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This French Dip Sandwich is one of the most popular recipes we have published! It’s such an easy recipe and it’s made in the crockpot. Your whole family will love this one and your house will smell amazing while these are in the slow cooker.
These slow cooker French dip sandwiches will just melt in your mouth! They’re so easy to toss together in the morning and you’ll come home to a delicious smelling house and the most amazing French dip sandwich ever!
We love this 3 ingredient french dip recipe! The meat turns out so tender and flavorful and it’s delicious on a hoagie roll with some cheese!
We shared this recipe on Facebook and it instantly went viral. The video now has over 80 million views and the recipe was so popular that one of the ingredients was sold out in many grocery stores for over a month!
We’ve also shared a version of this that’s quite a bit quicker. Check out our Instant Pot French Dip!
What is French Dip?
This popular sandwich is made with slow roasted beef, either shredded or thinly sliced, and best served on a French roll with a side of au jus.
The au jus is a savory broth made from the juice of the roasted beef and seasonings and it’s excellent for dipping the sandwich into.
Ingredient Notes:
Beef – We like to use chuck roast for this recipe, but rump roast works as well.
French Onion Soup – We’re using canned French onion soup to add flavor. It’s a simple way to get that savory flavor.
Beef Consomme – Consomme is similar to beef broth, but more concentrated with a richer texture. You can find canned beef consomme with the canned soups.
What We Love About This Recipe:
- It’s Easy! Open up a couple cans of soup, add them to your slow cooker with a roast, and walk away!
- It’s Tender! The crockpot does all the work and the meat turns out fall apart tender!
- The Dipping Sauce! The liquid from the slow cooker makes the best dipping sauce. Just reduce it on the stove to concentrate the flavors and dig in!
What Readers are Saying!
“I’ve been making your recipe for years and my family loves it. This is our favorite French Dip recipe. So yummy! I make exactly as written. I like to add horseradish to my sandwich. MMMM! Thank you” -Staci
How To Make Slow Cooker French Dip:
Add the chuck roast, soup, and consomme to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 8 hours or until the beef is tender.
Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred it up with two forks.
Transfer the liquid in the crockpot to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Let the liquid reduce down by half to concentrate the flavors. This will make a delicious dipping sauce for your French Dip.
Build your sandwiches by spooning the meat onto hoagie rolls and topping them with slices of provolone cheese. Pop them in a hot oven or under the broiler for just a minute or two to melt the cheese.
Fat Separator!
If you enjoy making your own gravies and sauces, this fat separator makes it so easy! The built in strainer catches the leftover bits and the broth comes out the bottom, leaving the fat behind.
Helpful Tip!
Amp Things Up!
- Flavor Boost: Add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or a cube of beef bouillon to amp up the flavor a bit.
- Au Jus: Use a fat separator to remove the fat from the broth before you boil it down.
- Rolls: We’re obsessed with crusty French rolls for this recipe, but you can use any type of hoagie roll you like. A good french roll really soaks up the juices without falling apart too much though.
Crockpot Recommendation!
In the market for a new slow cooker? We love this 7 quart Crockpot. It’s simple to use, cooks evenly, and is very budget friendly. Plus, it has a 4 1/2 star rating with over 5,000 reviews on Amazon!
Karly’s Tips:
All slow cookers cook a bit differently – some run hotter than others! If your roast is not fall apart tender after cooking, it’s just not done yet. Keep cooking until it’s tender enough to easily shred with a fork. It’s very difficult to overcook a roast in the crockpot, so just keep cooking until it’s tender!
If you want a less greasy au jus for dipping your sandwiches, trim the fat from your chuck roast before cooking. You can also remove the fat from the liquid using a fat separator! This tool comes in handy any time you’re making gravy!
You may notice that we add a packet of Au Jus seasoning to our Instant Pot French Dip sandwiches. This is because we find things need extra seasoning when cooked under pressure. You may add it to this slow cooker french dip sandwich recipe as well, if you like a bolder flavor.
Freezing & Storage Instructions:
I don’t think we’ve ever cooked a chuck roast without having some leftovers. They’re a large cut of meat and perfect for feeding a crowd! And if you’ve got extra, it’s just as good the next day.
You can keep any leftovers stored well covered or in an airtight container in your refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days.
The meat can also be frozen for up to a few months. Let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe bag or container. Thaw overnight before reheating.
???? More Slow Cooker Favorites:
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
- Pulled Pork with Pickle Slaw
- Pulled Pork & Pintos
- Grape Jelly Meatballs
- Beer Cheese Chicken Sliders
- Mississippi Pot Roast
- Crockpot Sausage and Peppers
wprm-recipe-video
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 21 ounces condensed French Onion Soup (2 10.5 ounce cans)
- 10.5 ounces Beef Consomme (1 can)
- 8 sandwich rolls
- 8 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Place the roast in a slow cooker. Pour the soup and consomme over the top.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, or until the beef easily shreds apart with a fork.
- Remove 3 cups of the liquid from the slow cooker with a measuring cup or ladle and add to a small sauce pan. Turn heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce to a hard simmer and let cook until reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer the beef to a shallow dish and shred with a fork.
- Place the sandwich rolls on a baking sheet and spoon meat into each roll. Top with provolone cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately with the sauce on the side for dipping.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published in March 2016. It was updated in January 2023. Original photo below:
Anna says
What does it mean when your meat is brown all the way through and tough, instead of easy to shred?
I’ve tried multiple roast recipes, using my crock pot and my porcelain cast-iron skillet in the oven – trying various cooking times AND various meat preparations with the same cit of meat each time (chuck roast).
It’s like a shot in the dark if it actually turns out right. Do you have any specific tips and or tricks? Suggestions for a good crock pot as I think mine is broken…
Karly says
My guess is that your meat just hasn’t cooked long enough. Even though it’s browned all the way through, it’ll need more time to get tender enough to shred. Keep cooking until it shreds easily. 🙂
Rae Ann Spann says
I live in a small town with one small grocery store and they don’t carry beef consommé. I’ve used it before in other recipes so I know it has a thicker consistency and richer flavor but my question is have you used beef broth in place of the consomme before? If so did it make a huge difference in taste? I’ve thought about using broth but reducing it down for a more concentrated flavor. Any thoughts? Thanks so much for your time!
Karly says
I think reducing broth would work fine or just go ahead and use straight broth. It shouldn’t affect the flavor too much.
Simon Ponder says
Wellp. I know what I am making Sunday as that looks amazing.
Erin says
Made this yesterday and it was so easy and wonderful! We didn’t have provolone so we used shredded jack cheese instead. Already planning to make it again.
Sarah says
Can I substitute the cans of soup for the French onion soup packets.
Karly says
I’m not sure how much of the dried soup you’d need. You’d also need to add liquid.
Melinda says
Can I make this in the oven? Don’t have a crock pot.
Thank you!!
Karly says
It should work fine in the oven. Put a lid on the pot and cook at 275 for 3-4 hours or until it shreds easily.
Maryann says
Anyone tried this with a pressure cooker?
Katherine McAlister says
I tried this a month ago and had seen this recipe with a conversion to cook in IP…it was amazing! Hubby wanted me to make it again and for the life of me cannot find the length of time I cooked it in the insta pot!!!! Highly recommend it if you ever see it with pressure cookers
Carol says
Why does yumly say 1560 calories. When it is 600 calories
Karly says
I have no idea – I don’t have any control over what Yumly does. 🙂
Sam says
I love how easy it was for me to put this recipe together for family dinner tonight, and it was delicious! I can make quick easy meals for the fam every night but they’re not usually very tasty when I have to rush. This was perfect, thanks for sharing!
Karly says
Glad it was enjoyed!
Beth says
where is the recipe? is it just the video??
Karly says
It’s in the post…look for the gray recipe card. 🙂
Michelle says
This sounds great! I’m looking for recipes to cook (or throw in the crock pot) for my daughter & her 3 kids. All will be going to school soon & my daughter will still be working. I was thinking of adding sliced onions & green peppers to cook with it for on the sandwiches. Do you think they’ll get good ‘n soft?
Also, Progresso French onion soup is gluten free – so i’ll just stay for supper too. 🙂
Karly says
Yep, the peppers and onions will get very soft! 🙂
Susan Lucas says
My husband does not like the texture of onions.. likes the flavor but not the onions themselves. Any suggestions for substitutions for replacing the soup mix?
Betty says
I love the flavor of onions but hate the texture. I use an immersion blender in any broth, gravy, or soup base I make. It has all the great flavor but completely liquifies the onions.
For this type of recipe, once it’s done cooking, I strain the liquid into a fat separater, then put the liquid without the fat in a pan, reduce the liquid, then add the strained onions and blend it with the immersion blender. I even do this when I make soups like corn chowder. I cook my onions in butter until they get translucent, add some broth, and cook until the onions are completely soft, then blend it with the immersion blender. That is the base of my corn chowder. I do the same with beef stew and other soups. I hope this helps.
Karly says
Great idea!
Joy Roma says
OMG! We all loved this French Dip. I used a bottom round roast, but that was the only change I made to the recipe. It was so easy and tasted like I worked so hard on it. Thanks for posting!
Joy says
Can I use a bottom round roast? The Chuck was outrageously priced for Chuck! Bottom Round was half the price.
Karly says
Sure, that should work just fine.
Joy Roma says
OMG! We all loved this French Dip. I used a bottom round roast, but that was the only change I made to the recipe. It was so easy and tasted like I worked so hard on it. Thanks for posting!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed!
Carly says
Came across your recipe on Facebook and thought it looked good. Came to your site for the recipe and saw your name and can’t imagine it wouldn’t be great! ? Looking forward to making this tomorrow.
Carly says
That question mark is supposed to be a winking smiley. 😉
Carly says
Yep… those. Were. Amazing. Five stars.
Karly says
Haha! Great names think alike? 😉 So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Beth Bilous says
Would this be BETTER if i seared dthe beef first, or does it not really matter or affect the outcome?
Karly says
If you have the time and want to add a little extra flavor, searing does that. It’s not necessary and I never do it for this recipe though. 🙂