Easy frozen roast in slow cooker directions are here! Forgot to defrost your chuck roast for dinner, no problem. Use your Crockpot.

Crockpot Roast
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Have you ever been tempted to make a frozen roast in a slow cooker? It is totally possible and turns out way better than you could ever imagine. Add vegetables and potatoes for the best easy Crockpot recipe ever.

A while back we shared how to make an Instant Pot frozen roast and frozen chuck roast in Instant Pot that turns out fork tender.

If you don’t have that machine you probably have this one, so I thought I’d share this method too. Here we go.

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

  1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
  2. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

A floral design slow cooker with a white base and lid sits on a kitchen countertop, perfect for whipping up a 5 ingredient crockpot chili recipe.

Yes I am forgetful too, don’t feel bad. If you often times plan on throwing in your ingredients in the morning but forgot to defrost, no worries. I share how to cook frozen meat with you here.

I mean I try and prefer that it is not rock hard when starting to cook but sometimes things just don’t go as planned. If you do remember I have instructions for that as well below.

roast

Slow cooking can really save the day I say. If you have a Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot those do have a slow cook setting but I don’t recommend using it. It doesn’t work well at all.

Can I put frozen meat in a slow cooker?

Yep! We have made Crockpot frozen chicken too. With just a little liquid the proteins steam all day long and break down quite nicely. Then you can make shredded beef or shredded chicken for dinner.

How long does it take to cook a frozen roast?

It depends on what method you’re using. In a slow cooker you’ll need 6 hours, a pressure cooker is closer to an hour.

Can you sear a frozen roast?

Not really, just skip that part. You can still season it quite well though after pouring some broth over the top so it sticks. Use salt and pepper or this amazing steak dry rub for bold flavors.

A chuck roast that was approx. 2.5 pounds was used here. Petite potatoes are great because they just need to be halved, and large chunks of carrots work great.

Crockpot Frozen Roast

Crockpot Frozen Roast

This is what you’re going to need:

  1. Roast – beef, timing is for frozen, not defrosted
    1. if you have pork follow our frozen pork roast Instant Pot recipe
  2. Beef broth or water
  3. Small potatoes – usually found in bags in your produce section
  4. Onion and carrots
  5. Seasonings of your preference – there are suggestions below

Slow cooking frozen foods actually works out quite well. Of course I prefer to thaw meat beforehand but that doesn’t always work out.

I do cook frozen meat in my air fryer too. You can read about best frozen foods for air fryer information here.

carrots and potatoes

If you have thought ahead of time and it isn’t rock hard, follow our Crock pot roast with onion soup mix recipe. Both are easy recipes that make for a wonderfully tender beef dinner.

If your piece is much larger than ours cooking time may need to be adjusted for longer. Once it is fork tender it’s out of the danger zone and ready to serve up as tacos or roast beef with rice.

3-4 pounds is typical. It feeds all 5 of us with some saved for the next day easily. I usually don’t buy any more than that.

  • I suggest broth over water but I use what I have on hand really.
slow cooker Frozen Roast

Can I put frozen pork roast in the Crockpot?

The timing for that should be very similar. With pork just ensure it reaches a safe temperature inside before serving. If it falls apart with tongs though that’s usually the done sign.

Time needed: 6 hours

Frozen Roast in Slow Cooker

  1. Add ingredients

    Place frozen roast in a slow cooker. Add cup of broth on the top.
    In a small bowl combine all the seasonings, then sprinkle on top of meat.

  2. Cook

    Then cook on high setting and cook for 6 hours, until meat is fork tender. If you want to add vegetables, add them 1 hour before the end of the cook time.

    Use a fork to check if potatoes and carrots are tender to your liking and meat is fork tender. Remove meat, allow to rest for 5 minutes, then shred and serve.

If you want a thick gravy, pour the drippings in to saucepan. Boil and add cornstarch.

Frozen Crockpot Roast Recipe

frozen Roast in crockpot

This is a great recipe to serve in the following ways:

  1. Shred and throw inside small tortillas topped with salsa, guacamole and cheese.
  2. Serve on top of a bed of mashed potatoes with air fryer carrots if you don’t want to add veggies into the pot itself at the end.
  3. Stuff into baked potatoes with some salsa on top for a really healthy dish.

Grab a package of those Hawaiian rolls and make sliders, those are always fun to serve at dinnertime with kids.

OR just serve on the plate as is. If you wanted to make gravy just pour the drippings from the pot into a saucepan over med/high heat. Whisk in some cornstarch to thicken and allow it to bubble for a few minutes.

roast recipe

How long can you keep leftover roast?

Allow to come to room temperature. Then store in freezer bags or air tight containers in the fridge. You can store safely for up to 4 days, after that discard.

How do you moisten leftover roast beef?

The best way to reheat leftover roast is to add some gravy over the top before heating. I like to dice it up and toss with something moist like this. Then microwave in 30 second increments stirring in between times.

What can I do with leftover tough roast?

Well I mean if you follow our directions it shouldn’t be tough at all but the longer it chills the drier it will become. Always moisten with broth or some sort of sauce.

best chuck roast recipe

If you make something like our Crockpot Mississippi roast, keep some of the sauce in a bowl separately. Then use this to moisten later on and heat. Then the end result will be really tender and full of flavor.

Looking to make other easy slow cooker beef recipes? We have made a bunch but here are just a few of the ones we think are on the top of the list.

  • We most recently made this slow cooker carnitas that were just over the top incredible.
  • This Crockpot bbq beef is super simple with just some barbecue sauce that can be served up as sliders.

Then try this slow cooker beef tips recipe that people rave over time and time again. If you want to cook a dutch oven roast we have instructions for that method here too.

slow cooker beef tips
Crockpot Roast
5 from 20 votes

Frozen Roast in Slow Cooker

By The Typical Mom
Easy frozen roast in slow cooker directions are here! Forgot to defrost your chuck roast for dinner, no problem. Use your Crockpot.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 6 hours
Servings: 8
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Equipment

  • slow cooker

Ingredients 

  • 3-4 lbs roast, used chuck roast
  • 1 c beef broth
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp dill
  • 4 carrots, cut into large chunks
  • 2 c potatoes, baby potatoes or small russets cut into fourths
  • 1 onion, sliced

Instructions 

  • Place frozen roast in a slow cooker. Add cup of broth on the top.
  • In a small bowl combine all the seasonings, then sprinkle on top of meat.
  • Cook on high for 6 hours. If you want to add vegetables, add them 1 hour before the end of the cook time.
  • Use a fork to check if potatoes and carrots are tender to your liking and meat is fork tender. Remove meat, allow to rest for 5 minutes, then shred and serve.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz, Calories: 229kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 38g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 2694mg, Potassium: 627mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 5117IU, Vitamin C: 80mg, Calcium: 503mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!
crockpot frozen roast

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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5 from 20 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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41 Comments

  1. I used this recipe with a 2.5 lb eye of round today–it was perfect. Thank you! I also forgot to season it, so when I pulled out the roast to shred it, I strained the cooking liquid then whisked in some ranch seasoning and onion powder, and added it back to the shredded beef. It was terrific. Thanks again!

  2. Can you you add red wine to this when cooking? If so how much? I typically do my pot roast in a Dutch oven on the stove top. 🤦‍♀️ forgot to take it out over night.

  3. Can I make frozen 2 lb chuck roast with the onion soup recipe? I noticed this is 1 cup liquid compared to 3 cups liquid.

    1. @Michelle, Did you receive an answer, that’s a Great question.
      As we are normally away ( work)from the house for more than 5 hours

      1. you could use low heat for longer though high for the timing listed is recommended for best results

  4. Turned out great, I have made it twice this month, I will never defrost my roasts again! I used 4 tsp of italian seasoning instead of oregano,thyme and dill. I stacked two 3lb roasts in the crockpot and flipped them at midpoint. Cooked on high for 5 hours and low for 3 hours. I didn’t add any veggies and just made baked potatoes in the oven since I had 2 roasts in the crockpot. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

  5. I have chicken broth but not beef, do you think it’ll harm the flavor?

    I want to have it ready when my husband gets home and I don’t have a way to get beef broth currently 🙃

  6. I made this roast as the directions stated. It was absolutely delicious & tender. A go to recipe when you’re in a bind.

  7. Really very good recipe. I really love it. I used a 2.5 lb frozen chuck roast for this. Because I was cooking at a friend’s house and he had no oregano, onions or onion powder, I used Italian seasoning and garlic powder (salt and pepper too) and it came out deliciously, with plenty of juice which I am going to cook noodles in. Just a caution but it’s not about the recipe – if your crockpot runs hot like his apparently does, your frozen roast may be done in 4 hours. Good thing I was there to realize this. I took the roast out and added the potatoes and carrots because the juice is very flavorful. Thank you for a great recipe.

  8. I had a 2.5 lb bottom round roast that I wanted to cook, from frozen. I trusted your recipe and it came out great. I made French Dip sandwiches out of it. It cooked for about 8 hours on high