My Classic Pot Roast with tender braised beef and chunky carrots and potatoes is loaded with comforting flavor and is easy to make. I like to use chuck roast for pot roast. It’s a relatively inexpensive cut of beef which makes it a real homerun!
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Pot Roast – Easy, Classic Comfort
I love that this recipe is simpler than beef bourguignon, stracatto, or sauerbraten, but just as hearty and delicious.
My classic pot roast (otherwise known as Yankee Pot Roast) is not only easy to make, but the methods I highlight below help yield maximum flavor, super tender beef, and the best pot roast sauce you’ve ever had!
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
Most ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chuck roast. I use chuck roast because its fat profile makes it uniquely suited for pot roast but it also works well for Italian beef stew, steak pizzaiola, beef barley soup, and so many other recipes! You can also use leaner roasts such as rump roast, top round, and bottom round.
- Beef stock. I used my homemade beef stock for this recipe, but you can also use low-sodium store-bought beef stock, or make a quick stock using beef base, such as Better than Bullion brand.
- Red wine. Opt for a dry red wine such as cabernet, merlot, or chianti. If you can’t have alcohol, you can replace the wine with additional stock.
- Tomato paste. Canned or tubed paste adds great body to the pot roast.
- Worcestershire sauce. This adds great flavor to many beef recipes!
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make a Pot Roast
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set the rack to the middle of the oven allowing enough room to accommodate a Dutch oven and its lid. Using kitchen twine, tie up a 4-pound chuck roast, or ask your butcher to tie it up for you. Heat a large pan to medium heat, then pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan along with the chuck roast and sear until browned on all sides (about 15 minutes total). Remove from the pan and allow the roast to rest on a plate.
- Add 1/2 cup of homemade beef stock (or low sodium storebought beef stock) to the pan and use a flat wooden spoon to dislodge the brown bits from the pan. Add the pan sauce to a bowl with the remaining beef stock and set aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat and add 1/4 cup of olive oil along with the onions and a pinch of salt and cook for about 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes, then add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and mix for about 1 minute or until the white flour specks are gone.
- Add the beef stock, dry red wine, thyme (tied), bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot and bring to a boil while stirring to break up any clumps of flour.
- After 2 minutes of boiling, add the seared chuck roast to the pot. Cover the pot and place into the oven to braise for 1 1/2 hours.
- After 1 1/2 hours, remove the pot and uncover it. Quickly add the potatoes and carrots to the pot and cover again. Return it to the oven for another 2- 2 1/2 hours. After 2 1/2 hours or once the meat is fork tender, remove the pot from the oven.
- Transfer the pot roast, carrots, and potatoes to a serving plate and tent with foil. If desired, de-grease the sauce by using a ladle to remove the fat. By this point, the sauce will be quite thick thanks to the flour, but to make it even thicker, use an immersion blender or ladle the sauce into a countertop blender to blend the softened onions and a few potatoes. The roast can be shredded or cut into chunks and mixed with sauce before serving. Discard any large pieces of fat before serving, and season the carrots and potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the parsley, serve, and enjoy!
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Top tips
- Tie the beef. Use kitchen twine to tie up the roast or ask your butcher to tie it for you. Doing so will create a more even shape of the roast which will allow for even searing and braising.
- Seperate pan for searing. For this large of a pot roast I like to use a searing pan since it will take about 15 minutes to effectively sear all of the sides. During this time the bottom of the pan might get overly black or burnt. When deglazing with part of the beef stock be sure to taste test it before adding the liquid back to the remaining stock. If it tastes burnt, don’t pour it back with the unused beef stock. After this step you can move on to cooking the recipe in a large Dutch oven.
- Use homemade stock. To achieve restaurant quality taste, I suggest using homemade beef stock. You’ll get superior results every time!
- Serving. I like to cut the pot roast into chunks and serve it on a plate with a few carrots and potatoes topped with the thickened pot roast sauce. If preferred, you can shred all the pot roast before serving and toss with the sauce.
More comforting beef recipes
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Classic Pot Roast
Classic pot roast is the ultimate comfort food dish. Tender braised beef, potatoes, and carrots marry together in the most flavorful sauce!
Ingredients
- 4 pound (1.8kg) chuck roast tied
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (16g) fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) neutral oil such as avocado, vegetable, etc.
- 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions cut into large pieces
- 8 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 tablespoons (45g) tomato paste
- 1/4 cup (32g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) dry red wine
- 2 cups (480ml) low-sodium beef stock divided
- 2 large bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 10 sprigs thyme tied
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) red or small yellow potatoes cut into large chunks
- 2 pounds (908g) carrots cut into 3-inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and set the rack in the middle of the oven to accommodate a Dutch oven with its lid.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat. Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels then season with salt and pepper. Add the neutral oil to the pan along with the chuck roast. Sear until browned on all sides (about 15 minutes total) then remove the roast to a plate.
- Add a 1/2 cup of beef stock to the pan and scrape off all of the browned bits. Taste the sauce to make sure it's not burnt. If it is, discard, otherwise pour the pan sauce into the same vessel as the remaining beef stock and set aside.
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat, add the olive oil and onions along with a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes then add the flour and mix until all of the white specks have vanished (about 1 minute).
- Add the red wine, beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot and bring to a boil while stirring to break up any flour clumps. Boil for 2 minutes then turn off the heat and add the roast back to the pot and cover. Place into the oven to roast.
- After 1 1/2 hours, remove the pot and uncover it. Quickly add the potatoes and carrots to the pot and cover again. Return to the oven for another 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200-210°F.
- Place the pot roast and veggies on a plate and tent with foil. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme bundle from the Dutch oven.
- To de-grease the sauce, lay paper towels on top of the sauce to absorb the fat then discard or use a ladle to skim some of the fat.
- The sauce will usually be quite thick from the added flour, but for an even thicker sauce, simply use an immersion blender to blend the softened onions and a few potatoes. Alternatively, heat just the pot with the sauce over medium-high heat to reduce until the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon. Or make a slurry of 2 tablespoons flour and 1/4 cup of water. Pour into the simmering sauce and stir for a few minutes until adequately thickened.
- The roast can be shredded or cut into chunks and mixed with the sauce. Any large pieces of fat can be discarded right before serving. Season the carrots and potatoes with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cut of beef. Chuck roast makes the best pot roast due to its unique fat profile, but other leaner roasts such as rump roast, top round, and bottom round can also be used.
- Sauce consistency. Many people will enjoy the pot roast sauce as is and will not need to make a thicker gravy. If you do enjoy a thicker sauce, by all means, follow the instructions to boil and/or add a slurry of flour and water.
- Seperate pan for searing. For this large of a pot roast I like to use a searing pan since it will take about 15 minutes to effectively sear all of the sides. During this time the bottom of the pan might get overly black or burnt. When deglazing with part of the beef stock be sure to taste test it before adding the liquid back to the remaining stock. If it tastes burnt, don’t pour it back with the unused beef stock. After this step you can move on to cooking the recipe in a large Dutch oven.
- Make-ahead. Pot roast is even better the next day. Simply let the roast cool then refrigerate the Dutch oven covered.
- Leftovers. Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated in the oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 944kcal | Carbohydrates: 46.6g | Protein: 105.9g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 9.8g | Cholesterol: 305mg | Sodium: 1260mg | Potassium: 2115mg | Fiber: 8.6g | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 13mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this a few weeks ago, and everyone absolutely loved it. I’ve never heard “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten!” in my entire life! 😂 So of course, I’m making it again tonight. The only thing I do differently is I add mushrooms to the veggie mix and small pearl onions.
We’re so happy you loved it!
Made this dish multiple times. Easy to do and truly delicious.
So happy you enjoyed, Anthony!
Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes. You (and Jacque & Martha) have taught me how to be a better cook! I absolutely love this recipe. When your wife Tara said it was a 10 and she didn’t want to stop eating it, I know what she meant. This is so good it almost made me feel as if I were doing something “bad” by eating it! Thanks again. Keep the recipes coming.
We are so happy you enjoyed, Linda! Thanks for the comment!
I’m at the add carrots and potatoes part. Can I let this cool down, refrigerate and continue cooking the final two hours tomorrow? I started too late in the day.
Hi Elisa, yes, you can let it cool down and finish the next day.
This recipe came out absolutely incredible. I followed it to the letter and I can’t say enough about how good it was. This will definitely be added to my must-have recipes.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Julie!
My recipe is very similar. Additionally, I add chili powder, smoked paprika & chipolte powders to the pot roast.
Hi Jim love every recipe the Guinness beef stew was over the top!! For the pot roast By pan sauce do you mean the drippings from the plate the meat has been resting on?
Thank you
Luanne
Hi Luanne, the pan sauce is a combo of 1/2 cup of beef stock plus the brown bits/drippings in the pan after searing the beef (see step 4 in the process photos for more details).
Outstanding recipe.
So happy you enjoyed, Anthony!
This recipe is amazing! I always prepare/test a recipe before serving to guests. This dish is definitely “guest” worthy. Thanks Jim and Tara
I’m so happy to hear that, Kathy!
I made this pot roast recipe today and it is absolutely delicious! The house smells so good, it smells like Autumn! All the meat eaters in the family are loving it! I feel sad for the vegetarians, they’re missing out.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Marcia!
Absolutely delicious!
We’re so happy you enjoyed!
True to its claim, “classic”. Very simple, satisfying recipe.
So happy you enjoyed it, Christine!
Going to make this for football tomorrow.
We hope you love it, Dave!
Can this be made in the crock pot?
Sure. Just cook until tender. Probably 6 hours or more on low, so add the potatoes and carrots about 2 hours before it will finish cooking.
Thanks, that was my question too.
Excellent! The flavor in this pot roast was outstanding. I admit I was scared I messed up when I added the wine (it seemed way too much), but it mellowed out in the end and was wonderful. I am curious about how one might adapt this recipe using an instant pot.
Hi Meg, we’re so happy you enjoyed it! We haven’t tested this recipe using an Instant Pot so can’t say for sure. Thanks for the comment!
this is an easy prep as you go recipe that is uncomplicated and produces a savory delicious result. I increased the liquid components and doubled the carrots and potatoes.
Fabulous recipe, Thank you.
We’re so happy you enjoyed, David! Thanks for the comment!
We just served this dish to family and it was outstanding. The night before, we prepared the roast up to the step before adding the carrots and potatoes and then put in the fridge overnight. The next day we removed the fat from the top, warmed the pot on the stovetop briefly, added the veg and popped it into the oven. This allowed us time to relax and enjoy our guests. Served with homemade biscuits and crusty bread. The boys had seconds. The gravy is so good! One of our nephews poured gravy into his bowl and dunked crusty bread into it as his third helping.
We love your YouTube channel! Thanks for the excellent recipes with clear detailed instructions. We learn something every time. Making the chicken salad later on today.
We are so happy you and your family enjoyed, Karen, and thank you for the comment!
This recipe is our family’s go-to pot roast dish. I’ve honestly never liked pot roast until making this recipe. The only thing we do differently is omit the potatoes in the Dutch oven and cook mashed potatoes on the side.
Hi Kristina, that’s great to hear! Thanks for the comment and we’re so happy you love this recipe!
Living alone now, I haven’t made a pot roast in at least 10 years. I have a feeling this recipe will break my fast lol. Thank you James.
Looks Delicious love Gravy