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Looking for an easy chuck roast recipe? This Balsamic Slow Cooker Roast Beef only requires about 5 minutes of hands-on time, and then the Crock Pot does the work!
This moist slow cooker roast beef is a versatile, family-friendly dinner that you can serve year-round. For a cozy winter night, try adding a side of Make-Ahead Garlic Mashed Potatoes or a 3-Ingredient Cheesy Potato Casserole. In the summer, my boys love this tender meat piled high on sandwich buns with German Potato Salad or chips on the side.
No matter how you serve it or what the weather’s like outside, this easy slow cooker roast beef recipe is sure to become a staple at your family’s table. It just makes everyone happy!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SLOW COOKER ROAST BEEF:
The slow cooker was made for chuck roast recipes! It’s a cut of beef that does well with the low-and-slow method, so you can turn on the Crock Pot at the beginning of the day and come home to moist, tender, juicy roast beef in time for supper. It’s so darn easy!
First, season the chuck roast liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Don’t be shy — a large piece of meat needs a lot of seasoning.
Do you have to brown a roast before putting it in the Crock Pot?
No, you don’t! I know that a lot of home cooks are busy and rushing out the door in the morning. You need meals that you can literally just dump-and-go!
This chuck roast for this slow cooker roast beef does NOT need to be browned in a skillet before you place it in the slow cooker. That said, browning the roast first is an added bonus!
If you have the time, that extra step will add some nice color and flavor to the dish. But again — it’s certainly not necessary. You choose!
Next, let’s make the delicious sweet-tangy-savory Balsamic Sauce that will marinate and flavor your roast beef all day while it cooks.
This sauce requires just a handful of pantry staples that can be whisked together in about 3 minutes: beef broth, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, honey, and garlic. YUM.
I’m telling you — there is no boring roast beef allowed around here…
How long do you have to cook roast beef in a slow cooker?
As I mentioned, the chuck roast does well cooked on low for a long period of time. I recommend at least 6-8 hours on the LOW Crock Pot setting. If you want it done sooner, you can cook the roast beef on HIGH for about 3-4 hours.
The end result is this moist slow cooker roast beef that practically falls apart with a fork. You can slice it, shred it, or pull it — however you like it best!
Return the meat to the pot to stay warm, baste it with the balsamic sauce, or pile it on top of a roll. Remember — Slow Cooker Roast Beef Sandwiches are a delicious option!
Serving Suggestions:
- Enjoy the roast beef with mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, oven-roasted potatoes or vegetables, salad, or potato salad.
- Make roast beef sandwiches by serving the meat on buns with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and melted Swiss cheese.
- Use shredded roast beef in tacos or tucked inside Steak and Cheese Quesadillas.
- Have the shredded beef on top of a salad with plenty of fresh vegetables and your favorite dressing.
- Turn it into brunch! Steak and eggs are delicious with toasted thick, crusty bread.
Looking for other easy chuck roast recipes? Try these favorites:
- Amish Chuck Roast Recipe (for the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or oven)
- Classic Pot Roast (for the slow cooker or oven)
- Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
Balsamic Slow Cooker Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 1 ½ - 2 lb. boneless chuck roast
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chuck roast liberally with salt and pepper.
- Place roast directly into the slow cooker; OR you can brown the roast in a skillet for added color and flavor before it goes into the slow cooker. If you choose to brown the roast first, heat about 2 T olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add roast to the hot oil and sear until dark brown on each side (about 2-5 minutes per side). Then transfer the roast to the slow cooker.
- In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over beef.
- Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Remove beef from slow cooker and place on cutting board. Slice against the grain, or use two forks to pull apart beef. Return meat to slow cooker and toss with sauce in the pot.
- Spoon meat and sauce onto sandwich rolls, serve over mashed potatoes, or just enjoy on a plate with your favorite roasted vegetables!
Notes
- Enjoy the roast beef with mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, oven-roasted potatoes or vegetables, salad, or potato salad.
- Make roast beef sandwiches by serving the meat on buns with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and melted Swiss cheese.
- Use shredded roast beef in tacos or tucked inside Steak and Cheese Quesadillas.
- Have the shredded beef on top of a salad with plenty of fresh vegetables and your favorite dressing.
- Turn it into brunch! Steak and eggs are delicious with toasted thick, crusty bread.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in June, 2014. It was updated in November, 2018.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
Blair, this is such an easy and quick to prep meal! I love that all the ingredients are always in my pantry. The flavors are really delicious and unique! I added some flour to thicken up the sauce just a bit. I decided to try the slow cook function on my Instant Pot and loved how it seems to give me better control over the cooking temperature over my crock style slow cooker. Thanks for a yummy, easy and inexpensive recipe!
Thank you SO much, Norma! I need to use my Instant Pot’s slow cooker function next time. That’s a great suggestion!
Delicious, family loved it, even better next day!
Wonderful! Thanks, Jana!
Can I put potatoes, carrots and onions in with the roast? Thanks
Hi, Willie! Absolutely! 🙂
Can this recipe be done in an IP? Does it require any changes?
Yes! It should work really well in the Instant Pot, Debra! I have never tested this exact recipe, but I’ve made other pot roast recipes in the pressure cooker and they work really well. Depending on the size of your roast, it will need to cook on high pressure for 60-80 minutes. I normally do 70 minutes for this smaller size roast, but if you’re using a 3 or 4 lb roast, you will probably want to increase the time to 80 minutes. Do a natural release for 10 minutes, and then quick release. Enjoy!
If I made a smaller roast what changes should I make?
Hi, Betty! This is a small roast at just 1 1/2 – 2 lbs., so you probably won’t find one much smaller. That said, if you want to make a roast that’s just 1 lb., you probably won’t need to change anything. The meat requires the low and slow cooking time to get really nice and tender, so I wouldn’t shorten it to less than 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH. Enjoy!
I have 5 different balsamic vinegars in my pantry ranging from tart to sweet. Any recommendations of the type that you use in this recipe? I’m making this today- can’t wait to try it!
Hi, Shannon! It honestly doesn’t matter too much — I would just go with a high-quality vinegar that you enjoy the most. If you like a slightly sweet taste with your beef, go that route. If you prefer more tart, go with that one. You can’t go wrong, so it’s really just a matter of personal taste. Enjoy!
Thanks!
Just wanted to comment that this recipe is fantastic! I made this for a work dinner the other night at my house and needed something that I could make hours ahead, but that would still be a dinner party type dinner. This was perfect! I served this on a platter with mini brioche rolls (from Whole Foods) with arugula, thinly sliced red onions, sliced tomatoes, cheddar cheese and horseradish mayonnaise for a make your own sandwich bar- everyone loved it! Ive since sent this link to several friends and it was so good I’m making it for a party tomorrow. It will stay in heavy rotation on my list!
That makes me so happy to hear, Shannon! I’m glad that it’s made hosting easier (I agree — you can’t beat the convenience of the slow cooker). Thanks for sharing the recipe with your friends, too! 🙂
Delicious and so easy! The flavour is amazing and the roast was super tender. I didn’t brown the roast and the flavour was still fantastic!
Thanks, Leanne! So glad that you liked it! 🙂
This recipe was awesome and easy. I substituted maple syrup for the honey, turned out great.
Thanks, Scott! The maple syrup is a perfect substitute. Glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate you taking the time to come back here and leave a note!
I’m going to make this recipe tomorrow. My roast is 3-4 lbs.
what changes should I make?
Hi, Holly! I would use 1.5 cups of beef broth, double the vinegar, Worcestershire, soy sauce, honey and garlic. That way your meat will have plenty of flavor and seasoning. Cook the meat for 8-10 hours on LOW and it should be perfect!
Planning to make this tomorrow. Would you recommend making the sauce a head of time and marinating the roast or will sauce penetrate the roast enough in the slow cooker?
Hi, Jai! I would just wait and let it “marinate” as it cooks in the Crock Pot. There’s a good amount of acid in that sauce (thanks to all of the vinegar), and marinating meat in an acidic marinade for too long can cause the meat to become mushy when cooked. It should be plenty flavorful after cooking for so long in the sauce in the slow cooker. Hope you enjoy!
Blair this recipe is AMAZING! It was so EASY compared to so many pot roast recipes. All the ingredients are staples in my kitchen so a last minute home cooked meal for a busy night of dance classes was possible! My husband and I agree this is definitely going into regular rotation for dinner. We can’t wait to try it as sandwiches next time. I made your make ahead garlic mashed potatoes as a side this time around and they went great and were also superb. Thank you for sharing and I can’t wait try another one of your recipes!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Nicole. Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
So good and very tender! Will be sending to my foodie friends!
Thank you so much, CJ!
Hi Blair – stumbled into your recipe while looking to jazz up our occasional family pot roast. Was fantastic! Doubled everything (but used 1.5 cups beef broth instead of 2 as you suggested when doubling) and poured over a browned ~4 lb’ish chuck roast, from which I had cut any obvious/easy chunks of fat. Then added onions, parsnips, red potatoes and carrots (in that order) until lid of slow cooker almost wouldn’t go on. 9 hours on low. Removed veggies and roast to large baking dish and covered with foil on low in oven prior to serving. Poured remaining liquid through a gravy separator and reduced for about 15-20 minutes on stove on medium-high. Poured reduction over the meat and served with ciabatta baguette (and wine of course). All loved it!!
Hi Jim,
Your meal sounds incredible! Thank you for your rating and feedback. We really appreciate it and are so glad the recipe was a hit!