These perfectly juicy and tender French Dip sandwiches are great for a quick & easy weeknight dinner or to feed a crowd! Everyone is going to love this easy dinner recipe!
Best French Dip Sandwich Recipe
Our family absolutely loves a delicious set-it-and-forget it slow cooker recipe! They are just so convenient for all of those busy nights. This classic french dip recipe has the most juicy chuck roast, flavor packed onions, and melty cheese all piled high on a crusty roll! Perfect for dipping in the delicious au jus that is created right in the crockpot when cooking. The whole family is going to love this easy recipe!
Looking for another yummy sandwich recipe? Try our Leftover Prime Rib Sandwich!!
What You Will Need
- chuck roast – you can pick one up from your local grocery store or butcher shop. Option to grab a larger size if you are feeding a crowd, you will just have to adjust your cook time.
- kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, & garlic powder – a simple seasoning combination that will coat your chuck roast.
- butter – just a little bit in the skillet to sear the outside of the meat.
- beef broth – the liquid base in the slow cooker to make the most tender, fall apart meat.
- worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, french onion soup mix, garlic, fresh thyme, & dijon mustard – add these simple ingredients to the beef broth for flavor that is out of this world!
- sweet yellow onion – these cooked onions are great for topping your sandwich and to bring plenty of flavors.
- rolls of your choice – we used some fairly large hoagie rolls but feel free to use french rolls or a sturdy roll that works for you!
- sliced cheese – we highly recommend gruyere, but provolone cheese, swiss cheese, or another white sliced cheese would be good too.
- optional horseradish mayo – mix a small amount of mayo and horseradish for a sandwich spread that will add even more flavor!
How To Make A French Dip
First, you can begin by patting your cut of meat dry with clean paper towels.
What Cut Of Meat Is Used For French Dips
We chose to use a chuck roast and it works great! Many restaurants might use a ribeye steak or sirloin steak. You just want to pick a roast that will be nice and tender, resulting in a flavorful beef.
Next, mix together the salt, pepper, onion powder & garlic powder in a small bowl. Then fully coat your all sides of the meat in this seasoning mixture.
Now bring a large skillet to a medium high heat on the stove top, add the butter to melt, and sear the roast on all sides.
In your slow cooker, add the broth, liquid smoke, worcestershire, onions, garlic, french onion soup mix, thyme, and dijon mustard. Mix to fully combine and then reserve about 1/4 cup of this mixture. Once your roast is seared, place it in the slow cooker. Bring your skillet back up to a medium-high heat, pour in the 1/4 cup broth and butter, scrap the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. This will be poured on top of the roast in the crockpot before you place the lid on top.
After everything has been added you can secure the lid and it slow cooks on the low setting for 8 hours or high setting for 4 hours.
Now you can carefully remove the cooked beef and shred with two forks on a large plate or cutting board.
Finally, it is time to create your french dip sandwich. Grab your roll or hoagie and stuff it with meat, the cooked onions from the slow cooker, and top with cheese. Serve with a side of au jus or dipping sauce from the crockpot.
Pro tip: mix a little mayo and prepared horseradish together to spread on your roll before adding the tender beef, onions, & melted cheese – the perfect added tangy flavor!
How Should I Serve French Dip Sandwiches
These easy french dip sandwiches would be great with just about anything! We love to pair this hot sandwich with a creamy coleslaw and grilled potato wedges. But they would also be great with a side salad, steamed broccoli, green beans or smoked baked beans!
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Slow Cooker Recipes You Might Like
French Dip
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
French Dip – a delicious and easy French Dip Sandwich recipe that is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner! A set-it-and-forget-it dinner!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 4 cups beef broth
- 3 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- french onion soup or dip mix (I used this one)
- 1 large sweet yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- rolls of your choice (we used hoagie buns)
- sliced cheese: gruyere or provolone recommended
- optional horseradish mayo: combine 1/4 cup mayo + 1 tablespoon (or more) prepared horseradish
Instructions
- Place chuck roast on a large plate. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon salt, ground black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder; stir to combine. Pat chuck roast dry with clean paper towel and cover in the seasoning ensuring it is fully coated. Set aside.
- Add beef broth, worcestershire, liquid smoke, french onion soup mix, onion, garlic, fresh thyme and dijon mustard to your slow cooker. Scoop out 1/4 cup beef broth and set next to stove.
- Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add two tablespoons butter and let melt. Sear chuck roast on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Add the 1/4 cup beef broth to the hot skillet and scrape up all the bits that are sticking to the pan. Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and let melt. Once the bottom of the pan is scraped clean, transfer the liquid to the slow cooker and pour over top the chuck roast.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on HIGH 4 hours or LOW 8 hours.
- Shred the beef with two forks before serving.
- To serve: butter an open hoagie bun, add desired amount of onions and shredded beef, add cheese on top (and a little horseradish mayo if desired). Ladle out some of the broth and serve in a little bowl with each sandwich for dipping.
Notes
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free use a plant-based butter and dairy-free cheese.
- Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free use a gluten-free bun of your choice.
- Storage: store leftover chuck roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days – store broth/ au jus sauce in a separate container.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 318
- Sugar: 2.7 g
- Sodium: 890.6 mg
- Fat: 14.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.7 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 115.8 mg
Sharon says
I don’t see when you add the sweet yellow onion? Am I missing it?
Erin says
In Step 2, right after the french onion soup mix!
Sharon says
Can I omit the liquid smoke?
Erin says
Yup! Not a big deal at all!
Lora C says
This was so good! I made the horseradish mayo too. For that I added fresh chives, pepper and a little lemon juice. Definitely will make again.
Laura says
This was easy and delicious. Leftovers were even better. Another slow-cooker winner!
Hayley says
I made this last night and it was delicious! Easy to prep, plenty of leftovers and everyone in my family loved it! I cooked it on high for 4 hours. I’ll definitely make this again!
Kate B. says
Made this today for a party so I doubled the recipe and everyone loved it. When I make it again I will only use half the butter as we ended up having to remove a bunch of the fat from the au jus.
Nicole says
I have now made this recipe twice and my whole family loves it! The flavors are above and beyond and make it feel special like restaurant quality. This will be in regular rotation for me.
Erin says
Thanks, Nicole!
Kim Cuevas says
This was amazing!! My husband thought he was at Houston’s restaurant. I low broiled some Hoagie rolls to make them crispy on the outside and soft inside. I put high quality horseradish on the rolls and strained the jus to serve on the side. You could melt some provolone but I forgot about it and just prepared the meat with a little of the cooked onion in the sandwich. I served it with herb roasted potatoes on the side with flakey salt. This dinner is now in the rotation as a favorite! Thank you ❤️
Erin says
So glad you hear you guys enjoyed this one, Kim!!
Diane says
This is really good! I added a bit of beef bullion to the dipping juices after the meat was done. Definitely will make this often.
Erin says
Glad you enjoyed this one, Diane!
Lisa says
We LOVED this recipe !! I did a few substitutions ad I wanted it gf which was a simple fix (gf French onion dip) . This recipe is a keeper and I will definitely be making it again. After I posted I got people asking for the recipe.
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Lisa!!