This super easy keto pot roast is made with beef chuck roast and just a handful of other ingredients for a delicious low carb beef pot roast the entire family will enjoy. Make it on the stovetop, or in your Instant Pot and have it on the table in about an hour!
This easy keto pot roast is made with beef, and can then be served with or over the veggies of your choice.
Table of Contents
- Best Cut of Beef for a Pot Roast
- Best Cooking Method for Tender Pot Roast
- Thickening the Gravy without Adding Carbs
- Serving Suggestions
- More Pot Roast Recipes:
The ultimate comfort food, beef pot roast is typically made by braising a chuck roast in liquid, with veggies and other ingredients as a one pot meal. Since a traditional pot roast recipe usually contains potatoes and carrots, they aren’t easy to make keto friendly.
This keto beef pot roast is a favorite with the Hungry Dudes (though I serve theirs with regular potatoes and mine with cheesy cauliflower puree) because it’s so tasty – it’s a favorite with me because it’s so easy and reheats well all week.
Everybody wins, and I love it when that happens.
Best Cut of Beef for a Pot Roast
Almost any beef roast will work for a pot roast recipe, because the long cooking time (or pressured cooking in the Instant Pot) will break down the meat and connective tissue, leaving you with tender, delicious pot roast.
Still, I prefer a beef chuck roast for my keto pot roast because it has a great ratio of fat to meat, and will be nice and tender after cooking. You can also use beef round roast – which I find to be a little on the tougher, drier side. Or you can use beef brisket, which I find to lean just a bit too much on the fatty side – but you can skim off the extra fat in that case.
This recipe calls for a 3 pound roast, and you need to pay attention to the weight of your roast. If it is larger than 3 pounds, it’s going to take longer to cook and get tender.
Best Cooking Method for Tender Pot Roast
I think pressure cooking is the most fool-proof and easy way to get tender, delicious, fall apart beef pot roast.
With a 3 pound boneless chuck roast, 35 – 40 minutes on high pressure in the Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker) is absolutely long enough to get tender chunks of pot roast.
If you are looking for the meat to completely fall apart and shred, you should put it in for 50 minutes and allow for natural release of the steam, rather than quick release.
However, if you have lots of time on your hands, simmering the meat in a sealed pot like a cast iron dutch oven on the stovetop over low heat, or in the oven at about 350 degrees will take about 4 hours and yield delicious results.
As a side point, I first made this before I purchased my trusty Instant Pot, but now that I have it I make this keto pot roast in it all the time and it’s so easy and fast! The recipe card below includes instructions on how to make pot roast in the Instant Pot or on the stove.
Thickening the Gravy without Adding Carbs
This keto pot roast recipe calls for xanthan gum to thicken the gravy after reducing, but if you don’t have xanthan gum, arrowroot powder or konjac powder will work to thicken the gravy just as well. Just be careful not to use too much or you will get a slimy consistency to it.
If dairy isn’t a problem for you and you aren’t doing Squeaky Clean Keto, stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream after reducing for a creamy and even more delicious gravy.
Serving Suggestions
If your family isn’t eating low carb you can absolutely serve this keto pot roast with boiled or mashed potatoes, and even carrots or parsnips for a traditional pot roast dinner.
For those of you eating keto, I recommend serving this pot roast with any of the following sides:
- Better Than Potatoes Cheesy Cauliflower Puree
- Easy Cheesy Zucchini Gratin
- Cheesy Keto Polenta
- Cheesy Herb Muffins
- Easy Pan Roasted Radishes (Dairy Free)
- Garlic and Chive Cauliflower Mash (Dairy Free)
More Pot Roast Recipes:
Slow Cooker Pot Roast – Wholesome Yum
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Easy Keto Pot Roast
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 4 oz servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This super easy and delicious low carb beef pot roast recipe can be made on the stove, in the slow cooker, or even in your Instant Pot! Keto, Atkins and Paleo friendly!
Ingredients
- One boneless beef chuck roast, approximately 3 lbs.
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt (if using fine salt reduce by half)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- Fresh parsley, chopped to garnish
Instructions
- Season the beef Chuck roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides.
- In a large heavy bottomed pan sear both sides of the roast until browned. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and cook for one minute.
- Add the water and onion to the pan. Bring to a boil.
- Cover and simmer on low for 3 to 4 hours or place in the oven at 350 degrees for 4 hours.
- Carefully remove the meat from the pan to a large bowl. Break carefully into chunks and remove any large pieces of fat or other refuse.
- Whisk the xanthan gum into the broth and add the meat back to the pan.
- Serve over “Better Than Potatoes” Cheesy Cauliflower Purée, garnished with lots of fresh chopped parsley.
To make in the Instant Pot:
- Cut your chuck roast in half so you have two pieces. Season the roast with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder on all sides. Using the saute feature on the instant pot, brown the roast pieces on both sides.
- Add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup onion to the meat. Cover and seal, then using the manual button set the timer for 40 minutes. When the timer runs out, release the pressure by moving the lever to the “venting” setting. Once all the pressure is released, uncover the pot.
- Carefully remove the meat from the pan to a large bowl. Break carefully into chunks and remove any large pieces of fat or other refuse.
- Use the saute function to bring the remaining liquid to a boil in the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce.
- Whisk in the xanthan gum, then add the meat back to the pan and stir gently.
- Turn off the heat and serve hot over cauliflower puree, garnished with lots of fresh chopped parsley.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Keto Main Dishes
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3/4 cup meat with sauce
- Calories: 393
- Fat: 28g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Protein: 30g
Jeanette says
Have a fantastic trip :) I love Belize.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Jeanette! It will be our first time there and we are really excited about it!
Kelli says
How long would you think to cook this in the crockpot ? Sounds so yummy , I can’t wait to try it!
Mellissa Sevigny says
4 hours on high should do it!
movita beaucoup says
I don’t think robbers eat low carb or gluten free. You should be fine.
Mellissa Sevigny says
You know, I didn’t think of that but you’re probably right! I guess I don’t need to booby trap the front door now…
Gayle Moeller says
Can I ask a question about the xanthan gum? I’ve not used it to thicken sauces before, the first time I tried I just dropped a teaspoon in my soup and whisked, after a minute of vigorous whisking I found a teaspoon size white blob in my soup which was the xanthan gum still in its teaspoon shape, so I plucked it out and threw it away. The second time I tried to mix it with a bit of tepid water first, then whisked the goo into my soup. This worked a little better, but not great. Both times I was making Jalapeno Popper Soup, if that makes a difference.
Maybe arrowroot would work better for me, I’ve historically used sweet rice flour or cornstarch for thickening graves and sauces.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Gayle
Mellissa Sevigny says
Maybe because the popper soup was so thick and it had nothing to dissolve into – not sure Gayle, whisking usually does the trick for me! It might have been the brand you are using though I don’t know if it matters. Arrowroot is another good option if you have it.
Gayle Moeller says
Thanks Melissa, the brand I’m using is Bob’s Red Mill. I’ll have to try hardworking next time.
Vivianne says
Try dissolving it first into a bit of olive oil! :-)
Valeria says
Vivian is correct. Xanthan gum will immediately bind to any moisture and start to expand. You end up with a glob of glue with no way for the inside powder to spread out and the water seeps in and turns the whole amount to a ball of gum. By dissolving the powder into an oil first, you can more easily distribute it among your liquid and it will slowly take up liquid and be more even. sprinkling it over the liquid as a fine mist while you whisk the liquid works as well but is more intensive and easier to accidentally drop a load in. When I use Xanthan gums for soups, I sprinkle it over the oil sauteed meats and veggies and stir it in BEFORE adding the broth. It always works.
Mary Anna says
The trick with xanthan is to use just a tiny bit (more like 1/8 or 1/4 of a teaspoon – a whole teaspoon would be make it uber thick), and it mixes best with a bit of fat. The liquid from the meat will have fat, so should whisk in nicely. You could also take like a quarter cup of the liquid out, mix that with the xanthan until incorporated, then mix it back in with the rest of the liquid and simmer a bit. But mostly – don’t plop a clump in. sprinkling works better than plopping. :)
Gayle Moeller says
Mary Ann, I tried your suggested sprinkling technique and it worked a treat, thank you for suggesting it!
Mary Anna says
yay! glad to hear. :)
Shannon Strickland Brown says
You could always add some butter!! This sounds awesome!
Claudine says
Can you sub something for xantham gum? I’m allergic. Or skip it?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can use arrowroot or another thickener – or skip it and it will be thinner, but just as good!
Judith says
I also always set my electric pressure cooker on high whenever I’m doing a beef roast such as this. I am old fashioned of German heritage so I use contained-in-a-tea-mesh pickling spice for a sauerbraten taste. Just a preferen But I agree — low carb is not about adding a lot of other veggies. Muddies up the carb calculation waters. Great idea — hadn’t thought sauerbrautaten in a while.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sauerbraten is a great idea Judith, might make one myself soon too!!!
Terri says
Do you change your Instant Pot setting from Saute to Low or High Pressure for the 35 minutes? This looks so good. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks! Have fun on vacation!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Yes – sorry if that wasn’t clear! My instant pot I set to Manual and then plug in the 35 minutes. If you have the option to set the pressure I’d go with high!
Angela says
I’m making this right now (my first IP dish ever). I followed the steps but after 35 minutes on high pressure it’s tough and still mostly pink in the middle. Based on your pictures I was expecting it to be really tender and cooked through. I can’t figure out what I did wrong. Any ideas? Since I’m in the midst of it I recovered and went for another 15 minutes on high pressure. This will be interesting. :)
Angela says
haha.. re-covered.. it’s yet to be determined if I actually recovered. ;)
Angela says
It’s still tough :( . I’m going for another 15 minutes. Anyone?
Betz says
I did mine for 90 minutes, and it’s absolutely delicious! I did 90 minutes because every other pot roast I’ve ever cooked in the instant pot said 90 minutes! Give it another try! I was glad I cooked mine on the trivet because the meat would’ve completely fallen apart had I tried to remove it with tongs!
Vicky says
I just made thus today and after 35 minutes mine was tough too. I put it back in for 15 minutes and it was perfect
Laurie tobin says
I did the same… After 35 minutes it was still tough so I put it back in for another 25. I have a question the recipe calls for 2 cups of h2o but the directions only use 1 cup????
Mellissa Sevigny says
Are you sure you were on high pressure and not low pressure? I can’t imagine needing another 25 on top of the original 35 if it was set to high pressure?
Nick says
I had the same issue with a tough roast tonight. I suspect it has to do with the recipe calling for a quick release at the end. I suspect a full natural release would result in it coming out more tender. I really enjoyed the flavor of the recipe though, so I’ll probably give it another try with natural release.
helene says
I lways put veggies in my pot roast pan and bake it in the oven. That way they get all the flavorings too. Garlic, celery, carrots, turnips, celery, whole shrooms, brussel sprouts; maybe rutabaga, acorn squash or sweet potato for the carb-eaters. I want that meat to flavor as much veggie as I can get out of it! Gravy over the top just isnt the same as vegs roasted/braised in with meat, then with pan juices or gravy over them Y.U.M.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I don’t disagree Helene but I do like the pure, rich flavor of this version and without the extra veggies in the mix it’s easier to count the carbs for the gravy as well! But yes to all of the veggies you mentioned as well!
Becky says
I had a 4.5 lb chuck roast so I cut it into 3 equal pieces. It turned out superb, this will be my go-to pot roast recipe from now on! My husband who dislikes most pot roasts because they are “too” done, raved over it.
I am an experienced IP user so I knew that I needed to deglaze the pot after browning the beef to keep from getting a “burn” notice. After deglazing with 1 cup beef broth (I subbed that for the water), I added the balsamic vinegar, the chopped up onion and then placed the 3 pieces of beef on top of that. I allowed for a 10 minute natural release.
My family doesn’t think a pot roast is a pot roast without veggies so after releasing the pressure, I removed the beef to a large pan and tented it with aluminum foil. I then added baby carrots and red potatoes cut in half to the pot and cooked on high for 3 minutes followed by a QR. I then removed the veggies and added them to the dish with the beef. I then followed your instructions again, cooking down the liquid and then thickening it. I then poured the yummy gravy over the roast and the veggies. I have a gorgeous photo of it but I don’t know how to share it here.
Also, I hope you don’t mind, I added this recipe to Carb Manager for my own use.
kathleen says
this looks yummy!
And, don’t you have a big beastie family member who packs a gun and know karate stay at your house when you go out of town? *wink* *wink*
;)