Nothing quite says Sunday lunch like a tender and juicy Pot Roast with large chunks of soft potatoes, carrots, herbs, and of course…the gravy!

Serve this classic pot roast recipe over rice, couscous or even noodles. Otherwise enjoy your roast alongside some freshly made dinner rolls or biscuits. All of these options are perfect for soaking up the flavor-packed gravy that will leave you coming back for more.
While making a dutch oven pot roast the traditional way may seem intimidating at first, it’s really no more labor intensive than making it in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. With just 15 minutes of actual prep, you can get on with your day while your dinner simmers away. Plus, you make everything in one pot, so less dishes!!
Now there’s really no excuse for you not to try this delicious recipe!
Other Dinner Ideas You’re Sure To Enjoy
Classic Pot Roast Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2-3 pound boneless beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
- 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
- 3 medium carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2 pounds yellow or baby potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 2 ½ cups beef broth
- 1 sprig rosemary
- Fresh parsley for garnish

How to Make the Best Pot Roast Recipe
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Step 2: Combine salt, pepper, and flour. Spread flour in a dish or on a piece of parchment paper and dip roast into the flour mixture to coat it on all sides.
Step 3: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Brown the meat on all sides (about 5 minutes).
Step 4: Remove meat from the pot and set aside.

Step 5: Add additional oil if needed. Add onion and carrots to the pot and saute for 3-5 minutes, or just until onions begin to soften and caramelize around the edges. (If you’d like to add minced garlic to the recipe, now is a great time to toast that as well.) Remove from heat.
Step 6: Add the potatoes to the pot over the vegetables. Add the meat back into the pot over the other ingredients.
Step 7: Pour beef broth and a sprig of rosemary over the meat. Cover with a lid.

Step 8: Cook for about 3 hours or until meat falls apart easily when pulled with a fork. Serve.

What can I serve with this Pot Roast Recipe?
We like to eat this beef roast in a big bowl as a one-pot meal. But if you need more, serve your pot roast over rice (brown or white), with some soft and fluffy homemade dinner rolls or biscuits to soak up any excess gravy. You can even make the roast separate from the potatoes. Then, I highly recommend you pile it over these creamy mashed potatoes – yum!

Add a little zest to your plate with this bright Cranberry Jello salad. Green bean casserole or roasted brussels sprouts would also make a lovely side dish to this hearty meal.
Can this be made in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?
Yes, it can. Both slow cooker and Instant Pot Pot Roast recipes are extremely popular, both resulting in tender meat. Cooking in a slow cooker will take approximately 8-10 hours on LOW and about 1 hour in a pressure cooker.
Whichever method you prefer, I highly recommend searing your meat in a pan prior to adding it to a slow cooker or Instant Pot as this will increase the flavors of the dish. The caramelization of the meat really adds the next level of flavor.
Check out this Mississippi Pot Roast recipe for a step-by-step on making a roast in the crock pot.
Can I make the roast ahead of time?
Yes, this is a great meal to make ahead since you can either refrigerate it for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months.
In both instances, make sure that you store the leftovers in an airtight container once it has cooled completely.
What variations can I make to this recipe?
For a low-carb roast
If you are looking for a low-carb version of this recipe, I suggest omitting the potatoes and adding in some extra vegetables in their place.
You’ll want to use hardy types of vegetables that can stand up to a long period of simmering so that you’re not left with a veggie mush. Turnip roots are ideal low-carb vegetables to use in place of potatoes.
In addition to using turnips, you could also serve your Pot Roast over cauliflower rice to keep the meal as low-carb as possible.
For a spicy dish
If you want to add a kick of heat to this dish, think of including some Ancho chili sauce to the broth or slice some Ancho chilies and add them to the liquid.
For additional gravy
If you LOVE your gravy, you may want to make some extra other than what is produced from the cooking process listed above.
To do so, add extra beef broth to your pan after cooking with a cornstarch slurry (made by mixing a teaspoon or two of corn starch with equal parts water). Simmer the liquid mixture on the stovetop for a few minutes as needed to get the thickness of gravy desired.
You can also simply thicken the gravy/juices that are in your pot. Remove the meat and vegetables (or pour out the liquid into a separate saucepan. Bring to a simmer and whisk in your cornstarch slurry, cooking until thickened. If the gravy isn’t thick enough after 2-3 minutes, add some additional cornstarch mixture.
Fresh Herbs and Flavors that work well in a dutch oven pot roast
Once you have your classic dish mastered, try adding some other flavors into the mix. A splash of balsamic vinegar or red wine will add depth and richness to the pot roast. You don’t need a lot of either of these ingredients – I would try ¼-1/3 cup. A tablespoon of worcestershire sauce will also enhance the natural richness of the beef. Garlic lovers may wish to slice small slits all through the roast and insert cloves garlic for a garlic forward dinner. Fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, and parsley can all be added to the pot during cooking or sprinkled over the finished dish.
Tips for making the best Pot Roast
- Using larger chunks of carrots and potatoes will ensure that they don’t end up mushy once the roast is finished cooking. If you’re adding other vegetables to this recipe, make sure that they are the kind that can withstand long simmering times.
- Any brand of roast that’s labeled as chuck is suitable for this recipe although some do also opt for using brisket or even top round.
- Use up leftover shredded roast in sandwiches, tacos, wraps or in pasta dishes throughout the week for easy lunch ideas.

Classic Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound boneless beef chuck roast
- 2-3 tablespoons canola or olive oil
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large onion diced into large wedges
- 3-4 medium carrots cut on the diagonal into large chunks
- 2 pounds yellow potatoes cut into halves or quarters depending on size
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 sprig rosemary
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Heat oil over medium in a large stock pot or Dutch oven
- Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Coat roast on all sides with the flour mixture.
- Brown all sides of the roast in the heated oil on the stovetop. Remove from the pot.
- Add a bit more oil if needed and add carrots and onions to the pot.
- Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes or until onions have softened and vegetables begin to form a little browning around the edges. Remove from heat.
- Use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot and stir into the vegetables. Add potatoes to the pot and place the browned roast over the top of the vegetables.
- Add broth and rosemary to the pot. Cover with a lid and transfer the whole thing to the oven.
- Cook for about 3 hours or until the meat falls apart when pulled at gently with a fork.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Carole-Anne S. says
My family absolutely loves this recipe! I’ve made it two times over the last few months and last week as well. My sons asked me to please make it again this week! It’s the best we have ever had! Thank you!
MaryAnn Basso says
Can you do this in a Crock Pot?
girlinspired says
You sure can, MaryAnn. You will still want to brown the roast. Put it into the crockpot on LOW for a good 8 hours. The meat will tenderize best cooked on low. Be sure to cut the vegetables into large chunks so that they don’t turn to mush. Yum! Enjoy!
Anna says
Hi! Can I turn up the temp of the oven so it will cook faster? I’m starting it later in the day than If have liked to. Thanks! 🙂
girlinspired says
How did it turn out, Anna? You can turn up the oven temp, but it’s the lower temp and that “low and slow” method that really breaks down all of the tough muscle and connective tissue.
Relle says
This looks awesome. Can’t wait to try it.
Wendy says
The perfect comfort food. We loved it.
Journa Liz Ramirez says
We got to enjoy our Sunday with this tender and juicy pot roast. Thanks Stef, my family loves this wonderful recipe, I’ll surely make this again. Must-try!
Kay says
Wow!! The flavor was incredible 😍😍😍
Genevieve says
This absolutely captures the perfect classic pot roast. Love this! Thank you!
Cathy Scott says
I’m planning on trying this the day after Thanksgiving. If you go up in size of roast should the cooking time be increased? It didn’t increase the cooking time when I increased the servings on the little sliding scale associated with the recipe.
girlinspired says
Hi Cathy, I would add 15 minutes cook time. When you pull it out, use your forks to pull apart the meat. If it falls apart easily, you’ll know it’s done. If you really have to tug to pull your forks apart, go ahead and cook it another 15-30 minutes. Cheers!
Lee Ann says
I haven’t liked pot roast for a long time but this is delicious!! I like pot roast again!!🥰
girlinspired says
Yay!!! Pot roast is one of my favorites, I’m glad you found my recipe!
Tayler says
Hello!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Just wanted to clarify, do you cook it in the pot on the stove for 3 hours or transfer it to the oven for 3 hours?
Thank you!
girlinspired says
Hi Tayler! You transfer the whole pot into the oven after searing it and starting the veggies on the stovetop. Thanks for asking – I updated the recipe to make it more clear!
Jan Crerar says
Hello, I just viewed your Blog for first time, sweet ideas,im loved the bow jacket and all your inspired sewing projects, my niece has daughters 5 & 7 , I sewed many outfits for them but they out grow them by the next summer season, lol, I see your blog says lasted posted in 2013 , your girls will be all teenagers I’m sure maybe now they are only into tshirts and jeans, but with a mom like you I’m sure you could teach them all to sew , since at least here sewing is not in schools any more,. My daught had a blog called Snootsie , I’m not sure even if she has kept hers up anymore, she used to sell purses she made on etsy, but I believe she only sells in her own town now, at major craft shows, I really enjoyed viewing your recioes too, I will try a few , my email isn’t really working I can’t seem to get any mail, so I’m not sure if you will receive this .. Best wishes to you , I will pass this blog on its so well done and it is inspirational too ..jan c dated June 23 2022
Theresa says
WHAT no garlic? Got gave me some garlic in here!!!!!
Ashley says
Trying this recipe tonight – did you just use store bought beef broth? If so, what brand?
girlinspired says
Hi Ashley, Excited for you to try the recipe tonight! If I don’t have homemade beef broth in the freezer, I usually just use beef bouillon and dissolve it in hot water to make an equivalent amount of broth. I like the Knorr or HerbOx brand of bouillon. You’re going to get most of your flavor from that delicious roast, so don’t stress too much over the broth. Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Ashley says
Turned out pretty decent. And the pot was empty by the end of the night 🙂 I went with a store bought broth and used an instapot and cooked for one hour. I would suggest for anyone else using an instapot that they cook on high pressure 30 minutes, then add carrots and potatoes for the last 30 minutes. Cooking all together took out the yummy firmness of the veggies. I also added extra seasoning -oregano, thyme, other aromatics…and felt a little extra dash of salt was needed. The best part was using some of the extra broth for a nice gravy to thicken things up a bit. Yum!
Eren says
Hello I am really excited to be trying this recipe today , I just wanted to clarify once everything is ready it is baked for 3 hours right ? Thank you !!
girlinspired says
Yes! That’s correct, can’t wait to hear how it turns out!