Everyone loves a lusciously tender, deliciously messy French Dip Sandwich!
Chuck roast is slow-cooked in beef broth and onions until perfectly melt in your mouth tender. It’s set on a crusty roll and dipped in the juices for the perfect sandwich!
Ingredients
BREAD French Dip sandwiches scream for baguette-style French rolls. I love a crusty roll with a bit of chew plus it softens when dipped without falling apart.
Truthfully, any bread that is dense enough to hold all the meat and dipping into the au jus will do just as well! Kaiser rolls? Yes! Onion rolls? Yes? Even heavy burger buns will do in a pinch!
BEEF Most French dip recipes are made with chuck or rump roast. The beef cooks until tender and we find it easiest to pull the beef into big chunks instead of cutting it. As long as it is braised in liquid and extra tender, it will be perfect in French dips!
AU JUS This is the juices in the slow cooker we use for dipping. I add plenty of onions plus a sprig of rosemary for flavor.
CHEESE I do not shy away from cheese however I don’t usually add cheese to this sandwich. If you want to add cheese, provolone is a great choice!
How To Make French Dip
This slow cooker recipe is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
- Season roast and brown in a large pan on all sides.
- Add all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook 8 hours on low or 4 hour on high, until the roast is tender. If your beef is not tender, it likely needs more time.
- Remove the beef and let it rest 15 minutes before slicing or shredding.
Serve with toasted hoagie rolls or bread of your choice and dip in the juices.
How To Make Au Jus For French Dip
Technically, the ‘au jus’ is simply the liquid in the slow cooker that the chuck roast and other ingredients were cooked in.
I like to add the tiniest bit of cornstarch mixed with water to the slow cooker while the meat rests. The just shouldn’t be thickened like it would when making make gravy but I do like to add a tiny bit to it.
You should have lots of flavorful juice in the slow cooker. Once shredded or cut, you can add the beef back to the juices to keep it warm. This is a great way to serve a crowd
Don’t forget to serve with a side of savory coleslaw or some oven baked french fries to really round out this meal.
More Delicious Beef Sandwiches
- Crock Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches – easy to make & serve!
- My Favorite Reuben Sandwich – classic Irish recipe
- Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches – always a crowd pleaser!
- Slow Cooker Shredded Beef – great in a taco, enchilada or sandwich!
- Reuben Sandwich Sliders – great party food
French Dip Sandwich
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds chuck roast or rump roast
- salt and pepper to taste
- 10.5 ounces condensed beef broth low sodium
- 10.5 ounces condensed onion soup low sodium
- 1 onion sliced
- 12 ounces light beer
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary optional
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 8 French rolls or 2 baguettes cut into 6-inch rolls
- 8 tablespoons butter
Instructions
-
Season roast with salt & pepper. Brown in a large pan over medium high heat.
-
Place remaining ingredients (except rolls and butter) in a slow cooker. Cook on low 8 hours or on high 4 hours or until beef is tender.
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Once roast is tender, remove from the juices and let rest 15 minutes. Shred or slice beef.
-
Butter rolls and heat under a broiler until lightly toasted. Top rolls with beef and serve with jus from the slow cooker for dipping.
Video
Notes
Cheese can be added to the broiled rolls. If you don't want to use beer, you can replace it with extra beef broth. Option: Combine 1-2 teaspoons of cornstarch with an equal amount of water. Add the the juices in the slow cooker while the meat is resting. You do not want to thicken the jus but this just adds a bit of body.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Lunch, Main Course, Slow Cooker
Cuisine American
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Tried it tonight, it was okay… a little heavy on the onion I think. Gonna try something different next time, maybe add some bourbon, honey, and a little more in terms of seasoning(s).
That sounds delicious!
I fixed the French Dip for dinner last night. It was so easy! I used my Instant Pot setting for the Crock Pot, It worked great. Will defiantly be serving this in the future.
Is this french onion soup? Or onion broth?
Hi CJ, we use a can of condensed onion soup. Condensed french onion soup would probably work great too. I think onion broth would be too thin though.
Condensed cream of onion? Sorry, having a hard time just finding ‘onion soup’
We use this soup from Campbells. Hope that helps!
This was ABSOLUTELY delicious!! My family enjoyed it very much! Thank you for this amazing recipe:)
So glad you loved it Debbie!
Hi! I’d like to double up this recipe and freeze half, does it freeze well? Thanks!
I have not tried freezing this recipe, but it should freeze well. I would let it cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container.
Accidentally used onion soup mix rather than the onion soup like the recipe calls for but used 2 packets and cooked on low for 8 hours turned out so flavorful and tender. Will definitely be making again!
I want to make this for a party Saturday but due to other plans in the morning, I may need to sear the meat the day before. Would that be okay if I refrigerate it after searing for one night? And then slow cook Saturday during the day.
Hi Al, it is not recommended to sear or partially cook beef to refrigerate it, as it can cause bacteria to grow and make it unsafe to eat.
Is a bone-in chuck roast OK to use?
Yes Jennifer, it could take a bit longer to cook but once it’s tender it should fall right off the bone!
Looks delicious. Just FYI, the word you want for the juices is jus, not au jus.
She actually used the word correctly!
But good thing you are out there Carolyn…
This lady took the time to publish a recipe, I made and it is delicious- And you wanna comment on a word…
I don’t have any onion soup. Can I just substitute with beef broth?
You could use onion soup mix with 1 cup of water instead of the soup. I hope that helps, Karen!
this was the BEST! my husband didn’t even get any, hey, he was offered and didn’t take, so my son (13) ate a couple! I just made them a few weeks ago, and here I am making them again per his request!!
I love that, Kaylah! So glad he enjoyed them so much.
I do not have onion soup, can I omit that?
Hi Rebecca, you could use onion soup mix with 1 cup of water instead of the soup.
I used onion soup mix with a cup of water!
Is the onion soup, condensed onion soup?
Yes, it is! We use a can of condensed onion soup.
I will never make a French dip any other way let alone a chuck roast. I used the Weber steak and chop seasoning and seared the roast and then sauteed the onion and garlic and I added some mushrooms. everything else was as the recipe stated. slow cooked it all day long and I don’t even need to add aju sauce packets, the gravy is perfect on its own.
My grocery store only had regular beef broth not low sodium and only had French onion soup not low sodium. How should I change the recipe?
Hi Susan, it’ll just be a little bit saltier. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Just made this tonight! Added a tiny bit more worcestershire sauce, and did about have the beer with some extra beef broth. So delicious! The meat is literally falling apart that’s how tender it is. Will def be making again!!
Hi,
I’ve been dying to make some french dip sandwiches. Went to get the ingredients today and my only meat option was a ‘Chuck Tender Roast’ so I’m hoping that’ll work?? Someone please let me know
It should work just fine Adi, but it may have a slightly milder flavor. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Seeing the word ‘should’ is a little worrisome but, starting it now and will definitely let you know how it comes out
Did it turn out?
Could dry onion soup mix be used instead
That should work fine. You’ll want to add about 1 cup of extra water.
Delicious. You really have to let this cook for a long time if you want that super tender meat that falls apart. I started my crockpot at 10am and we ate at almost 6pm, so nearly eight hours, most of that time it was set on high.
I will probably omit the beer next time because I’ve never used it before with any of the other French dip recipes that I’ve tried, and I didn’t notice any remarkable difference. So, fear not if you don’t have or don’t want to use beer; it’ll turn out tasty without it.