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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:
Heather Dayton says
I made this recipe last night for dinner and I was amazed at how good it is! I had some left over today and that was great too! I shared this recipe on my recipe sharing page on Facebook. Here is what I wrote:
These Crockpot French Dip sandwiches have got to be one of the tastiest things I have ever made! No, I’m serious! And only a handful of ingredients. The hardest part about this recipe is having to smell it cook all day in the Crockpot. It smelled heavenly and tasted just as good. I used to make French Dips by buying the deli roast beef from the counter and dipping it in Au Jus made from concentrate. Never again! Those days are long gone. This was cheaper and way tastier! And easier! A direct quote from my husband: “Where has this been my whole life?” We have seen the light and error in our ways. We are never going back to that old way of making French Dips again. I have a feeling this will find its way back into rotation again very soon!
KMP says
Making tomorrow night! I know my family will love this! My chuck roast is almost 3 pounds so I’m going to omit one of the French consommé soup cans. Thank you for the recipe!
Lindsey says
Any idea on calories?
Karly says
You can enter this recipe into any online nutrition calculator to find out this information. 🙂
Stephanie Crystal says
Can I used beef broth instead of beef consomme?
Karly says
Sure thing!
Teresa Davis says
I made this yesterday and the meat was delicious and fell apart. The dip however, didn’t have any flavor. Any suggestions on adding flavor to the dip?
Karly says
You could add in some Worcestershire sauce or some seasoned salt if you wanted more flavor.
Amber Canning says
I saw your video online and bought the ingredients according to the video. There wasn’t a cook time on the video so I went to your site and looked at the recipe. It calls for 2 cans of french onion soup, in your video it only shows one. I’m a little erked that I don’t have the right amount of ingredients now, you should look into maybe changing it on your video. I added beef broth and some onions so hopefully it will be fine. Thanks
Jason Villa says
I find its usually best to read the recipe first?
Lisa says
What do you think about substituting the roast for an equivalent poundage of stew meat in this dish? Any alterations I would have to make? Thanks for the recipe, it looks like a winner!
Karly says
I think this would work just fine.
Michelle says
Did you try it? I am curious how it turned out.
diane says
hi im very interested in trying this recipe but dont believe we have french onion condensed soup…can pkg soup work?
Karly says
You could definitely use extra broth and add in a package of dry soup mix.
Amber says
I tried this receipe tonight looked amazing in the video i bought everything the same as receipe and my roast did not fall apart was really tough. The receipe says cook for 8hrs on low or 4hrs on high so i did 4hrs on high…guess ill attempt cooking longer on low and see if it starts to fall apart
Karly says
Yep, just needs to cook longer until it’s nice and tender. Every slow cooker is different and sometimes they don’t work quite as fast as they should.
Mandy says
Unless I’m really in a pinch for time I always cook these kind of meats on low! They just seem to turn out better then a higher temp & shorter amt of time.
Elaine says
I’m having the same problem with mine right now after cooking it on high for 4 hours. How much longer did you have to cook yours until it was ready and did you cook it on high or low setting?
Karly says
Unfortunately, some slow cookers cook slower/lower than others. Once the meat is easily shredding, it’s done. And now you’ll know for next time that your slow cooker cooks a bit slower. 🙂
Sarah says
My beef is tough and I bought a chuck roast why is it thought doesn’t fall apart at all??
Karly says
It needs to cook longer. Every slow cooker is different and some don’t cook quite as fast as others. If you leave the meat in long enough, it will definitely get nice and tender and fall apart.
Lori says
Oh my! This was amazing! We had extra meat leftover after having our French dip sandwiches so we used it the next day for tacos! AMAZING! My family wants me to make this every week now. Um…OK!!
Thanks so much for this delicious recipe!!
Karly says
French Dip tacos sound fab!
Lisa says
This is what I made for dinner tonight! Ohhhhh sooooo delicious! And the house smelled AMAZING! It was a HUGE hit with the family, I think it’s one of our favorites!
Karly says
Thanks, Lisa!
Marilyn says
I would brown the roast first!!
Lisa says
You could, but it’s not necessary. I didn’t and it was AMAZING!
Ardia says
Yes, searing the meat locks in the moisture and helps it stay tender. Before I learned to sear the meat, yes, it was fine but after learning to sear it you would be amazed at the difference in how tender the meat is compared to none searing. Very good tip. If you don’t have time to sear, it is just as edible so no worries if you are trying to get out the door to work or life. If you do have time, it just makes it better 😉
Juli says
This looks like an incredibly delicious meal! Up here in WI we often times add green pepper, onion, and mushrooms to the French dip sandwiches. How would I cook/sauté those up so they are not raw, have the flavor, but are not overcooked? I really want to try this for my husband…he loves a good French dip sandwich!
Karly says
I would just saute them in a skillet before serving the sandwiches. You could add them to the slow cooker as well, but they’ll become very soft.
Michele says
I would brown the roast a little in a pan to get the yummy then i would continue the cooking in the crockpot. In the pan with the remains where you browned the roast I’d salute the peppers and onions. Maybe put a Teaspoon of the French onion soup with them.
Dylan Gerard says
Do you think this recipe will be enough to feed 6 adults and 2 children?
Karly says
I do! I would go for a 4 pound chuck roast. 🙂