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.
Made this tonight and it was a hit with the whole family! Will definitely make this again soon! Thank you!
Can this pot roast be made on the stove as my oven is not working in the house that I just bought. Thank you.
I have only tried the recipe as written Marilyn, but I think it should work. I would keep it at a medium-low temperature with the liquid at a low simmer and cook until fork tender. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
When I was a kid, my mom made pot roast almost every Sunday, and she would often make it on top of the stove in a cast iron skillet at low heat. It turned out great either way. That’s the way I usually do it too, but I just made this one in the oven. (still cooking, can’t wait)
Thank you for sharing Karen!
when using a slow cooker should I still add the potatoes, carrots and celery in the last 2 hours or before?
I would add them about halfway through cooking. Enjoy Mja!
I followed the recipe exactly. It turned out great. I did not add my potatoes to the roasting pan because I was afraid they would drink up all the juice. Also, I wanted to serve the meal with mashed potatoes. I have to say it’s delicious. My meat was about 2,50 pounds. The meat does shrink up a bit. I got at least TWO CUPS of gravy ! It is DELICIOUS!
Followed instructions exactly. Meat was ruined, so tough. I used a 3.18 lb cut and based continuously.. no idea how that happened. I felt like it was too high.
by continuously basting you’re constantly opening the oven and decreasing the temperature. No reason to baste a pot roast. The point is to cook it “low and slow.” If it was too tough it needed more time.
Not a huge fan of pot roast. However, this is my second time in two weeks making it!! It’s that good! My family of 4 loved it and have been requesting it ever since! Served with mashed potatoes and veggies… second night on sourdough bread with melted cheese. Thank you for a great recipe!
I am so glad you love this recipe Evelyn!
I have to say, this really did come out pretty great! Be sure and salt/pepper to taste; I went a bit too low on them and had to add more at the end, but better to need to add than to have too much, hm? My chuckroast came out tender and tasty, and the whole thing reminded me really strongly of my mom’s roast, which was the best on the planet. So I’m happy and have a great meal waiting for me (it’s cooling, but I’ve already had plenty of bites and burned my mouth.) I did have to add another spoonful of corn starch to get a good gravy consistency; shy of that, though, this will now be my go-to recipe for a good chuckroast. I live alone so this is a lot of food; at least half of it will end up sealed and frozen for future delicious meals that only need warming, but I’ll enjoy this first right out of the oven. Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now, and it’s so delicious each time. I do let the meat sit out on the counter for about an hour prior to searing, letting the salt absorb. The only problem is we never have enough leftovers for sandwiches .
Thanks again for sharing.
Hi!
My roast is 2.78 pounds. Should I cook it the full 3 hours?
That should be fine, you can quickly check it a little bit early and ensure it’s fork tender. If not quite, then let it cook a little bit longer.
Have made this recipe so many times and love it every time! Today when I got my food delivered they gave me 3 1lb chuck steaks. Would 2 hours be too long?
It should be fine for the full length (which is a total of 4 hours), but you can quickly check it a little bit early and ensure it’s fork tender. If not quite, then let it cook a little bit longer.
Outstanding….just like Mom used to make.
Instructions did not specify cooking covered/uncovered. Cooked covered for 3 hours and 35 uncovered. The vegetables seemed to finish cooking in the last 35!
We cook it covered (in step 5). So glad you enjoyed it!
This Pot Roast looks deliciously amazing and cannot wait to make it. But I do have a question. Can this same recipe be made is a slow cooker? Thanks for sharing another great recipe with the rest of us.
This can cook in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!
Hi Holly,
Can you season this roast with other seasonings as well as the S&P? Season salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder etc. if so how much should be used?
Thanks for all the great recipes
I have only tried this recipe as written Bernie and find it has plenty of flavor from the garlic, rosemary, and thyme! If you wanted to try other seasonings I would love to hear how it turns out!
What should the oven temp be?
Hi Bronwyn, the oven temperature should be 300°. Hope this helps!
Was easy to make, flavorful, and very satisfying. I would definitely make this again.
The only thing I would change, is that I would add more cornstarch, as the gravy wasn’t quite thick enough.
This does not tell me how much of what I need and I ended up having to drive back to the store cuz I didn’t have enough
So sorry that happened, Bella! You will find the full recipe with quantities and full instructions towards the bottom of the post or you can use the jump to recipe button at the top to take you directly there!
Excellent! Thank you for sharing.
This recipe for a simple pot roast was easy to follow, and quick to put together. Once in the oven, I just kicked back to enjoy my Saturday morning. Three hours later dinner was ready, and it was so tender, it just melted in my mouth. This was my goal, as I’m in the middle of getting new dentures, thus no teeth to chew. The roast was absolutely delicious, and this is the recipe I’ll follow from now on. Thanks Holly for sharing.
If I use a slow cooker, how long will this recipe take to cook?
This can cook in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!
I bought 1.5 pounds of chuck roast since it’s just the two of us. How long do you recommend? I’m doing baby carrots and baby potatoes with it in my Dutch oven. Cannot wait!!
I haven’t cooked a roast this small but I would check it about 90 minutes early. If it’s not tender, cover it up and cook it longer.
Can you skip the wine? If now what brand and kind do you use.
Hi Leann, You can replace the wine with additional beef broth if you prefer.
Made this last night for me and my boyfriend and it was definitely one of the best pot roasts we’ve had! Thank you for sharing
Can I use chicken broth? I hate to go to the store for one thing ? Will it throw the taste of ?
I find it a bit less rich in flavor but it should work. If you have a beef bouillon cube or two, you can add those (or even a bit of onion soup mix).