Our flavorful Dutch Oven Pot Roast recipe is the ultimate comfort food for a delicious family dinner! Made with real, simple ingredients and served with a delicious au jus or gravy. Simple, yet sophisticated flavors that your whole family will love!
The Best Dutch Oven Pot Roast
This dutch oven pot roast with potatoes and carrots is the perfect weekend dinner! It is one of our all-time family favorite recipes to serve on Sunday evenings. A traditional pot roast should include a juicy and tender roast, fork tender vegetables, and a sauce for dipping or 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 in the cooler, winter months!
Looking for another one pot dinner? Check out our Ultimate Pork Roast Recipe!
What You Will Need
- boneless beef chuck roast – go to your local grocery store or butcher shop to find this classic cut of beef.
- salt and pepper – simple seasonings that are always a must when cooking any type of meat.
- olive oil – just a drizzle in the large pot to help sauté the aromatics.
- garlic, onion, & celery – sautéed in the bottom of the pot to get all the best flavors going.
- tomato paste – a tomato base that adds a nice depth of flavor.
- beef stock – option to use beef bone broth, if you want to add a lot of flavor.
- pomegranate juice – perfect for keeping this simple recipe Whole30/Paleo compliant or sub with a dry red wine, if you want.
- balsamic vinegar & red wine vinegar – a combo of vinegars that bring the slightest mild tang to the pot.
- tapioca starch – the thickening agent used to help thicken up the broth mixture.
- bay leaves – traditional flavor addition when slow cooking anything on the stovetop.
- beef soup bones – feel free to add if you want, they can usually be found in the meat department.
- fresh thyme – fresh herbs are always a must and fresh rosemary would also be great in this recipe.
- head of garlic – everything is always better with garlic in the mix!
- potatoes – any variety of potatoes would work great – baby potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, red potatoes, or russet potatoes (cut into large chunks).
- carrots – we love using large carrots but you can easily use baby carrots too!
- mushrooms & pearl onions – delicious additions to this amazing one pot meal.
How To Make Dutch Oven Pot Roast
The first steps to making this easy recipe is to bring a large dutch oven or large stockpot to a medium high heat, add olive oil, and sear meat on all sides.
Carefully remove the roast and set aside on a plate. Add the remaining oil to the pot and sauté the garlic, then the onion and celery. Now mix in the tomato paste to coat everything.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the beef broth, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, pomegranate juice (or red wine), and tapioca starch. Add to the dutch oven and then return the roast to the pan along with the garlic head, beef bones (if using), bay leaves, and thyme. Cover, bring to a boil, and then let it all simmer for 4-6 hours of cooking time.
When the roast has about 30-60 minutes of cook time remaining, add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and pearl onions to the pot. Vegetable Alternative – if you prefer the vegetables to be roasted, you can place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake at 325 degrees F for about the same amount of time.
Remove the meat and veggies leaving just the pan juices in the dutch oven and allow it to simmer and reduce before serving. This will create a delicious and thicker sauce!
Best Ways To Serve Dutch Oven Pot Roast
This one-pot meal is best served with the thickened beef au jus for dipping or drizzle it on top, like a gravy. 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 FAQ
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!
This is a personal preference! Some people love when their veggies soak up the pot roast juices and become a little more mushy in texture, but other love a classic roasted vegetable that stays a bit more firm. It is really up to you! There are instructions in the recipe card for both methods.
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Dutch Oven Pot Roast
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: Approx 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our tender and delicious Dutch Oven Pot Roast recipe is a classic, comfort food that the whole family loves!
Ingredients
Pot Roast:
- 2.5 lb beef chuck roast
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 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 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 2 bay leaves
- beef soup bones (if available)
- 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 small head of garlic (cut off top and remove loose outer covering)
Vegetables:
- 2 cups fingerling potatoes
- 3–4 carrots, peeled, halved, and cut into two-inch chunks
- 1 pint baby bella mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cup pearl onions
Instructions
- Sear Meat: Place beef roast on a large plate and season generously with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large dutch oven and bring to medium-high heat. Place beef roast inside, searing all sides. Remove seared roast from dutch oven and place on a clean plate, set aside.
- Cook Aromatics: Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to dutch oven, allowing it to coat the bottom of the pan. Add 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 tomato paste and stir to coat everything.
- Broth: In a medium bowl combine broth, pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, and tapioca; whisk to combine. Pour the beef broth mixture into the dutch oven, stirring to combine.
- Season + Simmer: Return beef roast to dutch oven along with the bay leaves, garlic, thyme, and beef soup bones. Cover, allow to come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer 4-6 hours, covered. OR you can also place in a preheated oven at 325 degrees F for the same amount of time. Feel free to turn the roast a few times.
- Add Vegetables: approximately 30-60 minutes before the roast is done, add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and pearl onions.
- Serve: Once everything is done, remove the roast and vegetables, and place on a serving platter. Option to serve with the cooked down broth as an au jus or cover the roast with aluminum foil and allow the remaining broth to simmer for 10 minutes, allowing it to thicken to more of a gravy.
Notes
- Cut of Beef for Pot Roast: recommended cuts of meat include chuck roast, 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.
- Vegetables: either add them directly into the dutch oven, along with the broth and roast OR you can roast the vegetables separately (as pictured). To do so, simply place the vegetables on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with a little avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then roast at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until they have reached your desired firmness.
- 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!