The Perfect Crock Pot Roast really is my Momma’s recipe that I grew up on. I have tried TONS of roast recipes, and even though I have tried some pretty fantastic recipes, this has always been my favorite.
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How to Make the Perfect Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker
UPDATED with a video from Mikey from our cooking show.
Aunt Lou here.
As I have said before, I grew up in a meat and potatoes family. One of my favorite recipes that momma would make is The Perfect Crock Pot Roast. I am not much on carrots, but Michael loves them, so it works well. He fights me for the potatoes but usually lets me win.
When I first went to college, I did alright. I didn’t get too homesick… Until I came home that is. Then it was SO hard to leave! On many occasions, Momma would send her famous (at least to me) The Perfect Crock Pot Roast back with me to college. An entire roast just for me! I was the envy of everyone on my floor!
Fast forward to when I am trying to learn to cook to feed my family. I knew I wanted to make this amazing roast for my loves and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is crazy easy!
What Kind of Roast Makes the Perfect Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker?
While you can use most any kind of beef roast to make pot roast, our favorite cut to use is a nice marbled chuck roast. They key to getting roasts tender in a slow cooker is to cook them on low over a long period of time. Our rule of thumb anytime a roast is still tough, cook it another hour and check it again. The Perfect Crock Pot Roast should be full of flavor and fall a part tender.
Notes on the Perfect Crock Pot Roast Recipe
- We used brown gravy mix in this recipe.
- I made up The Perfect Crock Pot Roast in good ol’ Sir Hamilton (my Hamilton Beach Programmable Insulated Slow Cooker). Your favorite 5-6 quart slow cooker will work great as well.
- Check out our favorite Slow Cookers, Pressure Cookers, Multi-Cookers and Air Fryers in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- We now have an Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker) and oven version of this recipe too! Check it out here: Perfect Instant Pot Roast and here: Perfect Pot Roast
- As with any of our recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline and should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Readers Love This Recipe
“This is a great recipe for Pot Roast! Just like my Mom used to make!”
– Connie
“This recipe makes the most flavorful roast I’ve ever had.”
-Marissa
“It really is perfect. My family loves it and super easy!”
-Kim
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The Perfect Crock Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb beef roast
- 5 potatoes peeled and sliced into wedges
- 1 bag of baby carrots
- 2 medium onions halved
- 2 pkgs brown gravy mix
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Spray your crock pot with cooking spray
- Place your roast in your 6- quart crock pot (I used my Hamilton Beach Programmable Insulated Slow Cooker.)
- Surround your roast with your potato wedges, onion halves and carrots
- Mix together one of your brown gravy mixes with 1 c cold water
- Pour over your roast and veggies
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (total)
- An hour before serving, mix together your remaining brown gravy mix and 1 c cold water
- Pour over roast and veggies
- Cover again for the last hour of cooking.
Video
Notes
- We used brown gravy mix in this recipe.
- I made up The Perfect Crock Pot Roast in good ol’ Sir Hamilton (my Hamilton Beach Programmable Insulated Slow Cooker). Your favorite 5-6 quart slow cooker will work great as well.
- Check out our favorite Slow Cookers, Pressure Cookers, Multi-Cookers and Air Fryers in our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- We now have an Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker) version of this recipe too! Check it out here: Perfect Instant Pot Roast
- As with any of our recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline and should always be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Nutrition
We recommend serving this dish we these recipes:
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This is how I usually do my roast, I do cook it with lots of carrots and at the end I remove the roast and enough carrots for serving and leave a bunch of carrots and blend with a hand held blender to thicken the gravy..add peas and mushrooms and serve over egg noodles and a side of red cabbage..
this is almost identical to the roast I make….I add baby portobella mushrooms, a tablespoon of instant coffee mixed up in the gravy mix, and a couple bay leaves…..turns out fabulous…
just found your site….have to tell you I LOVE IT!!!! so many fantastic recipes…look forward to go further in the site when I make my meal plans each week….THANKS!!!!
This recipe was excellent. I put this in the crockpot this morning before we left the house to run errands and when we came home, I added the second batch of gravy. The hardest part was waiting that last hour to not devour it!
When I want to thicken my gravy, I just add instant mashed potatoes ( a little at a time ) stirring/whisking around the gravy, still in the crock, until it thickens to desired consistency.. No need for corn starch mixture. Works every time & and not just for beef gravy, tastes good, too.
love it…
Hello! I always use brown gravy mix with my crockpot roasts. I didn’t realize I was adding too much water so, thank you for this tip! Question, I am away from home all day, the roast will slow cook for the whole 8 or 10 hour period, then shut off and stay on warm. With that said, if I cannot add the second package of gravy mix and water for the last hour or cooking, will it turn out okay to add everything on the front end? Also, I am making a 5 lb roast, so would I use 4 packs of gravy and 4 cups of water? Last question, should I set the timer for 8 hours on low, or 10? I will be gone for 10-11 hours. Thank you for the advice.
I haven’t tried adding both packets at the beginning or using a 5lb roast, but think it could work. You will probably need an 8 quart slow cooker. With using a larger roast, I would cook on low for 10-12 hours. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Been following you for what seems forever. One question…..What in the world do you guys do with ALL that food you prepare?? I gotta know! Surely you don’t eat it all…..do you?
Ha! Thanks for following us. We keep enough for our families to eat and share the rest. Don’t worry. We don’t let this delicious food go to waste!
This recipe was amazing! I added rosemary, thyme, garlic, sea salt and pepper, along with a half a stick of Kerry Butter and it turned out amazing. I cooked it for 3 hours on high and then 2 on low and it was perfect. My family has NEVER finished a 2 1/2 pound roast in one sitting, but we did tonight. Thank you!
Your additions to the recipe sound delicious! I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed it so much. It make my heart happy to hear comments like yours!
I always struggle with a slow cooker Roast, either in the flavour or too long etc. I can tell you this recipe is the very best I’ve ever made in a slow cooker. My wife who isn’t a “beef fan” per se loved the recipe and said “this I like”
So you get 4 thumbs up!!
Yay! I’m so glad you and your wife enjoyed this. I’m so glad Momma’s recipe was as big of a hit in your house as it is in ours!
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now and it’s a hit in my family! We love it! Super easy to make, and the best I’ve found! Tender, juicy, delicious, perfect!
I’m so happy to hear it Amanda! We love this one too! Thank you for taking the time to let us know you love this recipe. It makes our day when were hear our readers enjoy our recipes!
This is super easy to make and tastes better than your momma’s dried up pressure cooker roast. Crock it. Eat it.
So glad you enjoyed this roast as much as we do!
Just bought a Round Tip Roast that is 2.5 lbs. can I cook this like a chuck roast as a pot roast? Or should I roast it in the oven?
I think the round tip roast would work in this recipe. We use whatever roast we can find on sale usually. With cooking this recipe on low all day, it can take even a tough piece of meat and make it fall apart tender! Enjoy!
Made this for my husband for dinner last night. He loved it. I should have added a bit more salt than I did, but being a vegetarian, I had to guess. Will definitely make it again – so easy.
I’m so glad your husband loved it! It is a favorite in our house too!
I want to make this recipe with the mushroom gravy as I love mushrooms, my question was, do you think I could add portabella mushrooms with out messing up the recipe? If so, how much would you recommend?
I haven’t tried this with portabella mushrooms, but think it could work. If I were to give it a try, I would probably use an 8 oz package of fresh portabellas. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
When I make this I always use button portabella mushrooms. In addition to gravy I use a packet of Lipton onion soup, some V-8 juice, and occasionally some red wine for acidity that makes the meat fork tender. It is a family favorite and there is never left overs.
Could you use the alajus packs instead
I haven’t tried this with the au jus mix, but think it could work. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
I absolutely love this! I use this recipe every time I cook my roast! It is a huge hit for my husband who don’t even like roasts!
That’s awesome Heather! I’m so glad you both enjoy this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to let us know. We love hearing when our readers enjoy a recipe we post!
This is the only recipe I use for pot roast. Cooks perfectly every time. I add a little flour water at the end to make the gravy just a bit thicker.
Yay! That’s awesome Terry! I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I love your idea of thickening the gravy. Sounds yummy!
I actually make this recipe with pork roast and it is to die for! Hubby AND mother-in-law approved…and she makes a darn good roast!
If you cook this on high would it be 4-6 hours instead?
Hi Heather!
You could, however, with beef, we recommend low and slow to make the meat incredibly tender. If you do need to cook it on high, I would recommend using a tender cut of meat.
Aunt Lou
This sounds delicious!
My complaint with crock pot roast is a feel like the gravy is never what I would prefer, which is a thickened gravy. Am I being unrealistic with my expectations with the way the crock cooks?
Hi Kim!
Usually, a crock pot roast does not have a thick gravy. However, if you want the taste of a crock pot roast and a thick gravy, you could remove the roast and veggies and put them in a container to keep them warm while you put the gravy in a saucepan and add a mixture of 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water ratio when it comes to a boil and stir while it simmers until it thickens up to your liking. (Keeping in mind that it will thicken a bit when it cools.) Then add it back to your roast and veggies. I haven’t tried this with this specific recipe, but think it would work. If you give it a try, let me know what you think!
Aunt Lou