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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:
Debra says
Found this on Facebook and have made it several times. It’s always a hit! Making it today for lunch with the neighbors. I’m sure it will get rave reviews as always! Thank you for sharing!
Karly says
Glad you guys like this one! 🙂
Ellen says
I made this today and this is one of the easiest, quickest, most delicious meals I have made in a very long time. Thank you so much for this recipe! I will definitely be making this again in the near future!
Karly says
So glad it was a hit!
Kacey says
I made this tonight (well put in the crockpot this morning) andy husband and kids have been raving. We drive literally 4 HOURS to a sports bar that makes this sandwich because we haven’t found one anywhere near as delicious in our state and THIS recipe was better than that. I am soooooo proud of mtself. Thank you soooooo much for sharing this recipe. Can’t wait to enjoy the rest and looking forward to making it again really really soon.
Karly says
Wow! So glad to hear that this will be saving you such a long drive. That’s some sandwich dedication right there!! 🙂
Leigh says
I can’t get my sauce to thicken up it seems to have too much fat. Any tips? I have made this several times and my family loves it!
Karly says
You can strain off the fat before boiling, but it doesn’t really thicken up much either way. You just reduce it down a bit to concentrate the flavors.
Amanda says
Is there a substitute I could use instead of onion soup? Husband and Father in law won’t eat them, so I make sacrifices. 🙁
Jen says
Puree the onion soup in the blender…all the flavor and no chunks!
Stacey says
Try canned beef consommé, or even beef stock or beef broth jazzed up with worsterschire sauce. Start with 1 teaspoon, adjust to taste. Also I have friends and family that dislike onions, so I cheat and add onion powder to sauces and such. All the flavor of onion and they never have to know. LOL
Karly says
I’ll have to try it with some Worcestershire! And I use that onion powder trick quite a bit for my picky husband!!
Magy says
I dont have a slow cooker can i make it in the oven? For i long to dou think do i need to bake it? Thanks! K
Karly says
I haven’t tried it myself, but I’d guess you would need to cook it, covered, at 275 for 4 hours or until tender.
Quenby Gartner says
I am making this for a second time tonight because my family loved it the first time! I am not good at cooking red meat (which my family loves) but this was so easy to make! I substituted 2 cups organic beef broth for the Consommé and it was delish!! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Ehrin says
Where did you get that beautiful white plate that is in all of your photos? I looooooove this recipe. Definitely a GO-TO recipe for my family. Thank you!
Karly says
I buy most of my dishes at Pier 1, Crate and Barrel, and World Market. 🙂
Chrisrie says
I made this a few days ago and loved it. It was so easy and good and easy. Can’t wait to make it again.
Elisha says
I never comment but this recipe is great for a busy weeknight! I used a little Montreal steak spice and it ended up being too salty, so don’t make my mistake. But I would as a busy working mom, I recommend trying this!
Kira says
i made that mistake too…lol..live n learn
Amy oskkey says
Why do you not post the time it takes to cook
Amy says
How long does thus take to cook????
Melanie Johnson says
It says 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
Karly says
The recipe is posted above with full instructions in the gray recipe card.
Jaima says
Qucik question
Do I still use the water it calls for on back of can
Karly says
Nope!
Elisha says
I have some frozen steaks I’m looking to use up.. could I use that?
Karly says
I probably wouldn’t put steak in the slow cooker, but you could try it if you wanted.
Elisha says
I went ahead and used the steaks and just shredded it.. turned out great! not a traditional french dip, but not too shabby at all!
Chloe says
I am pretty well known for my terrible cooking, I can even manage to screw up simple recipes such as this. However, between my family of 4 there is only one small sandwich left over. My one year old ate almost as much as I did! I am so excited to have a “go to” recipe for busy days (which is about every day with a 1 and 2 year old!) Thanks so much!
Karly says
So glad to hear this! 🙂
Linda says
Chloe – that’s me, too! I’ll have to try this now on your recommendation!
Tina Raditz says
Great recipe
Melissa says
I made this for dinner in my rice cooker on the slow cooker function and it was amazing. This recipe will be going into my monthly rotation.