On Sundays we like to slow things down and make a delicious family dinner that can be enjoyed that night plus make leftovers to be eaten later in the week. This dutch oven pot roast is of our all-time family favorite Sunday Suppers! A traditional pot roast should include a juicy and tender roast, fork tender vegetables, and a delicious gravy for drizzling on top. Now, we do love a good Slow Cooker Pot Roast (especially for weeknight dinners), but this classic pot roast recipe is the perfect dinner to serve up in those cooler, winter months!
Looking for Another One Pot Dinner?
Then you definitely need to try our Corned Beef & Cabbage!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- boneless chuck roast – check your local grocery store or butcher shop for a cut of beef that works for you.
- pomegranate juice – option to sub with dry red wine or a red cooking wine (for an N/A option), if you aren’t concerned with keeping this recipe Paleo/Whole30 compliant.
- beef soup bones – a secret ingredient for adding even more flavor to your pot roast, but it is optional.
- potatoes, carrots, & onions – we love this classic combination, but feel free to use the veggies that you love with pot roast. Mushrooms would also be good!
How To Make Dutch Oven Pot Roast
Begin by seasoning all sides of the beef roast.
Now sear all sides of the beef roast in a large dutch oven on the stove top. Be patient and get a good sear, it will add flavor and help retain juices!
Pro Tip
Don’t wipe out or clean the pot before continuing on with the recipe. Just add some olive oil or butter to deglaze those delicious browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Option to add a splash of beef broth, if needed.
Remove the roast and sauté the aromatics in the same pot.
Then add the liquid ingredients and mix to combine.
Return the roast to the pot with garlic and herbs; bring to a boil.
Move the pot to the oven to bake, covered, for 3-4 hours. Add the potatoes and veggies during the last 30 minutes to hour.
Take all of the meat and vegetables out of the pot and place on a large serving platter. Cover to let the meat rest.
Pro Tip – Make the Gravy!
Not all pot roast recipes come with a delicious gravy to enjoy with your dinner, but this one DOES! Because who doesn’t love gravy!? The steps to make this smooth gravy are entire optional, but highly recommended!
Pour the remaining liquid through a sieve and into a glass measuring cup.
Melt butter in a skillet and add the flour.
Whisk melted butter and flour together to create a roux for the gravy.
Finally, whisk in the strained liquid to create a smooth gravy.
Best Ways To Serve Dutch Oven Pot Roast
This one pot meal is best served with the gravy drizzled on top. It keeps everything moist and delicious. We also love to serve this finished dish with some crusty bread, garlic bread, or grilled bread to help soak up all those amazing juices!
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- What is the best cut of meat for pot roast? It is probably a chuck roast followed by the shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, rump roast, or bottom round roast. Here is a nice article talking more about recommended cuts of meat for pot roast – so helpful! The beauty of a pot roast is you are essentially braising the meat for hours on end, so it is perfect for tougher (and therefore cheaper) cuts of meat! Let them cook away in the delicious sauce until they are melt-in-your-mouth amazing!
- What size dutch oven should I use? A 7-8 quart dutch oven should fit everything. For years we have used our Le Creuset Dutch Oven!
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Dutch Oven Pot Roast Recipe + Gravy
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our classic Dutch oven pot roast with fall-apart tender beef and a rich gravy that is perfect for your next Sunday supper (and don’t sleep on those leftovers!).
Ingredients
Pot Roast:
- 2.5 lb boneless beef chuck roast
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or butter), divided
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3–4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup pomegranate juice (sub with dry red wine)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 small head of garlic (cut off top and remove loose outer covering)
- 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme
- beef soup bones (if available)
Vegetables:
- 15–17 baby yukon gold potatoes
- 3–4 carrots, peeled, halved, and cut into two-inch chunks
- 1 1/2 cup pearl onions (optional)
Gravy:
- 3 cups cooking liquid with excess fat removed (use beef broth if not enough cooking liquid)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F.
- Season + Sear Meat: Place beef on a large plate and season generously with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter) to a large dutch oven and bring to medium-high heat. Place beef roast inside, searing 1-3 minutes per side. Remove and place on a clean plate, set aside.
- Cook Aromatics: Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) to dutch oven, allowing it to coat the bottom of the pan and scraping up any bits that are stuck to the bottom (add a splash of beef broth if you need to). Add 2 tablespoons minced garlic and allow to cook for a moment or two until it becomes fragrant. Next, add onion and celery, allow to cook down, approximately 2-3 minutes; sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and stir to coat everything.
- Add Liquid: Add 3-4 cups broth, 1 cup pomegranate juice (or red wine), 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; stir to combine.
- Braise: Return seared beef roast to dutch oven along with the head of garlic, fresh thyme and beef soup bones. Cover and allow to come to a boil, then turn off stove and transfer Dutch oven to the oven. Let cook approx. 3-4 hours or until the internal temperature of the roast, at it’s thickest point, reaches between 195-210 degrees F. (this is the temp at which it will fall apart nicely).
- Add Vegetables + Potatoes: Approximately 30-60 minutes before the roast is done, add the potatoes, carrots and pearl onions. You can add earlier, if you want really soft veggies – up to you!
- Rest + Cooking Liquid: Once your beef has reached an internal temp of between 195-210 degrees F. and your veggies are soft, but firm – transfer the roast and veggies to a platter and cover with foil to let the beef rest. Strain the remaining liquid into a glass measuring cup and let fat naturally rise to the top – skim off the fat and discard.
- Make Gravy: using either the same Dutch oven or a 12-inch cast iron skillet (which is what we used), bring to medium-high heat. Add 4 tablespoons butter and let melt. Add 6 tablespoons flour and whisk to combine with the butter to make a roux. Slowly add the cooking liquid approx. 1/3 cup at a time and then whisk to combine with the roux. Continue until all the cooking liquid is used up. Note: if you don’t have enough cooking liquid, sub in beef broth to reach a total of 3 cups.
- Adjust Gravy: To make the gravy thinner, simply add additional splashes of beef broth. Taste and add some salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve: Once gravy is done, serve everything while it’s warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Best Cut of Beef for Pot Roast: recommended cuts of meat include chuck roast (recommended), shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, rump roast, or bottom round roast.
- Pomegranate Juice: use to make this recipe Paleo/Whole30 compliant. If you aren’t concerned with Whole30/Paleo, we would recommend using a dry, fruity red wine instead.
- Beef Soup Bones: these can generally be found at your local deli. They help to add another layer of flavor and make the broth/sauce that much better! That being said, the recipe will turn out just fine without them.
- Stove Top Option: you can simply cover and let this simmer gently on the stove top instead of transferring to the oven (see Step 5). Cook time was a little longer when we tested this method – closer to 4-5 hours – but it will depend on several variables, such as thickness of roast and temp of your simmer so let your internal meat thermometer be your guide!
- Gluten-Free: gluten-free 1-to-1 flour can be used in the gravy!
- Dairy-Free: use dairy-free butter.
- Storage: leftover pot roast can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz
- Calories: 271
- Sugar: 6.9 g
- Sodium: 253.7 mg
- Fat: 10.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.4 g
- Protein: 25.5 g
- Cholesterol: 67 mg
Jenna says
Favorite pot roast recipe! Have made it each way with pomegranate juice and with red wine both ways delicious!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Jenna!! And thanks for taking the time to leave a review – so appreciated!
Mandy Andrews says
I usually cook roast in the slow cooker. I decided to give this a try and am so glad I did! Hands down the best roast I’ve ever made!! It fell apart and was so juicy!
Erin says
Thank you so much, Mandy! I am happy to hear that 🙂 And thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review + feedback – I so appreciate it!
Jenna says
Will forever make pot roast with pomegranate juice! It was so delicious and tender! Used the stove top then oven method, throwing the veggies in for the last hour or so, and it was perfect! Great recipe!
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Jenna! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave your review + feedback – I really appreciate it!
Alissa says
I made this Dutch oven roast for dinner tonight and wow, yum! I substituted the pomegranate juice for tart cherry and still *chefs kiss*. My boyfriend said it was my best roast yet!
Erin says
That makes me so happy to hear, Alissa! And I love the cherry juice – glad that worked just as well! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your feedback – it means a lot!