I cook it for three hours? Thanks!
I would suggest quickly opening the lid at 3 hours and pull a piece off with a fork. If it’s not melt in your mouth tender, cover it up and add about 30 minutes more and check again. Let us know how it goes!
Have this in the oven right now and an hour into it the house smells amazing. I would love to come in from the cold for a nice hot plate of this, but alas, I live in Phoenix…..
Excellent, simple and classic. First time buying a chuck roast and was melt in your mouth. I usually buy leaner cuts. I did not have red wine so used all beef broth, but added an additional tbsp of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the dutch oven after browning. Will make this over and over! Left the carrots and potatoes out as we wanted roasted carrots and mashed potatoes. 3 lb roast – 3 hours was perfect.
I find myself making your recipes a lot, not realizing it when I go to pin. :-)
This is the recipe I was looking for! Much more flavorful & tender than my old standby. The only thing I changed was to make seperate mashed potatoes, since all I had was “ugly” odd-sized potatoes that needed work. The gravy tasted superb over everything.
Fantastic! Best pot roast I ever made
Good call to wait with veg until 2 hours after starting
Pot roast very easy to put together. Cutting up the veggies is the time consuming part. I roasted a 4 lb chuck roast for 4 hours total. Last hour was with the vegtables. Gravy was easy & tasted great. I will make this again.
Amazing. Followed the recipe as is. Liked it better than the Mississippi Pot roast I usually make. Also better than when I do pot roast in a crock pot
Hi!! Are these fresh herbs or dried? Thanks so much!
Hi Bee, we used dried herbs in this dish but fresh would taste great as well. Follow this easy guide for fresh herbs vs dried herbs.
Hi Holly,
In your narrative you state that dry herbs can be used, but fresh is best. In the written recipe it says “1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary”. Are those dried or fresh?
Hi Linda, we use dried herbs but if you do want to use fresh instead, follow this guide. I hope that helps!
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!
$22 for a 3lb roast comes out to be $2.75/serving which in today’s outrageous overpricing on groceries is pretty affordable!
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
Hi Holly, I wanted to let you know that I made your pot roast Sunday and it was a great hit with everyone. I wasn’t able to prep the night before but I’m sure it would be great that way also. We had the leftovers tonight and they were just as yummy. Thanks for such a flavorful and easy recipe. Judy C.
Thank you, Judy! Glad your family enjoyed it!
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