This Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast is an easy, healthy dinner option for a busy night. Beef, potatoes, and carrots cook all day for a balanced meal that’s ready when you walk in the door.
Hi friends!
I pulled out the old crockpot this past weekend to test out a new recipe for Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast to share with you guys! I actually rarely use my crockpot anymore now that I have the Instant Pot but I know there are some of you out there who don’t have an Instant Pot so I’m trying to appeal to everyone! Before you ask, no, I have not tried this recipe in the Instant Pot yet. Yes, I think it would work, but I have no idea how long to tell you to cook it for.
I’m am by no means a pot roast expert. Quite honestly, I don’t really even like pot roast. You guys know I’m not a huge beef eater. But hubby likes it so I make it occasionally. Prior to this, my tried and true recipe was to put carrots and potatoes in the bottom, add the roast, pour in a little beef broth and top it with a packet of dried onion soup mix. If you haven’t tried it that way, please do. It really doesn’t get any easier.
Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
For this recipe, I decided to get slightly fancier. First of all, I browned the meat. Hellooooo extra flavor! Then I deglazed the pan with balsamic vinegar, plus some beef broth and a little brown sugar for good measure. After letting it cook all day, I removed the meat and veggies, poured the liquid into a saucepan and reduced it down for a while, creating a glaze/sauce to top it with before serving.
It’s a few extra steps, but I think it’s definitely worth it for the flavor. Here’s how you make it:
PrintSlow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
This Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast is an easy, healthy dinner option for a busy night. Beef, potatoes and carrots cook all day for a balanced meal that’s ready when you walk in the door.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound carrots (4–5 large carrots)
- 1 pound red potatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp oil
- (approx) 3 pound boneless chuck roast
- 1/2 cup balsamic vingear + extra 2-3 Tbsp (optional)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
Peel carrots, slice in half lengthwise and cut into thirds.
Cut potatoes into quarters or eighths depending on how big they are.
Place carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic on the bottom of the slow cooker.
In a large cast iron skillet (or dutch oven), heat oil over medium-high heat.
Brown chuck roast for 3-4 minutes per side, then transfer to the slow cooker.
Add balsamic vinegar to the skillet to deglaze the pan, using a spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Add beef broth and brown sugar and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Pour sauce over meat in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Remove meat and veggies from the slow cooker. Transfer liquid to a saucepan.
Bring to a boil and let boil for about 10 minutes to reduce down. (Optional – add 2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar to the liquid before you start to reduce it down. This will give you a stronger balsamic flavor).
Pour sauce over meat before serving.
Pretty easy, right? Like I mentioned in the recipe….for a stronger balsamic flavor, add a few extra Tablespoons of balsamic to the liquid before you reduce it down in the saucepan. For a milder flavor, just reduce the liquid you have.
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Enjoy!
–Lindsay-
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does it really need the brown sugar? it looks really delicious!
nope, totally optional
Yum! This looks delicious! I feel like I often struggle with basics like pot roast…I’m just all “uh, what should I do with this?”
hope this helps!
Thanks for the insight Lindsay! I am the same way in the fact that I want to make things as simple as possible so any extra work to make it a little fancier is neglected. I think your point about browning the meat is a golden nugget! It makes a huge difference in the flavor to brown the meat first!