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The Perfect Crock Pot Roast really is my Momma’s recipe that I grew up on. I have tried TONS of roast recipes, and even though I have tried some pretty fantastic recipes, this has always been my favorite.
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Table of Contents
How to Make the Perfect Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker
UPDATED with a video from Mikeyfrom our cooking show.
Aunt Lou here.
As I have said before, I grew up in a meat and potatoes family. One of my favorite recipes that momma would make is The Perfect Crock Pot Roast. I am not much on carrots, but Michael loves them, so it works well. He fights me for the potatoesbut usually lets me win.
When I first went to college, I did alright. I didn’t get too homesick… Until I came home that is. Then it was SO hard to leave! On many occasions, Momma would send her famous (at least to me) The Perfect Crock Pot Roast back with me to college. Anentireroast just for me! I was the envy of everyone on my floor!
Fast forward to when I am trying to learn to cook to feed my family. I knew I wanted to make this amazing roast for my loves and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is crazy easy!
What Kind of Roast Makes the Perfect Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker?
While you can use most any kind of beef roast to make pot roast, our favorite cut to use is a nice marbled chuck roast. They key to getting roasts tender in a slow cooker is to cook them on low over a long period of time. Our rule of thumb anytime a roast is still tough, cook it another hour and check it again. The Perfect Crock Pot Roast should be full of flavor and fall a part tender.
Notes on the Perfect Crock Pot Roast Recipe
- We usedbrown gravy mixin this recipe.
- I made up The Perfect Crock Pot Roast in good ol’ Sir Hamilton (myHamilton Beach Programmable Insulated Slow Cooker). Your favorite 5-6 quart slow cooker will work great as well.
- Check outour favorite Slow Cookers, Pressure Cookers, Multi-Cookers and Air Fryersin our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- We now have an Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker) and oven version of this recipe too! Check it out here: Perfect Instant Pot Roastand here: Perfect Pot Roast
- As with any of our recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline and shouldalways be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Readers Love This Recipe
“This is a great recipe for Pot Roast! Just like my Mom used to make!”
– Connie
“This recipe makes the most flavorful roast I’ve ever had.”
-Marissa
“It really is perfect. My family loves it and super easy!”
-Kim
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The Perfect Crock Pot Roast
This is a tried and true roast recipe that I have enjoyed since my childhood!
4.86 from 225 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Crock Pot Roast
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours hours
Total Time: 8 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Calories: 586kcal
Author: Aunt Lou
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb beef roast
- 5 potatoes peeled and sliced into wedges
- 1 bag of baby carrots
- 2 medium onions halved
- 2 pkgs brown gravy mix
- 2 cups water
Instructions
Spray your crock pot with cooking spray
Place your roast in your 6- quart crock pot (I used my Hamilton Beach Programmable Insulated Slow Cooker.)
Surround your roast with your potato wedges, onion halves and carrots
Mix together one of your brown gravy mixes with 1 c cold water
Pour over your roast and veggies
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (total)
An hour before serving, mix together your remaining brown gravy mix and 1 c cold water
Pour over roast and veggies
Cover again for the last hour of cooking.
Video
Notes
- We usedbrown gravy mixin this recipe.
- I made up The Perfect Crock Pot Roast in good ol’ Sir Hamilton (myHamilton Beach Programmable Insulated Slow Cooker). Your favorite 5-6 quart slow cooker will work great as well.
- Check outour favorite Slow Cookers, Pressure Cookers, Multi-Cookers and Air Fryersin our Amazon Influencer Shop.
- We now have an Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker) version of this recipe too! Check it out here: Perfect Instant Pot Roast
- As with any of our recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish. The auto-calculation is just an automated estimate and should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
- All slow cookers cook differently, so cooking times are always a basic guideline and shouldalways be tested first in your own slow cooker and time adjusted as needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 223mg | Potassium: 1933mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 375IU | Vitamin C: 34.4mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 13.5mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @RecipesthatCrock or tag #RecipesthatCrock!
We recommend serving this dish we these recipes:
- Crock Pot Dinner Rolls
- Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Crock Pot Peach Cobbler
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also enjoy:
- Oven Perfect Pot Roast
- Perfect Instant Pot Roast
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Aunt Lou
I'm wife to Michael (not Mikey 😉 ) and mom to Mr. Ryder and Miss Iyla. I'm just walking through this life step by step focusing on enjoying the little things in life. I am in awe of the many blessings big and small I receive daily from a pretty amazing God who calls me His own. Sometimes life is crazy and messy, but I am loving every minute of it.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Laurie says
I made this and it was awesome! Thank u for sharing! I never thought to use brown gravy instead of beef broth, what a completely different taste! I will always fix my beef roasts like this from now onReply
- Linda M Gerardi says
This is how I usually do my roast, I do cook it with lots of carrots and at the end I remove the roast and enough carrots for serving and leave a bunch of carrots and blend with a hand held blender to thicken the gravy..add peas and mushrooms and serve over egg noodles and a side of red cabbage..
Reply
- DIANE C says
this is almost identical to the roast I make….I add baby portobella mushrooms, a tablespoon of instant coffee mixed up in the gravy mix, and a couple bay leaves…..turns out fabulous…just found your site….have to tell you I LOVE IT!!!! so many fantastic recipes…look forward to go further in the site when I make my meal plans each week….THANKS!!!!
Reply
- L. Jackson says
This recipe was excellent. I put this in the crockpot this morning before we left the house to run errands and when we came home, I added the second batch of gravy. The hardest part was waiting that last hour to not devour it!Reply
- Mary Ann says
When I want to thicken my gravy, I just add instant mashed potatoes ( a little at a time ) stirring/whisking around the gravy, still in the crock, until it thickens to desired consistency.. No need for corn starch mixture. Works every time & and not just for beef gravy, tastes good, too.Reply
- william garrison says
love it…
Reply
- Tracy says
Hello! I always use brown gravy mix with my crockpot roasts. I didn’t realize I was adding too much water so, thank you for this tip! Question, I am away from home all day, the roast will slow cook for the whole 8 or 10 hour period, then shut off and stay on warm. With that said, if I cannot add the second package of gravy mix and water for the last hour or cooking, will it turn out okay to add everything on the front end? Also, I am making a 5 lb roast, so would I use 4 packs of gravy and 4 cups of water? Last question, should I set the timer for 8 hours on low, or 10? I will be gone for 10-11 hours. Thank you for the advice.Reply
- Aunt Lou says
I haven’t tried adding both packets at the beginning or using a 5lb roast, but think it could work. You will probably need an 8 quart slow cooker. With using a larger roast, I would cook on low for 10-12 hours. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
- David Bensol says
Been following you for what seems forever. One question…..What in the world do you guys do with ALL that food you prepare?? I gotta know! Surely you don’t eat it all…..do you?
Reply
- Aunt Lou says
Ha! Thanks for following us. We keep enough for our families to eat and share the rest. Don’t worry. We don’t let this delicious food go to waste!
- Christy Collins Harrison says
This recipe was amazing! I added rosemary, thyme, garlic, sea salt and pepper, along with a half a stick of Kerry Butter and it turned out amazing. I cooked it for 3 hours on high and then 2 on low and it was perfect. My family has NEVER finished a 2 1/2 pound roast in one sitting, but we did tonight. Thank you!Reply
- Aunt Lou says
Your additions to the recipe sound delicious! I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed it so much. It make my heart happy to hear comments like yours!
- Chris says
I always struggle with a slow cooker Roast, either in the flavour or too long etc. I can tell you this recipe is the very best I’ve ever made in a slow cooker. My wife who isn’t a “beef fan” per se loved the recipe and said “this I like”So you get 4 thumbs up!!
Reply
- Aunt Lou says
Yay! I’m so glad you and your wife enjoyed this. I’m so glad Momma’s recipe was as big of a hit in your house as it is in ours!
- Amanda says
I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now and it’s a hit in my family! We love it! Super easy to make, and the best I’ve found! Tender, juicy, delicious, perfect!Reply
- Aunt Lou says
I’m so happy to hear it Amanda! We love this one too! Thank you for taking the time to let us know you love this recipe. It makes our day when were hear our readers enjoy our recipes!
- Jerry West says
This is super easy to make and tastes better than your momma’s dried up pressure cooker roast. Crock it. Eat it.Reply
- Aunt Lou says
So glad you enjoyed this roast as much as we do!
- Anna says
Just bought a Round Tip Roast that is 2.5 lbs. can I cook this like a chuck roast as a pot roast? Or should I roast it in the oven?
Reply
- Aunt Lou says
I think the round tip roast would work in this recipe. We use whatever roast we can find on sale usually. With cooking this recipe on low all day, it can take even a tough piece of meat and make it fall apart tender! Enjoy!
- Karen Havling says
Made this for my husband for dinner last night. He loved it. I should have added a bit more salt than I did, but being a vegetarian, I had to guess. Will definitely make it again – so easy.Reply
- Aunt Lou says
I’m so glad your husband loved it! It is a favorite in our house too!
- Monica says
I want to make this recipe with the mushroom gravy as I love mushrooms, my question was, do you think I could add portabella mushrooms with out messing up the recipe? If so, how much would you recommend?
Reply
- Aunt Lou says
I haven’t tried this with portabella mushrooms, but think it could work. If I were to give it a try, I would probably use an 8 oz package of fresh portabellas. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes! - Amanda says
When I make this I always use button portabella mushrooms. In addition to gravy I use a packet of Lipton onion soup, some V-8 juice, and occasionally some red wine for acidity that makes the meat fork tender. It is a family favorite and there is never left overs.
- karen60 says
Could you use the alajus packs instead
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- Aunt Lou says
I haven’t tried this with the au jus mix, but think it could work. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
- Heather Harris says
I absolutely love this! I use this recipe every time I cook my roast! It is a huge hit for my husband who don’t even like roasts!Reply
- Aunt Lou says
That’s awesome Heather! I’m so glad you both enjoy this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to let us know. We love hearing when our readers enjoy a recipe we post!
- Terry says
This is the only recipe I use for pot roast. Cooks perfectly every time. I add a little flour water at the end to make the gravy just a bit thicker.Reply
- Aunt Lou says
Yay! That’s awesome Terry! I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I love your idea of thickening the gravy. Sounds yummy!
- Katie says
I actually make this recipe with pork roast and it is to die for! Hubby AND mother-in-law approved…and she makes a darn good roast!
Reply
- Heather says
If you cook this on high would it be 4-6 hours instead?
Reply
- Aunt Lou says
Hi Heather!You could, however, with beef, we recommend low and slow to make the meat incredibly tender. If you do need to cook it on high, I would recommend using a tender cut of meat.
Aunt Lou
- Kim says
This sounds delicious!
My complaint with crock pot roast is a feel like the gravy is never what I would prefer, which is a thickened gravy. Am I being unrealistic with my expectations with the way the crock cooks?Reply
- Aunt Lou says
Hi Kim!Usually, a crock pot roast does not have a thick gravy. However, if you want the taste of a crock pot roast and a thick gravy, you could remove the roast and veggies and put them in a container to keep them warm while you put the gravy in a saucepan and add a mixture of 1 tablespoon cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water ratio when it comes to a boil and stir while it simmers until it thickens up to your liking. (Keeping in mind that it will thicken a bit when it cools.) Then add it back to your roast and veggies. I haven’t tried this with this specific recipe, but think it would work. If you give it a try, let me know what you think!
Aunt Lou
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