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This Crockpot Pot Roast recipe may just be the easiest way to turn five simple ingredients into a cozy, flavorful family dinner. The prep is minimal, the flavor is rich, and the end result is a tender, fall-apart roast with perfectly cooked potatoes and carrots.
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots is one of those recipes that instantly brings me back to Sunday dinners at my grandparents' house. My Papa was famous for several recipes, his old fashioned chicken pot pie, old-fashioned baked beans, and this pot roast. It's simple, unfussy, and exactly the kind of meal that makes everyone linger at the table a little longer.
Kristen's Key for Perfect Crockpot Pot Roast
While my Papa's Crockpot Roast is simple, there are a few key things he taught me that will help ensure the your pot roast turns out perfect.
- Choose the right cut of beef. When it comes to pot roast, a chuck roast is the way to go. It is well-marbled which results in fork-tender, fall-apart tender beef.
- Horseradish was my Papa's secret. Prepared horseradish is the one ingredient that makes all the difference. It helps to tenderize the beef and add subtle depth to the flavor.
- Low and slow is key. For slow cooker pot roast, low heat is superior to high. It creates the irresistible melt-in-your-mouth texture we all long for in a good roast.
Notes on Key Ingredient
The Type of Horseradish Matters
- Be sure to use prepared horseradish made with just horseradish, vinegar, and salt. Not horseradish sauce, which contains dairy and preservatives. You can find prepared horseradish in the refrigerated section often by bagged sauerkraut or deli meat.
- Don't like horseradish? You really don't taste it. It simply works to enhance flavor and tenderize the beef. It does not overwhelm the pot roast in any way.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Think of this step-by-step section as me (or my Papa) guiding you through the recipe so you can achieve perfect results. But I promise, it is an easy recipe with big payoff!
Step One: Sear Pot Roast
While you can skip the sear, browning the roast before it goes into the slow cooker locks in juices and builds a deeper flavor. It's a few minutes of time well spent.
- Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet. While the oil is heating, heavily season each side of the chuck roast with salt and pepper. We want to build those layers of flavor.
- Once the oil has heated, add the roast and let it cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned.
Step Two: Layer Ingredients
The order in which the beef stock, potatoes, carrots, chuck roast, and horseradish are layered into the slow cooker is key to developing the best flavor.
- Pour the beef stock into the slow cooker. Add potatoes, carrots, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Nestle the pot roast on top of the mixture, so that is it is partially submerged into the liquid.
- Spread a thin layer or the horseradish over the exposed surface of the roast
- Place your potatoes and carrots on the bottom of the slow cooker. The beef goes right on top, so all those flavorful juices drip down into the vegetables. Pour in the beef broth, then smear the top of the roast with prepared horseradish.
Step Three: Slow Cook
Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours, or until the roast easily falls apart with a fork.
In a time Crunch?
You can slow cook the chuck roast and veggies on high for 5-6 hours in a pinch, but low gives the roast the best texture.
Step Four: Shred and Serve
After slow cooking the roast, dinner is pretty much done!
- Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place it into a large bowl or shallow platter and let rest briefly.
- Remove the potatoes and carrots from the slow cooker.
- Shred the roast--it should fall apart easily with two forks.
- Serve the shredded roast with the tender potatoes and carrots and the cooking liquid.
Gravy Anyone?
How to Make Gravy for Crockpot Roast
Honestly, this slow cooker roast dinner is so flavorful it doesn't even need gravy. I like to just drizzle the cooking liquid over the meat and veggies. That said, you can opt to create a gravy using the following instructions:
- Strain 2 cups of the cooking liquid into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat.
- Whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water in small bowl.
- Whisk cornstarch slurry into the simmering liquid, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. It will only take a couple minutes.
Notes on Yield and Storage
As the size of your chuck roast can vary, so will the serving sizes. I typically plan for 4 ounces of beef per serving, give or take how large the appetites are of your guests--and how much they love pot roast! Regardless, leftover roast (and potatoes and carrots) is never a bad thing.
- Store: Store leftover meat and veggies in an airtight container with a bit of the cooking liquid in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in heat-safe dish in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel.
- Freeze: The leftover shredded roast freezes and reheats beautifully. Place beef and cooking liquid into a freezer-safe container, leaving space for expansion. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating and serving.
- Ideas for Leftover Pot Roast: Only have a little bit of meat left? Use it to make sliders, a quick version of French Dip Sandwiches (with leftover cooking liquid on the side), stir into vegetable soup, use in place of ground beef in one pot beef stroganoff (skip the browning!), or add to quesadillas.
Instant Pot Option
Short on time? Try my Instant Pot Pot Roast for the same tender results in a fraction of the time.
More Family-Favorite Crockpot Recipes
Crockpot Pot Roast
Video
Ingredients
- 2-4 pound chuck roast
- kosher salt and pepper , to taste
- ½ tablespoon olive oil or canola oil, for searing meat
- 4 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 2 pounds baby new potatoes, see note on other options
- 1 pound baby carrots
- 1 teaspoon onion powder, optional
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic, optional
- ½ cup prepared horseradish, (not horseradish sauce!!)
For Gravy (OPTIONAL)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
Crock Pot Pot Roast
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottom skillet or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, generously season the chuck roast with kosher salt pepper on each side. Add the seasoned roast to the heated oil and sear on each side until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side, or once the meat easily pulls away from the pan.
- Pour beef stock into slow cooker, add potatoes, carrots, garlic and onion powder if using. Lay the roast on top of the potatoes and vegetables. Spread the roast with a thin layer of the horseradish to coat.
- Cover and slow cook on low heat for 10-12 hours or on high heat for 5-6 hours.
- After slow cooking, place the roast into a shallow serving dish or large bowl and let rest briefly. Remove the potatoes and carrots from the slow cooker using a slotted spoon, placing them onto a platter or serving dish. Shred the roast with two forks and serve with the potatoes, carrots, and reserved cooking liquid as desired.
Pot Roast Gravy (optional)
- Strain 2 cups of the cooking liquid into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water in small bowl. Whisk cornstarch slurry into the simmering liquid, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. It will only take a couple minutes. Alternatively, you can whisk cornstarch into slow cooker and cook on high, stirring often for 30 minutes.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2014 and updated in 2025.
How do you make this freezer friendly?
Hi Caroline! Are you asking how to freeze after cooked? Or are you asking to freeze all ingredients together to prep for another time? You can place cooled leftover pot roast (with potatoes, carrots, and cooking liquid) in freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. I do not recommend freezing potatoes before they are cooked.
If I don’t have 10 hrs, can you do do 2 high and 7 on low? Also if yes , do high first or last? Thanks
Hi John! I would do high on 2 hours first, and then low for 6-7 hours. Hope you enjoy!
What is prepared horseradish? Directions please?
What is "baby of baby carrots"?
Hi Jamie! Prepared horseradish is just pre-gated fresh horseradish you find in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. The only ingredients should be horseradish, salt and possibly vinegar. And great catch--the notes were supposed to read Bag of baby carrots. Not baby of baby carrots--LOL! I had a hard time spotting that mistake.
I made the non-frozen version without the veggies last night and it was a huge hit! So delicious and fall-apart tender. I stumbled across this recipe yesterday and will definitely be trying others on this site. Thanks again for sharing this delightful dish!
You are so welcome. I hope you find many more recipes for your family to enjoy.
I made this recipe and I highly recommend it! I have never reviewed a recipe before but I had to review this recipe....that is how strongly i recommend it! I am a terrible cook and have ruined many a roast. This was so good i couldn’t stop eating it and I have never liked roast. I don’t know if it was the horseradish or maybe I never cooked roast long enough, honestly, there are probably more than 20 additional possible reasons for failure but I followed this to the letter (except I didn’t really pay any attention to how many veggies I put in and I added onions and it was fantastic! I’m making it again tomorrow. I hope I didn’t make a mistake by buying a better roast but I’m sure it will be fine.
Thank you Michelle for taking the time to review this recipe! I am SO SO glad you enjoyed this roast--and I bet it is the horseradish--it really makes a stand out dish. All the best!
Not sure if I overlooked it somehow, but what is your recipe for your prepared horseradish? Never heard of putting it on roast. Thanks
Hi Tina! Prepared Horseradish is something you buy in the refrigerated section. It is just ground fresh horseradish. I hope you give it a try.
I have a recipe for pot roast that is simple and easy to cook! My problem is when I tried it in the pressure cooker it ended up tough! Did I use the wrong meat? When I used my old crock pot, the meat would be falling apart, moist and tender. What type of roast would you use for this recipe?
1 roast
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
Onion quartered
Carrots cut in pieces (I used pkg. baby carrots)
Potatoes quartered (or baby potatoes)
I put in the roast, add veggies along side roast. Sprinkle onion soup mix on roast and spoon mushroom soup by the spoonful over roast and veggies. NO WATER ADDED Cook in crock pot for 7-10 hours. The soups make a lovely flavorful "gravy". Almost a stew instead of pot roast.
Any idea what kind of roast I should use? Would I cook it in I.P. for same length of time? Ideas?
Thanks!
Hi Jen!
There are several things you can do to make this work better for you.
First of all, you MUST have 1 cup liquid (I would use beef stock) you can not only use the cream of mushroom.
Secondly, make sure you let your instant pot NATURALLY release. If you do a quick release the meat will be tough.
You can use any roast you like, but for a 3 pound roast, I would cook at 40 minutes on high. Once released pressure add carrots and potatoes and cook an additional 10 minutes on high. Hope that helps.
Jen, I should also state that I don't use cream of mushroom soup, but I do know that you put have that on top of the meat so it won't burn in your instant pot. Hope that helps