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This melt-in-your-mouth Crock Pot Roast needs just 5 minutes of prep before your slow cooker works its magic.
Best Sunday Dinner!
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, and one of our favorites is this crock pot pot roast recipe – a recipe my mom has made my whole life.
We love it so much that we use as the base meat for so many of our favorite recipes like: Beef Empanadas, tacos, Beef Enchiladas, Flautas, Green Chile Burritos, and more.
We love it because:
- 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 a few items are needed to make this juicy, tender roast.
- Versatile. We make this roast to eat on its own, but then we also use the meat for so many recipes.
INGREDIENTS
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
- 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 a roast 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
Pro Tip!
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 ¼ cup of the mixture to sprinkle over the top.
How to Make Pot Roast
- SEASON ROAST. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon brown gravy mix, 1 tablespoon ranch mix, and 1 tablespoon Italian dressing mix.
- Place 1 (2-3 pound) chuck roast in the slow cooker and pour ⅓ cup water over the roast. Sprinkle 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.
Sear or Brown a 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.
Complete the Meal
- Side dishes: Best Mashed Potatoes, Pot Roast Gravy, Dinner Rolls Recipe, Glazed Carrots
- Desserts: Peach Dump Cake, Chocolate Sheet Cake, Sticky Toffee Pudding
- More crock pot meals: Slow Cooker Barbacoa, Crock Pot Ribs, Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken
More collections: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes, Crockpot Dinner Ideas, Easy Dinner Ideas
Crock Pot Pot Roast
This crock pot pot roast recipe is tender and flavorful. It takes only 3 minutes of prep time and then the slow cooker does the rest!
Ingredients
- 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
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix brown gravy mix, ranch mix, and Italian dressing mix.
- Place chuck roast in the slow cooker and pour water over the roast. 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
Make ahead of time. Pot roast can be made ahead of time. Once cooked, put the entire pot containing the roast and the juices, in the refrigerator.
STORE any leftover pot roast with some of the juices in a covered dish in the refrigerator. 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.
FREEZE. Place the roast and some cooking juices in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
In a Hurry? You can cook this roast on high for 4 hours, but I prefer cooking it on low because the meat comes out more tender.
Want to add vegetables? Add any vegetables you would like, such as diced or baby carrots or diced potatoes, to the slow cooker along with the roast.
Use Up Leftovers. Leftover roast makes a great filling for burritos, Tacos, Flautas, Cheese Enchiladas, Chimichangas, or Empanadas. POT ROAST GRAVY
After the pot roast has finished cooking, transfer ⅓–½ cup of the drippings from the slow cooker to a small pot on the stove over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon of milk. Cook, stirring and adding a little more milk or flour as needed, until it’s the consistency you like, 4–5 minutes. Top off with salt and pepper.
Want to add vegetables? Add any vegetables you would like, such as diced or baby carrots or diced potatoes, to the slow cooker along with the roast.
Use Up Leftovers. Leftover roast makes a great filling for burritos, Tacos, Flautas, Cheese Enchiladas, Chimichangas, or Empanadas. POT ROAST GRAVY
After the pot roast has finished cooking, transfer ⅓–½ cup of the drippings from the slow cooker to a small pot on the stove over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and 1 tablespoon of milk. Cook, stirring and adding a little more milk or flour as needed, until it’s the consistency you like, 4–5 minutes. Top off with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g, Calories: 10kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 0.03g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.002g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Cholesterol: 0.1mg, Sodium: 272mg, Potassium: 1mg, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 0.02IU, Calcium: 0.4mg, Iron: 0.003mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
How long should I cook a crock pot pot roast?
- Slow cooking longer creates more melt-in-your-mouth fork-tender meat. However, do not let it overcook causing the exterior portions to dry out.
What size crock pot do I need?
- Use the correct size crock pot and don’t overfill. The ingredients should take up between ½ to ⅔ of the crock pot.
Can I cook a frozen roast in a crock pot?
- 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.
How to season pot roast?
- For extra spice add garlic powder or black pepper. Garnish to taste with herbs like fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, or other favorites.
How much pot roast should I make?
- When serving meat as a main dish plan 8 ounces per person. For big appetites or leftovers, plan 12 ounces of meat per person.
Make Gravy?
- Use the dripping to make Post Roast Gravy.
Can I make a pot roast ahead of time?
- Once cooked, put the entire pot containing the roast and the juices, in the refrigerator.
How to store leftover pot roast?
- Include juices in the storage container and store in the refrigerator.
- 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 sandwich, patty melt, stir fry, roast beef sandwich, or Shepherd’s Pie.
How to Freeze?
- Place the roast and some cooking juices in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
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. 😉