This perfect Southern Pot Roast recipe is truly like a tight + warm hug made edible, y’all. Beef chuck roast slowly cooks with fragrant spices, herbs, vegetables, and potatoes in a super-rich onion gravy. The beef is luxuriously silky, meltingly tender, and succulent. It’s a classic pot roast recipe that you can rely on with flavor-loaded results every time. You can execute this cozy staple in the slow cooker or oven!

pot roast with carrots and potatoes in oval dish with utensils

If you look up the words fall season or cozy dishes, I’m almost certain that an image of pot roast should emerge. I don’t know what it is about succulent beef and provisions swimming in slick gravy that hits like the strongest drug, ha. My mom would typically prepare it for fixing at the top of a busy day, and then come evening time it was ready. We’d usually have her pot roast special after church, busy weeknights, and any communal holiday gatherings.

To me, her recipe is really simple yet overwhelmingly delicious. I’m so glad to make it permanent on the site, from my home to yours! ♡

pot roast in bowls with herbs

Mom’s Southern Pot Roast 🥰

Now everyone makes their pot roast a little different, however at its foundation, pot roast is a braised beef dish. Common elements in said pot roast include potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and pancetta or pepperoncini’s- if you’re making a more regional version. Those accompanying ingredients make the dish even more hearty and filling for a complete meal.

This recipe highlights the magic of a traditional pot roast delight as I know and love it. We’ll start with inexpensive chuck roast that’s seasoned with Cajun-forward spices. It’s then caramelized on the outside to bring out even more flavor. The provisions of choice are potatoes and carrots, mmm the classics. There are aromatics and herbs, and the entire dish is wrapped up in a rich onion gravy. With minimal prep work involved, this slow-cooked beef recipe is mostly hands-off… // 👉🏾 Think prep it and forget it type of vibes!

The result is melt-in-your-mouth beef with tender provisions that have spent hours soaking up a powerhouse of flavor! It’s beyond satiating and the perfect main dish that you can serve over or alongside your favorite side items.

ingredients for southern pot roast laid out on white surface

Ingredients You’ll Need Here:

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • Beef chuck roast: The main star of the whole shebang! Chuck roast is traditionally used for pot roast. It’s very inexpensive, too.
  • Cajun seasoning: I use my holy grail Creole Cajun seasoning! This well-rounded spice is clutch here because of its zesty vibe. Make my homemade version or use store-bought Cajun seasoning if you’d like!
  • Oil: For browning the beef & sautéing the veggies.
  • Onion, bell pepper + celery: Adds a nice depth and aromatic note.
  • Garlic: I use garlic paste but minced works as well.
  • Worcestershire sauce: This condiment always kicks up the flavor in stews!
  • Butter: For a little richness in the onion gravy.
  • Onion soup packet: It’s a dry seasoning/soup mix found in the soup aisle of grocery stores! Think of this store-bought ingredient as the foundation for developing a richly flavored onion gravy.
  • Fresh herbs: Rosemary and thyme add a nice fragrance and freshness.
  • Carrots + potatoes: The provisions of choice, baby-sized of course.
browned chuck roast in skillet
pot roast ingredients in slow cooker vessel

How To Make This Slow Cooker Pot Roast Recipe:

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

  1. Season & rest the beef. Season the chuck roast with Cajun seasoning. Then set the beef aside to allow it to come up to room temperature.
  2. Brown the chuck roast. In a large skillet/pan, heat the oil. Add the beef and let sear until a deep brown crust appears on both sides. Then place the browned chuck roast into your slow cooker vessel.
  3. Sauté the veggies. In the same pan, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery into the pan and sauté until tender and golden. Then remove from heat.
  4. Assemble the braise. Transfer the sautéed veggie mixture to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients and toss until briefly combined.
  5. Slow-cook the pot roast. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours; until the beef is cooked through and fall-apart tender.
  6. Finish & shred the beef. After slow cooking, make a slurry and add it to the roast. Stir well and let sit for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Next, shred the tender beef with two forks- just enough to create nice chunks of beef. Stir the chunked beef with the pot roast braising liquid until nicely saturated. 
  7. Serve this luxurious pot roast as-is or alongside mashed potatoes (or your favorite sides) for a complete homestyle meal. Yessirrrr! 😛👌🏾
southern pot roast in slow cooker vessel

Can I Make It In The Oven?

Yes! If you’d like to execute this recipe in the oven, you can! The prep work and oven method instructions are nearly the same as the slow cooker instructions with a few differences:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large dutch oven, heat the oil. Sear the beef until browned on both sides. Then set the beef aside on a clean vessel.
  2. In the same pot (use a bit more oil if needed); add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and sauté until tender and golden. Remove from heat and place the browned beef back into the pot along with the remaining ingredients (except for the carrots + potatoes & use 2 cups of water or beef broth) and toss until briefly combined.
  3. Cover the dutch oven and place in the oven to braise for 2 hours.
  4. Add the carrots and potatoes, and stir well to combine in the braising liquid. Continue braising the pot roast for 1 ½ hours- until the beef and provisions (carrots + potatoes) are extra tender.
  5. After slow cooking, make a slurry and add it to the warm braising liquid. Stir well and let sit for about 10-15 minutes, until slightly thickened. Then use two forks to gently shred the beef into smaller chunks, stirring well to saturate in the braising liquid. Serve! 🙌🏾
southern pot roast in bowls

Recipe Tips + Tricks & More Notes

You may have additional questions about this pot roast recipe. Like other BBR recipes, I always advise sticking to the recipe as it is written in the recipe card directly below. However, here’s some extra info:

  • Beef chuck roast– I highly recommend choosing beef with nice marbling to it because that is where the flavor resides, peeps. This contributes to the resulting gravy being extra flavorful! 😋
  • Add/swap aromatics– I love the trio of onion, bell pepper, and celery here but feel free to use mushrooms, leeks, shallots, fennel or any other vegetable/herb that you’d like.
  • Potatoes– I love gold baby potatoes for their buttery flesh but red baby potatoes are just fine, too. Or a combination of both!
closeup of pot roast in bowl with fork

Listen, this Southern Pot Roast recipe is pure nostalgia for me. I can’t think of a more cozier dish than this one. Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

A few more cozy recipes I want for you:

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pot roast with carrots and potatoes in oval dish with utensils

Mom’s Perfect Southern Pot Roast Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 hours
  • Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Main Dishes
  • Method: Slow Cooker, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American, Southern
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Description

This perfect Southern Pot Roast recipe is truly like a tight + warm hug made edible, y’all. Beef chuck roast slowly cooks with fragrant spices, herbs, vegetables, and potatoes in a super-rich onion gravy. The beef is luxuriously silky, meltingly tender, and succulent. It’s a classic pot roast recipe that you can rely on with flavor-loaded results every time. You can execute this cozy staple in the slow cooker or oven!

Ingredients

  • 3 – 3 ½ lbs boneless beef chuck roast
  • 2 tablespoons Creole Cajun seasoning, homemade or store-bought
  • 2–3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for browning & sautéing
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons garlic paste
  • 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 Beefy Onion Soup packet (see notes)
  • 3–4 sprigs fresh rosemary, destemmed
  • 3–4 sprigs fresh thyme, destemmed
  • 1 ½ cups baby carrots
  • 1 lb gold baby potatoes
  • 1 cup water (or beef broth)
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch + 3 tablespoons water, mixed together (for cornstarch slurry)

Instructions

  1. Season & rest the beef. On a large plate or medium-rimmed baking sheet, season the chuck roast with Cajun seasoning, use your hands to rub the seasoning into the beef until well coated all over. Set the beef aside to rest and allow it to come up to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Note: The following instructions are for slow cooking method. For oven method instructions, see notes.
  2. Brown the chuck roast. In a large skillet/pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil. When hot, gently swirl the pan around to evenly coat the bottom. Add the chuck roast to the pan. Sear the beef until a deep brown crust appears, about 4-5 minutes. Then flip the beef over to the other side to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Then place the browned chuck roast into your slow cooker vessel- but don’t turn off the stovetop heat.
  3. Sauté the veggies. Reduce the heat to medium- there should be some oil still in the pan but if your pan looks dry, add a tablespoon of oil only as needed. Then add the onion, bell pepper, and celery into the pan and sauté until tender and golden, about 5-7 minutes. Then remove from heat.
  4. Assemble the braise. Transfer the sautéed veggie mixture to the slow cooker with the browned beef. Then add the garlic paste, worcestershire sauce, butter, beefy onion soup packet, fresh rosemary + thyme, baby carrots, baby potatoes, and water. Gently stir/toss all the ingredients together until briefly combined in the slow cooker.
  5. Slow-cook the pot roast. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours; until the beef is cooked through and fall-apart tender.
  6. Finish & shred the beef. Lastly, after slow cooking, make a slurry by combining the cornstarch with water and then pour that into the slow cooker. Stir well to combine with the pot roast and let sit for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every so often, until slightly thickened. Now let’s shred the beef- you can do this in 2 ways. Shred the tender beef with two forks right in the slow cooker vessel itself or remove the beef and place it on a large plate/rimmed baking sheet and shred with two forks. We’re not looking to totally shred up the beef- just enough to create nice chunks of beef. Stir the chunked beef with the pot roast braising liquid until nicely saturated. 
  7. Serve this hearty pot roast as-is or alongside mashed potatoes and cooked peas for a complete homestyle meal, as desired. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Beefy Onion Soup Mix: We use Lipton Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion, it’s a dry seasoning mix found in the soup aisle of grocery stores!
  2. Oven instructions are included in the blog post if needed.
  3. Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.

Recipe by: Quin Liburd- Butter Be Ready

Photography by: Ashley McLaughlin