If you love French onion soup, you’ll love this French Onion Pot Roast! Caramelized onions and tender beef cook low and slow for the ultimate comfort meal. Includes slow cooker and oven directions.
French Onion Pot Roast
This French Onion Pot Roast is one of my favorite comfort food dinners to make because my family absolutely loves it—especially my husband, who’s obsessed with anything with caramelized onions. Inspired by classic French onion soup, it slow-simmers with sweet onions and a rich, savory broth until the beef is fork-tender and practically falling apart. It’s meant to be a little brothy (just like French onion soup), which makes it perfect over mashed potatoes—or with cheesy Swiss toasts for dipping. And whether you want to make it in the slow cooker or in a Dutch oven, I’ve included both methods. The leftovers are just as good the next day. If you love using your slow cooker this time of year, be sure to check out my collection of slow cooker recipes.
Why You’ll Want to Make This French Onion Pot Roast All Winter
My family loved this roast, and it made enough that I was able to share some with my senior neighbor, who enjoyed it too. It’s one of those meals that feels comforting in every way, especially when served with mashed potatoes, cauliflower mash, or crusty bread to soak up every last drop.
- Comfort food: Combines traditional pot roast with French onion soup for a warm, hearty meal.
- Rich flavor: Caramelizing the onions and searing the meat builds layers of flavor.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: After some prep up front, it cooks all day in the crockpot and reheats beautifully.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s the list of ingredients for this French onion pot roast. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- All-Purpose Flour creates a nice crust on the beef and helps absorb any liquid from the caramelized onions.
- Seasoning: Garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper
- Boneless Beef Chuck Roast is a tough, cost-effective cut of meat, making it ideal for low-and-slow cooking. Trim off any large pieces of fat before cooking to prevent the sauce from becoming too oily.
- Olive Oil for sautéing the onions
- Onions: Cut 2 to 3 onions in half, then slice them into thin half-moons. You can use white, yellow, or red onions.
- Sherry Wine, a fortified wine, adds depth and complexity to the gravy.
- Beef Bone Broth contains more protein than regular broth.
- Dry Onion Soup Mix for that classic French onion flavor. It’s an easy way to season the sauce with just one ingredient.
- Fresh Thyme Sprigs impart their earthy flavor as they simmer in the broth.
How to Make French Onion Soup Pot Roast
Caramelize the onions and brown the chuck roast on the stove, then add everything to the slow cooker and let it do the rest of the work. Your home will smell amazing when you return home at the end of the day! See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Make the flour mixture: Combine the flour with the seasonings and rub some over the chuck roast.
- Caramelize the onions. Add the oil and onions to a cold pan, then turn on the stove to medium-low. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often. Reduce the heat if the onions brown too quickly. The secret to sweet, golden onions is cooking them low and slow!
- Make the French onion sauce: Stir in the remaining flour, followed by the sherry. Cook for a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce, then add the beef broth and onion soup mix. Pour the mixture into the crockpot.
- Brown the beef in olive oil in a dry pan (you can just wipe out the onion pan) over medium-high heat. Cook on all sides for a few minutes, then add to the slow cooker with the thyme.
- Slow cook on low for 8 hours.
- Finishing Touches: At hour 7, remove the roast and slice it into 6 pieces (this helps the beef absorb the sauce). Taste the broth and add more salt if needed. Return the meat to the crock pot to finish cooking.
No Slow Cooker? No Problem!
Place the browned roast and caramelized onions in a Dutch oven or a heavy, oven-safe pot, and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 2 ½ hours. Check that there is enough liquid after 1 ½ hours, and cook until the meat and vegetables are tender.
Variations
- Meat: If you can’t find a chuck roast, a beef round roast will also work but won’t have as much marbling so it will be a little dry, or try using a pork shoulder.
- Sherry Wine: Swap sherry for a dry red wine, or use more broth if you prefer not to cook with wine.
- Broth: Substitute regular beef broth if you can’t find bone broth.
Serving Suggestions
For a fun optional touch, make cheesy toasts with melted Swiss, just like you’d serve with French onion soup, and use them for dipping. The recipe is included at the bottom of the recipe card, and I have more side dish ideas below.
Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.
- Freeze the onions and beef in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw the container in the fridge the day before. Then, reheat it on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave until warm.
More Cozy Slow Cooker Comfort Food Recipes You’ll Love
For more dinner ideas, check out these five delicious slow cooker recipes to inspire your next meal!
Yield: servings
Serving Size: 1 /6th of beef with ¾ cups onion soup gravy
-
Mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Rub chuck roast with 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Set aside both the roast & the remaining flour mixture.
-
Add ½ tablespoon olive oil and onions to a large pan (starting cold) and cook over medium-low heat until golden, stirring often, reducing heat as needed if the onions are burning or browning too quickly; this should take about 25 to 30 minutes. The onions should turn golden and caramelized, and the flavor should be sweet.
-
Add remaining flour mixture to the onions and stir to thoroughly combine. Add sherry wine & cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are thickened and fragrant. Add beef broth and onion seasoning. Stir & transfer to the slow cooker.
-
Wipe out the same pan the onions were cooked in (definitely doesn’t have to be clean, but shouldn’t be wet), spray with olive oil & heat over medium-high.
-
Add seasoned chuck roast and cook on each side until caramelized and brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
-
Transfer the chuck roast to the slow cooker on top of the onion mixture and place thyme sprigs around the meat. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours.
-
Before the last hour of cooking (at the 7 hour mark), take the roast out and slice into 6 pieces. Taste the broth for salt and adjust as needed. Return the beef back into the onion mixture and finish cooking one more hour until the meat is fork tender.
-
Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower or roasted potatoes and vegetables.
Stove Method
-
Place the browned roast and caramelized onions in a Dutch oven or a heavy, oven-safe pot, and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 2 ½ hours or until the meat is fork tender. Check that there is enough liquid after 1 ½ hours, and cook until the meat and vegetables are tender.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.
Optional for serving, add some Cheesy Swiss Toast
- 1 demi-baguette
- 6 slices swiss cheese
While the chuck finishes cooking, prepare cheesy toast: Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut a demi-baguette long ways & place inside up on a lined sheet pan. Cover each side in Swiss cheese slices (likely, each slice should be halved for perfect fitting). Toast until the cheese is golden & bubbling, about 5-7 minutes. Cut each half in three pieces.
- Calories- 151
- Total Fat- 5.5g
- Saturated Fat-3g
- Cholesterol- 20mg
- Sodium- 232mg
- Carbohydrates- 16.5g
- Fiber- 0.5g
- Sugar- 0g
- Protein-7.5
Serving: 1 /6th of beef with ¾ cups onion soup gravy, Calories: 365 kcal, Carbohydrates: 18 g, Protein: 45 g, Fat: 11.5 g, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Cholesterol: 124.5 mg, Sodium: 832 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 6.5 g
