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Slow-cooked to perfection, this Classic Pot Roast delivers tender beef, rich gravy, and hearty vegetables for the ultimate cozy, comforting meal. Whether you’re making it for Sunday dinner or a cozy weeknight meal, this recipe is guaranteed to satisfy. It also happens to be Whole30 and gluten-free, but you’d never guess it!
Why You’ll Love This Classic Pot Roast Recipe
- Melt-in-Your-Mouth: The slow cooking process ensures tender, juicy beef and a deeply flavoured gravy.
- One-pot Convenience: Minimum cleanup, maximum flavour!
- Hearty and Nutritious: High-protein, loaded with collagen, plenty of fiber and nutritious.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Feeds a crowd and tastes even better the next day!
Ingredients for a Classic Pot Roast
- Beef Chuck Roast: This cut comes from the shoulder of the cow and is perfect for slow cooked recipes like this one. It has a good amount of intramuscular fat which not only ensures the pot roast will be full of flavour, but will also help prevent the beef from drying out as it slowly braises. You can substitute brisket or even short ribs and have similar results – but chuck roast is a more affordable cut. If you like things leaner, try using eye of round, but the meat will almost certainly be more dry in texture.
- Salt and Pepper: This recipe keeps things super simple with little more than salt and pepper for seasonings. For best results, generously season the beef between 4 and 6 hours before browning and place it in the fridge uncovered. This will give time for the salt to penetrate deeper into the meat, pulling out some of the natural liquid and then drawing back in some of the salty moisture.
- Aromatics: A combination of celery, onion and carrot form the aromatic base for this classic pot roast. I like to chop the celery and onion quite small so they almost dissolve into the sauce and leave the carrots large so you can enjoy them with the beef and potatoes.
- Tomato Paste: A couple tablespoons of tomato paste will give the gravy a beautiful colour and depth of flavour. I prefer to use paste over crushed or chopped tomatoes because the flavour is much more concentrated without the need for additional liquid, which you will just need to reduce down anyways to form a thicker gravy.
- Garlic: As always, measure this ingredient with your heart and don’t let anyone tell you there’s such a thing as too much!
- Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth: The broth you use will make or break your gravy so try to use one that you love. Homemade is almost always best but if you want to save hours in the kitchen, grab a couple cartons of Kettle & Fire. You can use their classic Beef Broth, which will give you a light yet beefy flavour profile. Or, use their Beef Bone Broth, which is deeper in flavour and contains much more collagen. The collagen in particular is what will give the gravy more body and a nicer consistency.
- Sherry Vinegar: I like to add a very small amount of sherry vinegar to the pot roast to help cut through some of the richness and fat from the beef. You can substitute apple cider vinegar. Keep in mind that when you reduce the gravy, the saltiness and acid will start to become more pronounced. I recommend adding a little bit of vinegar at a time and tasting the broth before deciding if you need more.
- Fresh Herbs: For some added flavour, I like to make a bouquet garni by tying together some fresh thyme, parsley and bay leaves. This way, you can easily pull out the herbs in one shot before reducing the gravy and serving your classic pot roast.
- Yellow Potatoes: You can either serve the pot roast over a bed of mashed potatoes, or add the potatoes directly to the pot and have them cook in the broth. I prefer the latter for a couple of reasons: It minimizes cleanup. The potatoes take on a lot of amazing flavour. The natural starch in the potatoes help to naturally thicken the gravy. Did I mention it minimizes cleanup?
How to Make Pot Roast
1. Sear the Beef
- Pat the chuck roast dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat avocado oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Sear the roast for 4 minutes per side until browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Sauté the Aromatics
- In the same pot, sauté the onions and celery. Then the tomato paste and then the garlic – in that order.
- Deglaze the pot with the bone broth, scraping up any browned bits.
3. Slow Cook to Perfection
- Return the roast to the pot along with the bouquet garni and carrots.
- Cover and cook at 350°F for around 3.5 hours in the oven or Traeger Grill, or on low for 8 hours in a slow cooker.
- Once the roast is tender, add the potatoes, raise the heat to 425°F and cook until the potatoes are soft, around 35 minutes.
4. Make the Gravy
- Transfer the beef, carrot and potatoes to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep it warm.
- Place the pot with reserved broth back on a medium-high heat. Whisk in the arrowroot starch slurry and simmer the broth until it has reduced down to a thick gravy that can coat the back of a spoon, around 10 minutes.
- Taste the gravy for seasoning once it has reduced and adjust with salt and pepper.
5. Serve and Enjoy!
- Slice or shred the beef and serve with vegetables and gravy.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Beef: Swap chuck roast with brisket, short ribs or bottom round. You can also use a pork shoulder for a much richer flavour profile.
- Bone Broth: Substitute regular beef broth for a less rich flavour profile. Or use chicken broth or vegetable broth if you have it.
- Potatoes: Sweet potatoes can be used to keep things low-glycemic and paleo. Or you can use parsnips to make it keto-friendly.
- Arrowroot Starch: Think of arrowroot starch like a naturally gluten-free substitute ofr cornstarch. If you aren’t concerned with keeping the recipe gluten-free, you can substitute cornstarch to thicken the gravy.
Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Classic Pot Roast
- Sear: Take your time and don’t skip browning the beef — it adds a significant depth of flavour and will build fond in the bottom of the pot.
- Low and Slow: Tough cuts like beef chuck, brisket or bottom round require longer cooking times at lower temperatures in order for the connective tissues to break down and become tender. Do not rush the process by raising the heat – this will only result in an overcooked, firm or dried-out finished product.
- Fresh Herbs: For best results, use fresh thyme, parsley and bay leaves. They will impart a flavour and aroma you just can’t get from the dried stuff.
- Thicken Gradually: Add the thickening slurry a little at a time. Remember, you can always add but it’s much harder to take it away! It’s also important to keep in mind that the strength of your oven (or grill) and the size of your pot will give you slightly different evaporation results. For example, a taller and more narrow Dutch oven will cause less evaporation than a shorter and wider braising pot. So you may need more or less slurry to thicken the gravy at the end.
Serving Suggestions
This Pot roast is already loaded with tender beef, hearty carrots and big chunks of potatoes. It is very much a meal in itself. But if you want a side dish, I would recommend a light and crispy salad or some green vegetables, such as green beans.
How to Store & Reheat
Storing:
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
Reheating:
- Stovetop: Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of broth if needed.
- Oven: Cover with foil and warm at 300°F for around 20 minutes. You also might need to add a splash of broth if it dries out.
Classic Pot Roast FAQs
Q: Can I make this in an Instant Pot?
A: Yes! Sear the beef using the “Sauté” function, then pressure cook on high for 60 minutes with a 15-minute natural release.
Q: What if my roast is tough?
A: If you cooked the roast at 350F and it’s still tough after 3.5 hours you may just need more cooking time. Keep it low and slow, checking every 30 minutes, until fork-tender.
If you cooked the roast at a temperature higher than 350F and the meat is tough and dry, you likely overcooked it or used a cut of beef with little intramuscular fat content. To avoid this, use chuck roast or brisket and cook the roast at 350F with plenty of braising liquid in the pot until tender.
Looking For More Comfort Food?
- Smoked Mississippi Pot Roast
- Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes
- Crispy Roast Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic
- Braised Lamb Shanks with Cheesy Polenta
- Osso Buco with Gremolata
Classic Pot Roast
Slow-cooked to perfection, this Classic Pot Roast delivers tender beef, rich gravy, and hearty vegetables for a cozy & comforting meal.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, AKA boneless blade, bottom round, blade roast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 34 ounces Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, substitute rosemary or half rosemary and half thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 pounds yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat your oven or Traeger Grill to 350F.
- Place the beef on a tray and generously season all sides with salt and pepper. For best results, transfer the beef to a refrigerator and let it sit, uncovered, for 4 to 6 hours. If you’re short on time you can cook it right away.
- Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat for 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and heat until the oil is shimmering. Carefully add the beef to the pot and cook until deeply browned, around 4 minutes. Flip and repeat the browning process on all sides, around 8 more minutes total. Transfer the browned beef to a tray and set aside.
- To the pot, add the celery and onion, season with a pinch of salt and cook, lifting any brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft and translucent, around 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring to incorporate, around 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, around 1 minute. Add the beef bone broth and cook, stirring and lifting any brown bits with a wooden spoon, until the liquid comes to a steady simmer.
- Using butcher’s twine, make a bouquet garni by tying together the thyme, parsley and bay leaves. Add the bouquet garni to the pot along with the carrots and submerge them into the broth. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, transfer to the oven or Traeger and cook, occasionally basting the beef with the gravy every hour, until the meat is very tender and almost falling apart, around 3.5 hours.
- Once the meat is tender, remove the lid, add the potatoes and submerge them into the broth, raise the heat to 425F and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, around 35 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the beef, potatoes and carrots to a large serving platter, reserving all of the broth in the pot, and loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a steady simmer. In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch with 2 teaspoons cold water and stir until dissolved to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the broth, stir to incorporate and cook, stirring regularly, until the gravy becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, around 10 minutes. Taste the gravy for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as desired. Pour the gravy into a serving bowl and serve with the pot roast.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 589kcal, Carbohydrates: 27g, Protein: 53g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 17g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 156mg, Sodium: 1093mg, Potassium: 1431mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 5284IU, Vitamin C: 29mg, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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About the Author
Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
