Oven Roast Beef

4.97 from 115 votes
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Our Oven Roast Beef is tender, flavorful, and perfect every time! Sunday roast has been a tradition in our family for years. We hope you love this classic recipe as much as we do.

Fork in piece of oven roast beef on a cutting board.
Table of Contents
  1. Ingredients in this Roast Beef Recipe
  2. What is the Best Cut of Beef for an Oven Roast?
  3. Easy Steps for Perfect Oven Roast Beef
  4. How Long Does it Take to Cook a Roast Beef in the Oven?
  5. Getting the Right Time and Temperature
  6. Optional Roast Beef Cooking Methods
  7. More Flavors and Add-Ins
  8. How to Make Beef Gravy from Beef Drippings
  9. What To Serve With Roast Beef
  10. Storing and Reheating Leftovers
  11. The BEST Oven Roast Beef Recipe

This pot roast recipe has been our Sunday dinner go-to recipe for as long as we can remember. We have so many great memories of walking into our home after church to the smell of the roast beef simmering in the oven. All of the credit for this recipe goes to our amazing mother who truly perfected this tender roast beef recipe. It is simple and delicious!

Ingredients to make oven roast beef with beef, onion soup mix, beef broth, salt and butter.


Ingredients in this Roast Beef Recipe

  • Rump roast – You can also use any of the suggestions below
  • Butter
  • Beef broth
  • Seasonings – salt, dry onion soup mix, and Fresh herbs for garnish (optional)

What is the Best Cut of Beef for an Oven Roast?

Choosing a cut of meat can seem confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. With the low and slow method, most cuts of beef can be roasted to tender perfection. But here are a few options to look for at the grocery store:

  • Rump Roast
  • Chuck Roast or Shoulder Pot Roast
  • Rib Roast
  • Ribeye Roast
  • Tenderloin Roast
  • Tri-Tip Roast
  • Round Tip Roast
  • Bottom Round Roast
  • Top Round Roast
  • Eye of Round Roast
Oven roast beef on a cutting board topped with fresh herbs.

Easy Steps for Perfect Oven Roast Beef

Don’t be intimidated by oven roast. It couldn’t be easier! There are just a few tricks to getting that buttery, melt-in-your-mouth roast beef you love:

  • Bring the meat to room temperature. Take it out of the fridge and let it relax a little before roasting. This will help create a tender roast beef. 
  • Start with the right pan or pot. A heavy duty roasting pan or a Dutch oven work best. It needs to be able to transfer from stove top to oven.
  • Sear that meat! Using hot oil, sear all sides of your roast until there’s a nice brown crust. This step will ensure all those delicious juices stay locked in and give it a gorgeous color.
  • For tantalizing, fall-apart meat remember these two words: LOW and SLOW. Roasting at a lower heat for a longer period of time will give even tougher types of meat that tender texture your family will die over! 
  • Make sure your meat never roasts dry. Keep it covered in its natural juices and beef broth for maximum juicy tenderness.
Placing lid on dutch oven with browned oven roast beef.

How Long Does it Take to Cook a Roast Beef in the Oven?

This is a tricky question because roast sizes and oven temps can vary. You don’t really need to rely on precise times and oven temperatures when cooking a roast. It is more about the internal temperature of the roast and getting it high enough to break down connective tissues to make it tender. That can be at a slightly higher oven temperature (no more than 300-degrees) and less cooking time, or a lower temperature (around 200 degrees) but a longer cooking time.

Roast, especially chuck roast, has a lot of connective tissue throughout the meat. Because the connective tissue contains collagen, a long, water-soluble protein, it doesn’t start to break down until it reaches 160 degrees F, and doesn’t fully break down until it reaches 200 degrees F. Some cooks prefer getting the internal temperature up to 210 degrees F before removing it from the oven for maximum tenderness. This is a lot higher of an internal temperature than what you would want to have for a typical steak, but it’s necessary for a tender roast. This can take several hours to achieve, but as I mentioned above, low and slow is the name of the game here.

Getting the Right Time and Temperature

Oven temps and roast sizes can vary and fluctuate but as long as you are going by the internal temperature of the roast, you will be golden. Roast is so easy to make and it is not a temperamental meat. For this recipe, we set the oven at 300-degrees and roast for 3 hours but you can lower the temperature and roast it longer if you would like. It is easy to adjust the times and temperatures. You can cook a 3-5 pound roast at 200 degrees F for up to 8-10 hours with great results. The main thing here is to cook it low, between 200-300 degrees F and cook until the tissues soften and break down, which, as mentioned above, is an internal temperature of between 200-210 degrees F.

Use a Meat Thermometer

Use a meat thermometer to get the most accurate readings for your roast. If you want to get really high-tech, there are bluetooth meat thermometers that can stay in the roast while in the oven. That way you don’t have to keep opening the oven and uncovering the roast to get your temps. You can just keep checking it from your phone! Whether you use an old school analog meat thermometer or a digital one, checking that internal temp is my best suggestion for getting perfect roast every single time.

Optional Roast Beef Cooking Methods

Growing up, Sunday just wasn’t Sunday without the waft of savory roast permeating the house. But sometimes during the summer, our mom refused to heat up the house using the oven. This Slow Cooker Pot Roast came to the rescue during those hot months and is so delicious! And now with the popularity of the Instant Pot, a homemade roast can be on the table in a fraction of the time. Try our Instant Pot Sunday Pot Roast  for a quick and easy roast dinner.

Cutting oven roast beef with a knife and carving fork.

More Flavors and Add-Ins

Looking for more flavors and add-ins to try? Here are some more popular additions:

  • Red wine: Add a splash of red wine to the broth to get a richer, deeper flavor.
  • Worcestershire Sauce: Mix in a tbsp of Worcestershire sauce to the beef broth before adding it to the roast or shake a few splashes over the top.
  • Garlic: It never hurts to throw a couple fresh garlic cloves(or seven) with your roast. Mash the soft, cooked garlic in with mashed potatoes or serve them whole with your roast and vegetables.
  • Potatoes and carrots: Add some quartered potatoes and thick-cut carrots to the roasting pan with the roast beef an hour or two before serving to make an all-in-one meal.
  • Pepper: Add some extra black pepper for a little kick.
  • Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme: I am literally singing this in my head while I am typing. You can’t go wrong with this herb combo, or song. A teaspoon of each will make a delicious herb mix that is fit for a fancy dinner or a Scarborough Fair (sorry, I couldn’t help myself).
Beef Gravy poured from a ladle into glass jar. Mashed potatoes and beef roast in the background.

How to Make Beef Gravy from Beef Drippings

Don’t forget about the show-stopper topper: gravy! Those delectable drippings from the pan make the richest, creamiest gravy you’ve ever had. It’s delicious over roast, mashed potatoes, veggies, rice, just about anything. Just use our simple tips for How to Make the Best Beef Gravy. It’s easy, fool-proof, and oh so yummy.

What To Serve With Roast Beef

When it comes to a family-style roast beef dinner, we definitely have our go-to favorite side dishes. Here is what we like to serve with our roast dinners:

Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans or Peas
Roasted carrots
Parmesan Potato Halves
Roasted Vegetables
Homemade Dinner Rolls

Cutting board with sliced oven roast beef garnished with fresh herbs.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Store leftover roast in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 2-3 months. Reheat leftovers in the oven or in a crock pot until heated through or the internal temperature reaches 165-degrees F.

Fun Leftover Ideas

We love shredding up our leftover roast beef to make roast beef sandwiches, French dip sandwiches, beef stew, and our Mom’s shredded Mexican beef. It sounds weird, but it really makes the best filling for Mexican dishes like enchiladas, burritos, taquitos, and shredded beef tacos. Just shred up the leftovers, add some salsa, and the sky’s the limit! 

Fork in piece of oven roast beef on a cutting board.

The BEST Oven Roast Beef

4.97 from 115 votes
This oven roast beef is tender, flavorful, and perfect every time! Sunday roast has been a tradition in our family for years. We hope you love this classic recipe as much as we do.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Resting time 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 9 servings

Video

Equipment

  • Conventional Oven

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds rump roast (see notes above for meat options)
  • kosher salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 (2-ounce) package dry onion soup mix
  • 1 cup beef broth (or beef stock)

Instructions

  • Remove roast from refrigerator and allow to come to room-temperature (about 30-40 minutes). Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (read notes above for more time and temperature roasting options). Trim excess fat from roast and generously rub all sides with Kosher salt.
    Ingredients to make oven roast beef with beef, onion soup mix, beef broth, salt and butter.
  • In a heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add roast to pan and sear on all sides for about 2-3 minutes per side. You want the roast to be brown all over.
    Dutch oven with browned beef roast.
  • Sprinkle onion soup mix over the roast and pour beef broth over the top and around the inside of the roasting pan.
    Dutch oven with browned oven roast with onion soup mix and broth.
  • Cover and roast in the oven for 2.5-3 hours or until beef is tender with an internal temp of 200-210 degrees F (add 40-60 minutes per pound over 3 pounds).
    Placing lid on dutch oven with browned oven roast beef.
  • Allow roast beef to rest 10-15 minutes, still covered or wrapped in foil, before carving. While the roast rests, make gravy (optional, see notes above). Use a sharp knife to cut into slices and serve!
    Cutting board with oven roast beef. Mashed potatoes on the side.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 236kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 34gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 215mgPotassium: 530mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 78IUCalcium: 30mgIron: 3mg

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About the author

Echo Blickenstaff

Echo lives in Spanish Fork, Utah with her husband, Todd, who works in advertising. She has four kids: two girls and two boys. She deploys her accounting degree as the blog’s resident problem solver. In her time outside the kitchen, Echo loves to get away from the phones and busy schedules and spend quality time with the family. Anywhere’s great – but getting out into nature in the mountains or on the beach – is the best kind of getaway.

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Comments

  1. I made this recipe 2 weeks ago and it was AMAZING and easy, I got chicken stock by accident but used it anyway and it turned out fabulous anyway 🙂
    Now……I had someone else get my roast for tonight and they got me a thinner cut…not tall and bulky but only 2 inches hight and 3 lbs. Do I cook it less because its not thick,?

    1. Yes, I would take the cooking time down a little. Maybe start with 2 hours and then check it every 10 minutes after that. Hope this helps!

    1. I made this Roast Beef Recipe yesterday, and I did not use the onion soup in it because of Glutten. It was delicious, the flavor was milder, I’m sure , but we really liked it. My 3 lb roast cooked for 3 hours exactly and was perfect. It was so tender. I made the gravy to go with it using some of the drippings. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. Made my life easier.

  2. 5 stars
    This is my Mother’s Sunday Roast Beef dinner! She prepared her roast exactly as you did. The roast went into the oven on Sunday morning before we went to church. When we returned home , we were greeted by the wonderful aromas coming from the oven! Thanks for the memories.

  3. 5 stars
    This recipe is absolutely phenomenal. I added chopped Vidalia onions just because I am a huge fan of onions and beef married together. Simple recipe, for a delicious outcome!. Made Jaime Oliver’s sky high Yorkshire pudding recipe and roasted potatoes, carrots and peas. Sooooooooooooo Yummy Thanks for the recipe!!!

  4. 5 stars
    I use your recipe whenever we have a hankering for roast. I use Chuck Roast. My husband prefers roast cooked in the oven over roast cooked in the crock pot. I usually throw in some quartered potatoes (skins on) instead of making potatoes on the side. This recipe turns out great every time.

  5. 5 stars
    Found the recipe simple. Outcome awesome. I now can make delicious roast beef thank you!!
    .

  6. 5 stars
    Just wanted to say this is the best and easiest oven roasted beef recipe! Fall apart and so flavourful! Your instructions are clear and easy to follow including the temperature. I wish people would read through recipes and instructions carefully before posting questions.

    1. It is hard to know what went wrong since so many factors can affect a recipe. You want to make sure that the roast is well seared on all sides to lock in the juices. You also want to make sure to let it rest after you cook it! Hope this helps!

    1. I’m not sure which exact cut we used in the picture but when making roast you can use beef chuck roast, bottom round, or even top round roast. A lot of times at the butcher counter the beef will be labeled “Oven roast”, this will work great too! Hope this helps!

    1. I want my roast medium well but not dry. I don’t like to see bloody meat. Is this possible? Do I add a specific amount of time per lb to your recipe to achieve my goal? Thank you.

      1. Every oven and cut of meat will differ a little, so the best way to ensure you get the cook you are hoping for is to get a meat thermometer. Medium well beef will be between 140-145 degrees. I hope this helps!

  7. Can you add potatoes and carrots to the roast? If so half way through the roast timing or at the beginning? Thank you
    I look forward to fixing this tomorrow with mashed potatoes until I hear back.

    1. Yes, absolutely! We usually add the vegetables at the beginning but sometimes they come out softer than some would like. You can add them part way through but it may cause your roast to get dry if you take the lid off part way. I would suggest keeping the vegetable chunks on the larger side and just adding them at the beginning. Hope this helps!

      1. Quick question. I like my roast beef medium rare. Could I pull it out at a med rare temp or do you feel it won’t be as tender at that time/temp? Thanks!

        1. You can take it out at medium rare, but like you said it won’t be as tender at that temperature. Just depends on how you like it!

          1. 5 stars
            This is pretty much my favorite “pot roast”” recipe — for cuts of meat that require long, slow cooking to break down tough fibers. Some comments ask about cooking this medium rare — for that you buy a tenderloin or rib roast, not a tough cut of meat!

  8. 5 stars
    This recipe was Fantastic !! 🤗 Good flavour and beautiful gravy. I followed the recipe and cooked my 3.5 lbs rump roast for 3 hours. It was medium well but so tender. My 11 year old daughter who can be quite critical with her opinions gave me the thumbs up at supper.

    1. So glad you and your family liked this recipe! It’s always a WIN when we can win over a picky eater! 😀 Thanks for the 5-stars!

  9. 5 stars
    I am so tired of having a tough piece of meat. This is a perfect recipe, the only one I now use.

    1. Thank you so much for you comment! I agree, tough meat is no good. Thank goodness for the Instant Pot!

  10. 5 stars
    Best oven roast I’ve ever made. So tender and delicious. Definitely a keeper. Oh and the Beef Gravy was out of this world. Thank you

      1. Is the roast sitting in the broth? Or does the roasting pan have an insert so it’s “hovering” above the liquid?

      1. Is this recipe for a slow cooker? I only have my oven. Would I be okay with a roasting dish & foil? Also, can you buy onion soup & what make is it? Is the broth also bought, if so, what make is it?
        Thank you.

  11. Well, I’d love to be able to reliably cook a Roast Beef so I read your article. You mention nine different cuts of beef to roast. Then when you get to the instructions you recommend a cut of beef not listed in your list of nine cuts to roast. Leaving me as confused as before.

    1. Hi Rob- so sorry for the confusion. The list given in the post are options in addition to the one suggested in the recipe. To avoid further confusion I will go ahead and put that cut of roast in the post. Thanks for catching that.

    2. I agree this is a very confusing recipe also does not tell you at what temperature to cook roast for three hours !

      1. Hi Terry- in the first step you preheat the oven to 250-degrees. That is the temperature you want it to cook at. Hope this helps!

          1. I would start by roasting it for two hours and then checking it every 15 minutes or so until it is the desired temperature and tenderness!

      1. I want slow cooked roast beef. Slow & low but you recommended to cook at 300 degrees. This is not low surely???

  12. 5 stars
    I am overjoyed that I found this recipe. I have not been able to cook a satisfying roast until now. This was loved by the whole family. Great flavor, easy to make and has the makings for some tasty gravy. Roast will definitely be on the menu more now.

    1. PJ- thank you so much for your kind comment! I am so glad you found a roast recipe that works for you now. Thanks for coming back and sharing your success with this recipe!