This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This crock pot rump roast is made of simple beef, carrots, and potatoes cooked low and slow for hours until the meat is fall-apart tender. Everything comes out so flavorful! Even better, this recipe requires only 20 minutes of prep time.
Tender Crock Pot Rump Roast
Imagine this. At 10 AM, you arrange a bunch of simple, delicious ingredients into a slow cooker before going about the rest of your day. The rich, earthy smell of beef and potatoes grows strong, much like when I make my slow cooker beef barbacoa. As the hours pass, they waft through the house. 6 o’clock rolls around, and everyone is home from work or school, looking around for the source of that magical smell.
You sit down at the table to hearty servings of carrots and potatoes piled with tender, melt-in-your-mouth portions of beef rump roast loaded with simple, heartwarming flavors the whole family will love. Everyone falls silent as they devour the delicious meal that only took you 20 minutes to prep. Success! 🙌
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This heartwarming meal is sure to make it to your crockpot favorites list, right next to Mississippi chicken and slow cooker Italian beef! Here are some of the reasons I love it so much.
- Fall apart tender. Cooking a naturally tough cut of beef, like rump roast, for a long time at a low temperature transforms it into a deliciously tender entree.
- Set it and forget it. I love that all you have to do is sear the meat, place it in the crock pot with a few other ingredients, and press some buttons. 8 hours later, you have a heartwarming meal waiting for you. It’s the perfect recipe for a busy day. And when you have more time to cook on the stovetop, a dish like my Massaman curry with tender beef is a great option for a hands-on meal!
- All-in-one meal. Although you can serve this rump roast with a side dish or two (see the section below titled “What Goes With Rump Roast?” for inspiration), you do not need to. The meat, carrots, and potatoes deliver a well-rounded meal on their own.
- The gravy. You can opt out of making the gravy if you are pinched for time, but it does pull the whole thing together. Smooth and rich, it seeps into every cranny of meat and veggies. It will have you craving a second bite of this beef rump in the slow cooker before you swallow your first!
What You’ll Need
Meat, potatoes, and some seasoning. That’s pretty much all it takes. Here’s a list of what you will need to make a crock pot rump roast. Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card below for measurements.
For the rump roast
- Rump roast: You could also use chuck roast or top sirloin instead.
- Salt & Black Pepper: A simple seasoning to enhance the flavors of the roast.
- Yellow onion: You can substitute with white onion, if needed.
- Carrots: They contribute a natural sweetness and a tender texture to the dish.
- Baby potatoes: I prefer baby potatoes, but any waxy potato will do. If you use waxy potatoes, cut them into 1-inch chunks.
- Garlic: Please try to use fresh garlic, but garlic powder will work in a pinch.
- Dried oregano: Dried thyme or rosemary are good alternatives, as is Italian seasoning.
- Bay leaves: To infuse the dish with a mild, savory flavor.
- Avocado oil: Used for searing the meat, with a high smoke point. Substitute with vegetable oil or olive oil if preferred
- Beef stock: You can use water instead; just make sure to season a bit more heavily.
For the gravy
- Salted butter: Unsalted butter works fine; just adjust the salt level accordingly.
- All-purpose flour: The flour will thicken the gravy and create a smooth texture.
What is a Rump Roast?
Rump roast is a large cut of beef taken from the cow’s top portion of the backside. It is relatively low in fat and has a rich, beefy flavor. Due to the leanness of the cut, rump roast is best enjoyed after being cooked at a low temperature for many hours. The process breaks down the meat, making it tender.
How to Cook a Rump Roast in the Crock Pot
Here’s a quick rundown of how to make rump roast in a crock pot. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
For the rump roast
- Season the rump roast with sea salt and ground black pepper and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Add the veggies to the crock pot along with the garlic, oregano, and bay leaves.
- Brown the beef. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef for 2 minutes on all sides.
- Cook. Add the beef to the slow cooker, add the beef stock, cover the slow cooker, and cook on low heat for 8 hours. Flip the roast halfway through cooking.
- Serve. Shred the beef and serve it over the cooked veggies with gravy.
For the gravy
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and whisk continuously for 2 minutes.
- Add the cooking liquid (about 3 cups) gradually, whisking continuously until smooth.
- Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened and ladle over individual portions of crock pot rump roast.
Tips for Success
Here are a few simple tips and tricks to help you achieve a tender, flavorful rump roast. Happy cooking!
- Season liberally. Don’t be shy with the salt and pepper. No one wants a bland rump roast.
- Sear. It makes a difference to take an extra few minutes to sear the rump roast before adding it to the slow cooker. The end product will have a much more full-bodied flavor and will be more visually appealing.
- Get the liquid right. Your roast does not need to be submerged entirely here, but it should be at least 3/4 of the way submerged. Feel free to add a bit more liquid than prescribed in the recipe to make this possible.
- Flip halfway through. If you are around the house while the beef rump is cooking, I highly suggest that you flip it halfway through the cooking time. Rump roast is a tough piece of meat, and exposing both sides of the roast directly to the cooking liquid will help it break down more.
- Give it more time. If the rump roast is not falling apart tender by the time 8 hours of cook time have passed, go ahead and give it another hour in the slow cooker.
What Goes With Rump Roast?
One of the best things about this recipe is that it delivers a hearty dose of protein, carbs, veggies, and fats on its own. So you don’t really need any side dishes. That being said, you can take this rump roast to the next level by serving it alongside some rolls, a salad, or more veggies. Here are some ideas:
- Dinner rolls. Try these dinner rolls or my Macedonian dinner rolls with feta cheese.
- Salad. Lighten things up with my green goddess salad, this crunchy kale quinoa salad, or my Heirloom tomato salad.
- Mashed potatoes. There are already potatoes in this recipe but feel free to leave them out and serve the tender beef with my Instant Pot mashed cauliflower or these garlic rosemary mashed potatoes instead.
- Horseradish sauce. Regardless of what side/s you choose to serve with your rump roast crock pot, I urge you to try spooning a bit of creamy horseradish sauce on top.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Allow the dish to cool completely before sealing it in an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the oven, covered, at 325˚F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. It can be helpful to add some beef broth to the pan or baking dish to keep things from drying out.
Can I Freeze Extras?
You can, in part. I do not recommend freezing the veggies as they will not reheat well. The beef will freeze and reheat beautifully.
- To freeze: Let it cool before separating the beef from the veggies. Shred the meat and transfer it to an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. To reheat, do so on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the oven, covered, at 325˚F for about 30 minutes or until heated through.
More Crock Pot Recipes to Try
I love crock pot recipes. There’s nothing like adding a bunch of favorite ingredients to your slow cooker, pressing a few buttons, and coming home at the end of the day to a deliciously flavorful, wholesome meal. Here are some other crock pot recipes for you to try.
- Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers
- Slow Cooker Coq au Vin
- Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken
- Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Glazed Ham
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Crock Pot Rump Roast
Ingredients
For the rump roast
- 3 pounds rump roast
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1½ pounds baby potatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or vegetable oil
- 5 cups beef stock, or beef broth
For the gravy
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the rump roast
- Season the rump roast with sea salt and ground black pepper and let sit until it comes to room temperature (about 15 minutes).
- In the meantime, add the chopped yellow onions, carrots, baby potatoes, garlic, oregano, and bay leaves to the bowl of a slow cooker. Set aside.
- Heat the avocado oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
- Place the seasoned rump roast in the pan and let sear for 2 minutes before flipping and searing for 2 minutes on the other side.
- Transfer the seared rump roast to the slow cooker; pour in the beef stock. The liquid should cover about 3/4 of the rump roast. If needed, add more broth.
- Close the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 hours, flipping the roast halfway through.
- When cooking time is up, remove the beef from the slow cooker and transfer it to a cutting board. Shred the rump roast using two forks or meat shredders – it should be fall-apart tender. If it's not pulling easily, place it back in the slow cooker and continue to cook for 30 more minutes and up to one hour.
For the gravy
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and whisk continuously for 2 minutes (do NOT allow the mixture to brown)
- Slowly add 3 cups of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker, whisking continuously until smooth.
- Allow the gravy to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened to your desired consistency, stirring occasionally.
- Serve the shredded rump roast over the carrots and potatoes and top with the gravy.
Equipment
Notes
- Rump Roast: A rump roast is a cut of beef from the top of the back end of a cow. A lot of people use chuck roast and rump roast interchangeably. While both cuts of meat come from parts of a cow, their similarities end there because chuck roast is a different cut; it comes from the cow’s shoulder portion. But on that note, you can also use a chuck roast to make this recipe.
- Potatoes: I almost always use gold/yellow baby potatoes for roast dinners, but you can use any thin-skinned waxy potato you have on hand. If they are bigger potatoes, cut them to 1-inch chunks before cooking.
- Season the rump roast with salt and pepper, and when it’s done cooking, give it a taste and see if it needs more salt.
- Searing the beef before putting it in the slow cooker is not a must, but it does make a difference in taste and appearance.
- Add enough liquid (beef stock) to the slow cooker to cover about 3/4 of the rump roast.
- If at all possible, flip the roast halfway through cooking. It’s okay if you don’t.
- If the beef does not shred easily, put it back in the slow cooker and continue to cook it for 30 minutes to one hour.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
In the ingredients you say 3 tbls of juices from crockpot but in the directions you say 3 cups…. which is it?
Hi!
In the gravy directions, you’ll need 3 cups of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker to make the gravy.
The 3 tablespoons mentioned in the ingredient list for the gravy is referring to butter, which is used to start the gravy base.
I hope this clears things up. Please let me know if that helps.
Can you cook this on high and if so how long would you suggest
Hi!
Yes, you can cook it on high for 5-6 hours, but keep in mind that the low-and-slow method (8 hours on low) is what really gives that fall-apart texture. 🙂
Only difference is I’m making mashed potatoes to pour the roast/gravy mixture over! Oh and I added corn!
Wish I knew if I needed to place carrots and potato’s around the roast or if the roast could be left on top of that layer! Otherwise such a good recipe
Either way works, but placing the roast on top of the carrots and potatoes can help them absorb the roast’s juices, adding more flavor. Glad you enjoyed the recipe overall! Thank YOU! 🙂
Very delicious! I’m very happy with this recipe and I will make again. My husband likes it too.
I’m so glad to hear that you both enjoyed the recipe! Thank YOU! 🙂
Perfect Rump Roast. Tender, juicy and the crock pot makes it oh so easy. Perfect seasoning.
It’s great to hear that your rump roast turned out tender and juicy, and that the crock pot made it easy! Sounds like the seasoning was just right too. Thank YOU! 🙂
Too salty!
Hi!
I’m sorry to hear that the rump roast turned out too salty for your taste. It’s possible that the type of salt used might have contributed to this. In the recipe, I recommend using 2 tablespoons of sea salt for a 3-pound roast, following the general guideline of approximately 2 teaspoons of salt per pound of boneless raw meat. Sea salt typically has larger crystals than table salt, so if a different type of salt was used, it could result in the dish being saltier than intended.
I used 2 level tablespoons of sea salt.
2 TBLS is actually quite a lot. For a 2 lb roast, I normally use 1/4 of a teaspoon
This turned out pretty good! I did not use the amount of salt & pepper though. I think it said 2 T of salt & 1 T pepper? That sounds like an awful lot! Are you sure it wasn’t supposed to say teaspoons?
You can use as much as you like, but yes, those amounts are correct.
Came out delicious. Searing it on all sides really made flavorful!
Thanks
Claudia
Wonderfully easy and delicious recipe! Made it last night and the family loved it. The roast turned out tender and moist!