How to start a slow cooker beef roast from frozen. Dinner can't get any easier!
Beef,  Dinner,  Food,  Slow Cooker

Starting a Slow Cooker Beef Roast Frozen

November 8, 2010 / 63 Comments
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I raised an eyebrow, too, when I first heard of starting a slow cooker beef roast frozen. Stay with me, though…

For many Christmases my in-laws gave us an eighth of a cow, which enabled us to stock our basement freezer chest with meat for most of the year. Score! I love practical gifts.

The ground beef and steaks are easy to use on a whim, only taking a  little while to thaw. But, for the life of me, I can never remember to thaw a whole roast in the right timeframe to eat it.

Finding myself in this very predicament a few years ago, a friend of mine shared a frozen pot roast recipe that she uses.

And yes, you read that right … it started with a frozen roast!

Frozen beef roast sitting on onions and potatoes in a slow cooker

That right folks, there’s actually a great recipe that not only uses a frozen roast, it also requires a slow cooker.

How much easier can it get?

Not much.

(Except maybe with an Instant Pot, but I haven’t tried that conversion yet!)

I love a hearty slow cooker beef and potatoes meal.

Here’s my favorite.

How to start a slow cooker beef roast frozen: dinner can’t get any easier!

Slow Cooker Beef Roast

Slow Cooker Roast-It Starts Frozen!

Yield: 4 to 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes

How to start a slow cooker beef roast from frozen. Dinner can't get any easier!

Ingredients

  • 1 2.5-4 lb frozen beef roast*
  • 4 to 6 medium potatoes, cut in 2″ cubes
  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 10.5oz can cream of mushroom condensed soup
  • 1 10.5oz can cream of celery condensed soup
  • 1 packet onion soup mix
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

  1. Place the potatoes, onions, carrots and garlic in the bottom of a slow cooker, and then add the frozen roast on top (fat side up if it has one).
  2. In a bowl, combine the soups and the soup mix. Pour over top the roast, spreading to cover the exposed sides. Set the slow cooker on low, then cover and cook for 8-10 hours.
  3. About a half-hour before you’re ready to eat, add the peas, stirring just a little to cover them.
  4. Pull the roast out when the time's up, but be careful – it will most likely fall apart as you lift it.

Notes

The soups, plus the drippings from the roast as it cooks, create a gravy-like sauce. So, it’s up to you how you want to serve it, all together in one large serving bowl, or separated as a roast with sides and gravy. Either way, delish!

*I’ve used many different kinds of beef roast, from bottom round and chuck, to large sirloins. Some fall apart more than others at carving time, but all are flavorful and tender. I do tend to prefer the cuts that are bone-in as the bone lends a richer flavor and tends to help make the beef fork-tender.

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© Liza | (a)Musing Foodie
Cuisine: American / Category: Slow Cooker
 

Hi, I'm Liza, a self-proclaimed word-nerd who loves getting sucked into whimsical stories and epic movies. I have laid-back, practical attitude towards life, and as a foodie at heart, I relish the chance to both cook and eat. (No picky-eater here!) Always on the hunt for good eats, easy recipes, binge-worthy shows, relaxing road trip destinations, the perfect mojito and time to finish my novel!

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63 Comments

  • Ed Stabile

    October 9, 2014 at 4:09 AM Reply

    Sounds delish but u never mentioned how much meat ! I don’t know what an 1/8 of a cow is but I used bout 3 and 1/2 lbs. hope it works !
    Thanks sounds great ! Let you know tomorrow !

    • (a)Musing Foodie

      October 9, 2014 at 6:35 AM Reply

      Ed – You stumbled upon an old, old post. 🙂 This one definitely needs edits, including being more specific about the size roast AND a photo! So, speaking of size, it’s fairly flexible. A 3.5 lb roast should be fine, but if you can fit a larger roast in your slow cooker, that would work too. Something that’s thick, rather than long and narrow/flat. I wouldn’t use anything under 2 lbs. Hope this helps!

  • Melanie

    October 19, 2017 at 10:59 AM Reply

    I think Ed found the post before a size for the roast was edited in. Looks yum- I am prepping everything for my dad to make while I am out of town, so I will put the frozen items together and the other items already cut up in the fridge with simplified directions (add bag #1, bag#2 and these 2 cans to crockpot) and hope for the best.

  • Scarlett Welch

    April 23, 2018 at 7:32 AM Reply

    I want to try this today. But I only have on hand a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of mushroom soup. I don’t have any onion soup mix. Is there any thing else I can use? I have all the other ingredients.
    Thank you,
    Scarlett

    • Liza Hawkins

      April 24, 2018 at 8:22 AM Reply

      Hi Scarlett! I meant to write back yesterday and then the day got away from me! Anyway, if you didn’t already discover a solution, I’d just make a blend of herbs and spices to use instead of the onion soup mix. A tablespoon each of onion powder, dried onion, garlic powder, dried parsley and then maybe a half teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

  • Patty

    November 8, 2018 at 9:23 AM Reply

    I’m wanting to try this today or tomorrow, my roast is small 2.28lbs. And I can only to use onions, 1lb of mushrooms and wild or jasmine rice. Suggestions on which rice and for the amount of soups. I’m hoping to make it all in the crockpot so not using instant rice. Thanks!!

    • Liza Hawkins

      November 8, 2018 at 12:32 PM Reply

      Hi Patty! I think wild or jasmine rice would be lovely — wild rice might hold up better in the slow cooker over a long period of time, though. Either way, I wouldn’t add the rice until the last hour of cooking. It won’t need 8+ hours. You might want to keep the liquids, including the soups, the same even with a smaller roast since you’ll be cooking the rice in there, too. Enjoy!

  • Eileen Peterson

    November 23, 2018 at 10:21 AM Reply

    Do you add water or liquids besides soups? I cannot use the canned or dried soups (DF, GF, SF, no grains, soy, nightshade, low histamine).
    I browned the roast. Can I use those bits (with olive oil and ghee 50/50) as part of liquids or should I save it for gravy?Starting the roast (frozen) soon. I’d be so grateful for your suggestions.

    • Liza Hawkins

      November 23, 2018 at 10:50 AM Reply

      I don’t add water or liquids besides the soups, but if you can’t eat “cream of” soup (or simply don’t want to), then you could easily just add the bits from searing (mmmm…), along with some broth in the slow cooker. You won’t get the automatic gravy this way, but you can definitely use the broth after it’s done slow cooking to make your gravy afterwards in an allergy-friendly way. If it were me, I’d save some of those bits for the gravy, rather than dump them all into the slow cooker. Good luck!

        • Liza Hawkins

          November 26, 2018 at 7:34 AM Reply

          You’re welcome! Sorry I didn’t see your reply until now; holiday hustle-bustle this weekend had me away from my computer. I’d use a similar amount, but in the end I wouldn’t worry too much about exactness. I’d say no less than a cup and no more than two cups. What’d you end up doing?

  • Vickie Mckenzie

    May 19, 2019 at 7:58 AM Reply

    We live on a cattle farm and also once a year get our freezer stocked with meat. I have cooked all types of roasts from frozen and are always delicious. I even do stew beef from frozen. It makes for a easy dinner after hurrying in the morning to put something on.

  • Barbara Smith

    December 14, 2019 at 12:08 PM Reply

    Would you recommend 1/2 these ingredients for a 21/2 lb roast? IE: 1 onion, 1 can of soup, 1/2 pk onion soup? Also going from frozen. thx!

    • Liza Hawkins

      December 15, 2019 at 11:00 AM Reply

      Hi Barbara – Sorry for the delayed response! Whether it’s a 2.5lb or 4lb roast, I use the same ratio of ingredients in the slow cooker. I don’t think it would hurt to use smaller ratios, as long as you have enough liquid in there to keep things from cooking/burning. It’s never a problem to have too much gravy, in my opinion! Hope it turned out ok!

  • susanrnlove@yahoo.com

    February 24, 2020 at 9:32 AM Reply

    I did not read all the comments so sorry if I am repeating but can I use a rolled rump roast and do I remove the string if this is a good meat?

  • Marlene

    March 11, 2021 at 7:13 PM Reply

    I cooked a frozen roast for dinner tonight. It was delicious!

    I used only one can of cream of chicken soup, as that was what I had on hand.

    I mixed it with a packet of onion soup mix.

    I added baby potatoes. Just enough to cover the bottom of the crock pot.

    I added the roast & poured the soup mixture over the roast. It covered the

    the entire roast.

    I added a cup of water & cooked it on low for about the time suggested.

    I would say it was 8 hours & 10 minutes.

    I asked my husband if I should change anything for the next time.

    He suggested not to change a thing.

    I will always cook from frozen now.

    I wish I tried this long before now.

    Thanks for posting!

  • Janine Smith

    April 16, 2021 at 12:16 PM Reply

    Why do you put the veggies on the bottom, with the roast on top of the veggies.

    Whenever I’ve made a pot roast in the oven, I’ve always put the roast in first and then put the veggies on top and around the sides.

    • Liza Hawkins

      April 23, 2021 at 1:07 PM Reply

      You know, it’s just how I’ve always done it. Same with roasts in the oven, too, if I’m using root veggies in the roasting pan. Keeps the meat from sitting on the bottom and allows for more even cooking. Not sure that’s as critical in a slow cooker, though!

  • Nicole

    April 28, 2021 at 10:40 AM Reply

    I like my veggies to have a little firmness to them when done. Should I put them in after the roast has been cooking for awhile to keep them from getting too mushy?

  • Amy Schmidt

    September 12, 2021 at 10:51 AM Reply

    Visited family yesterday and they sent me home with a 7.5 lb frozen pork shoulder. I got home late and discovered I had no room in my fridge or freezer… We so need to get some college size deep freeze or something! Hahaha! Anyway, I got out our slow cooker, placed that bad boy in there set to low, and went to bed. This morning I read comments that one should never do this and I was about to freak until I saw your recipe. People cook frozen meats in slow cookers, on purpose, and do not die! Yea! Hahaha! Thank you for saving my sanity and our lunch plans. 🙂

  • Chloe

    October 5, 2021 at 4:06 PM Reply

    Hi Liza,
    My mother taught me to always cook any type of roast from frozen, whether in slow cooker or oven. They retain their juices better.
    Chloe

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