This Slow Cooker Pot Roast is the ultimate comfort food that is easy to make and always a family favorite! This roast is made with potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms that are all slow cooked to tender perfection.

SLOW COOKER MAGIC

As a teen and even as a newly married adult, I never understood the fascination for crock pot/slow cooker meals until I started missing my dads pot roast. He served his with mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, and french style green beans. One of my favorite meals as a kid! Even when I had moved out at 18, I would request either this dish or his boneless BBQ ribs when I went home.

So true to my nature, I ignored trying something new (slow cooker recipes) and stuck with what I knew – easy meals that I knew to be good, whether done on the stove or in the oven. So the crock pots that I received as wedding gifts sat in the cabinet untouched until my husband made a few suggestions on doing soups or slow cooked meats.

He deserves the credit for getting me to step out of my comfort zone with so many things – big and small. Now? The crock pot is one of my favorite kitchen appliances and I  have learned to absolutely adore slow cooked meals, as they are always full of flavor and so simple to make!

Which brings me to this Slow Cooker Pot Roast!

SLOW COOKER POT ROAST

One of the most popular recipes in America has to be a slow cooked pot roast meal. And for good reason – it is a super simple recipe that requires little work and is always a family favorite. This recipe works perfectly for those long, busy days as you can toss everything into the crock pot in the morning and it’s ready come dinnertime!

Aside from adding it to the crock pot, the only effort needed by you is chopping the vegetables and searing the roast. Leaving the crock pot to do a majority of the work. If you are strapped for time, you can easily use baby potatoes and baby carrots to cut down on prep time!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS SLOW COOKER POT ROAST

Full recipe with directions can be found via the printable recipe card below. Simply scroll down! 🙂

• Chuck roast: this will give tender, fall apart chunks. Look for a wider, short roast so that it fits in the crock pot well and the vegetables can rest on top to cook. You can also use:
  – Round Roast (also known as top or bottom round): leaner cut and will slice well.
  – Beef Brisket: this will be the fattier option of the three, but will end up resulting in a very tender roast to be sliced.
• Olive oil: to sear the roast before adding it to the crock pot.
• Seasonings: salt, pepper, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary & minced garlic. Fresh is best for all three to give the best flavor possible to this slow cooked meal!
• Carrots
• Red potatoes
• Mushrooms
• White onion
• Worcestershire sauce – adds some great flavor, but is optional.
• Beef broth – I recommend using low-sodium or unsalted so that you can control the amount of sodium that goes into this recipe.

COOKING TIPS AND SWAPS:

1. Chuck roast: I recommend sticking with chuck roast for this recipe, as it will give you the tender, fall-apart chunks you’re looking for with Slow Cooker Pot Roast.
2. Carrots: you can cut back on prep time by using packaged baby carrots, but make sure they are on the hearty size. Otherwise you will end up with mushy carrots. If slicing your carrots, don’t slice them too thin, as they will turn to mush. We recommend hearty chunks about the same size as the potato chunks.
3. Mushrooms: this recipe does contain mushrooms, but if you’re not a fan you can simply omit.
4. Onion: yellow or white will do!
5. Low heat vs. high heat: I recommend cooking this on low, as the longer it cooks, the more tender the meat will be. And considering how pricey a 3-5 pound roast can be, you don’t want to mess this up and end up with meat that is anything but tender and juicy!
6. Potatoes: red potatoes or yukon gold work the best with this recipe. If strapped for time, you can use baby potatoes. If using baby potatoes, I recommend checking the potatoes 1 hour prior to the roast being done and possibly removing them and allowing the roast to continue in the slow cooker for the duration. You can always rewarm the potatoes by adding them back to the pothe last 20 minutes.
7. Searing: we do recommend searing the roast prior to adding it to the crock pot. This helps to seal in the natural juices of the roast, resulting in tender, flavorful pot roast.

MORE SLOW COOKER AND INSTANT POT RECIPES TO TRY:

1. Easy Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Carnitas
2. Easy Crockpot Mexican Style Shredded Chicken
3. Instant Pot Chicken and Mushroom Tetrazzini
4. Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti
5. Instant Pot Sweet Potato Beef Stew

Subscribe to our mailing list & receive a FREE eCookbook!

STILL HUNGRY? FIND ME ON:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

4.59 from 12 votes

Slow Cooker Pot Roast that has crazy tender melt-in-your mouth beef and the perfectly slow cooked potatoes and carrots! The best comfort meal if there ever was one!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Crock Pot, Pot Roast, Slow Cooker, Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 8 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 568kcal

Ingredients:

• ▢ 3 pounds chuck roast
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium white onion, (peeled and sliced into thick chunks)
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic, (4-5 cloves)
• ▢ 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups beef broth, (unsalted or low-sodium)
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• ▢ 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, (cut into bite-sized chunks)
• ▢ 1 pound carrots, (sliced thick)
• ▢ 8 ounces mushrooms, (sliced into chunks)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt, (more or less, to taste)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, (more or less, to taste)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Homemade Gravy:

• ▢ 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, (whisked with 1/4 cup cold water)

Instructions:

SLOW COOKER:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Using a few paper towels, dab both sides and edges of roast to remove any excess juices. Season with salt and pepper.
• Once oil is hot, add the roast to the pot to sear for 4-5 minutes before flipping to sear other side for 4-5 minutes. Both sides should be seared until browned. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
• If needed, add 1/2-1 tablespoon of additional olive oil to pan. Add the onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
• Pour the Worcestershire sauce over the roast and then cover the top with the onion and garlic mixture.
• Return pot to burner, pour in broth and add the thyme and rosemary. Cook for 1 minute. Using a spatula, scrape any brown bits that may be left in the pan.
• Add the potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms to the pot, resting on top of the roast. Pour the broth over vegetables.
• Season entire crock pot with salt and pepper, either with amounts listed above or to your taste preference.
• Cover the crock pot with a lid and cook on low-heat for 8-9 hours, or until the roast and vegetables are fork tender.
• When ready, carefully remove vegetables and roast using a slotted spoon or tongs.
• Pull roast apart using two forks and serve with vegetables garnished with freshly chopped parsley and drizzled with gravy.

INSTANT POT:

• Using a few paper towels, dab both sides and edges of roast to remove any excess juices. Season with salt and pepper.
• Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to 'Saute' and heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot, sear both sides of the roast until browned, approximately 4-5 minutes per side.
• Remove the roast to a plate and set aside. If needed, add 1/2-1 tablespoon of olive oil to the IP. Add the onions to saute for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
• Pour beef broth into pot, followed by thyme and rosemary. Using a spatula, scrape along the bottom of the pot to remove any brown bits left from searing and sauteing, making sure to get every bit to prevent getting the 'burn' notification.
• Add the roast back to the pot. Pour the Worcestershire sauce overtop. Layer the roast with potatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Place lid on the Instant Pot, closing the steam valve.
• Switch the setting to 'manual' mode for 45 minutes on high pressure. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer's directions.
• Add the carrots and mushrooms. Select the 'manual' mode, adjust the pressure to high, and set the time for 10 minutes. When finished, quick-release according to the manufacturer's directions.
• Remove vegetables and beef from the IP using a slotted spoon. Shred the beef using two forks. Serve garnished with parsley and drizzled with gravy.

HOMEMADE GRAVY:

• Pour broth from slow cooker/instant pot through a fine mesh strainer into a small saucepan placed over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
• Mix together 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water.
• Pour half of the cornstarch into the broth and whisk as it cooks down and thickens. Add last half if the mixture is too thin. If the mixture gets too thick to your liking, add more beef broth, as needed, until desired consistency is met.
• Drizzle over beef and vegetables. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Notes:

• Nutrition Facts below are calculated with pot roast and vegetables only.

TRIED THIS RECIPE?Tag me @withpeanutbutterontop or use my hashtag #withpeanutbutterontop on Instagram!

NUTRITION:

Serving:1serving || Calories:568kcal || Carbohydrates:31g || Protein:49g || Fat:29g || Saturated Fat:12g || Cholesterol:156mg || Sodium:942mg || Potassium:1855mg || Fiber:5g || Sugar:7g || Vitamin A:12873IU || Vitamin C:22mg || Calcium:104mg || Iron:7mg

Disclaimer:The nutritional information provided on each recipe on With Peanut Butter on Top is given as a courtesy and as approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Nutritional information varies per brand/product. We recommend using an app to calculate full and accurate nutrition based on your ingredients used per recipe. Thank you! 🙂