Cooking Frozen Roast In Crock Pot

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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!

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

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).
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.
About a half-hour before you're ready to eat, add the peas, stirring just a little to cover them.
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.