Easy Chuck Roast Recipe (Instant Pot or Crock Pot)

One of my favorite recipes for busy days when I don’t have time to cook in the afternoon is chuck roast. These roasts have a good fat profile and awesome flavor. Add a generous salad and pile of roasted broccoli and you have a complete, healthy meal even the kids will eat.

Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Chuck Roast

I don’t always have hours to spend in the kitchen each day. Crock Pot (or the slow cooking option on my Instant Pot) meals are my solution to this. A simple roast can be thrown in the slow cooker while I’m making breakfast and be ready for dinner so I don’t have to spend time cooking it later in the day.

I’m a huge fan of meal planning, but of course there are crazy days when the roast never makes it in the slow cooker in the morning. That’s when my trusty Instant Pot that can cook the same delicious meal in a fraction of the time!

How to Make a Juicy Pot Roast (in Less Time)

Chuck roast is one of the most frequently used cuts of meats for making pot roast. It contains a lot of collagen, but not fat. This means it benefits from a long cooking time at a low temperature and in some sort of a braising liquid.

Cooking collagen-rich cuts of meat for a long time breaks down the collagen into bone and joint healthy gelatin, giving the meat a tender, melt in your mouth texture. (You can read more about the health benefits of collagen and gelatin in this post.)

Crock Pot Tips

When I slow cook this recipe, I brown the meat before putting it in the slow cooker then add the broth, seasonings, and vegetables, and just let it cook until it’s time for dinner.

Instant Pot Tips

When I use the Instant Pot, I use the sauté function to brown the meat and then add the beef broth and scrape up all the flavorful brown bits stuck to the bottom. I add big chunks of onion, some garlic, and the spices to the broth and cook it all at high pressure for 60 minutes.

This may sound like a lot, but it’s necessary for a cut of meat like chuck roast that has little fat and a large amount of collagen. After a 10 minute natural pressure release I add the vegetables and cook again at high pressure for just 3 minutes, with another 10 minute natural pressure release.

I like to use yellow or sweet potatoes and big chunks of carrots in my chuck roast, but you could also use any hearty root vegetables you prefer. Parsnips, turnips, or the beets used in this recipe would all work well.

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3.78 from 18 votes

Easy Chuck Roast Recipe

An easy and delicious chuck roast recipe for the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 82kcal

Author Katie Wells

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Ingredients

• 3-4 lb chuck roast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 TBSP coconut oil
• 1½ cups beef broth
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp rosemary
• 4 carrots
• 6 medium potatoes
• 1 TBSP arrowroot powder (optional)
• 1 TBSP water (optional)

Instructions

• Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and pepper.

Slow Cooker Method

• Heat the coconut oil in a skillet on the stove top.
• Brown the meat on all sides in the preheated skillet then transfer to the slow cooker.
• While the meat is browning, chop the onions into large chunks.
• Pour the beef broth into the hot skillet and scrape all the browned bits from the bottom.
• Add the broth and all remaining ingredients except the carrots, potatoes, arrowroot, and water to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6.
• After two hours of cooking time, roughly chop the carrots and potatoes and add them to the slow cooker. They can be added at the beginning but they will be much softer at the end.
• If a thicker gravy is desired, whisk together the arrowroot flour and water and stir into the slow cooker for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Instant Pot Method

• Turn the Instant Pot on saute and heat the coconut oil.
• Brown the meat on all sides in the preheated Instant Pot and then remove to a platter.
• While the meat is browning, chop the onions into large chunks.
• Pour the beef broth into the hot Instant Pot and scrape all the browned bits from the bottom.
  
• Add the onions, garlic, and spices to the broth and return the meat to the Instant Pot.
• Cover and cook at high pressure for 60 minutes with a 10 minute natural pressure release at the end.
• While the meat is cooking, roughly chop the carrots and potatoes.
• After the 10 minute natural pressure release, add the chopped vegetables and cook at high pressure for an additional 3 minutes with another 10 minute natural pressure release.
• If a thicker gravy is desired, whisk together the arrowroot flour and water, turn the Instant Pot to saute, and stir in the arrowroot/water mixture for 1 minute. 

Notes

You can also make this recipe in the oven if you'd like. Just brown the meat in a dutch oven or other oven-proof skillet, deglaze with broth, add chopped onions, garlic, and onions, and cook covered at 325°F for an hour. Add the vegetables and cook an additional hour or until the vegetables and meat are tender.

Nutrition

Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 253mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6795IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.6mg

What’s your favorite way to cook roast? Share below!