Make this Dutch Oven Pot Roast for a deliciously tender Sunday dinner. It takes a little bit of prep, but it comes together to create the most amazing meal.

three bowls with pot roast and vegetable in them

A Note from Teri on Pot Roast

My mother didn’t love to cook, but one thing she did make was Pot Roast. She had a few dishes that were truly spectacular. I love her Corn Soufflé for Thanksgiving, and her meat sauce is one of my favorites to make for people. Her Bavarian Pot Roast is in my cookbook, and I made this Pot Roast inspired by her. Speaking of a mother’s love, read more about it in this Substack.

The key to a delicious pot roast is slow and low cooking. We did this on 325F in the oven for four hours to get the perfect results. To avoid overcooking the pot roast, we added a piece of parchment paper on top of the roast. This helped keep the meat from drying out and kept all the flavor locked in.

While this takes several hours to make, the active time in the kitchen is not much at all. I love to make this for a Sunday lunch or dinner for guests, and serve it alongside a delicious salad. It’s a total crowd pleaser.

the prepped ingredients for dutch oven pot roast in small bowls

Ingredients and Variations

  • Beef chuck roast
  • Kosher salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Chopped onion, carrots,celery
  • Beef Broth – we used FOND Beef Bone Broth
  • Crushed tomatoes
  • Coconut sugar – you could substitute brown sugar
  • Red wine vinegar
  • Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, bay leaf
  • Beer – we used a gluten free beer
  • Potatoes – we used yellow potatoes and quartered them, but you could also use baby potatoes
  • Carrots

How to Make Dutch Oven Pot Roast

chuck roast on a piece of parchment paper
seared meat on a wooden cutting board

Step One: Sear Beef and Saute Vegetables

Preheat oven to 325°F. Using a paper towel or a kitchen cloth, pat the chuck roast dry. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of kosher salt all over the roast.

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Put the roast in the Dutch oven and brown evenly on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté until the onions are translucent and cooked through, for 4 to 5 minutes.

beer pouring into a dutch oven with pot roast liquids
pot roast ingredients combined in a dutch oven

Step Two: Deglaze Pan and Begin Roasting

In the same pan, add the jar of Beef Broth to deglaze the pan and make it extra delicious. Increase the temperature to medium-high heat to bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. 

In a food processor or blender, combine 1 ½ cups water, the crushed tomatoes, coconut sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, and ginger and process until thoroughly combined.

Raise heat to medium, and add the blend into the pot, the bay leaf, 2 teaspoons of salt, the beer and the beef with its juices. Dice 2 cups of potatoes, leaving the other pieces whole, and add to the pot. Using a parchment paper sheet, cover the piece of roast. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 1 hour.

cooked pot roast and vegetables in a dutch oven
pouring pureed liquid on top of the pot roast in a dutch oven

Step Three: Finish Roasting and Puree Sauce

Flip the piece of roast and cover again with the parchment paper. Replace the lid and continue to cook in the oven for 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment paper as well. Add the rest of the potatoes and carrots. Replace the lid and continue to cook for an additional 1 ½ hours, or till the meat is tender.

Once the roast is done, transfer the meat to a cutting board, spoon a couple tablespoons of the broth on top, and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Set aside.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the large pieces of the carrot and the potato to a bowl. Set aside. Discard the bay leaf. Carefully, spoon and pour the hot broth and remaining smaller pieces of vegetables into blender and blend until smooth. Return the blended sauce to the pot and season the sauce with 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt, to taste.  Return the roast and its juices, and the vegetables to the pot. Enjoy! You just created a delicious, naturally thickened sauce that is gluten-free!

Recipe FAQs

Why use a dutch oven?

A dutch oven is great for a pot roast because you can get an excellent sear on the meat as well as roast everything in it in the oven. I recommend using at least a 5.5 quart dutch oven.

Why do you cook at 325F?

Slow and low cooking is what allows the fat on the meat to render. The meat will become a perfect melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Why do you add the vegetables later?

To avoid the vegetables completely breaking down, you add them a bit later in the cooking process. If you add them too early, they will turn to mush. We add a few of the potatoes and carrots early so it can blend into the sauce, but the chunks are added later.

If you make this Dutch Oven Pot Roast, be sure to review it below and let me know what you think! If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest,  Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!

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three bowls with pot roast and vegetable in them

Dutch Oven Pot Roast

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Teri Turner
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

This Dutch Oven Pot Roast would be perfect for Sunday cooking or for any of your holiday celebrations!

Ingredients

  •   1 (4-pound) beef chuck roast
  •   2 tablespoons plus 2 to 4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  •   3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
  •   ¾ cup coarsely chopped onion
  •   ¾ cup coarsely chopped carrots
  •   ¾ cup coarsely chopped celery
  •   1 (14-ounce) jar FOND Beef Bone Broth
  •   1 (8-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  •   2 tablespoons coconut sugar
  •   2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  •   1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  •   1 teaspoon ground ginger
  •   1 bay leaf
  •   1 (12-ounce) can of beer, we used a gluten free beer
  •   3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into fourths
  •   4 medium carrots, cut into 3 chunks

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Using a paper towel or a kitchen cloth, pat the chuck roast dry. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of kosher salt all over the roast.
  3. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Put the roast in the Dutch oven and brown evenly on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside.
  4. In the same pan, add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté until the onions are translucent and cooked through, for 4 to 5 minutes.
  5. In the same pan, add the jar of FOND Beef Bone Broth to deglaze the pan and make it extra delicious. Increase the temperature to medium-high heat to bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. 
  6. In a food processor or blender, combine 1 ½ cups water, the crushed tomatoes, coconut sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, and ginger and process until thoroughly combined.
  7. Raise heat to medium, and add the blend into the pot, the bay leaf, 2 teaspoons of salt, the beer and the beef with its juices. Dice 2 cups of potatoes, leaving the other pieces whole, and add to the pot. Using a parchment paper sheet, cover the piece of roast. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
  8. Flip the piece of roast and cover again with the parchment paper. Replace the lid and continue to cook in the oven for 1 ½ hours.
  9. Remove from the oven and remove the parchment paper as well. Add the rest of the potatoes and carrots. Replace the lid and continue to cook for an additional 1 ½ hours (a total cook time of 4 hours), or till the meat is tender.
  10. Once the roast is done, transfer the meat to a cutting board, spoon a couple tablespoons of the broth on top, and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Set aside.
  11. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the large pieces of the carrot and the potato to a bowl. Set aside. Discard the bay leaf.
  12. Carefully, spoon and pour the hot broth and remaining smaller pieces of vegetables into blender and blend until smooth. (You can also use a stick blender directly in the pot, just be VERY careful not to burn yourself.) Return the blended sauce to the pot and season the sauce with 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt, to taste.  Return the roast and its juices, and the vegetables to the pot. Enjoy! You just created a delicious, naturally thickened sauce that is gluten-free!

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days. 

If you don’t need this recipe to be gluten free, use any beer you would like to add to your dish. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl
  • Calories: 509
  • Sugar: 9.6 g
  • Sodium: 803.1 mg
  • Fat: 17.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 39.4 g
  • Protein: 48.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 133.8 mg