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
Sara says
This was delicious! I used 2 cups beef broth and put my dutch oven in a 300 degree oven for about 4 hours. The roast was FALLING apart. Can’t wait for leftovers :-) Thanks again for what you do.
Stacy says
Has anyone replaced the water called for in this recipe with beef broth?
Sara says
Yes. I replaced the water with 2 cups beef broth. Turned out great!
Jeff says
I used homemade chicken bone broth and it was fabulous!
Melanie Martinez says
YES! Easy Balsamic Pot Roast is the one I’ll try first! My mouth is watering… while I eat Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin Recipe for BREAKFAST!
Ms Maggie Maye says
I made this last week when the planned Roast Beef turned into the Boyfriend getting a 3 lb of Chuck. Did it in the slow cooker replacing water with low sodium beef broth and added in about 1/4 Dry Sherry, and some thyme sprigs I had. Came out more flavorful than I thought. Once it was done, I pulled the beef apart and added in a lb of roasted button tomatoes and a pint of roasted grape tomatoes, simmered in a skillet, added the xanthan gum and it was a delicious lunch all week! Definitely would do again!
Kimm says
I can’t believe how good this is. Served it over basmati rice w/ fresh parsley. Still can’t believe how good this is.
Kate says
I’m making this today. It’s been on the stove about an hour and half so far and smells amazing. I plan to use sour cream rather than a thickening agen. There’s just two of us, so the left overs will become a shepherd’s pie tomorrow.
wendy says
This was easy and delicious – thank you!
Kathy Shires says
Wait… So you brown the meat….take it out of the pan …..them make sauce…. Put the meat back in the pan after boiling it and then cook all together in the oven? Sorry…just want to be clear. Would like to do I’m the oven.
Belinda says
Well, I just made this and OH MY GOODNESS!!! Delish!! Super tasty and super easy! The balsamic vinegar really gives this it’s amazing flavor, and the “potatoes”? Thy are aptly named!! They WERE better than mashed potatoes. So much flavor. I had bought a 1- 1/2 lb roast (It’s just me) and it was already reduced and I wasn’t going to use it right away so I stuck it in the freezer. A few days later, I pulled that and another hunk of pork out to look for something and the next morning saw that I had not put them back! Yikes. I still was not planning to cook it yet so I stuck it back in the freezer knowing I was committing a big no no. Well, I’m sure under ideal circumstances the meat would have been super tender, but mine was wonderful none the less. Thank you for all of the recipes, I am working very hard to bring my A1C level down below a 6.0, and I have only had one cheat day (ok, ok, cheat weekend) since May 1st and get I get tested again August 1st. With all of these fantastic foods, it has been very easy. Since May, I have lost 17 lbs! I wouldn’t mind losing about 10 more, that would be ideal AND, more importantly, match my drivers licence weight. Here’s another bonus, some gals at my workplace started a weight loss challenge, and it just so happened to start May 1 and end August 1. There’s $220 at stake, think I’ll win??
Belinda says
Thanks to your Jamaican Jerk pork roast recipe, I now own an instant pot! I’d not thought too much about pressure cookers until I saw that recipe and I certainly didn’t know there were electric ones. Back in the 80’s I had one for the stove top. Scary! I had made a chicken recipe and could never get it open after that! Somewhere, in a landfill, sits a pressure cooker with some interesting contents inside! Thanks for this recipe, I’m making it for sure!
Mellissa Sevigny says
You’re going to love the Instant Pot Belinda!!!! I miss mine so much!!!