This amazing Slow Cooker Cranberry Pot Roast is a tasty spin that is both slightly sweet and savory!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Our Slow Cooker Cranberry Pot Roast has no cream soup involved in the making of this recipe.
🧾 Ingredient List
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- bottom round roast
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- onion
- carrot
- celery
- fresh garlic
- low-sodium beef broth
- Marsala wine
- balsamic vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Dijon mustard
- thyme
- bay leaf
- 14 ounce can, cranberry sauce
- olive oil
- salt and black pepper
🍲 Equipment
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.
- Season the beef with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, to taste.
- In a Dutch Oven or large saute pan over medium heat, add canola oil and butter. Sear the meat on all sides. Approximately 10 minutes. Remove meat and set aside. If needed, add a bit more oil, teaspoon of olive o Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Brown them slightly about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute another minute.
- To the pot add the beef broth. stir to get the browned pieces from the bottom of the pot to combine flavors, about 2 - 3 minutes. Turn heat off the pot.
- To the slow cooker, add the Marsala wine, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir together. Carefully add the seared beef and all the ingredients from the stock pot. Add the cranberries.
- Cover with lid and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Meat should be tender and slice easily. Serve over mashed cauliflower, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles.
👩🏻🍳 Eileen's Tips for Success
- Sear the meat and add the beef broth to the pot will get all the crispies at the bottom of pot for flavor to add to slow cooker.
- This can be made in the oven as well. Sear the meat on the stove and add the liquid. Then braise in 325 degree oven for about 4 hours.
- Canned cranberries are easy to use. Fresh cranberries or cranberry sauce can be used.
- Feel free to add in potatoes and veggies to the slow cooker, if a one pot meal is on your menu.
📋 Frequently Asked Questions
Pot roast is one of those recipes that benefits from being cooked a bit longer.
Low temperature and longer cooking times gives the most tender results
I highly recommend searing the beef before adding to the slow cooker to enhance the flavors of both the meat and the vegetables.
📖 Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe? Here are some ways that you increase the flavor of this dish.
Cut of meat: While I generally use a bottom round roast, any of these cuts of beef can be used, rump roast, chuck roast, or brisket.
Vegetables: Green beans, parsnips, turnips, or small yellow onions can be used in this recipe.
Seasoning: Try using Italian Seasoning or Homemade Seasoned Salt in this tender pot roast.
❄️ Make ahead, storage, and freezer tips
Leftovers: Leftover cranberry pot roast can be kept in a covered airtight container for up to 4 days.
Make Ahead: When meal prepping, all ingrdients can be stored together in a freezer safe bag. I prefer to put separate the meat and put all the other ingredients in another bag so the meat can easily be seared when ready to defrost.
🥣 Serving Suggestions
My Granny's famous homemade mashed potatoes are a must make with this tender pot roast.
Roasted Green Beans are one of my most popular recipes and they are so easy to prepare.
Candied Carrots, another favorite from my childhood are a must make side dish.
Check out all our side dishes here.
🍽 Similar recipes
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
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Eileen xo
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Cranberry Pot Roast
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
Equipment Needed:
- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Ingredients
- 4 pound bottom round roast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 medium yellow onion peeled on diced
- 6 medium carrots peeled and chopped ½ inch thick
- 2 stalks celery chopped ½ inch thick
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 14.5 ounce low-sodium beef broth
- ½ cup Marsala wine
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3-4 drops Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 14 ounce can, cranberry sauce
- 1-2 Tablespoons Canola OIl
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
- Season the beef with the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- In a Dutch Oven or stockpot over medium heat, add 1 Tablespoon canola oil and the unsalted butter. Sear the meat on all sides. Approximately 10 minutes. Remove meat and set aside. If needed, add the second teaspoon of olive oil. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Brown them slightly about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute another minute.
- To the pot add the beef broth. stir to get the browned pieces from the bottom of the pot to combine flavors, about 2 - 3 minutes. Turn heat off the pot.
- To the slow cooker, add the Marsala wine, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir together. Carefully add the seared beef and all the ingredients from the stock pot. Add the cranberries.
- Cover with lid and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Meat should be tender and slice easily. Serve over mashed cauliflower, mashed potatoes, or egg noodles.
NOTES
- Feel free to add potatoes to the crock pot if you prefer a one-pot meal.
- Can be cooked in the oven. After step 3. Place the Dutch oven with the lid on pot into a preheated oven at a temperature of 325 degrees. Cook for about 4-5 hours depending on the size of your roast.
- Can be made ahead in either crock pot or Dutch oven and reheated.
- I have made and frozen in freezer bags for make ahead meals. I defrost and reheat in the oven at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes.
- Any nutritional value used is an estimate. These figures can change based on ingredients and portion size.
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