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
Susan says
This is a WONDERFUL recipe! the BEST pot roast ever!!! Honestly, my husband and I could have gobbled up the lot in one sitting! Luckily, we showed some restraint and had the rest for lunch the next day!
CAUTION: You are going to want to pick at the leftovers all evening! :)
Tara says
Thank you so very much for this recipe, Mellissa!!! We’re just coming into the cooler weather in my part of Australia, so this was an absolutely perfect, easy, and DELICIOUS dinner for the family.
I only had a 750g (1.6lbs?) cut of beef, but used the same cooking time (4 hours on high in the slow cooker) and it was melt-in-your-mouth tender ❤️ Served on a bed of cauliflower mash and green beans. Keto never tasted so good haha.
Mellissa Sevigny says
So glad it was a hit Tara!!!
Jem says
Have to agree it wasn’t tender enough with 35min and QR. And I didn’t even quite have a 3lb roast. I will try 45min and 15NR next time. Thanks for the suggestion! That said the recipe itself was good and flavors were delicious. :)
Vanessa says
I actually triple checked and followed the directions exactly, and mine was quite tough, but I read the comments all the way down and some had said they encountered the same thing, so I’ve just returned to to the pot for another 15 and we’ll see how that works. I did taste before putting it back in and it was a wonderful taste.
I thank you for sharing with us your recipes that you have obviously taken great care to create! AND you’re awesome to list all the various methods of cooking! That’s beyond generous of your time ?
Kim says
I have never been able to do a roast in the instant pot. Never turns out
Erin says
Mellissa!
I LOVE all of your recipes and I’m very excited to give this one a shot since chuck roast is on sale this week at my local grocery store! I’ll be doing it in the crockpot instead of on the stove/instant pot, but I’m sure it will be FANTASTIC! Oh, and I’ll be making DF mashed cauliflower to go with! I’m drooling on my lunch break as I’m thinking about the meal plan for Wednesday! Thanks for being awesome :)
Brooke says
Hi-for the manual pressure in the IP, should I use high or low temp? Thanks!
Erika says
I’m going to try your times next time – thanks! I made this recipe for dinner tonight, and the flavor was fabulous but it just wasn’t as tender as I wanted. Thanks again for the suggestion!
Anelya says
This was very easy and simple stew. After my first success with a recipe from this blog, I bravely jumped onto next one and it just did not come out right. The stew lacked depth and while it was pretty simple – brown meat, deglaze with balsamic and boil for 3 hours, sadly it came out one dimensional
I served it with the cheesy cauliflower puree – that was yummy.
Ryan Cotten says
Is it possible to double this in the instapot? 6lbs of meat?
Thanks,
Ryan
Joel Embry says
1st IP recipe. 1st low carb recipe that turned out well and tasted good. I still haven’t made the plunge however and couldn’t resist putting this over rice. I’ll start my diet tomorrow I always say :)