Quick! You have one hour to do ANYTHING you want… what do you do?
a) Rob a bank
b) Take a nap
c) Read a book while soaking in a hot bath with a glass of wine
d) Absolutely nothing!
e) Get a massage
f) Make dinner, scrape pans, sweep the floor and collapse in a heap on the couch
If You Chose “F” Do Not . . .
I repeat, do not read this post! The paragraphs below are meant to get you OUT of the kitchen and BACK TO those things you promised yourself you’d make more time for: a night out with friends, yoga – heck, maybe just a shower. If this does not interest you, please exit via the little red “x” in the top left corner.
[looks around] Okay, now that we’re alone I have a confession: I love to cook, but I don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen. If you feel the same way, here are two secret weapons for cooking from scratch in a fraction of the time.
Secret Weapon #1: The No-Thaw Pot Roast
We all know slow cookers save a ton of hands-on time, but they often require a lot of planning: remembering to thaw meat + shopping for ingredients + getting up early enough to chop/dice/sear/etc.
High five if you are always that organized, but I’m not! That’s why this roast is different – it can be thrown together in a matter of minutes without planning ahead. If you’ve wondered how to cook a frozen roast without thawing, this recipe is for you.
(Pssst! I’m often asked if I know of any slow cookers that are guaranteed to be lead and cadmium-free. Answering that question is trickier than you might imagine because many companies simply say that their products meet the FDA’s guidelines, which does allow for some lead/cadmium. However, there is a way to dig deeper. California’s Prop 65 requires companies to disclose any lead or cadmium that is present, so you can contact companies and see if they have anything to disclose. The slow cooker I have – this Kitchen Aid 6 Quart – does have a Prop 65 label for the cord, but I have a documented chat in which they say that the ceramic vessel does not require a Prop 65 label because it has been tested and found to be free of lead and cadmium.)
Secret Weapon #2: Freezer Cooking
On days I get home late and slap my keys on the counter with no idea what’s for dinner, I opt for pre-prepared ingredients from my freezer. For example, I can quickly thaw some cooked, shredded chicken to burritos, a chicken salad, soup, paleo quesadillas, or stir fry.
Freezer cooking is one of my favorite ways to simplify weeknight meals, but it can feel intimidating when you’re first getting started. If you’ve ever wondered which foods can be frozen or needed tips for getting started, you may find my Freezer Cooking 101 Guide helpful.
Secret Weapon #3: Real Plans
Feeling overwhelmed by all the planning I just mentioned? Meet Secret Weapon #3: Real Plans. It’s like a personal assistant that does everything for you, including planning meals based on your dietary preferences, creating a shopping list you can pull up on your phone, and reminding you when meat needs to be thawed, etc. Watch a video tutorial that explains how it works.
How To Cook A Frozen Roast Without Thawing
This Ranch-style no-thaw roast is a from-scratch adaptation of this “To Die For” pot roast which has been hailed around the web as one of the most delightful combinations of flavors every thrown into a pot and ignored for hours. I agree!
Ranch Style No-Thaw Pot Roast Recipe
Equipment
- Crockpot
- measuring cup
- chopping knife
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lbs chuck roast (arm or rump roast also work)
- 1 cup chicken broth (or water)
- 1 batch ranch seasoning mix (about 7 tbsp – see recipe below)
- 1 batch organic Italian seasoning (3 tbsp + ¾ tsp – see recipe below)
- onions (as desired)
- carrots (as desired)
- potatoes (as desired)
- 2 to 4 tbsp flour (or arrowroot powder for making gravy – optional)
- coconut oil (for optional browning – substitute ghee, tallow or lard – how to render your own lard)
- 1 sprig fresh herbs (I added rosemary)
Ranch Seasoning Mix:
- 3 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tbsp dried dill weed
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- ¾ tsp black pepper
Italian Seasoning Mix:
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- 1 ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 ½ tsp dried parsley
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
Instructions
- You can build the complexity of this dish's flavor by tossing your veggies in to caramelize before adding them to the crock pot. Onions and carrots are delicious this way. Potatoes, not so much. 🙂
- Place any veggies you want to include (onions, carrots, potatoes, etc) into the crock pot, then add the roast.
- Pour one cup of broth/water around the roast. Sprinkle seasoning over the top and cover.*
- Set slow cooker/crockpot to high and cook for 5-6 hours, or low and cook for 8-10 hours, or until meat is tender. Add spices if you haven't already.
- When the roast is ready, make gravy using one of these two methods – I use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. Add salt if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Is It Safe To Cook Frozen Meat In A Crock Pot?
Before I wrap up this post, I want to mention that there is a lot of conflicting advice on the web about whether it’s safe to cook frozen meat in a crockpot. Some say it will cause the meat to stay too long at a temperature which promotes bacteria growth. However, the manufacturer of the Crock Pot brand of slow cooker has issued an official statement, saying it’s fine if you follow these guidelines:
- Add at least 1 cup of warm liquid to the stoneware before placing meat in the stoneware.
Do not preheat the slow cooker.
Cook recipes containing frozen meats for an additional 4 to 6 hours on Low, or an additional 2 hours on High.
Source: Crock Pot Official Site ~ Hints & Tips
However, if you’d like the peace of mind that comes with knowing the roast has reached the recommended temperature, use a meat thermometer to measure when the roast has reached 150-155F. Because the internal temperature will continue to rise while it rests it will reach the recommended temperature of 160F.
As a final note, many traditional recipes call for roasting at lower temperatures than is currently recommended. I love this roast turkey from Nourished Kitchen.
“Forgets-to-thaw” is my middle name! Well, not really…I’m excited to try this recipe with the grassfed top round roast that’s been sitting in my freezer for months. So nice of you to include recipies for the ranch and italian seasonings too! 🙂
I hope you like it, Cathy! And I’m glad you found the seasoning recipes helpful. I originally combined the two for one list, but then figured they might come in handy as separate recipes. I like more salt in each one than each list calls for because together they make the roast too salty. You might want to add a little more if using them on their own, though 🙂
you mention a ranch seasoning mix and a Italian seasoning mix and give recipies for both. Then in the instructions it says to sprinkle seasoning over the top and cover, but it doesn’t say which seasoning. Am I supposed to use both or choose one?
One batch of each one 🙂
Ditto!!
Have to try this!! Just had a big surgery & hubby has been doing everything from cooking, taking care of me in Every way…EVERY…using the restroom. So I want to surprise him. Wish me luck ladies!! And thanks for saving the day ??
Agree with Cathy. Excited that I could put the “forgot to thaw” roast in right away with herbs, garlic, olive oil, onions, etc. wonderful Thank you Heather.. I love, love your site….. much thanks
I need an answer asap. Any comments would be appreciated. At 4:30p.m. December 31st, I put a roast, carrots and potatoes in the crock pot. Today, January 1st, I noticed that the pot wasn’t that warm. I noticed that I had only turned the crock pot on warm. The roast was frozen yesterday when I put it in. I turned it on hi about 4p.m. today. Should I throw it away?
I would throw it away…sorry
This is awesome! Could we do something like this with a frozen chicken in a crockpot as well? So excited for the class!
Crock Pot says you can do frozen meat, but doesn’t specify which ones. Some may conclude that all are okay, some may feel more comfortable with cuts like roast.
I’m trying to pot roast recipe I really hope the meat has enough time to cook it’s frozen and I put it on high for eight hours but I only have five hours before everyone is home. I got to go to work so they’re going to eat while I’m at work. It’s 5 hours on high is enough for 4 pounds of pot roast? I really hope so! ?
I cook frozen turkey breasts and they turn out AMAZING!
How do you do your frozen turkey breast? I have a 3 lb boneless breast? How long should I cook from Frozen in my crock pot?
I’ve done whole chickens this way, but I remove skin and inside “stuff” before freezing. Our favorite is to use taco seasoning (from Food Renegade) them shred chicken for anything from tacos, quesadillas, soup or salads.
I do frozen chicken breasts all the time in the slow cooker, from BBQ pulled chicken to Salsa/Fajita chicken, works like a charm! Good luck 🙂
Where’s the rosemary?
I just threw it in because I had it, but I don’t usually use it. You can adjust the herbs in your Italian seasoning to whatever you like best 🙂
Do you use the whole batch of each type of seasoning on one roast? Just checking, since that seems like a lot of seasoning. Is the whole batch used, or do you just sprinkle some on?
Yes I do, but you can use less if you prefer!
As long as the frozen roast fits in my crockpot, I do this all the time. Sometimes I have to defrost it enough to bend the edges. I do this with the slow cooker or the pressure cooker. I have made roasts with and without searing. I can’t say it makes that much of a difference if I’m short on time.
Since I have moved to Real Food, I have gotten out of the habit of using a lot of seasonings. I have some herb blends from Penzeys that I like. If I use them on a roast, they might get 1-2 tsps per side at most. Pastured meat has so much more flavor than meat from the grocery store. Fewer seasonings are needed for the meat to shine. I put very little liquid because the roast will provide enough to braise it. I have been cooking for over 20 years. Too much fluids and you will find the roast floating at the end. For beef, I use 1/2 to 1 onion, a few cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, salt, 1/2-1 cup of wine, broth or water with wine vinegar. For pork roasts I might get more creative. I have used barbecue seasonings or ginger/garlic/soy sauce/rice wine vinegar for an asian spin. The barbecue spices was a recipe I found on the web for making barbecue sauce. I had some of the mix leftover after making the sauce.
Thanks for posting your go to spices as well. I totally went into the kitchen to start the roast only to find I am sorely lacking in the spice cabinet!! I didn’t have half of them, oops, not my normal! I’m such a recipe follower I would have had to scour the internet for some way to season my roast.
But regarding the original recipe, can’t wait to come back to try it, I’ve long eyed that popular original recipe, being intrigued, but would never have those mixes in my pantry.
I forgot to add water to the Crock-Pot before I added the frozen roast, will it still be okay?
Can I have instructions for mixing the ranch up into dressing, please?
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I think a rosemary ranch no-thaw roast is perfect for a Sunday dinner. Thanks also for sharing the tip about the crock pot. Now I know how to use it better when cooking frozen meat. 🙂
Does anyone know if there would be a reason not to sear the roast before freezing it?
I know of a few people that do this – seems totally fine to me! If mine came thawed I totally would just to save a step later 🙂
Just don’t omit adding hot liquid to the crock pot if you choose not to sear the meat. The hot liquid isn’t in the crock pot to make sure the meat gets cooked to temperature; it’s actually in there to help ease the temperature change from the heat the crock pot is generating and the cold from the meat. If you just put a frozen lump on meat in a crock pot and turn it on, the crock pot could crack.
Oops, I did just that half an hour ago. So far so good…
I made a totally awesome pork shoulder roast yesterday. Took it out of the freezer, put it in my Le Creuset dutch oven (love that thing). Put some minced garlic on top and added a little red wine. Set the oven to 250 and stuck it in there (lid on) for about 4 hours. Perfection. Simplicity. This was a pasture raised, heritage breed roast, about 2 pounds.
Yum!!! I’m on my way to pick up a couple of pastured roasts right now. I’ll definitely be giving this recipe a whirl this week! 🙂
Good taste. Didn’t have arrowroot or anything else in pantry, oddly, so didn’t make gravy, but the broth left in crock pot was not like traditional drippings – much liquid – do you reduce it down before taking 2 tbs? What else can you use the excess liquid for?
You can decant the juices into a pot and boil or rapidly simmer on the stove until you have reduced the liquid by 2/3 – then serve it as the gravy.
Should have added to skim the fat from the top – you can just put a paper towel over it and lift it off to do this.
It would be a broth- every bit as much as if you used bones and veggies. You can freeze it after you reduce it by boiling. I am not that organized but cubes frozen would flavor any sauce you are making. I just put it in ziploc freezer or a freezer plastic container. I generally use it all at once.
Thanks for sharing!
Hey Heather!
This recipe looks awesome, I’ll definitely have to tell my mom about this one. But I just have one issue; SEARING does not “seal in the juices” of meat. This is a common misconception; I think it may step from the idea of cauterizing a wound, but searing or even dipping meat into boiling water is not the same at all. Searing it creates beautiful flavours, but it does not help with keeping the juices in. I went to cooking school and if there was one thing that all of the chefs pounded into us it is that searing meat does not seal it. They even filmed an experiment of it to show their point between. I am still a huge fan of searing for flavour though. I love being able to brown the meat and then the onions and veg just to layer flavours and get as much out of that meat as possible.
I think searing the meat also makes it look more appealing.
Where’s the rosemary? 🙂
I just added it in because I had some – it’s not officially part of the recipe 🙂
Thank you! I’m excited to make it!
Found this recipe while scrambling for a solution to a roast that had frozen in my refrigerator (darn temperature setting was too low on the meat bin). The roast came out perfectly!! Sooo good! I added a couple tablespoons of tomato paste to heighten the umami and a little red wine to brighten things with a little acid. I strained the juices and used them to make a luscious gravy, too. Thanks Heather!!
I am trying this today! I did the option where I seared it! Smells so good already.
I can NOT wait to try my frozen rump roast from my organic beef I have in the freezer…I put it in the fridge yesterday and this morning…still VERY much frozen ha ha ha So I will be trying this method! I get my ranch and Italian seasonings from Wildtree (we’re all natural/certified organic as well!) They both are AMAZING ! And I will sear in our grapeseed oil! This recipe should be PERFECT! 😀 Thanks for the directions!
I do a LOT of freezer meals. My husband and I will take a weekend making scratch spaghetti sauce, and then make as many lasagnas we can, leaving some just sauce. Or enchilada filling and then an “assemble” day. We still have to plan our “ready-meals”…which may or not thaw during the required timeframe. However, we are honing in on the cooking time adjustments for about every stage of thaw.
Same as slow-cooking with frozen meats. Great topic! I’ve wondered what techniques other cooks have used in this situation
I made your pot roast quite awhile back and really liked it.
I’m making it again today with a thawed 3lb rump roast and about 2.5″ of veggies sitting under it in the pot. …Since your recipe says to just use as many veggies as you want, I just wanted to ask if the cup of liquid would need to be enough to reach the meat?
I poured in just a little more than 1 cup water, but it’s not enough to see it under the vegetables, or to touch the meat sitting on top. Should that still be plenty, or should there be more liquid? I’m exactly not sure what’s supposed to do, so I don’t know if I have enough.
Thanks for any help!
(PS- Should I alter the time/temp much for thawed roast?)
If you are not using a frozen roast then you do need more liquid. I make this recipe all the time with a packet of ranch dressing, a packet of Italian dressing, a packet of brown gravy mix and 3 cups of water. I mix the packets with the liquid and pour over the roast. This turns out tender and delicious. Strain the liquids and thicken with a cornstarch slurry.
This looks to easy NOT to try! I’ve got a nice venison roast in the freezer that is about to go in the crockpot as we speak!
Tried this yesterday!! It was a success!!!!
Snow Day! I was already planning on making this recipe today, now I get to smell it cooking all day
Also I used ALL the seasonings you included, and mine looks absolutely crusted in them, not like your pretty photo. 🙂 I hope it will taste okay. I did pre-sear the roast for flavor.
Best roast beef I ever made/had! Thanks so much!
My family and I enjoyed it. I made it last Saturday and I am making it again today! 🙂
How do you get the complex flavours that come from the fond if you’re cooking from frozen?
I have always had great success cooking my roast from frozen. My recipe is a bit different….I use EVOO, garlic, s&p to sear; I add only potatoes, carrots and onions to slow cooker; using the pan I seared in I add more garlic, extra seasonings (oregano, thyme, turmeric), 3 small cubes beef broth, flour (handful), 1 pack au jus gravy, cook slightly then deglaze with 1 cup good red wine, after I add 1/2 c water. I pour this over my roast in the slow cooker, crank it on high and let it go. Amazing every time!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe and method. I threw our pork roast in the freezer yesterday, not thinking, and we were going to be stuck without dinner tonight. I looked up “pork roast crock pot frozen” and your article came up. I’m so glad it did!
Looking forward to dinner tonight!! I’ll try to remember to come back and check in to let you know how it went.
Best,
Arial 😀
My husband calls me the “queen of frozen meat”. Not sure I ever really “thaw” anything. Glad to hear I’m not the only one! Keep on doing what you do best! Thanks!
I love this recipe! The seasonings are spot on, the ratio perfect. I printed the Italian and ranch herb combos on index cards and pasted them inside the cupboard door because we use them so much. The pot roast is better than any other, even my beloved McCormick roast | seasoning in an oven bag. I know, I know, what was I thinking? Boil meat and MSG in a plastic bag for 2 hours. Serve. I never did trust that clear bag that wouldn’t melt, but ‘they’ wouldn’t sell it if it wasn’t safe. Right? Anyway, I never thanked you for the great recipes, so thanks. Really like your site.
I tried this tonight and it worked really well! I soaked the meat in some water…not warm enough, but was good enough. Seared it right in my Instant Pot then seared my veggies a little, put the roast back in w/broth and all the spices and cooked for 75 mins. It turned out perfect! And it was really good. I might cut the dill just due to my own tastes, but i’ll keep the recipe. Thanks for sharing how to do it frozen! It was great!
I have drastically reduced my food waste by freezing all my meats (even if I think I’ll use them that week) and keeping a lot of frozen veggies on hand. I love that you can just throw everything in a crock pot and have a meal when you come home from work! What a time saver! I roast frozen meats and fish in the oven, but don’ have an hour or so to spare after work sometimes if I get home late from the office. Thank you so much for this post.
How would you do this recipe in a pressure cooker?
Can I slow cook frozen prepared lasagna in oven at 200 degrees to postpone serving time to 4 – 5 hours?
Thank you!! I can tell you really did your research and you answered every question I had the line after I had it!! Thank you so much for sharing what you have learned! We are cooking this tonight!
thank you
Hello! Wasn’t sure how to do the veggies after reading this:
“If desired, you can build the complexity of this dish’s flavor by tossing your veggies in to caramelize before adding them to the crock pot.”
It looks like the veggies go in with the frozen meat in the crock pot in your pictures. Are you saying to caramelize them first before adding?
Thank you!
I had the same question…
Why is only one “where to buy” organic? And dried parsley at that, lol. If nothing else in the ingredients list is organic, what’s the point of organic parsley? 🙂
I have a frozen Standing Rib Roast (that has been frozen 2 or 3 years -wrapped in butcher paper and then double wrapped in plastic). Can I use the frozen method ?
Can you use frozen ground turkey in a slow cooker?
OMG, I did it and we didn’t die from food posioning, but we did gain some weight from anawesome flavored meal,mmmmmmmmm, thank you so much for the tips
I tried the frozen pork tenderloin (small one only 2.5 lbs). I put in one cup of warm water. No veggies or anything extra. I am making pulled bbq pork with it (add bbq after cooked). All I put on it was a TBS of liquid smoke and a TBS of pink salt. I followed the crockpot directions that you put on this post exactly and my crockpot cracked 1/2 way around the bottom of the stoneware portion. Nothing leaked out but when I went to clean it I saw the crack. Mine is an older model and maybe it was the age of it but just a warning to others that following the directions doesn’t mean it won’t crack. Personally, I will have to thaw mine from now on which is a pain. I’m disabled and it is hard to know when I will be able to stand and do prep to cook. Luckily crockpot will replace it for $15 (the stoneware, not the whole crockpot) but I can’t afford to keep replacing either. I just wanted to let others know that like most things in cooking nothing is foolproof so just be aware it is a risk. For those who have done it successfully I’m very happy for you. Wish it had worked out for me too.
It might be that the very cold roast was sitting right on the Crock-Pot. Maybe next time try to cut some potatoes in about half inch slices and put them underneath your roast to hold it up off of the Crock-Pot itself? I think that would work!
You are my hero! Thank you for looking up and posting the info from Crockpot.
I am making this recipe today, and yes, thank-you so much for the Ranch Seasoning Mix and Italian Seasoning Mix ingredients. I have wanted Ranch seasoning ingredients for such a long time because I can’t purchase the dry packets as they contain MSG, which I am allergic to. And thank-you for adding the article about possible lead and cadmium. This is something else I wasn’t aware of. Both of my slow cookers are Crock Pot brand, so I would hope they would be fine, but will double check and pass this on to family and friends. God bless you and have a wonderful day.
Don’t the veggies on the bottom get very mushy being in the crock pot the entire cooking time? In the past I’ve had to add the veggies abound half way thru or when there only about 2 hours left of cooking time.
Your thoughts on this?
They will be soft. If you prefer firmer veggies you could certainly add them in halfway through.
Really inspiring. Got me working now. But here’s inspiration too…,you’re not going to use a slow cooker unless you remember to use it…leave it on the counter to get in the habit.
Because it was a frozen roast, I tossed frozen chicken broth I saved from a store bought rotisserie chicken, added that first, when it was liquified from the uhhh frozen block, I added the roast. Note to self….see the slow cooker…use the slow cooker. It gets lonely up there all alone in a top cupboard.
Really inspiring. Got me working now. But here’s inspiration too…,you’re not going to use a slow cooker unless you remember to use it…leave it on the counter to get in the habit.
Because it was a frozen roast, I tossed frozen chicken broth I saved from a store bought rotisserie chicken, added that first, when it was liquified from the uhhh frozen block, I added the roast. Note to self….see the slow cooker…use the slow cooker. It gets lonely up there all alone in a top cupboard!
I used this for a pork roast. Yummmmm and thank you!
Can xanthum gum be used in place of arrow root?
I didn’t have the patience to sift through the drivel to get to the recipe Truly busy chefs do no want to waste time on babble. I won’t read this blog again.
Good. Truly busy chefs have more things to worry about. Etiquette.
Wonderful recipe. I made it from frozen and omitted the ranch and everyone loved it. Sounds great with a pork roast too. Thank you Mommypotamus! 🙂
Made this today with a frozen venison roast! We all enjoyed it! My one complaint would be that it was too herby. Probably could have only used half of each of the herb mixtures. Other than that, it was great!
I’m trying this recipe tonight. 11:49pm California time. Making it for tomorrow dinner. Heard amazing things about his recipe. Taking a chance lol. Hope my family likes it. Trust I will let you know lol if it’s bad I will hear about it lol. Everyone is a critic. Only love can he compliment’s lol I love to cook
Hi Heather, can I add the veggies later, I’m afraid they will get too mushy?
Thanks for all the info
I’ve been using this recipe (slightly varied depending on what I have on hand) for a good while and it is always a hit. But I have one question: can I use it with no changes if my roast isn’t frozen?