A moist slow cooker roast beef recipe with a rich red wine gravy! Melt in the mouth tasty and so easy to make!
Ideal for your Sunday roast, or even as an alternative to turkey at Christmas.
There's nothing quite like this moist slow cooker roast beef! All the hard work is done first thing in the morning (and it's not really hard work at all!) before you switch it on and let it slow cook away!
Thicken the delicious red wine gravy just before serving, and enjoy this tasty slow-cooked topside of beef with your favourite vegetable side dishes, roast potatoes, and yorkshire puddings!
👩🍳 Looking for another slow cooker roast recipe? Try my slow-cooked rolled breast of lamb, or slow cooker turkey crown!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
Here is why this is the best melt in the mouth slow cooker roast beef:
- Moist and tender beef.
- Rich red wine gravy.
- Minimal prep.
- Perfect for your Sunday roast.
- A great alternative (or addition) to roast turkey on Christmas Day.
🛒 Ingredients
- Beef Joint - topside is the best cut of beef for a slow cooker roast. Topside retains it's shape and slices easily, in contrast to brisket which falls apart on slow cooking.
- Onion - peeled and chopped roughly.
- Carrot - chopped roughly (no need to peel).
- Thyme - fresh thyme sprigs add flavour to the gravy.
- Plain Flour - helps thicken the gravy whilst is slow cooks.
- Beef Stock - from a cube or stock pot.
- Red Wine - use a decent quality red wine. Only use what you would be willing to drink!
- Tomato Ketchup - helps balance the flavours of the gravy.
- Gravy Granules - or a cornflour slurry to thicken the gravy.
🥄 Equipment
Which slow cooker? I use a Morphy Richards Sear and Stew 6.5 litre slow cooker, which means I can brown and slow cook in the same pot as the slow cooker pot is safe to use on the hob! The 6.5 litre capacity serves 6-8 main portions, so it’s ideal for families and those that like batch cooking. There is also a 3.5 litre version for smaller households!
The oval shaped aluminium pot is great for joints of meat as well as casseroles, curries and chillies.
🔪 How to slow cook a beef joint
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
- Place the chopped onion, carrot and thyme sprigs into the slow cooker basin. I use a 3.5 litre slow cooker for a 1.5kg beef topside joint.
- Sprinkle over the plain flour and give it a mix.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sear the beef joint on all sides before placing it in the slow cooker basin on top of the vegetables.
- Mix together the beef stock, wine, tomato ketchup and salt and pepper in a jug and pour it over the beef. Don't worry if the liquid doesn't fully cover the joint. Cook on low for 5-8 hours (if you like your beef rare 5 hours, well done 8 hours) or high for 3-6 hours.
- Lift the beef joint out of the slow cooker onto a plate and cover with foil for up to 30 minutes whilst you finish the gravy.
- Strain the gravy through a sieve on top of a saucepan (which will catch the carrot, onion and thyme sprigs). Place the saucepan on a medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. If you like your gravy really thick, whisk in beef gravy granules or a cornflour slurry.
- Slice the beef and serve with the red wine gravy.
💭 Top tips
- Don't skip searing the beef. Searing it triggers the Maillard reaction and ensures all that meaty flavour is locked in!
- Make sure your beef joint is at room temperature before starting the recipe.
- The best way to check your beef is cooked to your liking is to check the temperature with a digital meat thermometer. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the joint and check the temperature against these guidelines (don't forget it will continue to cook during resting).
- Medium rare – 55°C (131°F)
- Medium – 60°C ( 140°F)
- Medium well – 65°C (149°F)
- Well done – 70°C+ (158°F)
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the slow cooker roast beef with a selection of vegetables such as cheesy leeks, air fryer brussels sprouts, cauliflower cheese, carrot and swede mash, slow cooker red cabbage, roast Tenderstem broccoli, roast potatoes...and don't forget the yorkies!
You might like to head over to what to serve with roast beef - 20+ best sides dishes, for more inspiration!
🥡 Storage
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Why not make a Monday night leftover roast beef stroganoff?
❓ FAQs
Yes, you can, although many slow cooker recipes advise browning the beef first to trigger the Maillard reaction.
😋Related recipes
More slow cooker recipes to try!
- Slow Cooker Pork Chops
- Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole
- Slow Cooker Macaroni Cheese
- Slow Cooker Beef Goulash
- Slow Cooker Hunters Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
Tried this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating in the comments!
Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Topside of Beef
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion peeled and chopped
- 1 Carrot chopped
- 2 Thyme Sprigs
- 2 tablespoon Plain Flour
- 500 ml Beef Stock
- 150 ml Red Wine
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Beef Gravy Granules or cornflour slurry
Instructions
- Place the chopped onion, carrot and thyme sprigs into the slow cooker basin. I use a 3.5 litre slow cooker for a 1.5kg beef topside joint.
- Sprinkle over the plain flour and give it a mix.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and sear the beef joint on all sides before placing it in the slow cooker basin on top of the vegetables.
- Mix together the beef stock, wine, tomato ketchup and salt and pepper in a jug and pour it over the beef. Don't worry if the liquid doesn't quite fully cover the joint. Cook on low for 5-8 hours (if you like your beef rare 5 hours, well done 8 hours) or high for 3-6 hours.
- Lift the beef joint out of the slow cooker onto a plate and cover with foil for up to 30 minutes whilst you finish the gravy.
- Strain the gravy through a sieve on top of a saucepan (which will catch the carrot, onion and thyme sprigs). Place the saucepan on a medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. If you like your gravy thick, whisk in the beef gravy granules, or make a cornflour slurry to whisk in ( 1:1 ratio of cornstarch to gravy works best).
- Slice the beef and serve with the red wine gravy.
Notes
- Don't skip searing the beef. Searing it triggers the Maillard reaction and ensures all that meaty flavour is locked in!
- Make sure your beef joint is at room temperature before starting the recipe.
- The best way to check your beef is cooked to your liking is to check the temperature with a digital meat themometer. Insert the probe into the thickest part of the joint and check the temperature against these guidelines (don't forget it will continue to cook during resting).
- Medium rare – 55°C (131°F)
- Medium – 60°C ( 140°F)
- Medium well – 65°C (149°F)
- Well done – 70°C+ (158°F)
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Alisa Infanti
This recipe is so great, especially with ski season approaches. Just make it ahead and then it is ready when we are back!
Krissy Allori
This was the perfect fall dinner and the leftovers tasted even better!
Toni
This is really perfect! Thank you so much for sharing! Everyone at my house loved it.
Dannii
You can't beat beef done in the slow cooker. Perfectly cooked every time!
Carrie Robinson
I just love easy slow cooker dinner ideas like this! Can't wait to try this recipe soon. 🙂
Gary
This came out perfect! I used dried thyme as my fresh had seen better days and I didn't add any salt [cardiologist orders]. As I had left it a bit late in the day I cooked it on AUTO for 5 hours and the result was just as I like it ... medium rare 🙂
I'd definitely make this again.
Brigitte Harper
Hi. Can you tell me what wattage slow cooker you are using for the different times and temperatures? Do we need to adjust for this in order to get the stated results as there are significant differences?
Beth Sachs
Hi Brigitte. If you look on the notes section of the recipe card it will give you information on testing the joint with a meat thermometer. So, I would suggest investing in a meat thermometer that will help you cook the joint to your liking i.e rare, medium rare, medium etc. Start testing after 5 hours.