Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe – Tender and Flavorful
Cooked until melt-in-your-mouth tender, this dish is full of rich, savory flavor. The beef is seared first, then simmered with vegetables in a broth enriched with a splash of red wine. It is the ultimate family-friendly dinner that feels like a classic Sunday supper, even on a busy weeknight.
Why This is the Best Slow Cooker Pot Roast
This slow cooker pot roast recipe is simple yet delivers restaurant-quality results. Searing the beef before slow cooking creates a flavorful crust and locks in juices. As the roast simmers for hours, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and potatoes soak up the broth. Tomato paste, herbs, and red wine deepen the flavor, making it rich and satisfying.
The recipe is also versatile and easy to adapt. Swap baby gold potatoes for red potatoes, or add mushrooms for an earthy flavor. You can adjust the seasoning to your family’s taste. The slow, gentle cooking time makes this recipe nearly foolproof, and the aroma will fill your home as it cooks.
Pair this pot roast with crusty bread like my no-knead whole wheat sourdough bread, dinner rolls, or sourdough to soak up the gravy. It also makes excellent leftovers. Shred the beef for sandwiches, or serve it over mashed potatoes or rice for another hearty meal the next day. Once you try this slow cooker pot roast, it will become a go-to recipe whenever you want something filling and comforting.
Best Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe – Tender and Flavorful
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prepare the roast: Pat chuck roast dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Cut into 2–3 pieces if needed.
- Sear the beef by heating ghee in a skillet or your slow cooker (if it has sauté mode). Sear the roast on all sides until browned, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
- Then add onions and celery to the pot with a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 5–8 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, thyme, onion powder, and flour. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Deglaze the pot by pouring in the beef broth and wine. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. This liquid, along with the onions and garlic, creates the sauce mixture.
- Transfer the seared beef to the slow cooker. Pour the sauce mixture from the pot directly over the beef, making sure the onions and liquid are evenly distributed. Cook on low for 10 hours.
- Remove bay leaves. Transfer beef and vegetables to a platter. Spoon the sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley and serve with bread or rolls.
Do you have an instant pot adaption for this recipe?
not yet! But would love to try that this fall. Stay tuned!
What is the “sauce mixture” in step #5. You deglazed the pot in step #4, but don’t mention pouring out the sauce that ends up being created, so I’m confused as to what sauce you are pouring over the seared beef.
Great question, and I can see how that wording is confusing. The “sauce mixture” is the liquid that’s created in step 4 when you deglaze the pot. After searing the beef and cooking the onions and garlic, you add the liquid and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom. That seasoned, beefy liquid is the sauce. Nothing gets poured out. That mixture is what you pour over the seared beef when it goes into the slow cooker. I’ll update the wording to make that clearer. Thanks for pointing it out!
Hey Christine! I’m so excited to be making this today but I had a quick question. In the recipe instructions it says “Deglaze the pot by pouring in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce” but I don’t see Worcestershire listed in the ingredients list so I wasn’t sure how much. I do see red wine listed so I wondered if it was supposed to be red wine instead of Worcestershire or vice versa? Thank you for all you do!
Hi Rachel, thanks for your question, I’m not sure what happened there. There is no worcestershire in the recipe, I meant op say deglaze with broth and wine. Although, worcestershire would hurt if you wanted to add a small splash. The recipe has been corrected!
Hi! I’ve tried so many of your amazing recipes, including this one, which was a major hit. It really was worth sauteeing the roast and veggies before putting it in the slow cooker, the flavor that was developed was so intense bc of that I feel. Since I didn’t have the umami seasoning I added some worcestershire instead… so good.
Hello, I was just wondering how long this roasts in the slow cooker! I am making this (this week) and want to ensure I have proper time! Thanks so much!
10 hours on low! Start it early in the morning : )
Is there a specific red wine you use or recommend? I’ve never cooked with red wine so I feel out of my element 🤣
You’re not alone 😂 I keep it simple and use an affordable dry red like Cabernet or Merlot. If you’d drink it in a glass, it’ll work in the pot roast!
This is a really great pot roast recipe! The seasonings are perfect and we liked that it makes its own gravy as it cooks. I didn’t use any umami seasoning–didn’t even know there was such a thing–but now see where you can make your own. Do you purchase it or make your own?