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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this was so easy & delicious! The whole family gobbled it up
This pot roast was delicious. I did add a can of stewed tomatoes, onion soup mix and 2 tlbs of brown sugar. Put all ingredients except garlic, carrots, onions and potatoes in blender and added all to Dutch oven. Added the cornstarch slurry to pot after it was done cooking. Best pot roast ever. Will definitely be saving this recipe!
We love this recipe! It’s easy and very flavorful. I do omit the carrots and celery and add mushrooms instead.
Out of all the roast recipes I scroll through, this is the best and my go to! I only do about 2lbs of roast but keep everything else the same so I can have extra gravy with the veg. Since I did a smaller amount, I only let it go for 3 hours.
When you add the vegetables at the 2-hour mark, do you put the lid back on the Dutch oven?
Yes, you’ll want to cook it covered the whole time. Enjoy!
Can you tell me what brand and name of wine you use in this recipe I don’t have much knowledge of wine but I want to try what would taste the best in this recipe , which one do you use exactly?
I just use whatever wine I have on hand, Cilla. If you want to know more, read this post about red wine for cooking!
yum
It was my first time making pot roast and it came out delicious. I took note of some of the reviews that said it was missing a bit more flavor and needed more than salt. With that , I did like 8 or 10 garlic cloves simply chopped in half and mashed before adding veggies. Added a few more sprigs of thyme and an extra short piece of rosemary.
My only thing is. I used half the weight of beef chuck kept everything the same. I had to work so I put it in the over at 210 for 5 hrs until I could go home to check on it and it was already super tender. The broth/juices tasted delicious. I put the veggies and potatoes in. Turned back up to 300 and left it for another 3 hrs which was my bad. Everything was delicious still. Meat falling apart but I lost a lot of the broth turning it up that high for that long. Overall I just need to do it again and leave it at 210 for that long or just bump up to 250. Because the higher heat did help deposit the flavor into the meat that wasn’t there when I checked at 5hrs.
Over delish. Going to be my go to.
Hi There, I’m trying to make this for dinner and am confused about what I’m supposed to cook it in. Do I sear it and then transfer it to a a baking dish or do you cook it on a sheet pan like you have pictured?
It is cooked in the Dutch oven or a large pot with a lid.
This was the best pot roast I’ve ever had!
I’d like to try this recipe but is there something I can substitute for wine? Beef broth? Some type of juice?
Hi Nancy, you can replace it with beef broth if you prefer.
The roast needed more flavor. The recipe did not call for salt. I added salt but I think it could have used additional seasonings.
Although no quantities were given, the directions do say to season with salt and pepper. I assume they intend for the reader to season to taste. They should at least given some guidance for less experienced cooks. I find that 3/4t kosher salt per pound (1/2t table salt) is a good starting point for most meat dishes, and maybe half that for pepper.
PERFECT!!
A complete crowd pleaser served with your version of mashed potatoes and the gravy!!
Oh my God was it good !!
TY
Rob
Delicious!!! The roast was 2.5 lbs so I took an hour off the last 2 hours of cooking time. I used my small Le Creuset pot and it came out perfect. I liked the way you could adjust the recipe based on the servings and meat size. This recipe will be my go to for pot roast. Thank you!!!
This was a fairly easy recipe to follow. I just popped it in the oven, and it already smells so good. I have made pot roasts in the oven before and the temperature is usually higher than 300 degrees. That seems kind of low to me. I guess I’ll find out in 4 hours. ♀️ Also, I don’t have a Dutch oven, so I used a deep baking dish and covered it with foil. I hope that’s sufficient.
Can’t wait to hear how it turned out for you, Hollie!
I just put the veggies in and will roast brussel sprouts as an extra side. It does smell so delicious. My 25 year old requested this. I haven’t made a roast in about 20 years. Excited to taste how this will turn out. I like the LONG, SLOW cook for tenderness. I always thought mine turned out tough and dry.
Unbelievably great results!!
This is my new go to recipe for pot roast!
Crowd favorite…beginning to end!!
This recipe is so delicious! It’s in my rotation!!! Thank you.
Can I make this in a crockpot?
Hi Bailey, this can cook in the crockpot on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!
Would you put the veggies in at the start?
I would add the onions in the beginning and then add the veggies halfway through just like when cooked in the oven.
I have a 1lb 9oz inside AAA oven roast, frozen. I assume I cook this for about 2 hours, maybe more since it’s frozen. I don’t have a Dutch oven but I do have a cast iron pan or a turkey roaster. Would either of those work?
Hi Chelsea, I would either thaw the roast before cooking or give it more time in the oven. Does your cast iron have a lid? If so, that should work. Or you can cook in a slow cooker if you have one, on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. I hope that helps!
We enjoyed a brick for dinner. Not certain what I did wrong, my 4 lb roast was at 190 degrees after 90 min at 300 degrees. What am I doing wrong?? Good thing the liquid made a great au jus once I reduced it.
The roast will need to cook for about 4 hours, if you stopped cooking at 90 minutes, it will be tough as the connective tissues haven’t yet had a chance to break down and become tender.
If you follow the instructions to a T you will have a delicious pot roast..As it says in the directions- if it’s tough it needs more time! a chuck roast needs the fat rendered down. 10/10 would make again!