Slow Cooker Pepsi Pot Roast

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/11/21
Slow cooker Pepsi pot roast

 

mitchellpictures/Getty Images 

Prep: 6 mins
Cook: 8 hrs
Total: 8 hrs 6 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

This easy slow-cooker pot roast has a secret ingredient—Pepsi—but if you don't have that brand, any other cola will work. Some pundits believe the acid in cola helps to tenderize a tough cut of meat but, more probably, a long, slow cook is what does it.

Add some sliced onions, carrots, celery, or potatoes to the pot roast for a complete meal. Cook it until it's tender and serve with gravy made by thickening the cooking juices.

Or skip the vegetables and cook the meat until it's falling apart and shred it for sandwiches in the same way you would do for pulled pork. Serve the pulled pot roast with barbecue sauce or horseradish sauce if desired.

Ingredients

  • 1 (3- to 4-pound) pot roast, chuck, bottom round, or rump roast

  • Dash freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 (1-ounce) package dry onion soup mix

  • 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

  • 12 ounces Pepsi, or any cola

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour mixed with 1/4 cup cold water for gravy, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Place the roast in a slow cooker that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray (or use a plastic slow-cooker liner) to make cleanup easier.

  2. Sprinkle the meat lightly with freshly ground black pepper.

  3. In a small bowl, whisk together onion soup mix, mushroom soup, and cola until well combined.  Pour over the roast.

  4. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours on low, or about 3 to 4 hours on high.

  5. To make gravy, whisk together 2 tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup of cold water until smooth. Remove the pot roast from the liquids and keep warm. Pour the flour mixture into the liquids, whisking well, and continue cooking on high in the slow cooker—or in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat—until thickened. Serve with the meat.

Tip

  • Pot roast is a tough cut of meat with a lot of connective tissue that needs to be broken down by cooking it low and slow. The result is melt-in-the-mouth beef that can be considered worthy of company. Pot roast with red wine and mushrooms is a perfect example of gussying up a simple meal to turn it into gourmet fare. Serve it with mashed potatoes or rice, artisan bread, and veggies or a salad, and your guests might give you a Michelin star!

Recipe Variations

  • Add sliced onions, carrots, celery, and/or potatoes to the slow cooker before you add the pot roast. 
  • Sprinkle the roast with garlic powder along with the black pepper.
  • Replace the cream of mushroom soup with cream of celery soup.
  • Add a small amount of gravy browning (like Kitchen Bouquet) to the gravy mixture—enough to darken the gravy—along with the flour mixture.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
742 Calories
45g Fat
10g Carbs
70g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 742
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 45g 58%
Saturated Fat 18g 89%
Cholesterol 274mg 91%
Sodium 550mg 24%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 70g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 73mg 6%
Iron 6mg 32%
Potassium 620mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)