This Slow Cooker Roast Beef will be become your favourite Sunday Roast – incredibly tender slow cooked beef in a rich gravy. 10/10 for flavour and almost zero effort!
Perfect for serving a crowd so why not make it this weekend? This slow cooked beef recipe is gluten free and Slimming World friendly.
Sometimes a recipe comes along that
- Is incredibly tasty and beloved by everyone
- Is SUPER EASY and almost cooks itself
Simply pop the meat and veggies in your slow cooker in the morning and you have the best dinner waiting for you by supper time. Take a look at the recipe video and step by step photos to see how its done.
Super easy and tastes amazing. My family commented on how amazing the gravy tasted, the best they’ve had apparently. Definitely going to keep this recipe on rotation! “
What makes this recipe such a winner?
- The PERFECT pot roast: If you are intimidated by roast beef because it is tricky to get just right then this is the beef recipe for you. Technically it is not a roast but a beef pot roast since it is cooked in a slow cooker.
- It is almost hands off, practically a ‘dump and go’ recipe. After some initial prep, the meat simply cooks slowly for several hours until it becomes perfectly tender and succulent.
- Finally a beef roast that comes with gravy built in! The flavor-packed broth in which the beef cooks in becomes the totally addicting gravy you will want to bathe in (or maybe that’s just me)
- You can also cook potatoes and other veggies at the same time – one less job to do!
Which Cut is best for Beef Roast?
More good news my friends! You can use any beef joint that’s suitable for roasting or pot roasting, including some budget friendly options such as brisket and topside. I ordered my beef joint from Amazon Fresh and it is such good quality!
Make sure your joint will fit in your Slow Cooker – as you will see from the recipe video my joint was rather mahoosive! You can cut it in half if necessary.
I have made this recipe so many times and according to my family the BESTEST ever version was made with topside beef – I will leave the final choice up to you. If you are watching your weight make sure to pick a leaner joint and trim any visible fat before cooking.
Different beef cuts will yield different results. If you prefer a fall-apart beef roast then go for a brisket joint. If you want to slice your beef then a topside or top round will be a better option.
Remember that beef will shrink slightly as it cooks so buy medium-large joint, allowing for at least 200g (7oz) meat per person.
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
Apart from your beef joint you will need the following ingredients
- Beef stock (broth) – I usually use Knorr Stockpots but you can use a stock cube or your favourite broth, preferably a low sodium one. Check this is gluten free if that is a concern
- Balsamic vinegar and soy sauce (or Tamari for GF version)
- Worcestershire sauce
- Concentrated tomato paste
- Onion and garlic
- Bay leaves
- Carrots – these add flavour to the gravy and you can serve them on the side, win-win!
- Potatoes – these are optional. I actually prefer crispy roast potatoes with my roast beef so I usually cook these separately in the oven or an Air Fryer.
- Cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken the gravy. You can also use Xanthan Gum if you prefer.
- Not an ingredient, obvs, but you will also need a Slow Cooker – this is the one I am currently loving, it comes with a searing function and it’s so budget friendly!
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER BEEF
Take a look at this step by step tutorial – please note you will find the full recipe, including ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this post.
STEP 1. Pat the beef dry with kitchen paper and season well with salt and pepper. Allow your beef joint to come to room temperature before cooking.
STEP 2. Spray a large skillet or shallow casserole dish with olive oil spray and sear the beef on all sides. This can take up to 10-15 minutes but adds so much flavour. You want to trigger the Maillard reaction – in layman’s terms you want to brown the beef until nicely coloured.
STEP 3. Set the beef aside and deglaze the pan with white wine (or red wine or beef stock), scraping any browned bits into the stock with the back of a wooden spoon. This is where a lot of the flavour comes from so don’t skip it!
STEP 4. Add the onions and carrots and stir until they get a bit of colour and and almost all of the liquid is gone.
STEP 5. Add beef stock (broth), soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée, minced garlic, salt and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
STEP 6. Add the beef and then the vegetables, pushing them down into the liquid. Top with extra hot beef stock to come up halfway up the side of your joint.
STEP 7. Cover the slow cooker and cook for 5- 8 hours on LOW or 3-6 hours on HIGH depending on the beef cut and your preferences. If your crockpot has a ceramic insert it will likely need to cook for longer – modern slow cookers which allow for searing heat quicker and therefore cooking times are shorter.
STEP 8. Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the slow cooker. Check the beef using a meat thermometer (see guidelines below) or by piercing with a knife – it should be tender.
ROAST BEEF INTERNAL TEMPERATURE
The best way to check your beef is cooked to your liking is to check the temperature with a digital thermometer. Insert the probe in the thickest part of the joint and check the temperature against these guidelines.
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Medium rare – 55°C (131°F)
Medium – 60°C ( 140°F)
Medium well – 65°C (149°F)
Well done – 70°C+ (158°F)
THE MOST DELICIOUS BEEF GRAVY
This gravy OMG it is soooo delicious it really makes this recipe sing! All you have to do is strain all the liquid from the slow cooker into a saucepan discarding any solids (but hold on to carrots and potatoes if used).
Stir in the cornflour slurry and bring the gravy to a rolling simmer. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes or until slightly reduced. Taste and season if needed.
WHAT VEGETABLES SHOULD I SERVE WITH ROAST BEEF?
Slice the beef against the grain and arrange on a platter with the carrots (and potatoes if you have added any).
Drizzle with some of the gravy and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serve the roast allowing everyone to pour extra gravy on top – SO YUMMY!
If you are not cooking the potatoes in with the roast then these scalloped potatoes and creamy Brussels sprouts would be lovely served on the side – though, alas, not diet friendly!
TIPS FOR BEST-EVER SLOW COOKER BEEF
– Brown the beef before cooking. This triggers the Maillard reaction which adds tons of flavour to your pot roast. If you are really short of time you can ‘dump and go’ skipping this step but for the best flavour sear the meat first.
– Deglaze the pan – pour wine or stock into the hot pan after you have set the beef aside. Use the back of the spoon to scrape any browned bits into the stock.
– Do the prep work the night before. Add all the ingredients in your slow cooker, allow to cool and place in fridge overnight (in the slow cooker if space allows, otherwise in a suitable container). The next day turn your cooker on and forget about it for at least 8-9 hours. The roast might take longer to cook if cooked straight from the fridge.
– Love your roast beef leftovers! Keep any leftover meat for up to 4 days in the fridge and use in sandwiches, pasta bakes ( try my Stroganoff pasta bake or this yummy Philly Cheesesteak Soup). If you have any leftover gravy you can freeze it – pour cooled gravy into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid. Pop the cubes out into a freezer bag and use within 3 months.
Is this recipe Slimming Friendly?
This beef roast is great for those following popular weight loss plans like Weight Watchers and Slimming World. Simply remove any fat before cooking or even after…it will solidify in the fridge and is easy to skim off.
There’s 9 Weight Watchers SmartPoints *according to an online calculator, under 400 calories per serving and practically syn-free (1 synsin the gravy due to cornflour).
NEED SOME CROCKPOT INSPO? TRY THESE POPULAR RECIPES!
- Ultimate comfort food: Slow Cooker Beef Stew and Dumplings
- Slow Cooker Brisket (low carb / keto)
- No beans! Slow Cooker Chili (low carb / keto)
- This Slow Cooker Beef Curry incredibly easy and Slimming Friendly.
- My Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas are healthy and kid approved!
- Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb for tender, fall off the bone, lamb.
HAVE YOU MADE MY SLOW COOKER ROAST BEEF RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Slow Cooker Roast Beef
Ingredients
- Olive oil cooking spray or 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.4 kg (3 pounds) beef joint such as brisket or topside
- Salt and pepper to season
- 60 ml (¼ cup) red or white wine (or stock) to deglaze pan
- 2 onions , roughly chopped
- 4 carrots , halved (add more if you like)
- 6 potatoes , peeled and halved (optional)
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (or Tamari for GF version)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 480 ml (2 cups) hot beef stock (low sodium beefbroth)
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) diluted in 1 tbsp cold water
- Salt and pepper to season
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley , chopped to garnish
Instructions
- Take the beef joint out of the fridge for 30 minutes to come to room temperature. Pat the beef dry with kitchen paper and season well with salt and pepper.
- Spray a large pan or casserole dish with olive oil spray and sear the beef on all sides until nicely coloured. This can take up to 10-15 minutes but adds so much flavour so don’t skip!
- Set the beef aside and deglaze the pan with white wine (or red wine or beef stock), scraping any browned bits into the stock with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Add the onions and carrots and stir until they get a bit of colour and and almost all of the liquid is gone.
- Add beef stock (broth), soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, minced garlic, salt and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
- Add the beef and then the vegetables, pushing them down into the liquid. Check the levels of the stock, it should come up halfway up the side of your joint. Top with extra hot beef stock if necessary.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook your beef joint for 5-8 hours on LOW or 3-6 hours on HIGH. A large topside joint requires around 5-6 hours on LOW setting or 3 on HIGH whereas a brisket can happily cook for up to 8 on LOW and 6 on HIGH. If you can, flip the beef joint over about halfway through the cooking.
- Check the beef using a digital thermometer (this is best for a Topside joint which requires less coooking time – Medium rare – 55°C (131°F) | Medium – 60°C ( 140°F) | Medium well – 65°C (149°F) | Well done – 70°C+ (158°F).
- Remove the joint from the crockpot and rest for half an hour, loosely covered with foil.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables from the slow cooker. Strain all the liquid into a saucepan discarding any solids.
- Stir in the cornflour slurry and bring the gravy to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until reduced. Taste and season if needed.
- Slice the beef against the grain and arrange on a platter with the vegetables. Drizzle with some of the gravy and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve the roast allowing everyone to pour extra gravy on top – SO YUMMY!
Video
Notes
- Remove the meat from the fridge and pat the topside of beef dry as much as possible. Season really well with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Brown the beef before cooking. This triggers the Maillard reaction which adds tons of flavour to your pot roast. If you are really short of time you can ‘dump and go’ skipping this step but for the best flavour sear the meat first.
- Deglaze the pan – pour wine or stock into the hot pan after you have set the beef aside. Use the back of the spoon to scrape any browned bits into the stock.
- If your beef is a little tough, even after cooking for 8 hours, slice then add back in the pot for another hour.
- If you haven’t time to prep the meat in the morning, do the prep work the night before. Add all the ingredients in your slow cooker and allow to cool then store in the fridge overnight (in the slow cooker if fridge space allows, otherwise in a suitable container). The next day turn your cooker on and forget about it for at least 8-9 hours. The roast might take longer to cook if cooked straight from the fridge.
Christopher Jerwood says
As there is only two us, a three pound piece of beef is too much. How do I modify the recipe for say half the size of beef?
Lucy Parissi says
You don’t need to make any changes to the cooking time I don’t think. Use as many vegetables as you need for 4 people but keep the liquid levels the same x
Abel says
Hi how about, I write from Mexico, I want to make this recipe but I have a doubt, what kind of beef do you recommend to make it look delicious like the one seen in your video?
Lucy Parissi says
Hi there, not sure what you have available. In the uk it’s Topside of beef but you could use rolled brisket. Generally aim for a cut that likes slow cooking. Hope this helps!
Shona MacFarlane says
Can i pleeeeeease ask – is this a modified recipe?? I am to remember one where the garlic was sliced on top rather than included in the actual stock. It’s the best brisket we ever had, and I would LOVE to try it again…
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Shona – no it hasn’t been modified. Feel free to change it around if you like!
Morag says
Made this last night. Although was absolutely delicious wouldn’t have been able to eat the meat without the gravy. Meat was so dry. Followed your instructions to the letter. What could I have done wrong? Lots of leftovers. Goi f to make your stroganoff with it today
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Morag – what type of meat did you use? It sounds like maybe it was slightly overcooked or perhaps the cut was not suitable. The meat should be so tender it falls apart!
SUE RIDOUT says
Best ever …. delicious even though I did not have the balsamic vinegar or bay leaves
Liz says
Best roast and gravy I’ve ever made that you,
Lucy Parissi says
Hi Liz so glad to hear! 🙂
Tammy says
Super easy and tastes amazing. I skipped the bay leaves as I didn’t have any. My whole family commented on how amazing the gravy tasted, the best they’ve had apparently. Definitely going to keep this recipe on rotation.
Lucy Parissi says
Thanking you and your family Tammy for making my day with your lovely comment 🙂
Dominic says
Really well explained and delicious
Hazel Armstrong says
Lovely easy way to cook a roast – the carrots particularly were amazing! Have so many left overs though (even after making the suggested Beef Stroganoff pasta bake), should have bought a smaller bit of meat cause we’ll be having roast beef sandwiches for the rest of the week.
Leigh toller says
Waiting for the finished result 💤😀