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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:
Staci says
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
Karly says
So glad it’s a hit, Staci!
Kenny L says
Great recipe & super easy! Only bummer was my slow cooker is junk and after 9 hours the meat was hardly cooked, so I moved it into a roasting pan and put it in the oven @ 325º for another 2 hours and it was good to go. Doing that also reduced the juice, so we just used it right from the pan. Next time around, will just do the oven instead and use smoked provolone.
Abby says
It’s my go to for a delicious easy meal. Any suggestions on side?
Karly says
We like this with coleslaw and roasted potatoes. 🙂
Dawn says
This looks and sounds so yummy. I have a boneless sirloin tip roast. Would that work for this recipe?
Karly says
Hi Dawn! I’m not sure I’ve ever cooked that cut of meat before, but if it’s something you’d normally put in the slow cooker to shred it should be fine.
Natalie says
This is so delicious! If the dipping sauce is greasy like some say, then the meat itself must have been greasy. I make sure, I’m buying a tender chock muck roast and never had that problem. I’ve made this recipe exactly like this for many times. We all love it. Thank you!
deucdog says
Pretty good. I used a chuck roast but I’d leave out the Worcester sauce as someone recommended, as it corrupted the broth – too tangy.
Maggie Martin says
Sorry Karly I can’t talk, mouth is full of this recipe!
Thanks!
Maggie
Brittany Jenkins says
I have made this probably a dozen times! It is literally my family’s favorite thing that I make haha. I add a quarter cup of Worcestershire as well 🙂
April says
This is beyond amazing! Couldn’t be simpler. I have made it several times and we love it!! So much flavor and is great leftovers for the freezer… thanks so so much
Nichole says
Absolutely delicious! I am a stay at home mom with an active 10 month old so easy recipes are my go to! This was so simple and so yummy, I even took pics and screenshotted the recipe to share with my friends and family. I didnt brown the roast, just threw it in crockpot on low with the soup and 8 hours later it was falling apart. I added mayo to the bread and grilled it in a frying pan, put the roast on it and baked until cheese melted! It was so delicious, definitely 2nd on the list following the low carb taco casserole!
Karly says
So glad it was a hit! 🙂
DeShawn says
Could you possibly use London broil instead or is it not fatty enough?
Karly says
I think that would be fine, but I haven’t tried it.
Christy Davenport says
So do you add the water to the soup as you would for making soup? Ir just whats in the can?
Karly says
Nope, just add what’s in the can. 🙂
Amber says
Completely agree with brian. Followed the recipe to a T. Meat is completely flavorless. Not enough flavor from the broth either. I hate to leave a bad review but for the sake of honesty it was just bad.
FUCHESS says
I’ve cooked this recipe many times and it is perfect, but I like Spicer meat too so I season the meat, both sides, rub in (S&P, garlic, Beef seasoning, smoke and some red wine), then add the broth etc. Yum! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
Sara Layden says
I have made this recipe countless times and my family has loved it! Full of flavor. Prior to last night, I would have given it 5 stars, But, I made it last night at the request of my daughter and I have no idea what happened, but the au jus had no flavor and was straight grease! Huge disappointment and not understanding how this could have happened after so many other times it being delicious!
Melissa Bell says
Love the recipe they are great!
Brian says
I honestly don’t know how this recipe has a score of 3.76 stars. I followed the recipe, the whole while thinking to myself that this will be flavorless, and it was. My initial thought was about the simplicity of the recipe. That is why I printed it off. As I stated, I was wondering where the flavor would come from. Nothing in the recipe is that flavorful. Even the dipping juice was just greasey. When a sandwich was dipped in it, it was covered in with a sheen of grease from the rendered beef fat. I would honestly give this recipe negative stars if I could. Sorry…it is just not that good.
Jan says
The French onion soup should give it a lot of flavor.