This easy slow cooker pot roast with Coke comes from our neighbors, who make it a regular post-church meal on Sunday afternoons. The unique combination of Coca Cola, onion soup seasoning mix, potatoes, carrots, onions, and herbs results in tender, flavorful, and succulent shredded beef.
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How to Make this Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Coke | 1-Minute Video
Delicious! I was given several frozen Chuck roasts and I’ve been trying different recipes. This is the one I’m sticking with!
– Janine
A Few Tips Before You Get Started
- A boneless beef chuck roast is my first choice cut of meat for a pot roast. It has great marbling, making the roast tender and juicy when braised. If necessary, you can use a different beef roast instead, such as a brisket or a round roast. Slowly roasting a tough cut tenderizes the meat, resulting in succulent beef and rich liquid that’s perfect for gravy.
- While you do not need to brown the meat before adding it to the slow cooker, I do recommend this extra step. Searing the meat helps to brown the surface and enhance the flavor. A hot pan creates a golden, caramelized crust through a process called the Maillard reaction, and will also lock in the meat’s juices. Plus, the browned bits from the bottom of the pot add great flavor to the gravy. That said, you can certainly skip the browning step if you’re in a hurry, or if you just don’t want to wash an extra dish! Simply place the roast directly in the slow cooker and pour the Coke over top.
- If time allows, it’s best to cook the beef on the LOW heat setting, which will result in the most tender, juicy meat. This allows ample time for the tough cartilage to break down.
- Undercooked pot roast will be tough and chewy. If you’re using tougher or bigger cuts of beef (other than a chuck roast), you may need to increase the cooking time to give the meat fibers plenty of time to break down and become tender and juicy. Similarly, cooking the meat for too long can result in a dry pot roast.
Directions
You can’t beat the ease of a simple slow cooker pot roast recipe! It’s total comfort food for chilly evenings.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper, and then sear it in hot oil in a Dutch oven until it’s nicely browned on both sides. Transfer the meat to a slow cooker.
- Pour the Coke into the Dutch oven, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Deglazing the pan like this adds so much flavor to the finished dish.
- Pour the Coke (and any browned bits) over the roast.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle with the onion soup mix.
- Arrange the potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme on top of and around the roast.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
- Discard the herbs stems.
- When the beef is done it will be fall-apart tender and the veggies should be fork tender as well. You can pull the beef with two forks, but you don’t even really need to! It will melt in your mouth on its own.
- Serve the beef with the pan juices, potatoes, and carrots on a serving platter. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the beef, carrots, and potatoes alongside egg noodles or rice, with sausage stuffing, Crockpot mac and cheese, a basket of pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits, or cranberry muffins, or with a pan of Southern cornbread. For more green veggies, try a simple house salad, Southern-style green beans, spinach casserole, or roasted broccoli. It’s the perfect Sunday dinner!
Storage Tips
- Prep Ahead and Reheat: If you prepare the slow cooker pot roast with Coke a day ahead, cover and refrigerate it overnight. The next day, skim off any solidified fat and reheat it gently in a warm oven or slow cooker, or over low heat on the stovetop.
- Store leftover pot roast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Wrapped tightly, you can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. I don’t recommend freezing the cooked vegetables or potatoes; however. They tend to have a mushy and watery texture when thawed. The leftover shredded beef is delicious served on sandwich rolls, but it also works well on salads, in tacos, stuffed in baked potatoes, in quesadillas, or on pizza! Get creative and enjoy the leftovers in a variety of ways.
I made this today in the crockpot and it was wonderful!! Followed the recipe exactly, except my roast was a little larger and used Coke zero. Absolutely delicious. Will be making again!
– Lisa
More Chuck Roast Recipes to Try
Dutch Oven Pot Roast
3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Mississippi Pot Roast
3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Crock Pot Pot Roast with Cream of Mushroom Soup
8 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
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Watch How to Make It
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Coke
Prep: 40 minutes
Cook: 8 hours 15 minutes
0 minutes
Total: 8 hours 55 minutes
This easy Crock Pot pot roast recipe boasts a unique and flavorful combination of Coca Cola, onion soup mix seasoning, potatoes, carrots, onions, and herbs!
Ingredients
- 1 (3 lb.) boneless beef chuck roast
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 (12 ounce) can Coca Cola
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup seasoning mix
- 24 ounces baby gold potatoes
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 small onions, thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 4 teaspoons total)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat beef dry and season with a little bit of kosher salt and black pepper on all sides. Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place beef in the pot and sear for about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until browned all over. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
- Pour the Coke into the Dutch oven; turn the heat down to medium. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. These bits add a lot of flavor to the pot roast! Pour the Coke from the Dutch oven over the roast in the slow cooker. Add Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle with dry onion soup mix.
- Arrange the potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme on top of and around the roast.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours. Discard the herb stems. Shred the beef with two forks (it should practically fall apart when it’s done). Discard any big fatty pieces. Stir the shredded beef into the juices in the pot with the vegetables. Serve, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- In a hurry? Skip the step of searing the beef in a Dutch oven, and instead just add it straight to the Crock Pot.
- Make a gravy using the drippings from the pot. To do so, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. While continually whisking, gradually add 1 – 1 ½ cups of strained juices/drippings from the pot until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Continue whisking while the gravy bubbles and cooks for 1-2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Nutrition information is automatically estimated based on all liquid and cooking juices. If you strain the fat or omit the cooking liquids, nutrition information will vary.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of the recipeCalories: 552kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 47gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 156mgSodium: 277mgPotassium: 1453mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 8069IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 6mg
Slow Cooker Chuck Roast Recipe Variations
- The Coke tenderizes and flavors the meat. Feel free to swap out the Coca Cola Classic and use a similar soda instead. Good options include Pepsi, root beer, Dr. Pepper, or even Diet Coke. Beef broth will also work.
- Omit the potatoes in your pot, and instead serve the finished dish over a plate of mashed potatoes or crispy roasted potatoes instead. You can also swap out the Yukon gold potatoes and use red potatoes or Russet potatoes (peeled) instead.
- Add celery or a bay leaf to the slow cooker for even more savory flavor.
- In a hurry? Skip the step of searing the beef in a Dutch oven, and instead just add it straight to the Crock Pot.
- Make a gravy using the drippings from the pot. To do so, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. While continually whisking, gradually add 1 – 1 ½ cups of strained juices/drippings from the pot until the gravy reaches the desired consistency. Continue whisking while the gravy bubbles and cooks for 1-2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
This recipe was originally published in February, 2018. It was updated in September, 2024.
This looks absolutely Scrumptious I can’t wait to try this one out on the Kids Another Family Favorite I think ????????????
That’s great, Kylie! I hope that the little ones love it, too! 🙂
I am oh so making this, looks absolutely delicious!! Could you please tell me how much of the dried herbs you would use in place of the fresh ones, thank you for the recipe!! Much appreciated!
Hi Glenda! As a rule of thumb, you can generally use one-third the amount of dried herbs as fresh herbs. We hope you enjoy!
Yes you can freeze the left overs. I was raised on a check roast dinner almost exactly like this and the left overs are great. Let it defrost and slowly warm it up. Enjoy
Thanks, Sandy!
They make caffeine free coca cola
Yes! Great suggestion, Susan!
Have you a recipe using coffee for pot roast
Hi, Carol! I’m sorry, I don’t. I’m intrigued, though!
Am trying this tonite…probably the oven way…sounds delicious!
Wonderful! Enjoy, Debbie!
Have everything except the roast and it’s shop day. I’m so used to my way seasoning the meat, this will be an awesome change
Awesome! Enjoy, Karen!
Can you substitute beef stock for the cola?
Hey, Clark! Yes, you definitely can do that — it will just have a different taste, but it should still be good. 🙂
I put the soup mix over diced up yukon potatoes an bake them such a great flavor and side dish.
Great idea for a side dish, Maureen! Thank you!
Years ago a friend dropped off a pot roast meal for me after a sudden illness. It was amazing, and she mentioned it had cola in it. I was searching for some pot roast ideas to change up what I typically prepare in the slow cooker. I live close to an Amish community in Pennsylvania so its unique to learn cola is actually used. I know birch and root beer made by the Amish is non carbonated so maybe try that as an option instead (root over birch for flavor). Going to make this recipe next week in my meal rotation.
Does this recipe leave enough drippings to make gravy?
Hi, Paula! Yes, I think it should!
I hope this question isn’t too silly. I have a 5 lb. roast in the freezer, can I just multiply the other ingredients by 2.5? I’d use the oven method due to the size of the meat and vegetables.
Hey, Mary Ellen! It’s not a silly question at all! Yes — you can definitely just multiply all of the other ingredients by 2.5 and it should work well! Since the roast is larger, you may need to plan for closer to 3 hours in the oven. 🙂
I used Diet Coke, and it came out perfectly.
Great to know! Thank you, Michael!
I made this today in the crockpot and it was wonderful!! Followed the recipe exactly, except my roast was a little larger and used Coke zero. Absolutely delicious. Will be making again!
Thanks, Lisa! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it. I love pot roast with Coke, but I’ve never tried it with Coke Zero. Good to know that it works, too!
We don’t eat onions so I was wondering if there’s something I can use to replace the onion mix
Hey, Steph! The onion soup mix is a combination of a lot of different seasonings, as well as beef flavoring, sugar and cornstarch (a thickening agent). I would just use other seasonings of your choice (garlic, parsley, celery seed, paprika…whatever) and a little bit of cornstarch if you’d like to thicken the broth a bit. It obviously won’t taste the same, but I guess that’s a good think since you don’t eat onions. 🙂 Hope that helps, and enjoy!
Sounds good. I am a pot roast fanatic so I cook it often. The thing I might miss in this recipe is balsamic vinegar. While I am searing my roast I usually media of balsamic vinegar over all sides. It add s so much flavor. Not sure how it would go with the coke. I suppose there is only one way to find out and that’s visit do it. I am an 80 year old widow but im.still willing to learn and taste new things.
I hope that you enjoy it, Rae! 🙂 The balsamic vinegar would be a great addition, too!
Can the roast be browned/seared the day before to save time and mess on the cooking day?
Do you trim the fat from the meat or remove fat after it is cooked or just shred it all together? I hate to get a chunk of fat with pulled meat!
Thanks so much for these delicious recipes!
Hi, Donna! I don’t think I’d brown it the day before. Instead, you can just skip that step and put it straight into the Crock Pot to save time/cleanup on the cooking day.
I don’t usually trim much fat before cooking the roast. If you see a really large hunk of fat, you can trim that off. Otherwise, I wait until it’s cooked, and discard any big fatty pieces as I’m shredding the meat. That way nobody bites into a chunk of fat while eating. 🙂
Hope you enjoy!
Delicious! I was given several frozen Chuck roasts and I’ve been trying different recipes.
This is the one I’m sticking with!
Thank you, Janine!
Just made this tonight !! DELICIOUS !! Great dinner for a chilly night !!
I love to make a gravy with the drippings and sauce of any roast i make. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out because of the Coke, but holy moly…the best gravy yet !!
Thank you so much, Patrick! We’re happy to hear it was a hit.
Can this be made in a pressure cooker?
It would likely work, but we haven’t tested this recipe in an pressure cooker and can’t guarantee the results. We would love to know how it goes if you give it a try!
Suggest using the coke made with cane sugar rather than corn syrup.
Delicious and easy for having company over….
Thank you, Louise!