Mom’s Slow Cooker Pot Roast—pot roast, potatoes, carrots and gravy just like Mom used to make. An easy recipe that tastes like home.
Get the INSTANT POT Mom’s Pot Roast Recipe here
Mom’s Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Everyone needs a recipe like this in their back pocket. It’s a perfect Sunday dinner that brings me back to childhood. The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it while you’re eating breakfast and have a wonderful dinner waiting for you at the end of the day.
Let’s talk about the gravy. I decided to use a flour and butter roux instead of cornstarch and it was the right choice. The gravy was creamy and delicious and I wanted to lick my plate. Just make sure to salt and pepper your gravy a little before serving. It makes the difference between an okay gravy and an amazing gravy.
If the roast isn’t tender, it hasn’t cooked long enough. Make sure to let the roast slow cook for several hours…up to 12! Remember that all slow cookers cook differently and some cook hotter and faster than others. I would suggest an 8-10 hours cooking time for this roast.
Make mom’s slow cooker pot roast for Sunday dinner this week! You and your family will love it!
More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes…
Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Rump Roast
What Slow Cooker Did You Use?
To make Mom’s Slow Cooker Pot Roast I used my Ninja Auto-iQ 6 Quart Slow Cooker.* My favorite feature of this slow cooker is that it has a stove top function. This is perfect for browning the roast before you slow cook.
Mom’s Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-12 hours
- Total Time: 36 minute
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
Pot roast, potatoes, carrots and gravy just like Mom used to make. An easy recipe that tastes like home.
Ingredients
For the roast:
- 2 tsp canola, vegetable or olive oil
- 3 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast, cross rib roast or rump roast
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups water
- 2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (or 4 tsp beef bouillon)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
- 1/4 tsp celery seed
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
-
For vegetables:
- 1 1/2 pounds Russet, yellow or red potatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 1/2 pounds peeled carrots, cut into chunks or baby carrots
For gravy:
- 5 Tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut off excess fat and the silver skin from the roast. Some roasts have more fat than others. I always try to pick the roast with less chunks of fat and more marbling.
- (This step is optional but will help the roast be a lot more flavorful) Heat a pan on the stove over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the roast on all sides liberally. Add oil into the pan. Add in the roast and brown it on each side for about 5 minutes. Remove the roast and place it in the slow cooker.
- Add in the water and Better than Bouillon. Season it with the onion powder, parsley, celery seed, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Remove the lid and add in the potatoes and carrots. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 more hours.
- Scoop the potatoes, carrots and roast onto a platter and let rest. While the meat is resting make a gravy. Turn the slow cooker to high or the stovetop setting. In a small bowl whisk the melted butter and flour together until completely smooth. Stir a cup of the liquid from the slow cooker into the butter and flour. Whisk until smooth and then stir the whole mixture into the slow cooker. Whisk. The gravy will thicken in a few minutes. Salt and pepper the gravy to taste.
- Slice or shred the roast. Serve the roast, potatoes and carrots with gravy over the top.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
What if I want to cook it on high? To eat it faster?
I’d do 3 hours then add the veg and 3 more hours on high
I’m confused because in step 2 it states brown the roast and place in slow cooker. Step 3 says to add water and the Better than Bouillon Beef Base and then add the roast and seasonings. I followed step 3 but would either one be all right?
Oops I messed up on that. Just corrected the directions. Thanks for the heads up!
Truly the most delicious roast I’ve ever made!
★★★★★
Becca, that is so nice to hear. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Hi Karen, presently I only have a bone in lamb roast, could I use it instead of beef roast recommended for this recipe? I would very much love to try it in my slow cooker
Sussan
Hi Sussan, I haven’t yet tried a lamb roast. But the charts I’ve seen use a similar cooking time to beef roast. Give it a shot!
This is very close to my pot roast recipe – have a few suggestions – only use whole carrots they have much more flavor – and invest in a Magic Mill 6 qt Multi Cooker – $75 on Amazon – you can sear / boil / simmer / and slow cook in the same pot – no need to sear in skillet – this is my 2nd one – used the first a lot and it lasted probably 10 years.
★★★★★
Cool! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Karen, I am really enjoying receiving your recipes every day, and have made several of them. My family and I all love them! So far I’ve only tried the Instant Pot, because I am obsessed with it and use it almost every day. This recipe looks great either way though!
Question: Is the amount correct of only 4 teaspoons of beef bouillon, or is it supposed to be 4 tablespoons?
I have not yet bought the Better than Bouillon beef base, so I was going to substitute some homemade vegetable broth if I couldn’t find it locally.
Thank you for creating all these wonderful recipes!
Yes 4 tsp for the bouillon, it’s so much more salty than the better than bouillon so that’s why. Glad you are here!