Name: Slow Cooker Sirloin Tip Roast Recipe (Fall-Apart Tender!)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 495 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (to taste, or 1 teaspoon per pound of meat); 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper; 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon dried rosemary; 1 tablespoon oil; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 3 pounds sirloin tip roast; 2 tablespoons oil (as needed for browning the meat and cooking the veggies); 2 medium yellow onions (sliced); 1 - 2 teaspoons kosher salt (to taste); 10 cloves garlic (minced); 3 bay leaves; 4 sprigs thyme; 3 sprigs rosemary; 3 cups beef broth; 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 4 medium carrots (peeled and cut into large pieces ); 1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes; 3-4 tablespoons cornstarch; 2-3 cups reserved braising liquid; salt and pepper to taste

This Slow Cooker Sirloin Tip Roast transforms a budget-friendly cut of beef into fall-apart tender meat with rich, savory gravy-and it only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on prep! Sirloin tip roast (sometimes called round tip roast) is a very lean cut that can turn out tough and dry if you don't cook it right. Your secret weapon is the slow cooker! The meat becomes incredibly tender, and the braising liquid turns into the most amazing gravy. Perfect for busy weeknights or Sunday suppers! 🤤

close up shot of a serving of sirloin tip roast overtop of mashed potatoes, with fresh herbs surrounding the plate.

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Your New Go-To Tender Sirloin Tip Roast in the Slow Cooker 🥩

As we get older, we totally understand why our parents loved pot roast. One pot, minimal effort, and dinner practically cooks itself while you do literally anything else? Genius. But this isn't your average pot roast-just ask our readers! 😉

If you've struggled with tough, chewy sirloin tip roast in the past, this slow cooker method will change everything. Unlike our beef roast that gets served medium-rare, this one gets cooked low and slow until it's easily shreddable with forks. The long, gentle cooking time breaks down all that connective tissue in this lean cut, and the flavorful braising liquid soaks into every fiber of the meat.

Chamere's favorite way to eat this? Piled high on crusty bread with extra gravy for dipping. I prefer it the classic way-over a mountain of buttermilk mashed potatoes with roasted vegetables on the side.

The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting. You season the beef, give it a quick sear, toss everything in the slow cooker, and walk away. Hours later, you've got fork-tender beef and the most incredible gravy.

This recipe is absolutely delicious! The herbs are just the right balance... the bit of balsamic adds that extra layer of umami with the Worcestershire sauce. I've added this to my Pinterest board, "loved" it, and will be marking it a favorite. I have 3 more sirloin tip roasts in the freezer and will probably use this recipe for all of them! - Our reader Michelle, 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🥩 Ingredients for Slow Cooker Sirloin Tip Roast

The ingredient list itself is beautifully simple-just a handful of pantry staples that pack serious flavor!

Ingredients to make a slow cooker sirloin tip roast laid out on a table and labeled to denote each ingredient.

How to Make Fork-Tender Sirloin Tip Roast in the Slow Cooker ✨

Don't let the fancy results fool you-this is one of the easiest recipes you'll make! Here's how to do it:

Mixing up seasonings, mustard, and oil in a small bowl to add to a roast.

Step 1: In a small bowl, combine all of the dry seasonings-kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dried rosemary, thyme, and oregano-with the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and some of the oil.

🧂 Salt ratios: We use about 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt per pound of meat. For a 3-pound roast, that's 3 teaspoons of salt total mixed with the other spices. If you're using Morton's kosher salt or table salt, cut that amount in half since it's much saltier!

Coating a beef roast in mustard and seasonings on a plate.

Step 2: Pat your sirloin tip roast (3-5 pounds works best) completely dry with paper towels. This is super important for getting a good sear-any excess moisture will steam the meat instead of browning it. Take the seasoning paste and coat all sides of the roast with it, really rubbing it into the meat with your hands.

✨ For even more flavor, you can let the seasoned roast dry-brine in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Just place it on a plate, uncovered, and let it sit. This helps the salt penetrate deep into the meat and gives you an even better crust when you sear it. If you're short on time, though, you can cook it right away!

🥩 Remove any silver skin or tough white tendons from the roast before seasoning-these parts won't break down during cooking and aren't pleasant to eat.

Browning a sirloin tip roast in a slow cooker.

Step 3: Add the remaining oil to a hot skillet or in your slow cooker (if yours has a sauté function) over medium-high heat. You want the oil nice and hot-shimmering but not smoking.

Carefully place the roast in the pot and let it brown for about 3 minutes per side until it develops a deep, golden-brown crust. Don't move it around! Just let it sit and develop color. Brown all sides, including the ends. Once it's browned all over, remove the roast and set it aside.

🔥 Why brown the meat? This step creates incredible flavor through the Maillard reaction-those caramelized brown bits add so much richness to both the meat and the gravy. It's worth the extra few minutes!

🧈 Want even richer flavor? Use butter instead of oil for browning, just like we do in our apple cider pork roast. We recommend unsalted butter so you can control the salt level. Just watch the heat carefully-butter can burn faster than oil, so you may need to reduce the heat slightly to medium or do a mix of half butter, half oil.

Step 4: Add the sliced onions to the same pot with a pinch of salt.

Cooked onions starting to brown in a slow cooker.

Cook the onions for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up all those delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pot as the onions release their moisture. Cook until they're translucent and starting to soften.

🧅 We recommend sweet yellow onions here-they basically dissolve into the braising liquid and add incredible depth of flavor. Slice them thin so they cook down quickly and evenly.

Cooked onions in a slow cooker topped with lots of freshly minced garlic.

Step 5: Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Don't let it burn!

Browned roast in a slow cooker with broth, and herbs.

Step 6: Pour in the beef broth and balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pot, stirring to get any remaining brown bits. Transfer everything to the slow cooker if you've been using a skillet.

Add the roast back to the slow cooker, nestling it on top of the onions. Toss in the bay leaves, fresh thyme sprigs, and fresh rosemary sprigs. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

🍷 Want even more flavor? You can swap half the beef broth for dry red wine-use an inexpensive wine that you still enjoy the taste of on its own.

💡 Use good-quality beef broth. We prefer low-sodium so we can control the salt level ourselves, especially important for the gravy later.

🌿 No fresh herbs? You can use dried instead. Just reduce the amount to ⅓ since dried herbs are more pungent. So if the recipe calls for 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, use about 1 teaspoon of dried.

Partially cooked roast in a slow cooker with braising liquid and herbs.

Step 7: After the first 3-4 hours of cooking, the broth will have reduced. Remove the lid.

⏱️Don't open the lid before those first 3-4 hours! We know, it's tempting, especially when the roast is making your house smell amazing, but trust us, you want to keep the lid ON to trap all of that steam. Every time you open the lid, you add about 15-20 minutes to the cook time.

Potatoes and carrots added to a slow cooker with a beef roast.

Step 8: Add the potatoes and carrots with lots of salt. Add the lid back on and slow cook for an additional 4-5 hours on low.

🥔 We like using baby potatoes-yellow or red varieties hold their shape better when slow cooking. No peeling or cutting required!

🥕 Want softer carrots? Some people prefer their carrots more tender. If that's you, add the carrots at the start with the roast, and add the potatoes in this step instead.

🍄 Add more veggies if you'd like! Mushrooms, celery, pearl onions, sweet potatoes, turnips, or rutabaga would all be delicious additions. Just add heartier vegetables early and quicker-cooking ones later.

Shredded beef on a large plate with carrots and potatoes.

Step 9: The roast is done when it's fork-tender-a fork should slide in and out with almost no resistance, and the meat should be easy to shred. If it still feels tough, pop it back in the slow cooker for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Remove the roast, potatoes, and carrots from the slow cooker and set aside on a serving platter. Allow the roast to rest for about 10-15 minutes before shredding the beef-this helps the roast reabsorb the juices and stay incredibly moist.

🍽️ Slice or shred? You can slice the roast into thick pieces if you prefer, or shred it into big, chunky pieces with two forks for sandwiches, tacos, or meal prep bowls.

Gravy in a slow cooker with a spoon held up to the camera with gravy coating the back of a spoon.

Step 10: Discard the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, and rosemary sprigs. Use a fine metal sieve to strain the solids away from the liquids. Take the cornstarch and some of the cooking liquid and mix them together in a separate bowl until there are no lumps to make a slurry.

Add the slurry to the leftover liquid in the slow cooker (or in a pan on the stove if your slow cooker doesn't have a sauté setting). Simmer until the gravy reaches your desired thickness level, stirring occasionally.
🥄 You'll know the gravy is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.

🌾 Gluten-free already! This gravy uses cornstarch instead of flour. If you prefer flour-based gravy, you can make a roux with 3-4 tablespoons of butter and 3-4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour instead, just like we do in our chuck roast with gravy.

💡 Taste before adding more salt-the pan drippings may be salty enough on their own!

💡 Pro tip: Make extra gravy. Like, way more than you think you need. It's incredible drizzled over literally everything on your plate, and leftovers reheat beautifully with a little extra gravy to keep the beef moist.

Now, drizzle the roast, potatoes, and carrots with gravy. Serve them over a big pile of mashed potatoes (these French onion mashed potatoes are delicious!), or a side of veggies like these oven roasted carrots and green beans. These mashed turnips make an excellent alternative to potatoes as well.

close up shot of sirloin tip roast overtop of mashed potatoes with potatoes, carrots, and gravy.

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