Crock Pot Onion Soup Beef Pot Roast

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 02/22/24
Tested by
Carrie Parente
Carrie Parente
Tested by Carrie Parente
Carrie is a freelance food stylist and culinary producer who loves having a table full of guests.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 9 hrs
Total: 9 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

This easy slow cooker pot roast needs only five common ingredients plus water—you can even substitute vegetables you have on hand or omit them altogether. Start with a good lean beef chuck roast for this recipe or look for a cut of beef with "pot roast" on the label. Chuck roast, bottom round, and rump roast make the best choices for long, slow braising.

Thanks to the low and slow cooking method and the soup, your roast will emerge tender and moist. There's no need to brown the roast first in this recipe since there's plenty of flavor thanks to the soup and onion soup mix.

Inexpensive cream of mushroom soup and dry onion soup mix add deep flavor to the roast with minimal effort. Just put everything in the crock pot, set it, and forget it—until the aroma alerts you that it's time for dinner.

A slow cooker with onion soup beef pot roast, with potatoes and carrots

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
What You'll Need To Make This Pot Roast Recipe
Crockpot 7Quart Slow Cooker
A Classic Slow Cooker
Zyliss Lock N’ Lift Can Opener
A Can Opener
Amazon All-Clad d5 3-Quart Stainless Steel Saucepan
A Saucepan

"This is truly a one-pot meal. There is no need to sear the beef or sauté vegetables before adding to the crock pot, which means less clean up and a short prep time." —Carrie Parente

Crock Pot Onion Soup Beef Pot Roast Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 pounds lean beef chuck roast

  • 2 cups baby carrots, optional

  • 2 pounds new potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks, optional

  • 2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

  • 1 1/2 cups water

  • 1 (1-ounce) packet dry onion soup mix

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make slow cooker onion soup beef pot roast

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Center the roast in the pot of your slow cooker. Line the sides with carrots and new potatoes (or omit the vegetables if you choose).

    A slow cooker with a beef roast surrounded by carrots and potatoes

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Combine the condensed mushroom soup, water, and onion soup mix.

    A glass bowl of mushroom soup, water, and onion soup mix

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Pour the soup mixture over the pot roast and vegetables.

    A slow cooker with a pot roast, carrots, and potatoes covered with mushroom-onion soup mix mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  5. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours or until the meat and vegetables turn tender. Or cook on high for about 3 to 4 hours.

    A slow cooker with a cooked onion soup beef pot roast with potatoes and carrots

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  6. Remove the meat and vegetables to a platter and cover to keep warm until serving. If desired, spoon some of the liquid from the bottom of the crock pot onto the meat and vegetables, or use the pan juices to make gravy to serve with the pot roast.

    A platter of slow cooker onion soup beef pot roast with potatoes and carrots

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Tips

  • Grocers often label cuts of meat for pot roasts, but look for lean chuck roast, blade roast, 7-bone, rump roast, bottom round, or shoulder roast.
  • Condensation in the crock pot waters down the juices by the end of the cooking time. If you want to make gravy, pour the liquid into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil; simmer briskly for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the volume reduces by about half to concentrate the flavors. Thicken the gravy by combining 2 teaspoons of cornstarch or about 1 tablespoon of flour with a few tablespoons of cold water and mixing until smooth. Stir the paste into the simmering juices until thoroughly incorporated and thickened. Serve the gravy with the sliced pot roast.
  • Substitute other vegetables for the potatoes and carrots if you wish. Choose options with similar textures such as sweet potatoes, turnips, or butternut squash chunks instead of potatoes; and parsnips, fennel, or celery root (celeriac) in place of carrots. Whatever you choose to use, keep the size of the pieces consistent. You can also add red, yellow, or white onion cut into large wedges.

Why is my pot roast tough?

If cooked in a slow cooker, pot roasts are usually pretty forgiving. Thanks to all of the moisture added in this recipe, the pot roast is more likely to be tough from under-cooking than over-cooking. Before removing from the crock pot, check that your roast is fork-tender.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1017 Calories
54g Fat
50g Carbs
84g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 1017
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 54g 69%
Saturated Fat 22g 108%
Cholesterol 259mg 86%
Sodium 1405mg 61%
Total Carbohydrate 50g 18%
Dietary Fiber 5g 19%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 84g
Vitamin C 16mg 79%
Calcium 240mg 18%
Iron 9mg 50%
Potassium 2078mg 44%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)