Low Carb Crock Pot Roast Beef

It's easy to make a keto pot roast in your slow cooker. Simply add the ingredients to the pan, set, and forget!

Served over mashed cauliflower and made without flour, this delicious entree is also gluten-free.

Keto pot roast served over mashed cauliflower.

There's nothing quite like a hot plate of a rich stew in winter. Flavorful, slow-cooked, tender beef, smothered in thick, rich gravy... it's the quintessential comfort food.

This keto pot roast is probably my favorite beef recipe to make - and eat - in the winter. I make it almost every other week, and we never tire of it.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Expert tip
Frequently asked questions
Serving suggestions
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
Recipe card

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this rich and flavorful dish. The exact measurements are in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

Beef chuck roast: I use a 3-lb. roast in this recipe. I typically get it at Whole Foods.

Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty.

Onion and garlic: I slice the onion fairly thinly. As for the garlic, you can mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work, although freshly minced tastes better.

Fresh parsley: This is one ingredient that many of us don't always have on hand, but I actually wouldn't skip it. It adds wonderful flavor.

Beef broth: I usually make this recipe with store-bought beef broth. You can use red wine instead, or half broth and half wine.

Instructions

Making this keto pot roast is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

Your first step is to season the beef with salt and pepper and place it in the slow cooker.

Next, add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. You can also cook on high for 4 hours, although the meat won't be as tender.

Strain the cooking liquids and reduce them over medium heat into a rich gravy. Serve the beef with the gravy.

A photo collage showing the steps for making a slow cooker keto pot roast.

Expert tip

While ideally, you would brown the meat on the stovetop before placing it into the slow cooker, this is not strictly necessary.

I've experimented and found that it actually makes very little difference to the final outcome, so I skip this annoying step. Although it won't hurt to do it, of course, if you have the patience.

Frequently asked questions

What cut of beef should I use?

I use a 3 lb. chuck roast that I get at the meat counter at Whole Foods.

Chuck roast is perfect for slow cooking. It's a tough piece of meat, but it's very flavorful and well-marbled, and slow cooking makes it very tender.

How long does it take to cook a 3 lb. roast in the slow cooker?

You can cook it in the slow cooker on LOW for 7-8 hours. I actually prefer to cook it for 7 hours, as I find that it sometimes dries out after the full 8 hours. Sometimes I cook it on HIGH for 4 hours. It comes out very good, but not as tender.

Do you need flour to thicken the gravy?

Not necessarily. You can thicken any gravy, if you're patient, by simply cooking it and reducing some of the liquid.

If you want it to happen faster, while keeping the dish keto and gluten-free, I suggest mixing 1 tablespoon of organic cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water and stirring that into the gravy.
The cornstarch will only add 7 grams of carbs for the entire recipe.

You can also use konjac flour as a thickener. Follow the directions on the package, but you should probably use no more than ½ teaspoon (it's a very powerful thickener) mixed with cold water.

Serving suggestions

Instead of the traditional mashed potatoes, I like to serve this dish on a bed of mashed cauliflower. I also like to add a green vegetable. A few favorite options are:

Sauteed spinach
Sauteed kale
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Microwave broccoli

Storing leftovers

Leftovers keep well for up to 4 days in the fridge, in an airtight container. They do tend to easily dry out when reheated, so it's best to reheat them covered in the microwave, on 50% power.

Keto pot roast served on a bed of mashed cauliflower.

Pumpkin Mug Cake
Keto Cheese Crackers
Chocolate Custard
Keto Shortbread Cookies

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Recipe card

Keto Slow Cooker Pot Roast

An easy recipe for delicious keto pot roast. Served over mashed cauliflower, it's also gluten-free.

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 7 hrs

Total Time 7 hrs 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 350 kcal

▢ 3 lb. boneless beef chuck roast
▢ 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1 medium onion sliced
▢ 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
▢ 1 bunch parsley
▢ 1 cup beef broth (or red wine)

Gravy:

▢ Strained cooking juices
▢ ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Season the meat with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
Place the roast in the slow cooker pan and add the sliced onion, garlic, and parsley. Pour the beef broth (or wine) on top.
Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours.
Remove the meat to a plate. Set the slow cooker to WARM. Strain the cooking liquids into a glass measuring cup, then return the meat to the slow cooker and cover, to keep warm while you make the gravy.
Use a spoon to skim the fat layer off the top of the cooking liquids. Season them with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, and continue to simmer, whisking occasionally, until reduced into a rich sauce, about 10 minutes.
Flake the beef with a fork. Distribute evenly among plates lined with mashed cauliflower. Spoon 2-4 tablespoons of gravy on top of each plate and serve.

Nutrition info is from Fitday.com and based on a search for "Beef, chuck, arm pot roast, separable lean and fat, trimmed to ⅛" fat, choice, cooked, braised."

While ideally, you would brown the meat on the stovetop before placing it into the slow cooker, this is not strictly necessary. I've experimented and found that it actually makes very little difference to the final outcome, so I skip this annoying step. Although it won't hurt to do it, of course, if you have the patience.

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