This Crock Pot Roast recipe is easy to make with potatoes, carrots, and thick and flavorful gravy. The meat is moist and full of flavor, your family will love this home cooked meal!
Be sure to serve this with my Buttermilk Biscuits or Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls.
If you’re looking for the best Crock Pot Roast recipe, (with a ton of flavorful brown gravy), you’ve come to the right place!
I love that this is a complete meal all in one pot. You can do the prep work a day ahead of time, then set it and forget it.
Don’t be alarmed by the number of ingredients. They’re all super simple and really make the difference in this meal- the flavor is like no other.
Best Cuts of Meat for Pot Roast
Below are the 3 best options for making pot roast. Try to find one that has nice even marbling throughout the meat.
- Chuck Roasts (the best option)
- Rump Roasts (2nd best)
- Bottom Rounds (3rd best)
How to Make Crock Pot Roast
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Pat the roast dry and rub with seasoning, then with flour. Sear in a skillet for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Combine gravy ingredients and add them to the Crock Pot along with the roast, potatoes, and carrots.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6.
- Remove roast and vegetables and tent with foil. Bring gravy to a boil and add cornstarch + water mixture to thicken it. Reduce to a simmer and swirl in cold butter. Serve.
How to Make Brown Gravy More Flavorful
The following ingredients add depth of flavor to brown gravy, but they also help achieve a rich dark brown color.
- Beef and Chicken Broth: I like to use a combination of both for a greater depth of flavor.
- Soy Sauce: You can’t taste it, but the soy sauce enhances the other flavors and adds umami.
- Worcestershire Sauce: A great alternative to soy sauce.
- Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce: I like to add a few drops of for a hint of a darker brown color. You can find it in the aisle where they sell gravy packets.
- Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and extra 1 bouillon.
- Optional additions: Thyme, Rosemary, and Sage.
- Cold Butter: Swirl 1-2 Tablespoons cold butter into gravy at the end of cooking. This is a technique called “Monter au Beurre” which adds a smooth, velvety finish to gravies and sauces.
Make-Ahead Method
- Follow instructions as outlined (Season/sear the meat, combine gravy ingredients, prepare vegetables, transfer to Crock Pot).
- Cook on day 2 as outlined and add 30 minutes to cooking time since you’re starting from a cold state.
Pro Tips
- Celery, sliced yellow onions, smashed garlic, and fresh rosemary/thyme make great additions to this meal as well.
- Searing the Roast isn’t completely necessary but it adds a nice color, texture, and element of flavor. Even when I’m in a rush, I go for the sear. It’s worth it!
- Don’t open the lid of the Crock Pot during cooking, you lose a lot of heat and about 30 minutes of cooking time.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 89!
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Stovetop Safe Crock Pot
- Rubbermaid Containers with lids– I always use these to combine my corn starch + cold water.
- Instant Read Meat Thermometer -Internal Temperature of the roast should be 145° prior to serving.
- Fat Separator -with strainer on the top and a bottom release. Any fat in the gravy rises to the top and you can dispense just the gravy into the gravy boat and leave out the fat.
- Gravy Boat– I have/love this one. It has a candle on the bottom to keep it warm!
Try These Next
- Chili Con Carne
- Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Marsala
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Chicken Stew
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Tried This Recipe?
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![A Crock Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker with potatoes and carrots with gravy.](jpg/crock-pot-roast-f-200x200.jpg)
Crock Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb. Chuck Roast, see notes for other cut options
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Meat Seasoning:
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon EACH: salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Gravy:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 beef bouillon cube, or 1 tsp better than bouillon
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce, can sub Worcestershire
Sides:
- 2 ¼ lbs. baby potatoes, see notes
- 2 lbs. whole carrots, cut into halves or thirds.
For the End:
- 3 tablespoons corn starch + 3 tablespoons cold water
- 2-3 drops Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce, optional: gives it a darker color
- 1 Tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Instructions
- Pat roast completely dry. Combine seasoning ingredients and massage it onto all sides of the roast, followed by the flour.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shiny and heated, add the roast and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes, until a brown crust has developed. Decrease heat slightly if needed during cooking. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Whisk together the gravy ingredients and add some of it to the skillet that you used to sear the roast. Use a silicone spatula to "clean" the bottom and sides of the skillet, this will give the gravy more flavor. Transfer it to the slow cooker along with the remaining gravy mixture, followed by the pot roast and any juices from the plate.
- Cut the potatoes in half or thirds of equal size. (If 1-2 inch potatoes, you can leave them whole.)
- Peel the carrots and slice them into halves or thirds. Very thick carrots can also be sliced in half lengthwise.
- Arrange the potatoes around the roast and top with carrots. Place the lid securely on top and resist the temptation to open it during cooking as you’ll lose a lot of heat.
- Cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
- Carefully remove the carrots, potatoes, and the roast and set on a serving platter. Tent with foil.
Prepare the Gravy
- Use oven mitts to lift the crock and transfer the juices to a saucepan, OR, if the crock is stovetop safe, you can place the crock right on the stovetop.
- Bring the juices to a boil. Whisk together the corn starch with cold water until completely combined. Gradually add it to the gravy and whisk continuously to incorporate.
- Decrease heat to low and simmer until ready to serve. It will continue to thicken. Add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce if a darker color is preferred. Swirl in 1 tbsp. cold butter prior to serving.
- Season carrots/potatoes with salt and pepper if desired and serve!
Notes
• Rump Roasts (2nd best)
• Bottom Rounds (3rd best)
Potatoes: I used 3-4 inch round white potatoes, cut in half. Red potatoes or sliced Yukon Gold potatoes make great options as well.
This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 89!
This turned out great. My wife hates onions, which does give great flavor, but this recipe was really good and easy.
Thanks so much for the great review Wendell, I’m so happy it was a success, nice work!💖
10/10.
Didn’t have the beef bouillon cubes but it tasted great without it.
We had it over some white rice and mashed potatoes. Will definitely use this as our go to pot roast recipe
Yayyy! I’m so happy it was a success. Serving over white rice and mashed potatoes is perfect, yummm! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review Brandi!💗
This is the Best roast recipe out there! Amazing flavor and technique. My daughters even had 2nd helpings (which is rare), there were no leftovers.
I agree that searing the meat was key to the end result of melt in your mouth tenderness.
I used worcestershire, not soy as it is a personal favorite and fresh garlic vs powder. I have made a jar full of the rub for future uses including this recipe. . Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Thanks so much for the great comments and review😃! Glad to hear you found the searing tip helpful, I also think it’s key.
Tried it today. The result was amazing. I was faithful to the recipe most of the way but did a small detour. For the gravy, I substituted real onion and garlic for the powders and added some mushrooms. I sauted them in the skillet with the residual oil and juices from the searing of the beef and added to the roast.
Nice work Victory, I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for the review!💗
I made this again today and it was fabulous!!! I have yet to try one of your recipes that wasn’t 5 stars. This is definitely my go to place for recipes. Thank you for all you do! Keep them coming!
Thanks so much for your continued support Wendy! I’m so happy this recipe was such a success. Now that it’s officially cozy season here in NH I’m going to be making this soon!💗
Literally the most delicious roast I’ve ever made. Had to make it overnight for my husband and the whole time it was cooking he was commenting how it smelled so good! I almost didn’t want to share it at the event scheduled the next day! Awesome recipe!!
Hey Desiree!! I am sooooo happy to hear that! You know it’s good when you want to keep from sharing it, LOL. I’ve been there! Thank you so much for the review!! -Stephanie
I’ve cook lots of pot roasts but never put the potatoes and carrots in from the beginning?? Usually add them the last couple of hours. So wondering about this….
Hi Ann! You may be able to find a comment from a fairly recent reader who doubted this as well, and their veggies came out hard. They regretted not following the recipe:( -You can trust it! I’d love to know what you think when you try it!
I made this for my kids and they LOVED it! I followed the recipe exactly. So flavorful. Keeping this recipe to make again. Classic comfort food, YUM!
I’m so happy it was such a hit with the kiddos Janice! I agree, it really is such a classic comfort food. One of my favorite Sunday Dinners during the fall! Thanks so much for the great review!💖
Very nervous to make this today Bevsuse all I have is bottom round! Don’t want it to be dried out!
Hi Alicia! This is the best way to make use of that bottom round, the crock pot method makes it tender, and there is lots of liquid to keep things moist! Just give it the full amount of cooking time and try to refrain from lifting the lid while it cooks so that the heat doesn’t escape 🙂
I’ve seen that I’m supposed to keep it on longer. I have almost 4 pounds should I do the full 10 hours and add extra liquid?
I would do 9-10 hours, no need to add extra liquid!! 🙂
Making this tomorrow. How important is it to add the bouillon? I don’t have any.
You can enjoy this without it, it adds more savory depth of flavor!
By far the best pot roast I have ever made. Five stars+. I used 2 chuck roasts, 6 lbs total and cooked low and slow, 12 hours. Only substitution from your recipe was I used corn starch instead of flour (gluten free). And you’re correct, searing the roast is a must, it does add a lot of flavor, the gravy is out of this world. I’ll definitely be cooking this again, and again, and….
Stephanie, thank you for your recipe!
Hey Jim! I’m sooo happy that you loved this recipe!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review, I appreciate it so much!! -Stephanie