Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast is a delicious pot roast recipe that’s a dinner the whole family is going to love. And in this post you’ll also find some great tips for Making Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker.

PIN the Balsamic Pot Roast to make it later!

Square image for Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast shown on plate with onions and sauce.

When my friend Bonnie told me she made this Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast and loved it, I immediately realized I wanted to make it again just so I could take better photos! Bonnie was kind enough to say that she didn’t think the old photos were that bad, but trust me, these updated photos give you a much better idea of what a tasty recipe this is!

This pot roast is the perfect thing to cook on low all day in the slow cooker while you’re doing something else, and dinner will be ready when you want it. You can serve it without the onions for kids who don’t like them, but I bet the Balsamic Pot Roast will be a hit with the whole family.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

Tips for Making Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker:

I’m not a pot roast expert, but I’ve made pot roast in the Crockpot enough times to have strong opinions about how it should be done. There are three things I think are important to remember.

  1. First, Brown the meat well before you put it in the Crockpot because browning creates flavor. DON’T skip this step!
  2. Second, don’t use too much liquid for crockpot cooking, but especially for pot roast. 
  3. Third, be sure there is plenty of flavor in the liquids you’re using. All day crockpot cooking can make foods bland if there isn’t a flavorful cooking liquid.

Want more ideas for Slow Cooker Pot Roast?

All my slow cooker pot roast recipes are featured in this collection of 20 Keto Slow Cooker Recipes with Beef where you’ll find tasty recipes from Kalyn’s Kitchen and around the web.

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast process shots collage

How to make Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. I used a very thick chuck roast from Costco; here’s how my roast looked after I trimmed it. (I had to cut it to get the pockets of fat and get it to fit in my Crockpot.) I save all the scraps in a container which goes in the freezer, and then use them to make beef stock.
  2. Rub meat on both sides with steak seasoning and black pepper, then brown the roast very well.
  3. In a small saucepan on the stove, reduce 1 cup beef stock to 1/2 cup.
  4. While the meat browns, cut the onions and put them in the Crockpot.
  5. When the meat is brown put it in slow cooker on top of the onions, then deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup water, scraping off all browned bits, and add to reduced beef stock.
  6. Add balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce to beef stock and pour over  the pot roast.
  7. Cook on low 6-8 hours, until meat is tender.
  8. I drained all the liquid from the Crockpot and used a fat separator to remove the fat. After the fat is removed, reduce the liquid by about 1/3 by simmering it on the stove to make a sauce. (You could thicken it with a little cornstarch mixed with water, but I didn’t think it needed it.)
  9. You might think they’d be too done from being in the Crockpot all that time, but the onions were just as delicious as the meat.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast shown on serving plate with onions and fork in back.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This Balsamic Pot Roast would taste great with Pureed Cauliflower with Garlic, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese, Roasted Turnips, Turnip Gratin with Bacon, Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan, or Twice-Baked Cauliflower for a low-carb meal.

More Tasty Beef from the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot:

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes

This Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast is a deliciously and easy dinner that’s made in the Crockpot. And this Balsamic Pot Roast is a recipe the whole family will love.

Ingredients

  • 4 pound boneless chuck roast, fat trimmed
  • 1 T steak rub (see notes)
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 T olive oil (depends on your pan)
  • 1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
  • 2 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
  • 1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce

Instructions

  1. Trim as much fat as you can from roast, and cut if necessary to fit into Crockpot.
  2. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper.
  3. Heat pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don’t rush the browning step.
  4. While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup.
  5. While the meat browns, cut the onions and put them in the Crockpot.
  6. When the meat is brown put it in slow cooker on top of the onions, then deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup water, scraping off all browned bits, and add to reduced beef stock. Add balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce to beef stock and pour over pot roast.
  7. (Or you could stop at this point and refrigerate browned roast, cut onions and mixed sauce ingredients and then put them in the Crockpot when you go to work in the morning. Don’t refrigerate them in the crockery liner. Having the meat start out cold will add several hours to the cooking time, which will be good if you’re cooking it all day while you’re away.)
  8. Set Crockpot to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time. (If I am home, I might turn the meat once or twice.)
  9. Remove meat from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm.
  10. Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skimmer. Cook down liquid by about 1/3 by simmering in a small pan on the stove, and serve sauce with meat and onions.

Notes

I used a standard 3 1/2 quart Crockpot (affiliate link) for this recipe.

I used Szeged Steak Rub and Fini Balsamic Vinegar but there are many good brands. (affiliate links) You can use one cup from a can of beef broth for this recipe, but be sure to reduce it by simmering until it's reduced to 1/2 cup.

Nutritional information is calculated using the entire amount of balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce that goes into the slow cooker, but you're probably not eating every bit of the sauce, so actual carb counts are slightly lower.

This recipe created by Kalyn, and it's been hugely popular on the site!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 786Total Fat: 49gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 253mgSodium: 374mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 76g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast finished dish on serving plate

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe for Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot roast has about 9 net carbs per serving if you’re eating it with the onions. Balsamic vinegar and onions both have some carbs, so concentrate on the meat and go easy on the onions and sauce if you’re eating this for a low-carb diet. If you make it with the fat trimmed well and served with the onions, Balsamic Pot Roast is suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet,! 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Balsamic Pot Roast recipe was first posted in 2007! It was updated with new photos in 2012, and was last updated with more information in 2023.

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