This Crock Pot Roast Recipe is one of our favorite Sunday dinners. It takes only 3 minutes of prep time and then the slow cooker does the rest! The chuck roast ends up being SO tender and full of flavor from the brown gravy, Italian, and ranch dressing mix!
Easiest Crock Pot Roast
Sunday dinners are our favorite! It’s the one night each week that we are guaranteed a nice dinner with the entire family. Because we have church, we often make crock pot meals, and one of our favorites is Pot Roast. It’s simple, loved by the whole family and a great for any night of the week.
The pot roast recipe we’ve made for as long as I can remember is beyond easy! It takes just a few minutes to prepare (literally) and always turns out so tender and flavorful. Like I said – it’s easy and is so good, and the meat can be eaten for Roast or can be made and used for so many other recipes. We always end up with leftovers, so we make Green Chile Burros the next night for dinner.
What is the best roast for pot roast? Chuck roast is the best cut to use for pot roast. Look for a piece with marbling. These connective tissues will soften during cooking causing the meat to become tender, juicy and fall apart more easily.
How much pot roast per person? When serving meat as a main dish plan 8 oz per person. If you have big appetites or love leftovers, then plan 12 oz of meat per person.
How to Cook a Roast in a Crock Pot:
I always buy my Chuck Roast at Sam’s Club. It comes in a pack of 2 and the net weight is about 5-6 pounds, so each roast is 2.5 to 3 pounds, usually. For a big get together you may need to cook both in the crock pot. For my family of 8, we can get by using 1 chuck roast. If I’m not using the other roast, I freeze it to use later that month. The seasoning we make to go over this roast is made with 3 ingredients (1 tablespoon of each):
- brown gravy dry mix
- Hidden Valley dry mix
- Italian dressing dry mix
NOTE: Since we make this beef pot roast often, I like to make this seasoning in bulk (usually 1 cup of each dry mix), and then I scoop out 1/4 cup of the mixture to sprinkle over the top. 😉
Here are the instructions for one 2-3 pound roast! Begin, by placing the chuck roast in your crockpot or slow cooker. Pour 1/3 cup of water over the roast.
Mix together all 3 dry mixes, and sprinkle on top of the roast. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, or until tender. I personally prefer cooking on LOW – the meat seems to be more tender that way. 🙂
How do I add vegetables to a crock pot roast?
Cooking vegetables with your roast is as simple as adding them in the crock pot! Place your roast in the crock pot. Then, add your seasoning mix and water. Finally, add any vegetables you would like.
Typically the following vegetables are used:, diced or baby carrots, sliced onions, whole or halved small red or white potatoes, and diced celery, diced tomatoes. Cover and cook according to recipe directions.
Pot Roast Gravy from Drippings
If you want to make gravy to pour on top, it’s super simple. All you need is the following ingredients:
- roast drippings
- milk
- flour
Take about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the drippings from the roast in the crock pot and add that to a small pot on the stove. Heat it up a bit, then add a TB of flour and a TB of milk. Keep adding a little milk and a little flour until it’s the consistency you like. Top off with a little salt and pepper!
Can pot roast be made in advance?
Pot roast can be made ahead of time. Once the roast has finished cooking put the entire pot, containing the roast and the juices, in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat remove the pot from the fridge heat the roast and liquid to your desired temperature. Remove the roast, slice, serve and enjoy!
Can I freeze a cooked pot roast?
If you have leftover roast, but aren’t planning to eat it with in 2-3 days stick it in the freezer for later. Place the roast and cooking juices in a freezer safe, airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to use it, thaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Place the meat and the juices in a baking dish, cover, and bake at 325 degrees F until the meat reaches the desired temperature.
Can pot roast be cooked frozen?
Yes, you can cook a roast from a frozen state. Make sure you do not preheat the stoneware. The frozen meat may cause an already hot dish to crack. Once you add your frozen meat to the stoneware add 1 cup of warm liquid. The frozen roast will need to be cooked longer so you’ll need to ADD 4 to 6 hours of cooking time on Low, or an additional 2 hours if cooking on the High setting.
Can pot roast be reheated?
Yes! Store any leftover pot roast in a covered dish in the refrigerator. Make sure to include any of the juices from the original cooking pot. These juices will keep the roast from drying out in the fridge. You can reheat in the microwave, but I prefer to reheat in the oven. I cover the pan with the meat and juices and bake at 325 degrees F until the meat reaches the desired temperature.
What can I make using leftover pot roast?
Depending on how you originally flavored your pot roast you can easily use leftover roast to create an entirely new dish for dinner. Try out some of these ideas: beef stroganoff, shredded beef taco, empanadas, pocket sandwich, patty melt, stir fry, roast beef sandwich, shepherd pie.
what to serve with roast?
- Twice Baked Potatoes
- Asparagus and Tater Toss
- Potatoes Au Gratin
- Cream Cheese and Parmesan Asparagus
- Baked Parmesan Potatoes
For more beef recipes, check out:
- Beef Stroganoff
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Beef and Broccoli
- Beef Empanadas
- French Dip Sandwiches
- Dr. Pepper Ribs
Pot Roast Recipe
This Crock Pot Roast Recipe is one of our favorite Sunday dinners. It takes only 3 minutes of prep time and then the slow cooker does the rest! The chuck roast ends up being SO tender and full of flavor from the brown gravy, Italian, and ranch dressing mix!
Ingredients
- 1 beef chuck roast about 2-3 lbs
- 1/3 c water
- 1 TB brown gravy dry mix
- 1 TB Hidden Valley dry mix
- 1 TB Italian dressing dry mix
Optional Gravy
- 1/3 - 1/2 c drippings from roast
- 1 - 2 TB milk
- 1 - 2 TB flour
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Mix Brown Gravy Dry Mix, Hidden Valley Dry Mix and Italian Dressing Dry Mix together.
Place chuck roast in your crock pot. Pour ⅓ cup water over your roast.
Sprinkle Mix all over the top of your roast. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours or until tender. (I prefer cooking it on LOW - meat seems to be more tender).
Optional Gravy
Take about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the drippings from the roast in the crock pot and add that to a small pot on the stove. Heat that up a bit.
Then add a TB of flour and a TB of milk. Keep adding a little milk and a little flour until it’s the consistency you like. Top off with salt and pepper.
Recipe Notes
- I always buy my Chuck Roast at Sam's Club. It comes in a pack of 2 and the net weight is about 5-6 pounds, so each roast is 2.5 to 3 pounds, usually. For a big get together you may need to cook both in the crock pot. For my family of 7, we can get by using 1 chuck roast. If I'm not using the other roast, I freeze it to use later that month.
- I usually make the mix that gets sprinkled on top in bulk. I will mix 4 TB (or 1 packet) of each together and then place it in a baggie and just use as much as I need when I make this pot roast. That way, if I'm using the small packets, I don't waste the 3 TB that doesn't get used.
Hum. Where is the pot roast recipe?
Thanks for fixing the post! Do you make that white gravy from the drippings? Just adding flour? Or what.
Can’t find the pot roast recipe…
How do you make your gravy. It all looks yummy!
I just added the gravy recipe to the post… it’s super easy! 😀
What kind of hidden valley dry seasoning?
It comes in a packet or a bottle of dry seasoning where you can use it to make homemade ranch. It’s the dressing section of the grocery store. 🙂
I’m making this right now and it smells delicious! When you make the mix for this in bulk do you store it in the pantry? Or in the fridge?
My little guy and I are about to make your pumpkin spice m&m cookies. I can’t wait to try them! Thanks for all the recipes.
Hi Leslie! I hope it tasted as good as it smelled. 🙂 When I make the mix in bulk, I just put it in a gallon bag and leave it in the pantry. 🙂 And I hope you like the Pumpkin Spice M&M cookies. My whole fam loved them. 😀
You don’t mention the size/pounds of the chuck roast?
thanks!
Thanks Kristyn for the Beef Empanadas recipe. Have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Food Recipes.
Regards
Hi. You mentioned which crockpot/slow cooker you really like. Can you repeat that please? Love your blog!
What size pot roast for the recipe, please.
I just seen your recipe for pot roast and want to know what TB means ? Is it Table Spoon ?
I would like to know what TB means and what size roast and what size crock pot thank you for your reply can’t wait to make this looks so yummy.
TB is tablespoon. 😉 One roast is usually 2-3 pounds, and I have a medium size crock pot – hope this helps. 😉
Hi there! I am making your pot roast (crock pot) recipe today and when I try to pin it on Pinterest a message is displayed that the link may lead to spam and it’s blocked. Thought you may want to be aware of this issue. There was no way for me to add it or respond to the message. Thanks!
Hi Debbie! Thanks for the comment… I’m aware of the message but it is fixed now. Pinterest had accidentally marked my site as Spam but has taken care of the issue now. 🙂
PS – Hope you liked the Roast!!
I tried this it was very salty
I’m sorry you thought it was too salty, Julia. We actually end up adding a little salt at the end. I would maybe add less of the seasoning next time. 😉
Where it says cup water, how much is it?
It’s 1/3 cup water. 😉
Thanks! Because all I see is a small white block and then it says “cup water” lol
Sorry about that. 🙁 It should be 1/3 cup. 😉
Thank you Krystyn, for your speedy answer. A 4lb chuck roast, and on stove top not oven. Gotcha.Thanks again.
Judith
I just bought some more chuck roasts today from Sam’s and they were 3 pounds each – should be same cooking time, though. 😉
Happy cooking!!!!!
Hi there what is hidden valley dry mix? I’m from the uk and was wondering what it was so I could find a similar thing here
Here is a recipe for it: http://happymoneysaver.com/diy-copycat-homemade-hidden-valley-ranch-mix/
As I live in Australia I am not familiar with some of the ingredients in your pot roast recipe. I would like to know what hidden valley dry mix is & Italian dressing dry mix. I would appreciate your reply so that I can find the Australian alternative.thank you Marie.
Hi Marie! Here is a recipe for homemade Hidden Valley Mix – http://happymoneysaver.com/diy-copycat-homemade-hidden-valley-ranch-mix/ And here’s a recipe for homemade Italian Dressing Dry Mix: In a small bowl, mix together the garlic salt, onion powder, sugar, oregano, pepper, thyme, basil, parsley, celery salt and regular salt. Store in a tightly sealed container. To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix. Makes for a lot of ingredients, so hopefully you can find these at the store. 😉
I tried this yesterday and it was really good! I opened all the flavor packets and mixed them together then just measured out 3 tbsp of the combined mix. I also seared the roast before I put it all in the crockpot.
Great idea to sear it first. Glad you liked it!! I love having that seasonings mixed together and on hand all the time. 😉
Would this work with a tri tip roast instead of a chuck roast?
Yes, it works for any kind of roast. 😉
Great Recipe, Family Loved it.. Gonna Replace My Old Recipe w/This One, haha! Thx for Sharing..
Haha!! I’m glad your family loved it. It is our families favorite!!! I use this pot roast in so many recipes. Thank you for letting me know! Have a great week!
They looks really delicious!
It is and what’s great, is you can use this recipe for so many things..sandwiches, burros, whatever you like! Thank you!
Thank you for this awesome recipe. I have pinned it and used it over and over! Definitely a family favorite. I will be cooking it this Sunday for everyone ☺️
Thank you!! It’s definitely our go to recipe!! Thanks for letting me know!
Hello,
Does the roast need to be thawed before going in the crock pot?
Thanks!
It doesn’t have to be, now if it is, it will need to cook longer. Hope that helps! When it just falls apart with a fork, you’ll know it’s ready 🙂
BEST roast EVER. Hubby said to throw away any other roast recipes! thanks for the recipe
LOL…love it!!! Thanks so much for letting me know and trying this recipe!!
I’m so happy I found this on Pinterest. I’ve never been overly impressed with any other recipe so far and am always looking for “the one.” This one is too easy and turns out great. Thank you so much for sharing!!
This is our fav roast recipe for sure!! Glad you found it! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
In your pot roast recipes for crock pots do you use bone-in, or boneless, or does it matter. Of course a bone-in should weigh more, if your recipes are made with boneless.
I like to use a chuck roast, that usually is boneless, but really it doesn’t matter, since you take the meat off & shred it. Usually, it comes boneless 🙂
The enchilada sauce is the one thing I would love to make. And learn how to soften the tortillas without having to fry them in oil to make them soft.
Kristyn, I love your web site. If I would have known how much I love it, I would not have printed so many of your recipes!! Please don’t ever stop!
You are so sweet!! Thank you so much!
If adding carrots, onion, & potato’s do you still use the same amount of seasoning and etc.?
I would or you could always add just a little sprinkle more 🙂 Enjoy!!
This is my favorite pot roast recipe. I love that you can use this meat for so many other recipes! It is easy to make & so tasty!
I am so glad you like this recipe! Thanks for trying it!
We’re just like you! This has become our go-to Sunday dinner recipe. Its so easy to prep and leave alone all day, then come back to a great meal. Thanks!
That’s why I love it too! Thank you for sharing that!
I love how easy this pot roast is! It was tasty & we used it for tacos the next day! Thank you!
Perfect!! Thank you so much for sharing that!
Been making roast most of my married life. This recipe by far has been my favorite. It is easy to make and comes out tender and juicy all the time.
I’ve used this recipe several times. I only use 1/3-1/2 of the seasoning mix per roast and then add salt to taste after it’s cooked. I also found that the left over roast makes really good beef sandwiches on garlic bread the next day.
Never been a huge fan of pot roast. But THIS! THIS recipe has flavor and is so tender. I really like it! Its easy, and I like that the kids like it too.
Can you put potatoes, carrots, and onions in the crockpot with the roast and cook them all together? If so, would you put them in at the beginning, or would you add them part way through the cooking time? Do you ever do this? This is how my mother always did it, but she did it in a covered skillet on the stove top or in an electric skillet. I can’t recall if she put the vegetables in at the start or later on. Thank you.
I am sure you could. I haven’t added them together, though I do have a stew recipe that has stew meat, carrots, & potatoes that sounds like what you are referring to……https://lilluna.com/slow-cooker-beef-stew-2-2/. It’s one of my favorite stews!!
Sounds great, but I suggest also searing the veggies first and set them aside before searing the meat for even better flavor. Hanifia
Thanks for sharing that!
Good looking recip but its missing
A big how to:::::
Thank you for the chile burros recipe everything is clear up to a very crticAl point:::
1. How To assemble it into the Flour tortilla and
2. What size tortilla ?
3. Approximately what size diameter should We try to to End up with per Burro.
Ihad these years AgO or similar that used Shredded RoaSt Pork
In the 60s in Tucson . Ive been hoping to find them again… and Thanks for providing this info..
pw orlaNdo
I like to use burrito size tortillas, scoop some on one end, leaving about an inch at the bottom, roll up that one inch & roll once, then fold the sides in & continue to roll up. I hope that makes sense 🙂
THis Recipe Was amazing!! I made a couple changes but pretty much followed the RECIPE, first I made my own Dressing MIXEs and brown gravy mix, used a little over a tablespoon of each and also, I used a grassfed Arm roast, seasoned with a little Montreal steak seasoning, dusted with flour and browned in my cast iron skillet before adding to the crockpot, then I deglazed my pan with some cooking sherry, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup, poured that on top of the roast, next, added the 1/3 cup water called for in the recipe to the skillet to pick up the rest of the browned bits, then poured that on TOP of the roast, followed by the dressings and brown gravy mix, put the lid on and cooked for 8 hours on low, then made the gravy On the stove with flour and cream instead of milk, delicious!!!! This was my own personal approach to the recipe but I know the recipe as is is perfectly delicious, I just like to put a spin on making yummy meals like This FOR my family. THANk you for the amazing recipe kristyn! ❤
You are so welcome! Thank you for sharing what you did! It sounds perfect!
Please, where do you buy the ingredients in bulk. I was trying to figure out how to make a seasoning mix gift in a jar.
I would try Costco or Sams?? Have you looked online?
I love this roast recipe! the only change I make is to brown the roast first with oil in a frying pan, but that’s just HAbit from other recipes I’ve seen. I love how simple and delicious the flavoring is, and that I can add potatoes and carrots to the pot too and those get seasoned as well. The roast turns tender and delicious Everytime!
Great ideas! Thank you for sharing that! I love adding potatoes & carrots, too!