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.
The Perfect Crock Pot Roast Recipe
The Perfect Crock Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb beef roast
- 5-6 potatoes peeled and sliced into wedges
- 1 bag of baby carrots
- 2 medium onions halved
- 2 pkgs brown gravy mix
- 2 c 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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Aunt Lou
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Dayna says
May 11, 2017 at 1:18 pmCan you cook it for 7 hrs on low?
Aunt Lou says
May 11, 2017 at 1:20 pmHi Dayna!
It will depend on the size of your roast and how hot your crock pot cooks. Be sure and check it with a meat thermometer. Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
LaTanya Brown says
May 21, 2017 at 6:12 amThank you for sharing!
Lauren says
May 1, 2017 at 2:37 pmHello a few questions…
Would a Top Round Roast work?
Also, what do you do with the meat once it’s finished? Shred? Chop up?
Thank you,
Lauren
Aunt Lou says
May 3, 2017 at 2:56 pmHi Lauren!
I haven’t tried it with a top round roast yet, but I’m sure it will work. We use whatever kind of roast is on sale or we have in the freezer usually. 🙂
As for how to serve it, it is usually fall-apart tender, so chopped/sliced is perfect. Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
Jan says
April 29, 2017 at 10:22 pmI love this recipe! This is pretty much how I make my crock pot roast but instead of using the water with the brown gravy packet, i mix the brown gravy mix with a can of beef broth. It makes such a rich, flavorable gravy that is really sooo good!
Aunt Lou says
May 3, 2017 at 2:52 pmOh yum! I can’t wait to try it that way!
Brandon says
April 27, 2017 at 5:30 pmMade this three times already, loved it every time. We also marinated the roast the night before with steak dry rub and some liquid smoke marinade for extra flavor, as well as a couple teaspoons of garlic poweder sprinkled on top before piling on the veggies and potatoes. Great recipe.
Aunt Lou says
April 28, 2017 at 9:37 amHi Brandon!
I’m so glad you love it! And I love the alterations you made to the recipe. One of my favorite things to do is take a recipe and make it my own!
Aunt Lou
Kayla says
April 12, 2017 at 12:16 pmCan you cook on high for half the time?
Aunt Lou says
April 13, 2017 at 11:03 amHi Kayla!
I haven’t tried it on high. If you do, you will want to go with a roast that is tender. Cooking it low and slow is what makes the meat so tender (even on the not-so-tender roasts). If you give it a try, let me know what kind of roast you used and how it turned out! Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
ROXANN R. says
March 26, 2017 at 9:13 amWell I was Just about to head to HEB (after getting my 4yo ready at 8am on the weekend) just for a pack of pot roast mix. But being that I like my only day off on Sunday to be lazy my Pinterest brain kicked in and I decided to check for an alternate liquid to use. Yall came up and made this look great and Since I’m stocked on brown gravy mix I’ll be be giving this a try today come 10:30am!
Thanks for saving me a trip to the store for a $1 pack of season mix And un-wanted catroon interrupting morning drive lol
Aunt Lou says
March 26, 2017 at 5:06 pmHi Roxann!
Kudos to you for having your 4 year old ready to go out the door at 8:00 am on a weekend! (I have a 4 year old and 2 year old, so I know what a struggle that can be!) I’m so glad you were able to get some cuddles and cartoons in with your little one! This is Momma’s recipe. It has been tried over and over and proved itself to be amazing! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have all my life!
Aunt Lou
Michelle says
March 24, 2017 at 11:19 amHow much time do I add if my roast is just over 3.5 lbs?
Aunt Lou says
March 24, 2017 at 1:04 pmHi Michelle!
I would think that you would probably want to try cooking it for 8-10 hours. As always, you will want to try it the first time when you can watch it so you know how your specific slow cooker cooks it (cook times can vary greatly between different brands and models). I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
Aunt Lou
April DuRoss says
February 27, 2017 at 2:34 pmI accidentally closed the pop-up window for the weekly emails & now I can’t figure out how to sign up for them.
Cris says
February 27, 2017 at 2:36 pmHi April!
You can sign up for it here: http://eepurl.com/bJm9D1
Tony says
January 11, 2016 at 12:32 pmRed or white potatoes
Aunt Lou says
January 11, 2016 at 2:54 pmHi Tony!
I usually use russet potatoes since they are harder and can hold up in the longer cooking time. Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
Bri says
January 6, 2016 at 10:37 pmHey I’m new at this whole cooking thing. I am loving this crock-pot cooking ideal. So does thawed meat work better than frozen. I know chicken works both ways but branching out to beef is kinda scary. Help!?!
Aunt Lou says
January 6, 2016 at 11:35 pmHi Bri!
Welcome to the world of crock pot cooking! You are going to love it! I have never tried this recipe with a frozen roast. I would say a thawed roast is best since it already has a long cooking time. If you have any other questions along the way, we’re here to help! Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
Kevin says
January 6, 2016 at 12:13 pmI started this a little late today and want it to be ready before church tonight. Is it possible to shorten the cooking time by a couple of hours by starting off on high and then dropping it down to low?
Thanks!
Kevin
Aunt Lou says
January 6, 2016 at 12:40 pmHi Kevin!
I have not tried that before, but it could work. If you try it, let me know how it turns out and what timing you used. Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
Jenn says
January 3, 2016 at 2:39 pmHi!
As a first time pot roast cook, I’m curious, does this make an actual gravy?
Thanks, Jenn
Aunt Lou says
January 5, 2016 at 2:22 pmHi Jenn!
It is a thinner gravy. Adding in the second packet of gravy mix does thicken it up a bit, but it isn’t a super thick gravy. Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
Marcia S. says
January 1, 2016 at 10:13 amHi there…Have you ever used a Sirloin Tip Roast? Just wondering, they are on sale at my local store!
Agnes says
December 8, 2016 at 12:22 amI would like to know if you have good results with a Sirloin Tip Roast?
Aunt Lou says
December 8, 2016 at 12:31 pmHi Marcia and Agnes!
I have not tried this with a Sirloin Tip Roast, but I have done this recipe with various roasts and have had great success. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
carol says
December 29, 2015 at 5:02 pmthis sounds really good always looking for a new recipe for pot roast! Does cooking the potatoes and carrots for so long in the crock pot make them too mushy? Thanks, Carol
Aunt Lou says
December 29, 2015 at 6:56 pmHi Carol!
The potatoes and carrots are definitely fork tender, but they aren’t too mushy. I use russet potatoes since they are a harder potato. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
Aunt Lou
Ron says
December 29, 2015 at 10:17 amBeen making this for year, it is a great dish, I use beef broth, but will try it with the brown gravy mix, sounds like it could an improvement to mine.
Aunt Lou says
December 29, 2015 at 11:38 amHi Ron!
We love it! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! The gravy is ah-mazing!
Aunt Lou
Earl says
December 28, 2015 at 7:32 pmIt was the greatest!
Aunt Lou says
December 29, 2015 at 11:30 amHi Earl!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It is a long-time family favorite around here!
Aunt Lou
Roger B. says
December 28, 2015 at 7:13 pmI would be interested in knowing what sort of “beef roast” you use/suggest for this recipe. Thanks…
Aunt Lou says
December 29, 2015 at 11:37 amHi Roger!
I am a frugal shopper, so when I buy a roast, I usually find the cheapest per pound roast I can. This time around it was a chuck roast. I have also made this with a round roast. That is the great thing about this recipe! It works great with cheap cuts of meat as well as the expensive ones. The crock pot does all the work making it into a juicy, tender, flavorful roast! I hope you enjoy this as much as my family has over the years!
Aunt Lou
Roger B. says
December 29, 2015 at 4:09 pmThanks for the reply. I appreciate it. I most often opt for a chuck roast for slow cooker recipes and I think that will be the case, here, as well. Thanks again.
Candy says
December 28, 2015 at 5:15 pmThis roast looks wonderful. Did you brown it before you put it in the crockpot? It looks really brown so I just wondered. Thanks
Aunt Lou says
December 28, 2015 at 5:34 pmHi Candy!
I asked mom about browning the roast before I made it this time. She said sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn’t (like most of momma’s recipes, there is lots of room for doing what you want!). I actually did not brown my roast this time. This recipe browns up the roast nicely without doing it before, but you can brown it if you want! Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
Kay says
December 29, 2015 at 12:19 amThis looks yummie. One of my all time favorite comfort foods is roast beef. Even though I am 76 years old I still miss my mom’s roast beef. She would use red wine and soy sauce so this is what I would do in place of the water. Thank you so much!
Joni says
December 28, 2015 at 5:04 pmDoes this work with a pork roast as well, or do you have another recipe you’d recommend?
Aunt Lou says
December 28, 2015 at 5:26 pmHi Joni!
Yes, this would work with a pork roast or you could try our Crock Pot Pork Roast and Veggies. Enjoy!
Aunt Lou
Melissa V. says
December 28, 2015 at 3:24 pmYou recently put out a cheesy sauce that you served w/crackers…I don’t recall the name of it. Why couldn’t you do it w/wings?
Thanx.
Melis
Aunt Lou says
December 28, 2015 at 4:09 pmHi Melissa!
Give it a try and let us know how it is! Enjoy!
Aunt Lou