Practically effortless Crockpot Cranberry Pot Roast with tart cranberries and sweet pearl onions, which results in super tender meat and a wonderful rich flavorful sauce!
Crockpot Pot Roast with Cranberries
Nothing quite like a savory and tender slow cooker pot roast to make you look forward to dinner all day. It truly is the ultimate comfort food, especially if it’s served over mashed potatoes or with a side of buttermilk biscuits!
Also no surprise how popular pot roast is, because of its ability to feed a large family (with leftovers, too!), is typically budget-friendly, and it’s so easy!
Traditional pot roast recipes use carrots and potatoes and Mississippi Pot Roast includes pepperoncini peppers, but this crockpot pot roast has cranberries and pearl onions. Needless to say, it’s absolutely wonderful!
Ingredients Needed
Ingredients like red wine, Worcestershire sauce, cranberries, and onion give this crockpot pot roast its incredible flavor.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Chuck roast – Chuck roast is the most common cut of meat for pot roast, due to its marbled texture. Trim off any excess fat. See note below for other options.
- Olive oil – To pan sear the roast before placing it in the crock pot.
- Seasonings – Coarse salt, pepper, and bay leaves season the roast.
- Beef broth – The liquid needed for the roast to cook in.
- Red wine – This adds wonderful depth of flavor. Any dry red wine will work here, though you do want to avoid wines that are super sweet because we add honey to this. See note below for substitutions.
- Worcestershire sauce – For more depth of flavor.
- Honey – Just a little honey balances the other strong flavors.
- Frozen Cranberries and Frozen Pearl Onions – These add great tart and sweet flavor, texture, and substance to the recipe.
What Cut of Meat is Best for Pot Roast?
The following three cuts will all make a fine pot roast.
- Chuck Roast – this might be labeled chuck roast, shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, or chuck shoulder. Slightly fattier than brisket or round, chuck has a richer taste but is higher in saturated fats. It’s tender, falls apart when finished cooking, and easily shredded.
- Beef Brisket – this is a flat cut, with most of its fat on the outside. It’s best sliced against the grain and cold leftovers are wonderful for sandwiches the next day!
- Round Roast – this is labeled rump roast, bottom round, or top round. It’s the leanest of the three cuts, has a fine grain, and is easy to slice. The flavor isn’t as beefy or bold as the other two.
How to Make Cranberry Pot Roast
Making crockpot cranberry pot roast requires minimal prep. Just sear the meat, toss everything in the crockpot, and at the end of the day you’ll have an awesome dinner waiting for you!
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Sear the roast. Rub the salt and pepper over the roast then sear in olive oil until golden brown – about 2 minutes per side. Place in a greased 6-quart crockpot.
- Make the broth mixture. Whisk together the beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and honey; pour over the roast.
- Add bay leaves, cranberries, and onions. Scatter the bay leaves, frozen cranberries, and frozen onions around the roast in the crockpot.
- Cook. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
- Shred the roast. Discard bay leaves. Shred the meat or tear off small portions; serve as is or over mashed potatoes with some of the sauce!
Tips and Variations
- Do I have to sear the meat before slow cooking? You don’t have to sear the meat before slow cooking, but it definitely is an added step where the payoff is huge. Browning the meat first, caramelizes the surface and lends such a rich depth of flavor to the finished dish. And bonus, it also prevents the meat from adding excess grease to your cooked dish.
- Can I omit the wine? The wine adds depth of flavor and completely cooks off, but if you are avoiding alcohol, it can be replaced with more beef stock. Note that the end result won’t be quite as rich and deep.
- Buy extra cranberries when they’re in season. Fresh cranberries freeze really well, so buy a bunch of extra bags when they’re in season – that way you can make this pot roast recipe all year round!
How Can I Thicken The Sauce?
Slow Cooker recipes trap moisture, which more times than not, result in tender food but a watery sauce. If you want to thicken your sauce, you have options.
- Use Flour: mix equal parts of flour and hot water together to make a slurry. Then use 2 tablespoons of slurry for every cup of liquid in the slow cooker. Stir the slurry in and simmer the liquid in the cooker on high for 15 minutes. (Alternatively, you can make a roux by heating the flour and some butter in a small pan until it’s bubbly, and then stir in one cup of the liquid. Stir the roux into the broth and simmer until it thickens.)
- Use Cornstarch: mix one part cornstarch with two parts cold water to form a slurry. Then use 3 tablespoons of slurry per cup of liquid. Stir the slurry into the broth, setting the slow cooker to high for 15 minutes so it simmers and thickens.
In either case, if you’re going to thicken the sauce in the slow cooker, do it on high with the lid off, and monitor the sauce so it doesn’t reduce too much. (You can speed up the process by transferring the sauce to a pot and reducing it on the stove top, stirring constantly so the sauce doesn’t burn.)
Serving Suggestions
Pot roast loves to be served over mashed potatoes! And if you want to get more veggies included in the meal, you can also enjoy it with some roasted broccoli or roasted cauliflower. You could also serve it with rice.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. You can store leftover cranberry pot roast in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. This also makes a great freezer meal. Just allow it to cool completely, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat. The microwave works perfectly for reheating individual portions but if you’re reheating more, you may want to do so on the stovetop.
More Crockpot Recipes:
- French Dip Sandwich
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Brisket
- Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Crockpot Cranberry Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4-5 pound boneless chuck roast , excess fat trimmed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 7 ounces beef broth
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 ounce bag frozen cranberries
- 14 ounce bag frozen pearl onions
- mashed potatoes , for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high; swirl to coat.
- Season roast generously on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the hot skillet; cook until nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and honey; pour over the roast.
- Scatter the bay leaves, frozen cranberries, and frozen onions to the slow cooker around the roast.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Discard bay leaves. Shred the meat or tear off small portions; serve as is or over mashed potatoes with some of the sauce!
