French Dip Sandwiches {Crock Pot or Dutch Oven}
Tender French dip sandwiches slow cook all day in a Crock Pot or simmer in your Dutch oven. Pile up the juicy beef on crusty rolls and dunk them in cups of savory au jus for a cozy dinner.

French dip sandwiches were always my favorite restaurant order when I was a kid. There's something oh-so-delicious about a crusty sandwich piled high with tender beef.
But, it's that little cup of dipping sauce that makes this my absolute favorite. I love how the bun soaks up that rich, beefy broth.
Making homemade French dip sandwiches with my slowcooker is so easy, there's no need to wait for a restaurant visit to enjoy them!
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can prep the beef the night before and let it cook all day while you're at work or cook it during the weekend and freeze for a busy night dinner another time.
- Perfectly Seasoned: Not only is the fall-apart-tender beef perfectly seasoned but the rich beef broth is extra delicious for dipping.
- Hearty & Filling: This is a perfect chilly season dinner but would also make an excellent party sandwich to offer on a buffet table.
Ingredients
To make the beef filling and dipping sauce for these French dip sandwiches, all you need is:
- Beef Chuck Roast: This is a boneless beef roast that is perfect for slow cooking. At our grocery store, it was labeled both chuck roast and "pot roast."
- Beef Broth
- Dry Onion Soup Mix
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
- Crusty Rolls: I find the best rolls in the bakery department of our grocery store, not the prepared, bagged buns but the fresh bakery-style crusty ones. A sub roll or kaiser bun would be perfect.
- Provolone Cheese: Optional. My family actually prefers French dips without the cheese but if you love cheese on yours, provolone cheese is the best option because it melts so well.
Sear the Beef
To get the most flavor out of your beef roast, you'll start this recipe by searing the beef in a large skillet.
First, generously season the beef on all sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the beef roast and cook it for 1 - 2 minutes per side.
Use a fork or tongs to turn it and get all the edges. Then place it in the bowl of your slowcooker.
Do not rinse your skillet! There is lots of flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan at this point that we want in the au jus dipping broth.
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Season the Broth
Reduce the heat to low on your skillet and pour in 1 cup of beef broth. Use a whisk or the back of your cooking spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Pour the packets of dry onion soup mix over the beef roast in the Crock Pot.
Then pour all the juices from the skillet into the slowcooker.
Add the remaining beef broth and Worcestershire sauce to the slowcooker and gently stir.
Crock Pot Cooking Instructions
Cover the slowcooker and cook the beef:
HIGH: 4 - 6 hours
LOW: 6 - 8 hours
The beef will be so tender that it should fall apart quite easily when you prod it with a fork.
Dutch Oven Cooking Instructions
The benefit of using a Dutch oven instead of a slowcooker is that you could sear the beef right in the same pot where you cook it in the oven.
Add the olive oil to the Dutch oven and heat it over medium heat until the oil shimmers.
Sear the beef on all sides. Remove from the heat.
Pour the onion soup mix over the beef. Then pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and gently stir.
Place the lid on the Dutch oven and cook it at 325ยฐF for 3 - 4 hours or until it is fall-apart tender.
Assemble the Sandwiches
When the beef is shredded and ready to serve, I love to take a few minutes extra to toast the buns in the oven.
Simply slice them and arrange them open face on a broiler-proof baking pan. Place them under the pre-heated broiler for 1 - 2 minutes, but watch carefully because they will burn quickly if you're distracted.
If you want to add cheese to your French dips, you could add it to the toasted buns and place them back under the broiler to melt before piling up the beef.
Toasting the buns helps the sandwiches hold up when you dunk them in individual cups of the au jus beef broth.
Make Ahead Tips
The beef for the French dip sandwich filling and the beef broth are both freezer-friendly. You could make the entire dish, let it cool.
If you want to store them separately, strain the beef from the juices. But you could keep everything together in one leak-proof freezer-friendly container.
You could also just sear the beef the night before and then pop it into the crockpot in the morning before you head out of the house for the day if you want to come home to a warm dinner.
For my family, I cooked the beef and broth on a Sunday and we enjoyed leftover sandwiches during the week. It reheats in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave so well.
Serving Suggestions
I slice the longer sandwiches in half and serve them with little ramekins of beef broth for dunking.
If you're a true onion lover and the broth isn't onion-y enough for you, consider making a quick batch of these caramelized onions. They'd be perfect for layering on top of the beef.
A classic French dip sandwich pairs really with a potato side dish. You could bake a pan of frozen french fries or make my ranch roasted potatoes or these oven roasted mini potatoes.
For a dose of veggies, I like to make my angel hair coleslaw or this raw veggie salad for a vinegary side.
If you're planning to serve the sandwiches for a party, you could pair any of these easy side dishes for party sandwiches.
More Crockpot Sandwiches
Looking for more easy crock pot sandwiches? Here a few of my family's favorites:
๐ Recipe
French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 pound beef chuck roast
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 (1 oz) packets of dry onion soup mix
- 2 cups water
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans of beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 8 crusty rolls
Instructions
Crock Pot Instructions
- Drizzle the olive oil in a large skillet and set it over medium-high heat until it shimmers. While the oil warms through, season the beef roast by sprinkling the kosher salt and pepper evenly over all the sides.
- Place the beef in the hot skillet and sear for 1 - 2 minutes per side. Transfer the beef to the bowl of your slowcooker.
- Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the beef and then pour in the water, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Give the liquid a quick little stir.
- Cook the beef on HIGH for 4 - 6 hours or on LOW for 6 - 8 hours. The beef should be fall-apart tender when you poke it with a fork.
- Shred the beef with two forks right in the beef broth to keep it warm.
Dutch Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ยฐF.
- Drizzle the olive oil into your Dutch oven and place it over medium-high heat until it shimmers. While the oil warms through, season the beef roast by sprinkling the kosher salt and pepper evenly over all the sides.
- Place the beef in the hot oil and sear for 1 - 2 minutes per side. Remove from the heat.
- Sprinkle the onion soup mix over the beef and then pour in the water, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Give the liquid a quick little stir and then place the tight-fitting lid on the pot.
- Place the Dutch oven in your oven and cook the beef for 3 - 4 hours. The beef should be fall-apart tender when you poke it with a fork.
- Shred the beef with two forks right in the beef broth to keep it warm.
Assemble and Serve the Sandwiches
- Preheat the oven broiler and set out a large broiler-safe sheet pan. Slice the rolls and line them up, open face, on the pan. Toast them under the broiler for a minute, watch carefully because they can burn quickly.
- Immediately add the sliced cheese to the hot rolls. Spoon the shredded beef on top and close the sandwich. Serve with cups of the beef broth for dunking.
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