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Home » Recipes » Slow Cooker Beef

Slow Cooker French Onion Pot Roast

Published: Sep 8, 2024 · Updated: Dec 28, 2024 by Marye

It takes just 5 ingredients to make this easy slow cooker French onion pot roast! Serve the fall-apart tender beef in rich, savory gravy over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles.
Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 8 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Jump to Recipe
Overhead view of French Onion Pot Roast in the slow cooker.
Overhead view of french onion pot roast in the slow cooker with title text overlay for Pinterest.

If you dream of delicious Sunday dinners from back in the day but don't have hours to spend in the kitchen, you'll adore Slow Cooker French Onion Pot Roast.

The flavorful, fork-tender beef roast is made with just four simple ingredients and has that mouthwatering, classic pot roast flavor. Better yet, thanks to the magic of modern slow cooking, prep takes less than five minutes!

An overhead view of French onion pot roast in the slow cooker.
Table of Contents
  • 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
  • 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
  • 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
  • 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
  • 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
  • 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat French onion pot roast
  • Marye's Tip o' the day
  • 💭 Insider tips: things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
  • 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
  • 🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
  • 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftover roast beef
  • 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.

🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite

  • French onion soup mix adds a ton of flavor to this delicious pot roast with no effort—it's the easiest of easy recipes.
  • Slow cooker French onion pot roast feeds the whole family on busy nights with rice, mashed potatoes, noodles, or a slice of crusty bread.
  • For a super tender roast, choose a cut of meat with good fat marbling throughout.

This easy pot roast recipe is simple enough for beginners, but the flavor will "wow" the most seasoned chefs.

So, prepare your taste buds and grab the slow cooker—the deliciousness of French onion pot roast awaits!

🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

The recipe ingredients with text label overlays.

📖 Make it your own: yummy variations

  1. Add extra savory flavor—swap out some of the beef broth for red wine.
  2. Any type of white or yellow onion will do the trick. Choose sweet onions if you want a slightly more caramelized taste.
  3. Switch it up by tossing in your favorite herbs, like thyme or rosemary.
  4. Toss in some baby carrots, celery, and/or potatoes to make an easy, one-pot meal.
  5. Lean into the French onion flavor by stirring in gruyere cheese at the end until it melts.

🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.

Sliced onions layered in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Grease the side and bottom of the crock pot. Add the sliced onions.

Pot roast rubbed with French onion soup mix and placed over onions.

Add beef stock. Rub beef roast with dry onion soup mix and place on top.

Combining the broth with cornstarch in a saucepan.

Optional: After cooking, simmer broth and cornstarch until thickened.

Stirring the shredded pot roast meat with the gravy and onions.

Shred the roast. Stir to combine with the onions/broth mixture or gravy.

🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -

After cooking, combine 1-2 tablespoon cornstarch and 1-2 tablespoon of the broth in a small bowl. Whisk into a paste. Add the remaining broth and cornstarch mixture into a pan and simmer, whisking to thicken it into gravy.

zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive

🍴Must have tools: essential equipment

  1. Cutting board
  2. Chef's knife
  3. Crockpot or slow cooker
  4. Optional: saucepan, small bowl, whisk

🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat French onion pot roast

This recipe tastes just as good when you cook as it does the next day... and the day after that!

Let the leftover pot roast cool a little bit, then transfer it to an airtight container. It'll keep in the fridge for three to four days or the freezer for up to three months.

Let frozen leftovers thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, warm it up on the stovetop (for larger quantities) or heat individual portions in the microwave until hot.

A serving plate of French onion pot roast next to a fork and slow cooker.

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Marye's Tip o' the day

The cooking time will vary a bit depending on the size of your roast and the power of your slow cooker. It's finished cooking when the meat pulls away easily when stuck with a fork.

💭 Insider tips: things to know

  1. Raw beef is only good in the fridge for three to five days, so use it quickly. If it starts looking gray or slimy, it might have gone bad.
  2. Use paper towels to blot off any extra moisture from the beef. This'll help the onion soup mix stick better, resulting in a more flavorful roast.
  3. Your grocery store might call round roast by another name: rump roast.
  4. Some meat experts say that scoring the sides and top of the roast with a knife before rubbing it with the seasoning can make it taste more flavorful and tender.

👩‍🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs

Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!

What's the difference between beef chuck and round roast?

Beef chuck is a little fattier, so it'll be more flavorful. However, the difference between beef chuck and round roast isn't major, so you can use either interchangeably, and they'll both be delicious.

How do I make a tender pot roast?

It's important to give pot roast enough time to cook, which breaks down the tough connective tissues. Longer cook times work best with beef roasts, so using a slow cooker for 8-10 hours is perfect!

Do I need to season the meat before adding the onion soup packet?

Nope! French onion soup mix already has plenty of seasoning. When serving, you can add a pinch more salt or fresh-cracked black pepper if you'd like, but it shouldn't need much.

Do you have to sear pot roast before cooking?

Nope! In some recipes, it's better to sear the meat in a large skillet to lock in the flavor and juice. However, in this recipe, we want the onion soup mix to sink into the meat, so no searing is necessary.

Can I make French onion pot roast in a Dutch oven?

Sure, you can make this slow cooker pot roast recipe in a heavy Dutch oven that has a tight-fitting lid—if no lid, use aluminum foil.

Combine all the ingredients as written. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F for two to three hours or until the meat is tender.

An overhead view of slow cooker French onion pot roast on a serving plate.

⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -

Serve slow cooker French onion pot roast with Minute rice or microwave mashed potatoes and microwave veggies for a super fast, hearty meal.

📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love

  • Crockpot Mississippi Pot Roast is fork tender, flavored with savory Ranch mix and pepperoncinis, and takes five minutes to prep!
  • The best pot roast for spice lovers, Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Cheese Grits is flavor-packed—and the creamy grits are cooked to perfection.
  • Have another packet of soup mix? Use it up in this easy side dish—buttery Lipton Onion Soup Mix Potatoes are made in just 25 minutes!
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    Bottom Round Roast Recipe
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    Crock Pot Rump Roast
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    Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots

🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with

Overhead view of a bowl of garlic mashed potatoes for feature image.

Red Skin Mashed Potatoes taste like they came from your favorite steakhouse. They're rich and creamy with garlic butter flavor and are done in under a half hour!


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Brussels Sprouts with Bacon convert any veggie hater into a fan. They're crispy and caramelized around the edges but tender in the middle—they taste so much better than Brussels sprouts did as a kid. Try 'em and see!


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German Apple Pie is creamy and perfectly spiced with cinnamon-y fall flavor. Better yet, this pie is simple to make, and since it only has a crust on the bottom, it's basically foolproof!

🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose leftover roast beef

Leftover pot roast is super versatile, and the French onion flavor complements so many other meals:

  • Roast beef sandwiches on chewy Cornmeal Rolls
  • Stuff into loaded baked potatoes
  • Shepherd's Pie
  • Beefy French onion pasta
  • French onion beef nachos

📞 Wrapping it up: the last word

There's just something extra-special about an old-fashioned beef and gravy type meal and this one is at the top of my list. The caramelized onion flavor, the rich gravy, and the melt-in-your-mouth beef makes the meal unforgettable.

Plus it's just so darn easy! I hope you love it as much as I do.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Overhead view of French Onion Pot Roast in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker French Onion Pot Roast

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It takes just 5 ingredients to make this easy slow cooker French onion pot roast! Serve the fall-apart tender beef in rich, savory gravy over rice, mashed potatoes, or noodles.
Course Main Dish - Beef
Cuisine American - Vintage
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours hours
Total Time: 8 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Servings:6
Calories:456
Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds beef chuck roast, or round roast
  • 1 ounce onion soup mix, 1 envelope
  • ¾ cup beef stock
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground garlic
  • ¼ cup red wine, optional, or just use all beef stock.
  • 3 medium onions, sliced
  • fresh thyme, optional

Instructions

  • Spray the inside of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Put the sliced onions in the bottom.
  • Cover with beef broth.
  • Sprinkle with garlic.
  • Rub chuck roast on all sides with onion soup mix and place on top of onions. If there is any additional soup mix pour over the top of the roast.
  • Add a few springs of fresh thyme to the top if desired.
  • Cook on low for 8 hours, or up to 12.
  • Once done, shred the roast, removing any larger pieces of fat, and mix with the onions and broth.

Notes

Storage:
Let the leftover pot roast cool a little bit, then transfer it to an airtight container. It'll keep in the fridge for three to four days or the freezer for up to three months.
Tips:
    1. Raw beef is only good in the fridge for three to five days, so use it quickly. If it starts looking gray or slimy, it might have gone bad.
    1. Use paper towels to blot off any extra moisture from the beef. This'll help the onion soup mix stick better, resulting in a more flavorful roast.
    1. Your grocery store might call round roast by another name: rump roast.
    1. Some meat experts say that scoring the sides and top of the roast with a knife before rubbing it with the seasoning can make it taste more flavorful and tender.
You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 456kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 625mg | Potassium: 936mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

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About Marye

Meet Marye Audet, a wizard in the kitchen and a storyteller at heart. Marye is like your eccentric but fun aunt who knows all the secret recipes and isn't afraid to spill them.

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Marye Audet-White, founder of Restless Chipotle Media

Hey Y'all, I'm Marye

Welcome to my kitchen! ☕

NY Times bestselling author. 10 cookbooks. Mom of 8 kids. Homeschooling mom for 22 years. Addicted to Hallmark Christmas Movies. Collector of old cookbooks.

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