A bowl of slow cooker beef stew with tender chunks of beef, carrots, and potatoes in a thick rich broth, topped with fresh parsley, served with crusty bread on a wooden table

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Name: Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 1.5-inch cubes; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil (for browning); 1 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved; 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces; 3 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 medium yellow onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 cups beef broth, low sodium; 1 cup dry red wine (or additional beef broth); 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon dried rosemary; 2 bay leaves; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 3 tablespoons cold water; Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Published by Fork Around & Find Out Kitchen — presented in the Lila editorial voice. Editorial standards

Quick Answer

Slow Cooker Pot Roast starts with browning beef chuck and building a quick pan sauce with onion, garlic, and tomato paste, then everything — beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, broth — goes into the slow cooker for 7 to 8 hours on low. By dinner, the beef pulls apart with a fork and the broth has turned into a rich, thickened gravy.

Jump to Recipe

Pot roast is not difficult, but it does insist that you respect one thing: brown food tastes better than gray food. This slow cooker version starts by searing seasoned chuck roast in batches until the beef has a deep crust, then uses the same skillet to soften onion, cook tomato paste, and deglaze with red wine. All those browned bits go into the slow cooker instead of being abandoned on the pan like flavor you paid for and forgot at checkout.

Baby Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, and celery join the beef along with garlic, broth, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves for seven to eight hours on low. The liquid should come only about halfway up the meat and vegetables; this is a braise, not a swimming lesson. Chuck is done when it breaks apart easily under a spoon, because low, slow heat has converted enough connective tissue to make the beef tender.

A cornstarch slurry thickens the cooking liquid during the final 20 minutes, turning it into gravy without requiring another pan. Let the whole thing settle, taste for salt, and serve it with bread or egg noodles if you want insurance against leaving any gravy behind. This is Sunday dinner with remarkably little Sunday labor.

Prep20 minutes

Cook8 hours

Total8 hours 20 minutes

Serves6 servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

Servings

2 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil (for browning)
1 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups beef broth, low sodium
1 cup dry red wine (or additional beef broth)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

1Pat the beef cubes completely dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Drying the surface is the single most important step — wet beef steams instead of browns, and you'll know the difference.
2Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches so you don't crowd the pan, sear the beef 2-3 minutes per side until deeply browned on at least two surfaces. Do not rush this. Transfer seared beef to the slow cooker insert.
3Add the onion to the same skillet and cook 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 30 seconds. Pour this entire mixture over the beef in the slow cooker.
4Add potatoes, carrots, celery, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Stir gently to combine. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat and vegetables — not cover them entirely.
5Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours. The beef should be completely tender and break apart easily when pressed with a spoon.
6About 20 minutes before serving, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Remove the lid, discard the bay leaves, and stir the cornstarch slurry directly into the stew. Replace the lid and cook on HIGH for 20 minutes to thicken.
7Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot, topped with fresh parsley, with crusty bread or over egg noodles.

Nutrition Information

Estimated per serving: 1 of 6 servings.

540Calories

33 gProtein

25 gCarbohydrates

34 gTotal Fat

12 gSaturated Fat

4 gFiber

4 gTotal Sugars

980 mgSodium

115 mgCholesterol

Estimated from the ingredients and quantities in this recipe using standard food-composition values. Brand choices, trimming, cooking loss, optional ingredients, and actual portion size can change the numbers. How we calculate nutrition estimates.

Pro Tips

Don't skip browning the beef. I know the whole appeal of slow cooker recipes is supposed to be 'dump and go,' and I have done it the dump-and-go way, and it tastes like food that didn't want to be there. Ten minutes of browning adds a depth you genuinely can't fake.
Resist the urge to lift the lid. Every time you check on it, you add 15-20 minutes to the cook time because the slow cooker has to rebuild its steam environment from scratch — which is dramatic, but also true.
Cut your vegetables uniformly and larger than you think you need to. Small pieces after 8 hours will dissolve into the broth, which the stew finds acceptable but you probably won't.

Substitutions

beef chuck roast → beef stew meat (pre-cut) or short ribs (bone-in) Pre-cut stew meat works fine but can be uneven in size. Short ribs add more richness but need fat skimmed off before serving.

dry red wine → additional beef broth The wine adds acidity and depth; without it, add 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar to the broth to compensate.

Yukon Gold potatoes → russet potatoes or sweet potatoes Russets break down more and thicken the broth. Sweet potatoes hold up well and add a slight sweetness that works with the herbs.

cornstarch slurry → 2 tablespoons flour whisked into 3 tablespoons cold water Use for thickening if you're out of cornstarch. Add it the same way and allow a full 30 minutes for the flour to cook through.

Storage Instructions

Store cooled stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth if needed. Freeze in portions for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Make Ahead

Prep and brown the beef, prep the vegetables, and make the skillet sauce up to 24 hours ahead. Store everything separately in the refrigerator. In the morning, combine in the slow cooker insert and start cooking.

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