This melt-in-your-mouth slow cooker pot roast is so tender! It’s simmered on low for 8 hours with hearty vegetables making a complete meal.

Overhead shot of shredded pot roast in serving dish with potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.
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About My Tender Slow Cooker Pot Roast

This pot roast recipe is lazy Sunday perfection! Chuck roast is slow cooked in a tantalizing gravy for 8 hours on low with buttery baby potatoes, carrots, button mushrooms, sweet onion, and fresh winter herbs like rosemary and thyme.

It’s easy to prep, easy to clean up, and it fills your home with the comforting aroma of a true home-cooked meal with its tender beef, earthy vegetables, herbs, and red wine.

This has easily become a favorite in this house. Served with fresh bread, you absolutely cannot go wrong.

Overhead shot of uncooked pot roast, veggies, and herbs in a slow cooker.

What to Serve This Pot Roast With

  • I love mashed potatoes, so sometimes I omit the baby potatoes from this recipe so I can serve it over creamy fluffy mash.
  • Veggie sides are always a great pairing. I usually go with green beans, asparagus, or broccoli since we’ve already got carrots in the mix!
  • Fresh bread is a no-brainer!
  • And there’s always room for a simple side salad.

Ingredients

  • Olive oil. This is to sear the exterior of the beef before popping it into the slow cooker.
  • Sea salt + cracked pepper. A nice and simple rub for the roast prior to searing.
  • Boneless chuck roast. Sometimes this cut is called Chuck Eye or Blade Roast. It’s a tougher more marbled cut that shreds beautifully into large tender chunks after a slow cook. Other cuts that work for this recipe include beef brisket or bottom round roast.
  • Red wine. I use this to deglaze the pan I’ve seared the beef in, getting all of of those flavorful pan drippings and browned bits.
  • Beef bouillon paste. For an extra rich beefy flavor.
  • Beef broth. This is the liquid you want to use to simmer your beef in all day.
  • All purpose flour. A great way to ensure your gravy is nice and thick.
  • Garlic. Every pot roast needs garlic!
  • Vegetables. My go-to veggies to pair with this pot roast include yellow onions, baby potatoes, carrots, celery, and mushrooms.
  • Balsamic vinegar. This adds a nice richness to the overall flavor.
  • Dijon mustard. Again, this is another flavor enhancer like the balsamic.
  • Brown sugar. A little sweetness to balance things out.
  • Fresh herbs. I like nestling fresh thyme and rosemary into the pot to slow cook along with everything else. They’re great aromatics and they infuse everything with a warming earthy flavor.
Side shot close up of bowl of tender pot roast.

How to Cook a Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker

  1. Pop the potatoes, onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic cloves into the slow cooker.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Rub the roast with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and chopped fresh rosemary or thyme, and bring the roast to the hot pan. You want to brown each side to create a nice crust on the outside. Then transfer the roast to the slow cooker.
  3. With the same skillet used to brown the roast, add red wine, beef broth, bouillon paste, brown sugar, mustard, and balsamic vinegar over medium-high heat. Bring it all to a simmer, whisking the ingredients together until well-mixed and the sugar and bouillon have completely dissolved. Remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the flour.
  4. Carefully pour the gravy into the slow cooker over the beef and vegetables. This juice will thicken as it slow cooks, also taking in the natural juices from the beef.
  5. Cover and cook everything on low for 8 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart and the vegetables are soft. For tender beef that can be shredded, you’re looking for an internal temperature of about 205º F.
  6. Taste test and add any extra balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt, or pepper if needed.
  7. Shred the meat, drizzle with gravy, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Overhead close up of serving bowl full of pot roast and veggies.

Useful Kitchen Tools

Recipe Tips

  • For a tender and shreddable roast beef, you’re looking for an internal temperature of 205º F. Use a meat thermometer for best results.
  • When choosing a cut of beef for this recipe, I suggest chuck roast since it’s super tender and falls apart easily. Brisket is a fattier cut that also gets super tender and would work well. A bottom round or top round are leaner cuts, so they aren’t ideal for a shredded roast and would work better for a sliced roast.
  • If you don’t have a full 8+ hours to slow cook, you could slow cook it on high for 4-6 hours. Time will vary depending on your slow cooker model, so keep an eye on the internal temperature.

Swaps + Alterations

  • If you prefer to not cook with wine, you can use extra broth instead.
  • Fresh herbs are preferred, but if you can’t get your hands on any, you can stir a tablespoon of dried thyme and rosemary into the broth when deglazing the pan.
  • I love serving pot roast over mashed potatoes, so sometimes I omit the baby potatoes in this recipe so I can do that.
  • All of the vegetables can be replaced based on preference. Other great options are turnip, parsnip, and rutabaga.

Have You Made This Recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!

You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme

Other Beefy Dishes You’ll Love:

Side shot close up of bowl of tender pot roast.

Tender Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Simmered on low for 8 hours with hearty vegetables, this tender slow cooker pot roast melts in your mouth. 
4.99 from 56 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 423kcal
Author: Dana Sandonato

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp Fresh rosemary, chopped To add to the salt and pepper rub; you could also use thyme
  • 2 lb boneless chuck roast
  • 1/4 cup dry red wine
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1 tsp beef bouillon paste Better Than Bouillon works really well.
  • 1 TBSP brown sugar
  • 1/2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
  • 1 TBSP Dijon or stone ground mustard
  • 1 TBSP all purpose flour
  • A few fresh thyme sprigs
  • A few fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 4 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
  • 4 oz fresh button mushrooms You could also get cremini mushrooms and slice them into quarters, since they're larger. Button mushrooms can be left whole.
  • 2 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 rib of celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 lb baby potatoes
  • Fresh chopped parsley, to serve

Instructions

  • Place the garlic, onions, potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, and celery into the slow cooker. Create a bit of a dip in the middle to nestle the roast.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet or pan over high heat. Rub the roast with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and chopped fresh rosemary or thyme. Transfer the roast to the hot pan of oil and cook, for about 5-6 minutes each side, until browned. This will give the exterior a nice crust, but don't cook it anymore than that. When done, transfer the roast to the slow cooker; leave the skillet on the stove.
  • To the skillet where you browned the beef, add the beef broth, red wine, mustard, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, bouillon paste, and flour over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, whisking the ingredients together until well-mixed and the sugar, bouillon, and flour have dissolved. Scrape up any pan bits while you're at it—this will add to the flavor of your gravy!
  • Remove the skillet from the heat, whisk in the flour, and carefully pour the liquid into the slow cooker over the beef and vegetables. This juice will thicken as it slow cooks, also taking in the natural juices from the beef.
  • Nestle a few fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs around the beef and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for 5-6 hours), until the meat is tender and falling apart and the vegetables are soft. For tender beef that can be shredded, you're looking for an internal temperature of 190-195º. Taste test and season it a little extra if necessary.
  • Transfer the meat to a cutting board. Shred it or slice, then place it into a serving dish with the vegetables. Drizzle with gravy and garnish with fresh parsley.

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 257mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g