Easy Pot Roast with Onion Soup Mix (Oven or Slow Cooker)
Nothing is as comforting as a flavorful, fork-tender pot roast made with onion soup mix. The best part is this is easy recipe is ready for the oven or slow cooker with only 15 minutes of prep time, and uses simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry!
What could be more perfect than a delicious pot roast for a hearty Sunday dinner or a cozy one-pot meal on a cold night? This tender roast with root vegetables is the ultimate comfort food and is famous in my family for being the best pot roast EVER.
What is pot roast?
Pot roast is a dish made by braising or slow cooking a normally tough cut of beef in moist heat, often along with root vegetables like carrots, onions, and potatoes. By cooking low and slow, the collagen in the beef breaks down and melts into gelatin, making the meat fall-apart tender and moist. It’s a classic American comfort food!
Ingredients
For a while, my mom forgot how she used to make pot roast and tried all kinds of fancy recipes to recreate the flavorful roast she remembered. But when I found an old copy of her recipe, it turned out to be much more simple than she was making it out to be.
The secret to her family-famous perfect pot roast was none other than simple dry Lipton onion soup mix, undiluted canned cream of mushroom soup, and a sprinkling of soy sauce for extra umami.
And while I don’t typically use a lot of seasoning packets and cream-of soups in my recipes, this classic pot roast can’t be beat. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
Here are the super simple ingredients that make this such an easy recipe!
Equipment
You can make this Lipton onion soup pot roast in a Dutch oven, roasting pan, or even a slow cooker. A regular 9×13 pan may not be large enough for this recipe as it cooks down and releases moisture, resulting in some overflow (ask me how I know).
Cooking time for pot roast
While roast beef (made from a lean cut with little connective tissue) is ideally cooked to medium rare (130-140 degrees), a pot roast needs to reach an internal temperature of about 195-205 degrees F to ensure a tender, fall-apart result.
Collagen breaks down and melts from 160-180 degrees, so if the meat is removed before it reaches that temperature, there will still be some tough connective tissue left. Plus, the roast needs to have enough time at that temperature for the connective tissue to break down. It’s not an instantaneous result.
How long does a roast take in the oven?
For pot roast, the rule of thumb is to cook about 45 minutes to an hour per pound at an average temperature like 300-350 degrees (we use 325 degrees). It will, of course, take longer in a slow cooker.
How long does pot roast take in a slow cooker?
If you decide to make this easy pot roast in your slow cooker, you can cook a 3 lb roast for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
The nice thing is, a little extra time won’t hurt it. It’s difficult (but not impossible) to overcook pot roast, so you can throw everything in before work on low and come home to the most amazing smelling house and dinner ready in the crock pot!
Here’s a handy chart to determine how long to cook your roast depending on size and method.
| Size of roast | Time to cook in oven (at 325) | Time to cook in slow cooker (low) | Time to cook in slow cooker (high) |
| 3-4 lbs | 3-3.5 hours | 8-9 hours | 4-5 hours |
| 4-5 lbs | 3.5-4 hours | 9-10 hours | 5-6 hours |
| 5-6 lbs | 4.5-5 hours | 10-11 hours | 6-7 hours |
What’s the best cut of beef for pot roast?
There are a few cuts of beef that are ideal for making a tender pot roast.
Heavily exercised areas of meat are tough when cooked high and fast, but become tender when slow cooked like pot roast. The connective tissue collagen breaks down into gelatin at higher temperatures, moistening the meat even with a tough shoulder.
Boneless Chuck Roast
While “pot roast” does not refer to a specific cut of beef, chuck roast is usually what people use when they make it. Look for a nicely marbled piece for the best flavor!
Brisket
Briskets, while usually a little more expensive per pound than chuck roasts, have a more regular grain (better for slicing). They’re also usually larger than chuck roasts, so you can plan to have leftovers for sandwiches the next day!
Round roast
Round roast will work to make a pot roast, but is the least flavorful of the usual cuts because it’s the leanest. However, it’s also usually the least expensive.
How to Make the Perfect Pot Roast with Onion Soup Mix
For this easy pot roast recipe, we’ll give the meat a head start and add the veggies later so everything is cooked to perfection!
For Easy Oven Pot Roast
Step one:
Prepare the meat and onions. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Layer the sliced onion on the bottom of your Dutch oven or roasting pan. Place the roast on top, sprinkle with dry Lipton onion soup mix, and then spread undiluted cream of mushroom soup on top. Sprinkle with soy sauce, cover with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil, and cook for an hour (longer for a larger roast).
Optional: For extra beefy flavor, you can start by searing the roast in your Dutch oven over medium high heat for a couple minutes per side until nicely browned. I usually favor the ease of sticking it in the oven completely raw.
Step two:
Add veggies. Remove the roast from the oven and surround the meat with carrots and potatoes (cut in even chunks about an inch cubed in size). If the meat is looking dry, you may add half a can of beef broth or so. Cover again and return to the oven for an additional 2-3 hours.
Step three:
Enjoy! You may serve your pot roast straight from the pan or arrange the whole roast on a serving platter, surrounded by the carrots and potatoes. The onions will have essentially dissolved into the gravy.
If you’ve used chuck roast, you can shred the meat and mix it with the veggies. Brisket will do better when sliced against the grain to break up the long strands.
For Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Give the meat, seasonings, and onions a head start in your slow cooker if possible, adding the potatoes and carrots after an hour on high or after two hours on low. Cook for a total time according to the cooking time chart above.
Won’t be home to add the veggies later? Easy peasy! Just add all ingredients to your slow cooker before you leave. The potatoes and carrots may be a little softer but will still be delicious!
Store leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Slice leftover brisket or round pot roast for a delicious pot roast sandwich!
How to Serve Pot Roast
You may leave the roast intact and serve on a platter, surrounded by potatoes and carrots, or you can shred the meat with two forks and mix everything together like a stew.
What to Serve with Pot Roast
Since classic root vegetables like onions, carrots, and potatoes are cooked with the meat, this easy recipe is a complete meal on its own.
However, if you’d like a little something on the side, I’d recommend either some crusty bread (like No-Knead Rosemary Thyme Dutch Oven Bread), rice, or egg noodles to really take advantage of the delicious gravy. Be sure to add a little beef broth if you want extra gravy for sopping up!
A simple green salad or Lemon Broccoli Salad can also be a nice contrast to a hearty pot roast.
If you like easy comfort food recipes, also check out:
- Stove Top Beef Stew with Red Wine
- Easy Turkey Chili
- Kielbasa and Cabbage with Egg Noodles
- Italian Sausage Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Easy Pot Roast with Onion Soup Mix (Oven or Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef roast chuck roast (preferred), brisket, round roast, or stew meat chunks
- 1 package dry onion soup mix
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup undiluted
- 1-2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 onion halved and sliced
- 1 lb medium or baby potatoes Yukon golds (preferred), red potatoes, or multicolored potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks. Avoid russet potatoes.
- 1 lb carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 can beef broth if necessary
Instructions
In the oven
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Place onion slices in bottom of Dutch oven or roasting pan and top with meat. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over meat, cover with undiluted cream of mushroom soup, and sprinkle with soy sauce.
- Tightly cover with aluminum foil or an oven-safe lid and bake for 1 hour. See note for larger roasts.
- Remove from oven, uncover, and surround roast with potatoes and carrots. If using stew meat chunks, toss ingredients together to make sure vegetables are coated with soup and juices. If meat seems dry, add beef broth.
- Recover pan and return to oven for 2-3 hours, or until meat and veggies are fork-tender.
In the slow cooker
- Place onion slices in bottom of slow cooker and top with meat. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over meat, cover with undiluted cream of mushroom soup, and sprinkle with soy sauce. Cook, covered, for 1 hour on high or 2 hours on low. See note for larger roasts.
- Add potatoes and carrots, cover again, and finish cooking for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- If you won't be available to add veggies mid-way through, you may also add all ingredients at the beginning and cook for a total stretch of 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
Video
Notes
- 2 hours before the end of cooking in the oven
- 3 hours before the end of slow cooking on high
- 6 hours before the end of slow cooking on low
| Size of roast | Time to cook in oven (at 325) | Time to cook in slow cooker (low) | Time to cook in slow cooker (high) |
| 3-4 lbs | 3-3.5 hours | 8-9 hours | 4-5 hours |
| 4-5 lbs | 3.5-4 hours | 9-10 hours | 5-6 hours |
| 5-6 lbs | 4.5-5 hours | 10-11 hours | 6-7 hours |
Cooked for a total of 4 hours. Added the broth like recipe said. Only used 2.75 lb roast & it came out raw. Carrots were not cooked properly either. Had no flavor whatsoever. Threw it in garbage b/c it wasn’t good enough for my husband.
Hi Heather, I’m sorry your pot roast didn’t come out well! However, based on what you said I think there may be a problem with your oven. A 2.75 lb roast should definitely be fully cooked at 325 after 3 hours and falling apart after 4. Carrots would definitely be cooked through! My guess is that your oven needs to be recalibrated – you can check your oven temp easily with an oven thermometer. This one is only $7 and will let you know if your oven is getting up to the temperature you set it to. (affiliate link) https://amzn.to/30bIujp By using one of these I discovered my oven is consistently 25 degrees cool and takes much longer to preheat than it says it does. I didn’t actually recalibrate my oven, but I go by what the oven thermometer says now instead of the oven itself. Please check your oven and if it’s off please try this recipe again! Once it cooks at the proper temperature I assure it will have all the flavor it’s supposed to have!
This recipe is really good and easy to prepare, very tasty. I’m satisfied with how it came out, I’ve made it twice already and they were great both times. It also takes away the time you would spend cooking something else with pots and pans, it’s all prepared in one dish and everything stays clean.
Don’t you love one dish meals? Glad you liked it!
Absolutely the best we’ve ever made!!! I added a little extra cream of mushroom soup as well as beef broth. Love love love this!!!
Extra gravy is never a bad idea! Thanks for sharing!
Why do we use a cream soup?
I added it to the pot but I’m just curious
It helps make a nice thick and creamy gravy! Hope you enjoyed it!
I’m about to make this !! Super excited is it possible to sub the mushrooms (allergic) with maybe beef broth ?
I would replace it with another kind of cream-of soup – maybe cream of potato, cream of celery, or cream of chicken. Good luck!
This is absolutely the best recipe ever!!! Thank you so much
So glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve made your recipie 3 times now and it gets better everytime! My family always gobbles it all up😊
Cheers!
I’m so glad you love this recipe! Thanks for your comment!
Could I add green beans with the other veggies or would it be too long for them.
It would be too long for green beans if you left them the entire time, but you could probably add them in in the last 45 minutes or so!
lm trying beef roast and pork roast together
I remember my aunt would do this and the gravy was fantastic. so I trying it for easter.
Yum! Sounds delicious! Hope it turned out well for you!
I’ve got this in the oven right now. One question, when I take it out after 1 hour to add veggies, do I cover it back up with foil again or cook the remaining amount of time uncovered? Anyone can answer me 😁
Hey Chrisy! Don’t know if I caught you in time, but you recover it with the foil before returning it to the oven. Hope you enjoy it!
I’m going to make this recipe this week for my parents. Since I work, 4 hours of cooking would put dinner Tim too late. So I was wondering if the prep work could be done the night before, and then cooked the next day. For example, could I do steps 1-2 and then put it in the fridge overnight so it could be cooked the next day?
Step 2 only takes a couple minutes, so it wouldn’t save you much time if you did that the day before! Pre-cutting veggies the day before is never a bad idea though.
I’m guessing you mean steps 1 through 3? I don’t know how well that would work, since the long cooking method is necessary to melt all those fats and break down the tough tissue. I think putting it back in the fridge overnight would halt the breakdown of the tissues and it would have to catch up again when re-cooking. I don’t know if it’s a cumulative effect or if the cook time has to be all in a row.
Your best bet for not having dinner too late on a weekday, for this recipe, would probably be to try it in a slow cooker. Not having tried it myself, though, I can’t say for sure if your veggies will be overcooked after 9 hours or so on low (I’m guessing an 8 hour workday plus commute time). But I’d say it would be worth a shot!
I just send my son for another Chuck roast because one won’t be enough! Lol.and I using cream of celery soup instead cuz it’s what I’ve got. My Italian pot roast is great but I’m trying yours today! Ty for sharing
Hope you liked the pot roast! Yum!
Oh my goodness! I made this recipe for my boyfriend and mother last night. My mom who is 62 years old said it is the best pot roast she has ever had in her entire life! I’ll take that as a huge compliment! Anybody looking for a yummy quick and easy dinner this is it! Takes about 10 to 15 minutes to prep it. All you have to do is pop it in the oven.
So glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!
Making this now. Smells delicious already. I am only using a 2 pound blade cut (that’s what I bought before finding this recipe). I am sure it will come out perfectly. I will update in a few hours.
Yum!! Hope you enjoyed the pot roast!
I’ve got this in the oven right now! My second time making it and I wouldn’t change a thing! Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks so much for your lovely comment! I’m glad you enjoy it!
Thanks for the “how-to” for adding the vegetables to the classic roast! Delicious and easy on this cool fall day.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It’s definitely that time of year again!
Very close to my nana’s pot roast recipe! 🙂 Hers uses golden mushroom soup instead of cream. In the oven now and I’m dyyyyyyying from the good smells! 💜 Thanks!
Oh yummmm, I can imagine that delicious smell now! Such a cozy meal. Hope it tastes like your nana’s!
I’ve made this pot roast twice and followed the recipe exactly. I must say that it is the best pot roast I have cooked. I used a 3 lb Chuck roast and cut it in pieces removing a lot of the connnecting tissue. It is so much better than the ones I have cooked in a slow cooker.
Thanks so much for your comment, Nancy! Glad you liked the recipe!
If I wanted to add celery how fat into the cooking should I put them in at?
I’d probably add them with the rest of the veggies, but they will be very soft! If you like them less soft maybe put them in the last hour or so.
This pot roast sounds delicious, the mushroom cream is a great idea. Storm on its way, after 3 months of intense heat. Perfect time for it.
Hopefully not too bad of a storm! It’s nice when the rain cools off the heat though. Pot roast is perfect for days like that!
We missed comfort foods like this when we first moved to Tucson. Now, we just crank the AC and give into our desires whenever we want them. (It helps that we are fully solar…)
Gosh, I remember those corny clip art illustrations – they were revolutionary at the time. I wonder if anyone is still getting royalties from them… 🙂
Did you not make comfort foods when you first moved to Tucson because it wasn’t cold enough? I’m very cold natured so I didn’t have a problem with that when I lived there. I have two space heaters by my feet at work!
I did feel a little weird making this pot roast in the late summer but it was still delicious! Now that it’s actually a bit cold (we got a frost last night!) I will make it again for sure. I should post some photos of the clip art recipe pages!
Don’t the potatoes and carrots get too done being in there for 2-3 hrs?
You don’t bring the meat first?
I put it all in at once! It’s great, and the juices from the meat really flavor the veggies.
Thank you so much for this wonderful classic recipe . I have been looking for this for years. My late mother in law used to make it , it was all ways so darn good. She wasn’t from the south but from up state New York , this good woman would cook up a storm of delicious foods . She gave me the recipe 55 years ago than lost it or misplaced after her passing . She used the same ingredients,except she wrapped it in thin coil and baked
Thank you very much
That is so heart-warming to hear! Isn’t it wonderful to rediscover an old recipe that brings back memories? <3
I preheat my large cast iron skillet on the stove top to a medium high heat. I place the meat and the remainder of the ingredients (minus veggies) right into the skillet. Seal it with aluminum foil and bake according to your directions. Gives the meat a little sear, and I’m using only one skillet. Fantastic recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I’m a huge fan of one-pan solutions and giving the meat a little sear first sounds nice! Glad you like the recipe!
Oh yum. I think I have wasted too much time trying to recreate the flavor “from scratch”. Maybe I’ll try making it this simple old fashioned convenience cooking way.
I’m sure you know I, too, tend towards from-scratch type recipes, but who was I to argue with the recipe you so lovingly illustrated for me? It did not disappoint. It’s like the ranch mix on the pork chops – when the onion soup mixes with the mushroom soup and the beef juices, the flavor is so much more complex than you’d imagine! If you make it, let me know if it’s how you remembered it!
Caroline,
I did the recipe exactly as you said. It looks delicious, but the meat is still tough. Do I just cook it longer?
Without knowing more, I’d say you should probably cook it longer. It takes a long time for that connective tissue to break down in a tougher cut of meat like that. Did you perhaps start with a larger roast, like 4-5 lbs? That can definitely affect cook time!
I’m using this recipe for Easter dinner. I don’t have beef broth and I have two angus chuck roasts totaling 5 lbs. help! Also don’t u sear meat first?
I don’t sear the meat in this recipe, although you certainly could! It would add a little extra flavor, but at the expense of having to wash another dish and taking a little longer to prep. Definitely a valid choice though!
I sear mine on the BBQ grille. I put oily on the meat and sear it on all 4 sides. Sometimes it is a little hard to stand them up, I manage to do it. Adds an amazing flavor.
Searing your meat first will definitely add a nice flavor! I do like the ease of this recipe since you don’t have to break out an additional piece of cookware to sear the meat too. Both ways have excellent benefits!
One of the biggest advantages is I being able to throw it together and with so little effort, still have big flavor from the onion soup mix and creamed soups (I use 2). Stick it in the oven and forget about it pretty much. Except, of course, the aroma in your house makes you want to eat it for hours! I’m gonna make it today – again! Thanks for putting this out there! It is SO delicious!
So glad you liked this recipe! I made it again last week!