This Apple Cider Pot Roast is the ultimate cozy, fall comfort food. Super tender, juicy pot roast in the most amazing gravy made with apple cider, caramelized onions and sliced apples.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Pot Roast Recipe
Sometimes you make a recipe and you just know immediately that you nailed it. This Apple Cider Pot Roast is definitely that recipe. So incredibly delicious, it came out even better than we expected it to be.
- Ultimate Fall Comfort Food: The gravy is what this recipe is all about. Caramelized apples and onions with fresh herbs and apple cider make THE most amazing gravy.
- Make Ahead Recipe: You can make this pot roast a day or two ahead of time and then warm it up when you need it.
- Leftovers Are Amazing: One of the reasons we like to use a larger piece of chuck roast is because the leftovers are absolutely delicious.
How To Make
For this pot roast recipe, we do like to take the time to sear the roast first for the best flavor. A few step by step photos here to guide you, for complete instructions head to the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Sear the beef: Season the chuck roast on both sides with salt and pepper. Sear the roast on both sides until a brown crust forms, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Cook down apples and onions: Add sliced onions and apples to the pot along with a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened and slightly caramelized. Sprinkle in flour and cook out for 1 minute.
- Prepare for the oven: Deglaze the pot with apple cider, stirring to combine with the apples and onions. Pour in the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Return the chuck roast to the pot along with any juices from the plate. Add fresh thyme sprigs, cover and place into the oven for 2 1/2 – 3 hours.
- Shred the pot roast and finish the gravy: When the roast is fork tender, remove it from the pot and place it on a cutting board. Shred the meat with two forks, leaving some bigger and smaller pieces. Once the gravy has cooled slightly, remove the thyme stems and skim off any grease from the top. Blend the gravy with an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender and blend until smooth.
Tips For Best Results
A few tips to make sure this apple cider pot roast turns out perfect every time!
- Make sure to season the roast well on both sides before starting. It seems like a lot of salt and pepper but we’re using a pretty large piece of beef, so it needs it.
- Take the time to sear the beef well on both sides to create a nice, brown crust. This will add a delicious flavor to the pot roast.
- Let the apples and onions cook down for the full 15 minutes, even 20 if you have it for the best flavor.
- Taste the gravy after blending and adjust the seasonings if you need to.
How To Serve
As we mentioned before, we love serving this pot roast over mashed potatoes or noodles to soak up all the gravy. Another way we like to serve this is a big helping of crispy french fries – also to sop up the gravy but with a crispy texture added.
You can also make a side of rice, maybe try our favorite spicy mushroom rice, for serving on the side, or as a bed to the shredded pot roast.
Can I Make Apple Cider Pot Roast Ahead Of Time?
Yes! Pot roast is a wonderful make ahead recipe. You can make this recipe a day or even two ahead of time and then warm it up before dinner.
If you’re making this recipe ahead of time, shred the beef and return it to the pot with the blended gravy and refrigerate. To warm up the pot roast, place the pot back into the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until warmed through.
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Apple Cider Pot Roast Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis Apple Cider Pot Roast is screaming cozy, fall comfort food. Tender, juicy pot roast in the most amazing gravy made with apple cider, caramelized onions and sliced apples.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pound chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cups thinly sliced onions (about 2 large onions)
- 3 cups sliced, peeled apples (about 2 large apples)
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 6–7 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a 6 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the roast on both sides with 1 tablespoon of the salt and the black pepper. Place the roast into the pan and sear on both sides until a brown crust forms, about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the butter to the pot along with the sliced onions and apples and the additional teaspoon of salt (we also like to add more black pepper to taste). Cook for 15-20 minutes until softened and slightly caramelized, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the flour disappears. Cook for one minute, then pour in the apple cider, stir and bring to a boil. Pour in the beef broth and stir to combine.
- Place the roast back into the pot, spooning some of the juice, onions and apples over the top. Add the fresh thyme and bring to a boil. Cover and place into the oven for 2 1/2 – 3 hours until the roast is tender.
- Remove the roast from the pot to a cutting board and tent with foil.
- Skim off some of the grease from the juices in the pan and remove the thyme stems. Blend the gravy with an immersion blender until the gravy is smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully pour the juices into a blender and let cool for 5 minutes. Blend carefully, starting slowly, until the gravy is smooth, return it back to the pot to warm it up again.
- Shred the roast with two forks, we like to keep some pieces larger and some smaller for texture. Add the shredded beef back to the pot and toss together with the gravy. Serve the pot roast over mashed potatoes or noodles with extra gravy spooned over top.
Recipe Notes
Store: To store leftovers, let cool and transfer to an air tight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freeze: You can also freeze the pot roast with the gravy for up to 4 months. Defrost and warm up in the microwave or in the oven.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Made this tonight. Delicious fall dinner!
So glad you liked it, thanks so much!