Slow cooker balsamic beef roast produces the most tender, flavorful, beef roast with a gravy that is absolutely divine. This beef slow cooker recipe cooks up all day for an easy weeknight dinner. Slow cooking is best for less expensive cuts of beef such as cross rib roast and top or bottom blade.
Before this recipe, my favorite beef roast to make was The Best and Easiest Pot Roast, which is still incredible in its own right, but the flavor of this roast and the gravy is like none other I have ever tasted before. Really.
The softer, almost sweet flavor of balsamic vinegar adds something special to the beef roast as it cooks and gives the gravy great flavor.
This meal is sure to become one your whole family loves when you serve it up for dinner. It's perfect with mashed potatoes but I also love it with my favorite potato casserole and some air fryer green beans.
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef Roast
This might seem like a long list of ingredients for such a simple recipe, but don't worry most of these are easy items you may even already have in your cabinet.
- beef pot roast
- onion
- garlic
- bay leaves
- beef broth
- balsamic vinegar
- tomato paste
- Worcestershire sauce
- Dijon mustard
- honey
- rosemary
- flour
- salt
- pepper
- sugar
Check the recipe card for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Roast
Step 1: Prep the Beef
Coat your beef with ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: Assemble the Ingredients in the Slow Cooker
In the slow cooker add the onion, garlic, and bay leaves over the bottom, and then place the beef roast on top.
Step 3: Mix and Add the Sauce
In a medium bowl combine the broth, vinegar, tomato paste, mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir everything together until blended. Pour the mixture over the beef.
Step 4: Cook
Cover and cook on low until beef, is cooked and tender, about 6-8 hours. Discard bay leaves.
Remove beef onto a plate and remove the strings if any. Set aside to rest.
Step 5: Make the Gravy
In a bowl whisk together flour with ⅓ cup of water.
Remove juices and add to saucepan. Cover and whisk on medium-high until simmering for about 20 minutes or until sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Add parsley. Taste the gravy and add sugar if necessary.
Slice beef and serve up with gravy and noodles or mashed potatoes.
Substitutions
Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this slow cooker cross rib roast or another type of beef roast.
- Balsamic vinegar - This type of vinegar brings a sweeter flavor than other kinds of vinegar so I don't recommend using one of them. Swap it out with red wine or simply leave it out and add extra beef broth.
- Worcestershire sauce - If you don't have any use soy sauce or coconut aminos instead.
- Rosemary - Swap it out for thyme or marjoram or your favorite blend of herbs.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy these slow cooker honey garlic meatballs.
Equipment
All you need to cook up tender balsamic beef roast are a few simple tools.
- Slow cooker
- Whisk or wooden spoon
- Saucepan
- Knife and cutting board
Storage
Leftovers: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to three months.
Reheat: To reheat the beef, you can reheat shredded pieces of roast in a skillet or saucepan on top of the stove or in the oven at 350 degrees F. Add some beef broth to the pan as needed to heat the beef.
Tips
Here are some special tips to follow so your balsamic roast beef comes out perfectly.
- Don't worry about choosing an expensive cut of roast to use to make slow cooker balsamic pot roast. Even the toughest piece of meat can cook up into a tender, juicy beef dinner.
- Keep an eye on the liquid in the pot as it helps to tenderize the roast. It's important to keep fully covered so the liquid doesn't evaporate. If needed, add more liquid to the slow cooker while it's cooking.
- Let the beef rest before serving for the best flavor and juiciest servings of beef.
FAQ
Do you have questions about making slow cooker beef roast? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about making it.
Tougher cuts of beef are perfect to make in the slow cooker. They are often more affordable cuts of beef but cooking them slowly in the crockpot makes them perfectly tender and delicious. Some different cuts to consider are the cross rib roast, rump roast, top or bottom blade. If you aren't sure which to buy while in the store, your butcher can help with some recommendations for cooking beef in a slow cooker.
Some people prefer searing the roast prior to cooking it in the slow cooker, but I find that step to be completely unnecessary. It doesn't really change up the flavor of the finished roast.
It doesn't really matter as it all cooks together and the vegetables are really there just to add flavor. I prefer to place them on the bottom so they sit in the broth and cook up and soften more quickly infusing their flavors into the juice the beef roast is sitting in.
More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
If you love cooking meals with your slow cooker, you might also enjoy these beef dishes.
- Best Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
- Simple Slow Cooker Steak Stew
- Slow Cooker Beef and Vegetables
- Slow Cooker Beef, Beer and Onion Stew
- Grandma's Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Have a look at our video for our Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast below!
Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast Video
Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef Roast
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 - 2 ½ pounds beef pot roast, boneless, top or bottom blade or cross rib
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 4 bay leaf
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 can (5 ½-6 oz) tomato paste
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce plus 2 teaspoons
- 1 tablespoon honey plus 2 teaspoons
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard plus 2 teaspoons
- 1 teaspoon rosemary dried
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon parsley dried
- 1 teaspoon salt separated
- 1 teaspoon pepper separated
- 1 tablespoon sugar if needed
Instructions
- Get out and measure your ingredients.
- Coat your beef with ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
- In slow cooker add the onion, garlic and bay leaves. Place beef over top.
- In a medium bowl combine broth, vinegar, tomato paste, mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary and remaining salt and pepper.
- Stir until blended.
- Pour over beef.
- Cover and cook on low, until beef is cooked and tender, 6-8 hours. Discard bay leaves.
- Remove beef on to plate and remove the strings if any. Set aside to rest.
- In bowl whisk flour with ⅓ cup water.
- Remove juices and add to saucepan. Cover and whisk on medium high until simmering for about 20 minutes or until sauce thickens to your desired consistency. Add parsley. Taste gravy and add sugar if necessary.
- Slice beef.
- Serve with gravy and noodles or mashed potatoes. Enjoy every bite!
Notes
- Don't worry about choosing an expensive cut of roast to use to make slow cooker balsamic pot roast. Even the toughest piece of meat can cook up into a tender, juicy beef dinner.
- Keep an eye on the liquid in the pot as it helps to tenderize the roast. It's important to keep fully covered so the liquid doesn't evaporate. If needed, add more liquid to the slow cooker while it's cooking.
- Let the beef rest before serving for the best flavor and juiciest servings of beef.
Kristine
Definitely by far the best-tasting beef roast recipe. I will for sure make it again. Also, added potatoes and carrots.
Karin and Ken
I can’t thank you enough for your kind words! You made my day. I love this roast too and am always glad I’m not the only one! 😉 If you enjoy pork try my balsamic pork roast. You’ll even love the way the house smells while it’s cooking! Take care and all the best. Karin
Natalee Neufeld
Made this recipe and it was delicious just used a quarter cup of balsamic vinegar instead of half. Also added carrots and potatoes. Will definitely make again
Karin and Ken
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It's a personal favorite! Thank you for letting me know how you changed it. I am always curious. Thank you and take care. Karin
Sarah
Why oh why aren't the measurements in the readable part of the recipe??? The video is laggy and slow.
Karin and Ken
I am sorry you’re experiencing difficulties. The recipe is at the bottom of the post. The fastest way to find it is once you are on the recipe page at the top under the title there’s a big blue button that says jump to recipe. Push it and scroll down a second to see the specific recipe with exact ingredients. I hope you try this roast. It’s delicious. Take care and hope I’ve helped at least a little. Enjoy your day. Karin
TD
This came out very tasty. Thanks for the recipe. I did do a swap of the beef broth for homemade bone broth that I had in the freezer.
Karin and Ken
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! We love this recipe around here! I can't thank you enough for taking the time to comment. All the best. Karin