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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Will there be a video of this recipe?
We do not have a video of this recipe yet Anna!
Will a sweet red wine work?
Hi June, I use whatever I have on hand (which is usually a cabernet). A sweet red wine should work just fine, but if it’s very sweet it could add sweetness to the dish.
This is my new go-to beef roast recipe. Followed this recipe exactly and it was rich and flavourful – o so yummy! I have never commented on a recipe, but this one I just had to!!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Doreen!
So if I use dried rosemary and thyme, how much should I use? Thank you.
½ teaspoon each if they’re dried (1 ½ teaspoons each for fresh).
Questions please. Ground rosemary & thyme or the dried leaf? May I use red cooking wine instead of red wine? (I would then add no or little salt.) Thank you!
Ah I see from the photo of the measuring cup that it’s not the ground!
I was very pleased with the recipe. My roast was tender and tasty.
Missing amounts
How much wine? How much broth? How many tsps of herb? What Amt of veggies?
Other than that, let’s see how my guesses turned out. It’s in the oven now.
If you use the “jump to recipe” at the top of the page, you will see the full recipe and ingredients. You’re likely looking at the overview of ingredients.
I typically really like your recipes and use them often.
This time the beef broth and wine were wasted on a gravy that wouldn’t thicken and tasted tank.
The meat, potatoes and veggies were delicious.
Sad to have to throw out the sauce.
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that Anne. We’ve made this recipe many times and always had great success so I can’t say for sure what went wrong.
I am looking forward to making this for a party tomorrow! I have to double the recipe though.. Would you recommend doing it all (about 11lbs of meat) in a slow cooker or just half in the slow cooker and other half in the Dutch oven?
For best results I recommend splitting it and doing half in the slow cooker and half in the Dutch oven. Enjoy K!
I Love this recipe. I made it today and it came out perfect! I changed up the gravy and actually added 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup (Concentrate) with the roast and everything that was in the pot for the last 2 hours of cooking. I used this as a creamy gravy and served it all together as one dish. It was a hit!
I found this recipe randomly online , it did not disappoint. I followed the recipe exactly don’t need to change a thing . The family ra raved !
This is my favorite recipe for pot roast! We’ve made it several times over the past two years, and it always turns out great with or without the wine. We leave out the celery and put in fresh mushrooms. Wonderful, thank you!
Made this tonight and I have to say it is a great recipe. Not a salty mess. All components were allowed to shine. Follows the first 2 rules of cooking: Know your ingredients and respect them.
This pot roast came out perfectly!! My husband couldn’t stop commenting how good it was. It was so tender and absolutely delicious. The only change I made was to add sage to the meat while searing it. So good!!
I have a (just under) 3lb chuck roast. At what hour of cooking do I add the veggies? Hour one so they can cook for the other 2 hours?
Hi Amy, yes I would add them after about an hour. Enjoy!
Can I make this In a crockpot?
This can cook in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Enjoy!
Excellent! Thank you SO much for another wonderful recipe. Everyone loved this — from the 10-year-old to the 82-year-old last night at Sunday dinner. Paired it with your green bean casserole and a salad — everything was a hit! :)
Getting ready to do this for our first proper snow day in Colorado. How long do I bake it for?
Hi Prianna, for a 4 pound roast it bakes for a total of 4 hours between step 5 and 6. In the writing you can find details on how long other size roasts will take. This is the perfect cold weather dish, enjoy!
So delicious! Best pot roast I’ve ever made and/ or tasted, full of flavor and fork tender. This recipe will definitely be part of our comfort food line-up. I used a 4 pound chuck roast, the wine was a cabernet. I used a teaspoon of fresh rosemary from my garden instead of the half teaspoon of dried. Delicious!
Seems like a good recipe, what tempature do you bake it? I think that would useful information.
Preheat oven to 300°F (this is listed in step 1). Enjoy!
After the first 2 hours do you cover it again after you add it vegetables?
Hi Jen, yes we keep it covered the whole time. Enjoy!