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. 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, mississippi pot roast in the oven or this crock pot eye of round Roast!
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.
Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast Video
Have a look at our video for our Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast below!
More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
If you're looking for more Dinner Recipes Using Beef Broth look no further. All our favorites are listed in one place for you to check out if you're interested. If you love cooking meals with your slow cooker, you might also enjoy these beef dishes.
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. 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.
Carolyn Cass says
Yep, I tried it. Deee-licious. Thanks for the recipe, will be snooping around your site for more winners! Made a real lot of gravy, we’ll be eating noodles and gravy for a few days…no way I’m going to pitch it! I see in Kristine’s comment below she added carrots and potatoes. I thought of that, but wasn’t sure when to add them…suggestion?
Karin and Ken says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! We love this roast! Add potatoes and carrots in the last 1.5-2 hours of cooking on low to make sure they become tender and not mushy. If you like balsamic vinegar I urge you to try our balsamic pork roast. I even love the way the house smells while it cooks and the gravy is also divine. (In my opinion). Regardless thank you for today. All the best. Karin
Carolyn Cass says
Just a question. How do you “cover and whisk” the sauce. Seems confusing to me
Karin and Ken says
That’s confusing to me too! I’m so grateful you pointed this error out. I’ve corrected the recipe. No covering required. Only whisking! This recipe is a personal favorite and I hope you try it. All the best. Karin
Anonymous says
Just started making tis recipe this morning. Can't wait to try it tonight. Will give an update but the recipe was super simple to throw together. Thanks for the recipe so far😀😀😀
Karin and Ken says
I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. All the best. Karin
jean says
This roast was the talk of our get together. The flavors were spot on. Everyone asked for the recipe. We will definitely make again. Thx
Karin and Ken says
I’m so glad to hear it. You just made my day. All the best. Karin
Filomena says
This recipe is so good. Love the balsamic vinegar with the beef. The gravy was exceptional and there is a lot of it. We loved this. Will be trying your balsamic pork roast next! Bet it’s great too. Thank you
Karin and Ken says
We love balsamic vinegar with almost everything! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. We think the pork roast is delicious too. I can’t wait to hear what you think of it. All the best. Karin
Nicole says
We just made this dish last night. Man what a great tenderized beef roast that balsamic makes and the gravy, was to die for. We used a bottom blade and it still turned out perfect. We will definitely be doing this again. So yummy. Leftover meat for sandwiches today for work. Absolutely brilliant!
Karin and Ken says
Thank you for all your kind words! I’m so glad you enjoyed this roast as much as we do! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. You made my day. I love this recipe. All the best. Karin
Ste says
Made this last night. The gravy was amazing and the beef roast tasted great. Served it on mashed potatoes. Next time I’m going to cook carrots and potatoes with the roast. Can’t wait to try it. Bet carrots and potatoes taste great too! TFS
Karin and Ken says
So glad you enjoyed this easy dinner. Hopefully you enjoy the potatoes and carrots as much as we do. All the best. Karin
Doug says
Broth, vinegar, etc., did not initially cover meat in the slow cooker. I was worried there would not be enough gravy. Luckily there was more than enough and did it ever taste great. We added carrots and baby potatoes for the last two hours on low and dinner was a total success. Thanks for another keeper. 💕
Karin and Ken says
As always you’re most welcome! I try my best. Glad you enjoyed it. It’s delicious. Take care. Karin
Kristine says
Definitely by far the best-tasting beef roast recipe. I will for sure make it again. Also, added potatoes and carrots.
Karin and Ken says
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 says
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 says
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 says
Why oh why aren't the measurements in the readable part of the recipe??? The video is laggy and slow.
Karin and Ken says
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 says
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 says
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