Classic French dip sandwiches were a staple in my house growing up. You slow-cook a beef roast all day long until it’s so tender that you can shred it with one hand and a fork. The real beauty is how simple the ingredients are and how easy it is; it comes together in a matter of minutes in the morning and then you don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day. It’s also one that works great for a make-ahead meal in the freezer, perfect for times when you know you’re going to be busy. You can also make it in an electric pressure cooker, which is a total game changer.
Ingredient and Recipe Notes
- Beef roast – For best results, use a chuck roast. You could also use top or bottom round. The one roast to stay away from is eye of round; it is dry and flavorless.
- Onion soup mix – Regular or beefy onion flavor will work.
- Beef broth – You’ll notice the recipe calls for 4 cups of beef broth, which is 1 32-ounce box. 2 cans of beef broth will also work, even though they don’t equal a full 4 cups.
- Rolls or bread – How you serve these is totally up to personal preference. Crusty bakery rolls, baguette thirds, or ciabatta rolls all work great.
- Cheese – Take your pick when it comes to cheese! I like Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella, shredded or sliced.
How to Make French Dip Sandwiches
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, high-sided pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. While the oil is heating, season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear the roast on all sides, then transfer to the pot of a slow cooker.
- Sprinkle with onion soup mix, then add in water and beef broth.
- Cook for 8-10 hours on low or start it on high and cook for 2-3 hours on high (until it comes to a boil), then turn it to low and cook for another 4-5 hours on low. It’s hard to mess this part up, but you’ll know it’s done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When the meat is done cooking, shredded it with two forks.
- Place the meat on crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open face in the oven or for 1-2 minutes or until the bread is golden and the cheese is melty. And don’t even think about walking away–things can go from lightly toasted to on fire in a matter of seconds when it comes to bread and broilers. Ladle au jus (the juices, skim off fat as necessary) into small cups for dipping and enjoy!
Freezer Directions
Prepare roast through the searing step. After the meat has cooled, place in a plastic freezer-safe container, cover with onion soup mix, broth, and freeze. When ready to cook, pop it straight into the crockpot, add 2 cups of water, and set to high until simmering, then turn to low; cook for a total of 8-10 hours.
Instant Pot Directions
Prepare meat through the searing step (you can sear it in your Instant Pot.) Transfer the roast to a cutting board and slice it into 1″ slices. Place the slices back in the pot and add onion soup mix, broth, and water. Use the manual setting to cook on high for 30 minutes. Allow it to release naturally (so don’t release the pressure valve); it will take about 10 minutes. Remove lid and shred with forks. Serve as directed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time? Yes! See the freezer meal notes for instructions on prepping ahead.
Related Recipes
If you think French Dip sounds delicious, you may also be interested in these other Our Best Bites favorites:
French Onion Soup
Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches
Kalua Pork Sliders with Pineapple-Mango Slaw
Did You Make This?
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French Dip Sandwiches
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 2½ – 3 pound beef roast see note below
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups 1 box or 2 cans beef broth
- 8-10 crusty rolls or baguette thirds ciabatta rolls work great
- Cheese of your choice: Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella, shredded or sliced
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, high-sided pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. While the oil is heating, season the roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear the roast on all sides, then transfer to the pot of a slow cooker.
- Sprinkle with onion soup mix and add in water and beef broth.
- Cook for 8 hours minimum, but preferably 9-10 hours on low. If you need to speed it up, you can try starting it on high for 2-3 hours (until it comes to a boil), then turn it to low and cook for another 5-6 hours on low. It's hard to mess this part up, but you'll know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart.
- When the meat is done cooking, shredded it with two forks. Place the meat on crusty rolls.
- Top with cheese and broil open face in the oven or for 1-2 minutes or until the bread is golden and the cheese is melty. Ladle au jus (the juices, skim off fat as necessary) into small cups for dipping and enjoy!
Notes
For best results, use a chuck roast. You could also use top or bottom round. The one roast to stay away from is eye of round; it is dry and flavorless. FREEZER DIRECTIONS: Prepare roast through the searing step. After the meat has cooled, place in a plastic freezer-safe container, cover with onion soup mix, broth, and freeze. When ready to cook, pop it straight into the crock pot, add 2 cups of water, and set to high until simmering, then turn to low; cook for a total of 8-10 hours. INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS: Prepare meat through the searing step (you can sear it in your Instant Pot.) Transfer the roast to a cutting board and slice it into 1″ slices. Place the slices back in the pot and add onion soup mix, broth, and water. Use the manual setting to cook on high for 30 minutes. Allow it to release naturally (so don’t release the pressure valve); it will take about 10 minutes. Remove lid and shred with forks.
Questions & Reviews
Hello. I’m a big fan of your blog. I’ve been following for years – thanks for all the awesome recipes!! I finally jumped on the instant pot bandwagon and was wondering if you had adapted this recipe yet? If so, would you please share? I’m still intimidated by pressure cooking! Thanks!!
I have done this one in the Instant Pot. I used all the same ingredients and then used the manual settings to cook it for 35 minutes on high pressure and it’s amazing! Hope that helps!
thank you for the quick response. 🙂
Your french dip sandwiches: I know there are so many different types of roasts… What kind of beef roast should i get??
I like chucks or either top or bottom round roasts (steer clear of the eye of round). Chucks are fattier but tasty and cheaper. Hope that helps!
Love your website and have two of your great Cookbooks…Thanks!!!
Just checking on this recipe and the freezer instructions…do I just add beef boullion
to the seared meat of do I add the two cans of beef broth with the onion soup mix???
Sounds like a winning recipe!
Can I use the leftover beef from this in your beef taquitos or would the onion soup mix give it an off flavor?
It would be amazing! 🙂
Kate- thank you so much for answering back so quick! This recipe is a little older and has a lot of comments so I didn’t think I’d get a response so soon. You are awesome 🙂 Oh, and this stuff is good!!
LOVE this recipe!! We make it probably once a month.
We always have tons of left over beef though. Any recipe suggestions for the left over beef??
I am using a beef rump roast. Do you think that will be a good meat for this recipe? If its not tender enough to pull apart, should I just try slicing it? Thank you for this recipe it really does look fantastic.
Just had this for dinner. DELICIOUS!
So this happened. I’ve made this yummy meat quite a few times. Everyone LOVES it. I try to keep it in the freezer for a weekend when we are busy and I can just pop it in the crock pot in the morning and it’s all ready to go for dinner.
However, this time instead of putting it in the freezer when instructed, I put it in the fridge. Brain fart. A few days later, I realized my mistake. It had been marinating for 3 days. The next night would be a great night to have to anyway so in the morning, I popped it in the crockpot for dinner.
This meat is really delicious every time. This time, being seared and marinaded – out of this world yummy!
By the way, I do not use that typical onion soup mix found in most stores full of MSG. I only use Simply Organic French Onion dip mix. It’s organic and has no msg. I find it at Whole Foods but you can also buy it at amazon.
I’ve always struggled making a good roast, of any kind. It’s always dry and tough. Is it the cut of roast that makes a difference? I thought beef roasts were best cooked to medium, so when I make one in the crock pot and cook it all day mine turn out dry, not tender. The longer I cook it the more dry, not the more tender like you say in the recipe. What am I doing wrong?
The cut definitely makes a difference, and I’ve been meaning to post about this for awhile. Chuck roasts work great, but they’re pretty fatty. My favorite is probably a top round roast, followed by a bottom round roast (also called a rump roast, which I remember from some Brady Bunch special, hahaha), then a chuck roast. The one you really want to stay away from is the eye of round. It’s a really tricky cut of meat, but it’s pretty much always available near all the beef roasts, so it’s easy to grab. It just comes out dry and bland and stringy and tough.
I just made this yesterday and it was fabulous! I had never (ever) used a crockpot before and was a little nervous. (Funny, I know, but I have some really good cooks around me who really dislike crockpots.) Thank you so much for this recipe! My husband loves French Dip Sandwiches at restaurants and he said this was so amazing.