Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Beef Roast

This slow cooker sweet and sour beef roast is rich, flavorful, and so easy to make. Tender beef slow cooks in cranberry sauce, chili sauce, and a few easy seasonings bringing an Asian twist to a classic comfort dish.

Ken and I were trying to remember where we ate this roast for the first time. All we know for sure is we were so surprised by the simplicity of the recipe itself.

It's shocking how just a few ingredients add so much flavor to slow cooked roast beef making it turn out so tender and juicy.

It's hard to believe after all these years, we're still making this Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Beef Roast for dinner!

If you love using your slow cooker to create delicious meals, try these garlic ranch pork chops and slow cooker cabbage roll casserole.

Why You Will Love this Recipe

• All you need are a few simple ingredients and many are pantry staples you may already have on hand.
• It's incredibly easy to make and the slow cooker does all the heavy lifting.
• Unique flavors bringing an Asian flair to classic pot roast.
• A satisfying, hearty, and comforting meal that will be a new family favorite.

Ingredients

You're going to be shocked at the short list of ingredients you need to make this simple recipe.

The main players are below, but you can find the complete ingredient list along with amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.

• Beef pot roast: You want to choose a pot roast with plenty of marbling throughout the entire piece of meat. This will slowly cook down over time and make it tender and juicy.
• Whole berry cranberry sauce: Look for this on your canned fruit or vegetable aisle. If you're making this outside the holiday season, it may be on a bottom shelf.
• Ketchup style chili sauce: Heinz is the popular brand that makes this sauce. It's a cross between a hot chili sauce and ketchup, with a bit more zing than ketchup.
• Spices: You will need ground ginger and onion powder to season the sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce: Gives the sweet and sour a bit more depth of flavor.
• Flour: Just a bit at the end to help thicken the sauce. You can use cornstarch instead.

Substitutions

• Beef pot roast: Swap it for steak cubes or stew meat instead of a whole roast.
• No chili sauce? You can use ketchup and add some cayenne to get a similar flavor profile.
• Swap the Worcestershire sauce with red wine vinegar.

Variations

• Like it spicy? This dish is great with a teaspoon or so of chili pepper flakes or  jalapeno powder to give it a bit of heat. If you like a smoky, spiciness try this smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder.
• Add more vegetables such as potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms. Add them during the last hour of cooking so they cook to tender crisp consistency.
• Add extra spices such as garlic powder or some fresh garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, or dried oregano.

How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Roast

Making this recipe is as easy as it gets. It only takes a few simple steps and some time in the slow cooker.

The highlights are below, but you can find the complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.

1. Place the onions in the slow cooker.
2. Add the beef roast on top.

3. Mix together the chili sauce, canned cranberry, and spices.
4. Pour it over the beef in the slow cooker. Cook for 6 to 8 hours.

5. Mix together the flour and water.
6. Remove the roast when it's ready. Turn the the slow cooker to high and stir in the flour slurry. Cook until the sauce thickens.

7. Slice up the beef and top with the sweet and sour sauce.

Storage

• Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: This dish also freezes well. Store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: Slice the roast beef and place it in a baking dish along with any sauce. Cover the dish and bake at 325 degrees until heated through, about 20-25 minutes.

What to Serve with Beef Roast

This roast is perfect with all the classic sides that we normally think of when we think of roasts.

• Potatoes: It's great with mashed potatoes, air fryer parmesan potatoes or cheesy potato casserole.
• Pasta: We love this creamy risotto pasta or macaroni and cheese with this sweet and sour pot roast.
• Rice: Steamed white, brown or wild rice pilaf works great too since it soaks up all the yummy juices.
• Vegetables: Instant pot asparagus, parmesan green beans, and glazed carrots are a few of our favorites.

Tips

• If you love veggies, add some carrots or potatoes to cook with the meat.
• Avoid overcrowding the slow cooker so that there is plenty of room for heat circulation.
• Cook on low until tender, then increase heat to high near the end of cooking time to thicken the sauce
• Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and green onion slices for a splash of color.
• Let your cooked beef rest before slicing or cutting into chunks
• Cook the meat longer on low heat settings for the most tender results.

FAQ

More Slow Cooker Beef Recipes

Peek at our video!  This way you can see just how simple this dinner recipe really is!

Slow Cooker Beef Roast Video

This post was originally published December 2017. It has been updated with new content and images.