Easiest Dutch Oven Pot Roast Recipe

This Dutch Oven Pot Roast is a delicious one-pot meal made with simple ingredients and packed with flavor! Fork tender beef roast and perfectly seasoned veggies are just the thing to warm you up on a chilly day.

We didn’t eat a lot of red meat growing up, so I sometimes have a little air of uncertainty when I approach making something with it (other than ground beef). Translation: I kind of thought pot roast was difficult to make but it’s actually one of the easiest meals you can make. It’s super flexible and really hard to mess up. It’s a comforting one-pot meal that tastes like home, even if you didn’t grow up eating it. Let’s make it!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase any of the items linked in this post, I should earn a small commission. This creates no additional cost to you and helps support the work that goes into running The Fig Jar. Thank you! -Becky 

Ingredients for dutch oven pot roast

The ingredients for this recipe all build in deep flavor, but they are relatively simple. You can also play around with other seasonings and veggies if you like. Other herbs like rosemary and oregano can work too. Most starchy root vegetables such as turnips, parsnips, and sweet potatoes can also be used in a pinch but these below are what you’ll find in a classic pot roast recipe:

• Boneless beef chuck roast: I used a roast that was slightly over 2 pounds. You can trim off any extra fat around the edges if you wish. 
• Baby gold potatoes: I like using baby potatoes because I can just wash them and toss them in, no chopping necessary! But you could also use chopped red potatoes or russet potatoes here as well.
• Carrots: you can chop & peel whole carrots as I did or use baby carrots for more convenience
• Onion: white or yellow onions are preferred. If you don’t have onion, a dash of onion powder can be used as well
• Fresh garlic cloves: This is one of the many crucial layers of flavor in this dish. If you don’t have fresh garlic, minced garlic or garlic powder can be used in a pinch as well.
• Broth: beef broth, beef stock, or chicken broth all work here. I always have chicken broth on hand so that’s what I use most often
• Tomato sauce or paste: tomato paste is most commonly used in pot roast, but tomato sauce will work in a pinch (as it did for me when I shot this recipe)
• Fresh thyme and bay leaf: fresh herbs like thyme and bay leaves add especially delicious layers of flavor that complement the beef so well
• Salt and black pepper: I prefer to use kosher salt here

Not only are these ingredients basic and can be found in almost any grocery store, it doesn’t take much to make a complete meal with this dutch oven pot roast!

How to make pot roast in dutch oven

When I make any meat (except for fish!), I always salt it the day before. I learned this from Samin Nosrat via her book, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and I am forever grateful. It’s a total game changer and though you can probably get away with not doing it in a dish like this, it really takes no time at all and helps to ensure the meat is extra flavorful. 

With that said: first, place the beef chuck in your dutch oven and sprinkle it with salt all over the day/night before you plan to cook it. Store in the fridge until ready to put the pot roast together. 

When you’re ready to cook: place all the other ingredients in the dutch oven surrounding the meat. A lot of people sear the meat before cooking and you can do that if you want to, but I’m all about making things as easy as possible and you can make a delicious pot roast without searing. This way is so much easier and still results in a fall-apart tender roast!

Once you’ve added the veggies, seasoning, and liquid to the dutch oven. Cook in the oven at 300F for 3.5 hours.

The meat will be fall-apart-tender, the veggies will be perfectly cooked and you will have a delicious dinner ready for you and your family!

What size dutch oven should I use for this recipe?

I use a medium 5.5 quart dutch oven for this recipe, which is perfect for the amount of meat and veggies the recipe calls for. If you are doubling the recipe, a large dutch oven should be used (which holds about 9 quarts). But if you only have a 7-9 quart dutch oven, you could also use that for a single batch of this pot roast.

Do you need to sear meat before slow cooking?

It is not necessary to sear meat before slow cooking it, though it does help lock in juices and flavor. I’m all about making recipes as easy as possible and you can make a delicious pot roast without searing, but if you’d like to sear the meat before slow cooking it, simply place your room-temperature roast in a pan that is well-coated with olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear on both sides, then transfer to your dutch oven or slow cooker and follow the remaining steps below.

Why is my pot roast tough in the dutch oven?

Typically, pot roast is made with tough cuts of meat, such as bone-in chuck roast, which takes a long time to become tender. If your pot roast is still tough after cooking for 3-4 hours,  this means that it has not had enough time to break down the thick muscle and connective tissue. To fix this, simply increase the cooking time to allow the meat the necessary time to soften.

Which roast is best for pot roast?

Make sure to choose a cut of beef that has a balanced fat, muscle, and connective tissue content such as a boneless chuck roast or a bottom round roast. Other cuts that result in a tender pot roast include shoulder roast and rump roast.

Storage Instructions

To store pot roast, allow it to cool to room temperature and place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. You can also store it for 3 months in the freezer.

Reheating Instructions

Leftover pot roast reheats very well in the microwave or in a pot on the stove. If reheating from frozen, thaw pot roast completely in a container and pour the contents into slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours until the roast is cooked through.

Tried this recipe?

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Dutch Oven Pot Roast

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This Dutch Oven Pot Roast is a delicious one-pot meal made with simple ingredients and is packed with flavor. The meat and veggies are so tender–you’re going to love it! I used a 5.5 quart dutch oven to make this. 

• Author: Becky Schmieg
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: main

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 lb beef chuck roast
• 2 cups beef or chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 lb baby gold potatoes, washed and scrubbed clean
• 2 med carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 1/2 large white or yellow onion
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce *see notes for tomato paste
• 3–4 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

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Instructions

1. The night/day before you plan to cook the pot roast, sprinkle 1 tsp salt on all sides of the meat. Store the meat in a 5.5 quart dutch oven in the fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 300F.
3. Place potatoes, carrots and onions surrounding the meat. Add remaining salt, pepper, tomato sauce (or paste), chicken broth and water.
4. Cover and cook for 3 hours, remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to release some of the liquid.
5. Enjoy!

Notes

Tomato paste: use 2 tbsp paste in place of 1/2 cup sauce