This slow cooker beef roast is a wonderful comfort dish the whole family can enjoy. Made with beef roast, potatoes, and carrots, it's a full meal that's ready to eat in just a few hours.
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Roasts are on the menu any time we get the chance (meaning there's a good sale happening, haha). But, most of the time it's pork roasts like Garlic Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin or Honey Mustard Pork Shoulder Roast. So when we get the chance for a beef roast, we make sure that we go all out.
Making an easy crock pot roast with potatoes and carrots, may not be one of our cheaper meals to make, but it is a comforting slow cooker meal that can feed a small crowd. (Which is perfect for when we have family coming over).
This is a slow cooker recipe that is definitely worth keeping handy. Perfect for serving with our Jiffy Cornbread With Cake Mix or 2 Hour No Knead White Bread.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's convenient. One of the best reasons to bring out the crock pot is when you want to let something simmer all day while you do whatever you want (or need) to do. I love it when I plan to work long hours. Convenience is everything. Of course I also use it for Chocolate Crockpot Lava Cake too.
- It's comforting. Meat, potatoes, carrots, and gravy/broth, what's not to love? This dish is full of flavor and warmth and is truly heartwarming. Perfect for cold nights and homestyle cooking.
- Simple ingredients. This recipe uses very simple pantry staple seasonings, cornstarch, broth, veggies, and meat. You may have some of the ingredients on hand already, and if not, the ones you're missing should be easy to locate in your local grocery store.
🛒 Ingredients
Beef roast- You will need a beef eye of round roast that is about 3.5 pounds in size. Other beef roasts will work too, but Eye of Round is great for shredding and slow cooked meals.
Broth- Use beef broth to help hydrate the food as it cooks and to give a great start to the gravy it will create.
Carrots- You'll want to use a pound of baby carrots, but if desired, you can use peeled and chopped larger carrots.
Potatoes- Red potatoes and yellow potatoes hold up better to the long cook times in the slow cooker as russets usually fall apart and become grainy. That said, you can use your potato of preference.
Cornstarch slurry- To turn the juices in the pot into a delicious gravy, you will need some water and cornstarch.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Use cheaper cuts: Chuck roast or bottom round are usually more affordable and become just as tender in the slow cooker.
Bulk up with veggies: Add extra carrots, celery, or potatoes to stretch the meal further without increasing the meat cost.
Use store-brand broth: Store-brand beef broth works perfectly and cuts the cost of the recipe. Better than Bullion is our favorite way to get affordable broth.
Turn leftovers into new meals: Shredded roast makes great sandwiches, quesadillas, beef and noodles, or soups, helping your budget go even further. Example: Mississippi Pot Roast Tacos.
🥄 Instructions for Slow Cooker Beef Roast
Step 1: Add your Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder to a small bowl (Image 1).
Step 2: Stir together to combine (Image 2).
Step 3: Add the seasonings to your roast (Image 3).
Step 4: Rub the seasoning well to coat the roast evenly (Image 4).
Step 5: Place the roast at the bottom of your slow cooker (Image 5).
Step 6: Add in the chopped potatoes (Image 6). They should be quartered or 1.5 inches in size (whichever is smaller).
Step 7: Add in the baby carrots (Image 7).
Step 8: Add in chopped onion and celery (Image 8).
Step 9: Pour in the beef broth (Image 9).
Step 10: Cover and cook on low for 9 hours or on high for 6 hours (Image 10).
Step 11: An hour before serving, you can mix the cornstarch slurry together in a small bowl and add it to the slow cooker. The juices in the crock pot will thicken as it continues to cook.
Alternatively, you can drain all of the juices from the crockpot into a pot with your cornstarch slurry and cook on the stove on medium-high until bubbling (about 3-5 minutes).
Step 12: Place your roast on a large cutting board and shred it apart with two forks.
Serve with cooked veggies and gravy.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- How to tell if the roast is finished cooking. After 6 hours on high or 9 hours on low, your meat should shred easily. Toughness indicates it hasn't cooked long enough.
- Roasts need to cook past the safe-to-eat temperature to become tender. If it's still tough, switch to high heat, adding an extra hour if necessary. Slicing larger roasts in half or quarters can expedite cooking.
- My preferred method. 7 hours on low, then 2-3 hours on high.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Store meat, veggies, and gravy separately in airtight containers. Keeps 3-4 days in the fridge.
Freezing: Freeze shredded beef and cooked veggies (separately or together) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheating: Microwave single servings for 1-2 minutes. For larger portions, place in a baking dish with gravy or broth, cover with foil, and heat at 325°F for 20-30 minutes.
Make Ahead: Season the roast and chop veggies the night before. Store in the fridge, then load everything into the slow cooker in the morning and cook as directed.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Because this dish already includes starches and veggies, you can easily consider it a full meal on its own. That said, some great side dishes to serve with your slow cooker beef roast can include Instant Pot Au Gratin Potatoes, Bacon Ranch Brussel Sprouts, and these Easy Yeast Rolls for Beginners.
- Instant Pot Boxed Au Gratin PotatoesRecipe $3.02 / Serving $0.30
- Bacon Ranch Brussel SproutsRecipe $7.35 / Serving $1.23
- Easy Yeast Rolls for BeginnersRecipe $1.06 / Serving $0.12
- Sourdough CornbreadRecipe $2.14 / Serving $0.27
❓ Slow Cooker Beef Roast FAQs
The best type of roast to use is actually a top round roast. This is because it doesn't have as much fat and it's cheaper too.
Yes and no. You'll want enough liquid to create a base in the slow cooker, but you don't need enough to submerge anything as the meat and veggies will release their own juices as they cook. Adding liquid to the crock pot will help to develop flavors and prevent food from sticking to the liner.
Yes, the longer it cooks, the more the collagen breaks down and melts, making the meat more tender as a result. When collagen breaks down, it turns into gelatin (picture unsolid jello), and this coats the meat making it juicy and silky in texture. Then when cold, it solidifies, only to melt when reheated again.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- Slow Cooker Cabbage with BaconRecipe $5.37 / Serving $0.54
- 3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork ChopsRecipe $7.76 / Serving $1.94
- Crockpot Chicken with Enchilada SauceRecipe $8.49 / Serving $1.70
- Chocolate Crockpot Lava CakeRecipe $4.10 / Serving $0.51
🐝 If you tried this slow cooker beef roast, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Roast
Ingredients
Seasoned Roast
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning - ($0.24)
- 2 teaspoons salt - ($0.01)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder - ($0.16)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder - ($0.08)
- 3.5 pounds beef eye of round roast - ($15.82)
Vegetables and Broth
- 2 pounds red potatoes, chopped - ($2.20)
- 1 large onion, chopped - ($0.91)
- 1 pound baby carrots - ($1.38)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped - ($0.42)
- 2 cups beef broth - ($0.50)
Cornstarch Slurry
- ¼ cup water - ($0.00)
- ¼ cup cornstarch - ($0.16)
Instructions
- Season roast. In a small bowl, combine Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and onion powder. Rub seasoning evenly over the roast.
- Layer slow cooker. Place roast in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add potatoes, onion, carrots, and celery around the roast.
- Add broth. Pour beef broth over the roast and vegetables.
- Cook. Cover and cook on Low for 9 hours or High for 6 hours, until the roast is very tender.
- Thicken gravy. About 1 hour before serving, whisk water and cornstarch together and stir into the slow cooker. Continue cooking until juices thicken.
- Optional stovetop method. Drain cooking liquid into a saucepan, add slurry, and cook over medium-high heat until bubbling and thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Serve. Remove roast to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Serve with vegetables and gravy.
Notes
- Cooking Tip. Cook until the roast is fall-apart tender, even beyond the minimum safe temperature.
- Best Texture. For extra tenderness, cook on Low for 7 hours, then switch to High for 2 to 3 hours.
- Make Ahead. Season the roast and chop vegetables the night before. Refrigerate, then add to the slow cooker in the morning.
- Storage. Store roast, vegetables, and gravy separately. Refrigerate up to 3 to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- Reheating. Microwave individual portions 1 ½ to 2 minutes. For larger portions, reheat covered in a 325°F oven for about 30 minutes.
Nutritional Information
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