Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker is a savory, tender meal that will be a dinner recipe favorite. The apple cider and other ingredients work together in the most lovely way to create a hearty, fall meal that is full of rich, classic pot roast flavor – only better. Save this recipe to Pinterest now so you can always find it.

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I am going to be living on slow cooker meals this fall. I have probably mentioned that before because I always tend to go through a slow cooker craze in the fall. Both kids are in fall sports and really this is the only way I can cook good, fresh meals for us while running between soccer and cheer/football. I do not know how those of you with more than two children do it. We are busy every single night of the week except for Friday now. And while I do not mind running the kids everywhere, I really hate it when we eat out a lot during the week or end up eating whatever happens to be around while we dash from place to place.

With a focus on all things fall now, I made this Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker and it is a meal that makes me want to slow down, stop dashing and really savory all of the beautiful and cozy flavors that fall and cool weather has to offer us. I based this off of my Butter & Beer Pot Roast in my cookbook (which is my favorite all time pot roast recipe) and could not be happier with how tender, savory and stunningly delicious the beef turned out.

What is in my Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker recipe?

The main ingredients in my Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker recipe are a nice, large beef chuck roast that I cut into cubes, a beautiful dry seasoning mix for the meat, pure apple cider, beef stock, carrots, celery, shallots, onions, garlic and some Dijon mustard. I tried to keep the ingredients here pretty simple. We love to serve this over mashed potatoes because the gravy is just that good, but in the recipe I have suggestions adding potatoes straight to the pot if you want them.

Cooking the meat

For the beef in the Apple Cider Pot Roast, you want to use beef chuck and I cut it into 2-3 inch cubes. This helps it cook a little faster and it allows all the meat to cook more evenly because nothing is overly thick. the evenness in the cooking will allow for each piece of meat to be more tender than if you were to keep it altogether. Once the meat is cut, I add on some extra virgin olive oil and a dried spice rub. The dried spices really work well in the pot roast because it helps to flavor the meat itself versus the broth, although it does add flavor there too to give you really an outstanding meal.

The pieces of beef chuck roast are cooked for two minutes on the largest sides before additional ingredients are added to the pot. I have a slow cooker that allows me to sauté in the pot itself and use that to sear the meat. If you do not have that function on your slow cooker, I have steps below for you to follow on starting this recipe in a separate sauté pan.

Adding it all together

Once the meat browns a little bit, the onions, shallots and garlic are added in. That all cooks together for a few minutes before adding the celery, carrots and a little flour. the flour will help a tad with thickness but this is a very thin, almost broth for the Apple Cider Pot roast in a slow cooker. If you want a thicker broth, I have instructions for that in the recipe below.

After the flour is added, the wet ingredients are added including apple cider, beef stock and Dijon mustard. Then everything is slow cooked on low for 6 hours or until the meat is fork tender.

Can I make this in a Dutch oven?

Yes, if you want to make my Apple Cider Pot Roast in a Dutch oven, follow all the steps in the recipe card below and just substitute the Dutch oven for the slow cooker. All the steps where you are browning the meat or sautéing will be done in the Dutch oven instead and then everything will be combined in it and cooked. Cook it covered at 300 degree F and for three and a half hours.

Can I make this in a pressure cooker?

The short answer here is yes. However, I much prefer the texture of the meat and the overall flavor of the Apple Cider Pot Roast from the slow cooker or the Dutch oven. Part of the process in creating that flavor is in the slow cooking of the meat and the seasoning to create a rich broth and break down the fibers in the meat to give you a tender piece of beef chuck. However, if you still want to use the pressure cooker, brown all the meat and sauté everything in the pressure cooker. Then add everything to the pressure cooker, seal it and close the vent. Set it to the meat/stew setting. Times may vary across pressure cookers and remember it will take awhile for the pot to actually come to pressure too.

Tips for making my Apple Cider Pot Roast in a Slow Cooker

First, if you do not have a slow cooker that sautés, I highly recommend this one {HERE}. I bought this slow cooker last fall and it has been a life savor. I had a really old one and I wanted one that would sauté right in the pot for me so I did not have to dirty another pan. This one is a breeze to use and I have truly loved it so much.
Please make sure you cut the pot roast into the pieces as suggested. It really helps the meat cook a little but faster and it makes it so nice to pull apart with your fork.
I do not add potatoes to this because we like to serve it over mashed potatoes. However, I do have an option for adding potatoes in the recipe below. If you want a simple mashed potato recipe for the Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker, this {HERE} is the easy and delicious mashed potato recipe we use to serve under a lot of dishes like this.
I think apples would also be a fun addition to this and have listed them in the ingredients below with instructions. You do have to add them later in the process or they get much too mushy in the slow cooker.

Saving and re-heating the Apple Cider Pot Roast

If you have left over for my Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker, you can store them in a glass or plastic refrigerator safe container. Cover it tightly with the lid and place it in the refrigerator. The leftovers will keep for about four days. Kevin likes to add the mashed potatoes in first and then put leftovers over that. You can also freeze them in a freezer safe container. To reheat, you can use the microwave. Or,you can place everything back in a medium pot on the stove and simmer it until it is heated through. If you froze it, thaw it first overnight in the refrigerator.

Looking for more slow cooker or fall recipes?

If you love a good crock pot recipe like my Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker, try these too.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast Sandwiches {HERE}
Slow Cooker Creamy French Mustard Chicken {HERE}
Creamy Apple Gouda Sausage Pasta {HERE}
Braised Apple Cider Pork Tenderloin {HERE}
Slow Cooker Sun Dried Tomato Chicken with Polenta {HERE}
Spiced Apple Cherry Cider in a Slow Cooker {HERE}
Gouda & Apple Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken {HERE}

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope that you love my Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker. You can find the full, printable recipe below. Happy eating.

Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker

Apple Cider Pot Roast in a slow cooker is a savory, tender meal that will be a dinner recipe favorite. The apple cider and other ingredients work together in the most lovely way to create a hearty, fall meal that is full of rich, classic pot roast flavor - only better. Save this recipe to Pinterest now so you can always find it.

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cider pot roast, cider pot roast, pot roast in a slow cooker, slow cooker recipes

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 8

Servings: people

Author: Rachel

Equipment

Slow cooker

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Beef Chuck Roast rub

3-4 lb beef chuck roast
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp garlic salt
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 tsp ground mustard

Ingredients for the pot

1 medium onion, diced
1 large shallot. diced
4 clovers large, roughly chopped garlic
3 stalks chopped celeery
3 large chopped carrots You can use the baby carrots if you like too.
2 tbsp flour
1/2 cup real apple cider
2 cups beef stock
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
6 tbsp salted butter, sliced
Optional for thickening: 2 tablespoons of corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water.
Optional vegetables: Halved baby potatoes, green beans
Optional: Thick sliced granny smith or honey crisp apples
Ingredients for serving: Fresh parsley and fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

Prep the beef chuck roast by slicing it into 2-3 inch pieces. Cut off and discard any large piece of fat. As long as the roast is nicely marbled, there is enough fat to help flavor everything.
Add all the pieces to a bowl and then drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over it. Then add on the dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic salt, onion powder, dried tarragon and ground mustard. Mix everything together with your hands so the beef is covered well.
Next, in a sauté pan over a medium flame or in your slow cooker on a sauté setting, brown each of the beef pieces for 2 minutes on the two largest sides. Next add in the diced onions, shallots and garlic. Mix everything together over low heat for another 2 minutes.
*If you have been working in a separate sauté pan, move everything to the slow cooker now.
Then add in the celery, carrots and flour. If you are adding in potatoes or other vegetables, add them now. Mix everything together until the flour is coating the beef and the vegetables. Then add in the apple cider, beef broth and Dijon mustard and mix until everything is well combined.
Place the slices of butter over the pieces of the beef. Then, cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the pieces of the roast are so tender you can pull it apart with a fork. If you want to add the apples, add them with about 1 hour of cooking left.
If you want to thicken the broth when everything is done, remove all the meat and the vegetables. Then mix together the corn starch and water in a small bowl. Pour this into the broth on a sauté setting. If you do not have this setting on the slow cooker you can turn it to the high setting for a few minutes. Stir this in well with a whisk and then let it simmer for about 2-3 minutes. The broth will also thicken as it cools.
Serve this over mashed potatoes with additional vegetables like steamed green beans or broccoli as desired. Top with fresh parsley and thyme.