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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 melt-in-your-mouth crock pot pot roast is tender and flavorful. It takes just 5 minutes of prep before your slow cooker works its magic.
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
Recipe Tips.
- 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
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.
For more Roast recipes:
Pot Roast Gravy
15 mins
Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
8 hrs 15 mins
Instant Pot Pot Roast
1 hr 55 mins
Crock Pot Pork Roast
8 hrs 5 mins
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 !