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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 attend church, we often make crock pot meals on Sundays, and one of our favorites is this crock pot pot roast – a recipe mom always made when we were growing up.
We cook it low and slow throughout the day so it is tender and juicy! Using seasoning packets makes this recipe a cinch, but adds TONS of flavor. Plus it’s really just a dump-it-and-go kinda dinner that makes the day extra easy. We love to add our homemade gravy and pair it with potatoes, just like mom.
We love it so much that we also use it as the base meat for many of our favorite recipes like Beef Empanadas, Green Chile Burritos, Beef Enchiladas, Flautas and more.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Dump and go! Since it’s made in the slow cooker, you can prep the meal in minutes and let the crockpot do the work.
- Few ingredients. Just 5 ingredients to make this juicy, tender roast. That’s one easy dinner!
- Versatile. We make this roast to eat on its own, but then we also use the meat as the base for many of our favorite recipes like our Green Chile Burritos!
Crock Pot Pot Roast Ingredients And Substitutions
- 1 tablespoon brown gravy dry mix
- 1 tablespoon Hidden Valley dry ranch mix
- 1 tablespoon Italian dressing dry mix
- 1 (2-3 pound) beef chuck roast – look for cuts of meat with a lot of marbling like Chuck roast, rump roast, and bottom round roast. As the roast cooks, the marbling will break down and help create a fall-apart tender roast.
- ⅓ cup water – or beef broth
- extra spice – add garlic powder, black pepper or even Worcestershire sauce. Garnish to taste with herbs like fresh rosemary or fresh thyme.
How to Make Crock Pot Pot Roast
- SEASON ROAST. In a small bowl, combine the seasoning mixes.
- Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker and pour the water over the roast. Sprinkle the dry mix all over the top.
- COOK. Cover with the lid and cook on the LOW setting for 7–8 hours, or until meat is tender and easy to shred. Top with fresh herbs if desired.
- For more information, check out Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots.
How to Sear the Roast
While it’s not necessary to brown the roast before cooking it, the caramelized meat adds an extra layer of flavor.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Generously salt all sides of the roast.
- Sear each side for about 2-3 minutes.
- Place the roast into the crock pot.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- We like to make this seasoning in bulk (usually 2-3 packets of each dry mix), and then scoop out 3 tablespoons of the mixture to sprinkle over the top of the roast.
- Add hearty veggies like diced red potatoes, baby carrots, celery and onion wedges and cook along with this crock pot roast recipe.
- COOKING TIMES: While you can cook on HIGH for 4 hours the roast doesn’t get as fall-apart fork tender as it does when cooked on LOW heat for longer.
- Use the correct size crock pot and don’t overfill. The ingredients should take up between ½ to ⅔ of the crock pot.
- You can use the drippings from the crock pot to make Pot Roast Gravy.
Crock Pot Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon brown gravy dry mix
- 1 tablespoon dry ranch mix
- 1 tablespoon Italian dressing dry mix
- 1 (2-3 pound) beef chuck roast
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix gravy and ranch and Italian dressing mixes.
- Place chuck roast in the slow cooker and pour water over it. Sprinkle dry mix all over the top.
- Cook on low for 7–8 hours, or until meat is tender and easy to shred.
Video
Notes
- Bulk seasoning. Combine 2-3 packets of each dry mix and store in an airtight container in the cupboard. Use 3 tablespoons when making the roast.
- Add hearty vegetables like diced potatoes, baby carrots, and onion wedges and cook them along with the roast.
- For sliced roast, cook on HIGH for 4 hours. For fall-apart fork tender roast, cook on LOW heat for longer.
- Use the correct size crock pot and don’t overfill. The ingredients should take up between ½ to ⅔ of the crock pot.
- You can use the drippings from the crock pot to make Pot Roast Gravy.
- Leftover roast makes a great filling for burritos, flautas, enchiladas, chimichangas, or empanadas.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
The US Department of Agriculture does not recommend cooking frozen meat in a slow cooker as it provides a greater opportunity for harmful bacteria to grow. You can, however, cook a frozen roast in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
Once cooked, place the entire pot (containing the roast and the juices) in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
> Include juices in the storage container and store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2-3 months.
>To reheat, cover the pan with the meat and juices and bake in the oven at 325°F until the meat reaches the desired temperature, or reheat in the microwave if in a rush.
> Use leftovers: create a new dish for dinner like Beef Empanadas, pocket sandwiches, patty melt, stir fry, roast beef sandwiches, or Shepherd’s Pie.
Complete The Meal
Side Dishes + Salads
Best Mashed Potatoes
35 mins
Pot Roast Gravy
15 mins
Dinner Rolls Recipe
2 hrs 40 mins
Wedge Salad
4 hrs 15 mins
Desserts
Peach Dump Cake
55 mins
Chocolate Sheet Cake
35 mins
Sticky Toffee Pudding
1 hr 50 mins
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
4 hrs 45 mins
Crock Pot Meals
Crock Pot Pork Roast
8 hrs 5 mins
Crock Pot Ribs
4 hrs 5 mins
Crock Pot Brisket Recipe
8 hrs 5 mins
Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
8 hrs 15 mins
Collections
This recipe was originally published May 2018.
Made this recipe last week and the family raved about it. I usually only use onion soup mix, but love these seasonings better. Very good flavor. Even my adult son ate it when he never likes my roast. Will definitely be making again soon.
I Want to thank you so much! I just made this for my husband for Father’s Day. I made Mashed Potatoes and Gravy & Corn on the Cob to go with it. When my husband went back for 2nds and commented that the Roast was like butter in his mouth. I knew I did it right. I’ve been looking for something different then potatoes, carrots and onions with the Roast. Thank you so much, for posting this. It will now be our special somebody meal.
Oh that makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks for sharing. Glad the roast was a hit!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Sounds delicious and love the versatility of leftover meal ideas! Being just my husband and I we have leftovers often. The leftover ideas are a great way to utilitize the meal without having to eat the same meal or through away the food.
Looking forward to making the roast recipe. It is simple and can be made for 2 or 4 or 6 depends on your needs. Always looking for easy but good roast recipe.
Cooked this recipe last night! The family all eat it and loved it. I will be making it again!!! Thank you for the help!
Where do I find homemade dry gravy mix? I see Ranch and Italian but not the gravy you refer to. Thank you in advance!
I always use the McCormick Brown Gravy (although there are generic brands as well) packets. We don’t have a dry gravy mix recipe on our site, but I’m sure you could find one online if you wanted to make one from scratch.
The gravy and other powdered mixes and often be found near the canned soup or the spices. Good luck!
This roast was delicious, easy, and good enough for company. The gravy steals the show! I love it! Thank you!
This recipe REPLACES every other basic pot roast recipe! It comes out very tender and flavorful! I amp up the gravy factor by putting in a whole packet of the gravy mix, but keep all else the same. You will not regret trying this! Make some wide egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or oven roasted fingerlings to go with this, or perhaps some warm, crusty baguette with butter. D*mn it is GOOD!
This recipe is so good!!! It is so easy to put together. It makes me feel like I’m a good cook which I’m not!
I tried this for the first time today and it was wonderful! So easy and so tasteful! It’s my new way to cook a pot roast. My family is coming for dinner next week and guess what? They’re getting pot roast!
TEN STARS! This was delicious. I didn’t even make the gravy. So good.
The yummiest roast with so much flavor & it falls apart!
I tried this recipe last week! It came out amazing!
We love this pot roast!! SO easy!! 🙂 The gravy recipe is delicious as well!!
This is delish & easy! My kids loved it & we’ve eaten the leftovers Twice , it’s a win !
This is the juiciest and yummiest pot roast recipe- so easy and pairs perfectly with some carrots and potatoes!
Total hit at our home! My new go to pot roast recipe. Thank you!
You are so welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Your recipes are amazing!!! Very easy to follow!!
Thank you for your sweet words. That means a lot! So glad you enjoy the recipes.
Can this go into a Dutch oven?
Yes, you should be able to cook your pot roast in a dutch oven. You may want to do a little research on baking time/best way to cook the roast in a dutch oven, but it should work fine!
A Sunday staple in our house!
This roast has great flavor! I like to brown it first and it comes out tasting amazing. Thank you for another great recipe!
Can you add baby potatoes to this at the same time?
You sure could 🙂
So yummy for Sunday dinner!! The meat just falls apart!
This is a family favorite in our house since I first found the recipe. We have this about once a month for Sunday dinner. It is so flavorful and falls apart. The seasoning mixture makes it amazing. I love how easy this recipe is to throw in the crockpot. It makes for an amazing Sunday dinner.
This roast is delicious! So simple and easy!
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!
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?
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!
You missed the part about “super easy” I guess! 🙂
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 🙂
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!
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!!
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.
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.
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 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!
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!
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!
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!!
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!
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.
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!!
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 🙂
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!
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!
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!
Would this work with a tri tip roast instead of a chuck roast?
Yes, it works for any kind of roast. 😉
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. 😉
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. 😉
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/
Happy cooking!!!!!
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. 😉
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. 😉
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. 😉
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 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. 😉
What size pot roast for the recipe, please.
Hi. You mentioned which crockpot/slow cooker you really like. Can you repeat that please? Love your blog!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Food Recipes.
Regards
Thanks Kristyn for the Beef Empanadas recipe. Have a wonderful weekend.
You don’t mention the size/pounds of the chuck roast?
thanks!
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. 😀
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. 🙂
How do you make your gravy. It all looks yummy!
I just added the gravy recipe to the post… it’s super easy! 😀
Can’t find the pot roast recipe…
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.
Yes, sorry, I meant stove. And I usually buy 4 pound chuck roast. 😉