Slow Cooker French Dips have tender roast beef and a flavorful au jus, great for days when you don’t feel like cooking.
This recipe for Slow Cooker French Dips couldn’t get any easier. I love an easy slow cooker meal because I am always running late for work! And my family absolutely loves this meal for french dip sandwiches!
I start by seasoning and then browning the roast in a skillet. Add a packet of au jus mix to the slow cooker, with a cup of water, whisk it, and then set the roast in the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to low for 8 to 10 hours. Shred the meat up, put the meat on a hoagie roll or baguette, and if you want, melt the cheese over your meat under the broiler in your oven. Make up a new batch of au jus for serving, I do not use the greasy au jus that is left in the slow cooker.
I serve these french dips on a quality French baguette from the bakery section of the store. And I also use real swiss cheese, not the American cheese type. You can switch out the swiss cheese for provolone if you prefer.
Slow Cooker French Dips
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds bottom round beef roast
- salt
- pepper
- onion powder
- cooking oil about 1 tablespoon
- 2 oz. au jus gravy mix (2 total packages) one for cooking, one for serving
For serving:
- French bread baguette or hoagie rolls
- Swiss cheese slices about 2 per sandwich
Instructions:
- Add 1 cup of water to your slow cooker. (not the 3 the au jus packet calls for)
- Add 1 packet of au jus mix.
- Whisk.
- Season the meat on both sides with salt, pepper, and onion powder, just a sprinkle of each will do.
- Brown your meat in a skillet with cooking oil, on both sides.
- Add Meat to the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours
- Make au jus gravy mix per packet directions.
- Shred the meat, discard any fat. I do this on a plate, then cover with foil until ready to serve.
- Assemble sandwiches.
- Melt the cheese under the broiler in the oven.
- Serve the french dips with the freshly prepared au jus
Hi Sarah, We have tried many times to cook a roast in the crockpot but seems that is is always dried out. We cook on low and usually for only a few hours, I can’t imagine the 8-10 hours. Would you have any idea of what we are doing wrong? Yours looks so delicious! Thanks for any tips to get a juciy roast.
Hi, Sandra. You’re not cooking it long enough. A few hours in a slow cooker wouldn’t be enough time to get it tender. 8-10 hours is the normal time for a roast to tenderize on low or 5 on high if you are in a hurry. And do not open the lid during the cooking time.
New to slow cooking – this recipe doesn’t mention the size of the slow cooker. Is it unimportant in this case? Mine is 6 quarts, oval. Also are there any adjustments to be made when varying the amount of meat from 1.5 to 4 pounds, or are all the steps exactly the same regardless? For example will I need to cut the meat into thinner chunks if I buy a lot, or maybe add more water? More cook time?
Thanks for the wonderful recipe Sarah. I plan to make it soon. Refreshing new idea with fun suggestions.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE french dips, I’m pretty sure I could eat them every week! Thanks so much for the recipe, I don’t know why I never thought of doing this before. I usually make pulled beef and add bbq sauce or make my own type of bbq sauce but this sounds soo much better!! My father-in-law makes prime rib every xmas and we got some left overs and put them in the slow cooker to warm up with some au jus, it was amazing!! Thanks again!!
I have to try these! They look and sound sooooooo wonderful!
My husband will go crazy for these, Sarah! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Making this for dinner tonight! I’ve made it several times, and my 3 guys just DEVOUR it! Very easy, delcious meal. I use London broil, which actually turns out nice and tender. Kaiser rolls and Swiss cheese. Definitely a keeper! Thanks, Sarah!
Just pulled out a top round roast out of freezer, so ready to try this! Thanks Sarah!
You’re going to love it!
Made this for my family tonight. Got rave reviews from everyone, Thanks!
Ok ok stop it now guys….. U are making me hungry !!
These sandwiches are awesome! Made them last night, followed the recipe exactly. My only regret is that I didn’t make more! My family of very picky eaters devoured these. Will definitely be a frequent favorite at our house! Thanks for the great recipe!
Another good addition along with the Au Jus packet is a packet of Italian Seasoning….wonderful!
I’m making these again this week by popular request. This will be my 3rd time in the last month making these sandwiches. We have decided that we prefer a sirloin tip roast instead of the bottom round roast for the sandwiches, but that is just personal preference. This time I am going to pair these with a great pita bread recipe that I use often. I know that sort of moves it way out of the French Dip realm, but these sandwiches on a soft, warm, fresh baked pita sounds too incredible to pass up. I may prefer the heft of the full sub bun instead, but we will have to see. This recipe has quickly become a favorite and a staple in our menu.
As much as I love a good pita, it is NOT the way to go with these French Dips. The pita, while warm and yummy, was not substantial enough to absorb the au jus. You need a good, solid sub or hoagy bun to get that au jus! This is why I never saw a French Dip made on a pita before. Oh well, lesson learned!
Greg, I just love how much you enjoy this recipe! I just emailed you my newest Dip recipe, It’s called The Ultimate Diner Dip. I think you will like it!
I made these for dinner yesterday and they were a huge hit! My wife was eating leftovers that evening proclaiming that “those sandwiches are so good!” My store was out of bottom round roast so I used a sirloin roast instead. I toasted the buns to make them crispy outside, and we added sauteed mushrooms. These were super easy to make and were restaurant quality. Highly recommend these! We will be having these again!
Greg, mushrooms on these french dips sound amazing! Going to make that this week!
This looks so delish! I’m making it now and it smells amazing, can’t wait to try it!
Right off the bat someone wants to start changing the recipe as in, why couldn’t you use this instead of that. Why bother looking for a recipe if you like to make your own ingredients? This site makes it possible for us to view recipes that new and adventuresome in the food department.
Hello Jo-Ann, I believe you read too much into my post or read it too quickly. Just to clarify, I didn’t ask “why not”, I asked “what if”. Just trying to make the best use of london broil I had just purchased on sale – to try something new and adventuresome with it. Big difference between challenging someone on what they did, versus asking them for their opinion/guidance. Thank you again for posting a great recipe Sarah!
Wow- JoAnn these boards are not just about “following” directions, but about adjusting things to your own taste and asking questions and learning. Do you do everything your told or do you ever “step out of the box” and try new things? Wtf
Could you use a top round aka London broil? Also, where do you get the packet of au jus mix?
Yes, a london broil would probably work just fine. The au jus packets are where you get taco seasoning packets at the grocery store, usually on the top shelf. 🙂