Crock Pot Roast (with Gravy!) (2024)

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by Stephanie on May 10, 2021 (Updated October 13, 2023)853*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »

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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 Tablespoonscoldbutter 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

Combine gravy ingredients ahead of time.
Prepare carrots and wash/dry the potatoes, but don’t cut the potatoes until ready to cook.
Sear the meat just before cooking or skip that step and place unseared meat in the crock pot with the gravy and carrots.
Refrigerate for up to 1 day, then cooked as outlined, but 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 Roastisn’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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Crock Pot Roast

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

4.99 from 320 ratings

Servings: 8 people

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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!

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

Best Cuts of Beef for Pot Roast:

• Chuck Roasts (the best option)
• 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!

Nutrition

Calories: 564kcal, Carbohydrates: 41g, Protein: 38g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 121mg, Sodium: 992mg, Potassium: 1555mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 19211IU, Vitamin C: 34mg, Calcium: 94mg, Iron: 5mg

Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Stephanie

Cost: $25

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posted by Stephanie on May 10, 2021 — 853 Comments »

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853 comments on “Crock Pot Roast (with Gravy!)”

emma — June 17, 2024 @ 8:40 pm Reply

I made this roast and it was the best one I’ve ever made. I’m a senior so that is saying something because I’ve made a lot of roast. I previously made your lasagna which was a huge hit and this really blew it out of the water. I will definitely be trying more of your recipes. Thank you so much you really made my day.
- Stephanie — June 18, 2024 @ 10:55 am Reply
  
  Oh you made MY day Emma! I’m so thrilled to hear that you loved this roast more than any other you’ve ever made! Excellent news. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review, thank you!! ❤️ -Stephanie
Susan — June 16, 2024 @ 10:25 pm Reply

Made it as stated, except used 3 cans beef broth,no chicken. Mild flavor in spite of all those seasonings,which was surprising. Cooked on high 51/2 hours. Everything cooked perfectly. Might add a little more salt, but overall it was a very good flavor. Made the gravy in the crock on high. Worked fineWill make it again. Husband liked it..so success !!
- Stephanie — June 17, 2024 @ 7:57 am Reply
  
  Success! Nice work Susan, I’m so happy you liked it. Thank so much for the great review!💖
Kam — June 8, 2024 @ 10:56 pm Reply

Great recipe. Very happy with the results. Probably the best I’ve ever had. I added onions and mushrooms. I also used a fork to pull apart the roast and then put it all back in the pot.
Big note though, this cost me over $60 at my local Kroger’s lol
The roast alone was $32 for 3.55lbs
Had to pick up the seasonings I didn’t have which added about $12 as well.
Basically $8/serving. Still better than eating out – by a long shot.
- Stephanie — June 9, 2024 @ 9:51 am Reply
  
  Happy to hear you enjoyed it Kam! It really is crazy how expensive everything is getting. Like you said though, better than eating out and you get a lot of mileage out of it. Thanks so much for the review!🩷
Lana — June 6, 2024 @ 8:11 pm Reply

Made this for dinner today! It was a big hit! Only had a 3 pound roast…not much left over. I should have cooked 2 roasts!
- Stephanie — June 6, 2024 @ 8:14 pm Reply
  
  I’m so happy it was a big hit Lana, nice work! This is one of my favorite Sunday Dinners!💖
Catherine Ormberg — June 3, 2024 @ 7:21 pm Reply

This is the best roast recipe I’ve ever had!!!
- Stephanie — June 3, 2024 @ 8:58 pm Reply
  
  I’m sooo happy to hear that Catherine! Thank you so much for the review!!!
Linda — May 19, 2024 @ 7:32 pm Reply

Absolutely delish! Made it for dinner tonight and it was a hit. Used a Dutch oven instead of slow cooker and it turned out so juicy and tender. 10/10 recommend
- Stephanie — May 19, 2024 @ 7:50 pm Reply
  
  Nice work Linda! I’m so happy it was such a success! Thanks so much for the great review!💗
Rita — May 17, 2024 @ 7:44 pm Reply

Can I do this in a Dutch oven?
- Stephanie — May 18, 2024 @ 11:25 am Reply
  
  Hi Rita! You can cover it in a Dutch oven and bake it in a 225 degree oven for 7-8 hours instead of using a crock pot. Low and slow will yield the best results for this one if using a Dutch oven.
S. Lawrence — May 7, 2024 @ 2:58 pm Reply

Tis a nice base recipe. It helped me create a crockpot pot roast that nearly rivals my attention and detail and attention oriented dutch oven pot roast. Both have their charms, one certainly asks much more of the cook.
Dee sandoval — April 30, 2024 @ 4:12 pm Reply

Hi, made it Saturday night for Sunday dinner. It reheats well in oven. thank you. Very tasty, some left for a sandwich. lol….
- Stephanie — April 30, 2024 @ 6:32 pm Reply
  
  I’m so happy that you loved it Dee! Having leftovers in a sandwich is the best!! 🙂
Amanda — April 29, 2024 @ 3:30 pm Reply

LOVE this pot roast!!! Easy to put in the crockpot before work and come home to my house smelling like heaven! Only things I change are I don’t put in potatoes as I usually serve over mashed potatoes and I omit the brown sugar (just doesn’t do it for me personally). I know they aren’t supposed to be the best part but the carrots are my favorite part. If I’m short on time I have roasted this in the oven and came out delicious but the texture of the meat is a little tougher, crockpot is my tried and true method.
- Stephanie — April 29, 2024 @ 4:33 pm Reply
  
  I’m so happy that you love the recipe Amanda! Mashed potatoes are wonderful with this, especially with all of that delicious gravy! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie 🙂