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If comfort food had a crown, Mississippi Pot Roast would be wearing it. This classic slow cooker recipe transforms a chuck roast into fall-apart tender beef with just a handful of ingredients: ranch seasoning, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini peppers. The result is a rich, savory roast with incredible flavor and a gravy that’s perfect for spooning over mashed potatoes.
Part of what makes Mississippi Pot Roast so popular is how easy it is. There’s no complicated prep, no fancy ingredients, and very little hands-on work. Just add everything to the slow cooker and let it do the heavy lifting while the roast becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender.
If you love hearty comfort food dinners, be sure to try my Slow Cooker Beef Stew, Braised Chuck Roast, Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches, and Braised Boneless Short Ribs next.
What Is Mississippi Pot Roast?
Mississippi Pot Roast is a slow-cooked chuck roast made with ranch seasoning, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini peppers. The combination creates incredibly tender beef with a rich, savory gravy and a signature tangy flavor. Originally created in Mississippi in the 1990s, it has become one of the most popular crock pot roast recipes in America.
Why This Recipe Works
- Minimal ingredients, maximum flavor – Five pantry staples create a roast that tastes like it simmered all day in grandma’s kitchen.
- Hands-off cooking – Your slow cooker does the heavy lifting, giving you tender beef and a rich gravy with zero fuss.
- Crowd-pleasing – Whether served at Sunday supper, family gatherings, or weeknight dinners, everyone loves it.
- Versatile leftovers – Shred into sandwiches, serve over noodles, or tuck into tacos—the flavors only get better the next day.
✨ Before You Begin
✨ No searing required! This is a true dump-and-cook recipe—just layer, cover, and let the slow cooker do its magic.
✨ Best beef cut: Stick with a well-marbled chuck roast for the most tender, juicy results.
✨ Not too spicy: The pepperoncini adds tang and brightness without making the dish hot.
✨ Feeds a crowd: A 5-pound roast will serve a hungry family with leftovers for sandwiches the next day.
✨ Make it your way: Add carrots and potatoes for a one-pot meal, or try the pork shoulder variation for a fun twist.
Ingredients + Key Notes
Chuck Roast: Choose a well-marbled chuck roast for the best texture and flavor. As it cooks low and slow, the connective tissue breaks down, creating that signature fall-apart tenderness Mississippi Pot Roast is known for.
Pepperoncini Peppers: These mild peppers add the tangy flavor that makes this recipe unique. Don’t worry—they add very little heat and mostly mellow during cooking.
Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and helps balance the seasoning packets. Using unsalted butter gives you better control over the final salt level.
Au Jus Gravy Mix: Creates the rich, beefy gravy that develops as the roast cooks. This is one of the key ingredients that gives Mississippi Pot Roast its signature flavor.
Ranch Dressing Mix: Adds savory herbs, garlic, onion, and a subtle tang that complements the beef perfectly.
Fresh Parsley (Optional): A sprinkle of parsley adds fresh color and brightens the finished dish before serving.
💡 Recipe Variations
Add vegetables: Add potatoes and carrots for a complete one-pot meal.
Make it spicy: Add extra pepperoncini peppers or a splash of pepperoncini juice.
Use pork: Substitute boneless pork shoulder for a delicious twist.
🥣 How to Make Mississippi Pot Roast
Prep the oven and roast. Preheat your oven to 275°F. Place the chuck roast in a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid.
Season the beef. Sprinkle the ranch seasoning mix and au jus gravy mix evenly over the roast, coating the top as evenly as possible.
Add the remaining ingredients. Place the stick of butter on top of the roast, then arrange the pepperoncini peppers around it. Pour the water around the sides of the roast rather than directly over the seasonings.
Bake low and slow. Cover tightly and bake for 4 to 5 hours, turning the roast once about halfway through cooking. The roast is done when it easily shreds with a fork and is fall-apart tender.
Shred and serve. Transfer the roast to a serving platter and shred into large pieces. Spoon the rich cooking juices and pepperoncini peppers over the top before serving.
See the recipe card below for complete instructions, ingredient amounts, and nutrition information.
Storing + Reheating + Freezing + Make-Ahead Tips
Storing: Allow the roast to cool completely, then transfer it along with the gravy to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating: Reheat leftovers gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, adding a splash of beef broth if needed to loosen the gravy.
Freezing: Mississippi Pot Roast freezes beautifully. Store the shredded beef and gravy in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Make-Ahead: This roast is even better the next day. Prepare it up to 2 days in advance, refrigerate with the gravy, and reheat gently before serving.
Leftovers: Leftovers are fantastic piled onto sandwich rolls, spooned over mashed potatoes, or tucked into tacos the next day.
What to Serve With Mississippi Pot Roast
Classic Comfort Food Sides
Mississippi Pot Roast is practically made for something that can soak up all that rich, savory gravy. My Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Noodles, or Melting Potatoes are all excellent choices and turn this roast into the ultimate comfort food dinner.
Vegetable Pairings
Balance the richness with simple vegetables like Southern Green Beans, Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, or Creamed Corn. Each adds a little freshness while still fitting the cozy, home-style feel of the meal.
Bread for Sopping Up the Gravy
Don’t let a drop of that gravy go to waste. Warm Garlic Bread, Cheddar Biscuits, or soft homemade Crescent Rolls are perfect for soaking up every last bit.
Homestyle Desserts
Finish dinner with a comforting dessert like Peach Cobbler, Buttermilk Pie, Sugar Cream Pie, or Fruit Cocktail Cake for a classic family-style meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
◆ What cut of meat is best for Mississippi Pot Roast?
Chuck roast is the traditional choice because its marbling and connective tissue break down during cooking, creating the fall-apart texture Mississippi Pot Roast is known for.
◆ Why is my Mississippi Pot Roast tough?
If your roast isn’t fork-tender, it likely needs more cooking time. Chuck roast becomes tender only after the connective tissue has fully broken down, which can take several hours.
◆ Can I make Mississippi Pot Roast without pepperoncini?
Yes. The roast will still be tender and flavorful, but the pepperoncini provide the signature tangy flavor that makes Mississippi Pot Roast unique. If needed, substitute a splash of banana pepper juice or simply leave them out.
◆ Can I add potatoes and carrots?
Absolutely. Add peeled potatoes and large carrot chunks around the roast at the beginning of cooking for an easy all-in-one meal.
◆ Do you have to sear Mississippi Pot Roast first?
No. One of the reasons this recipe is so popular is that it’s incredibly easy. Simply season the roast, add the remaining ingredients, and cook until tender.
◆ Is this the same as Pioneer Woman’s Mississippi Pot Roast?
Both recipes use the classic combination of chuck roast, ranch seasoning, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini peppers. This version includes additional tips for achieving perfectly tender, fall-apart beef every time.
Still have questions? Drop them in the comments—I love helping you cook with confidence! 💗
More Cozy Comfort Food Dinners
Pork Stew – Hearty, savory, and loaded with tender meat and vegetables, this stew is perfect for chilly nights and Sunday suppers.
Swiss Steak – Tender beef simmered in a rich tomato gravy for a classic comfort food dinner that’s perfect over mashed potatoes.
Chicken and Dumplings – Soft, fluffy dumplings and tender chicken make this old-fashioned favorite pure comfort in a bowl.
French Onion Pot Roast – Fall-apart beef cooked with sweet onions and a rich gravy that’s packed with deep, savory flavor.
Crockpot Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy – Slow-cooked pork chops in a rich onion gravy for an easy family dinner everyone loves.
Tried This Recipe?
I’d love to hear how this recipe turned out for you! Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating in the recipe card and a comment below — it helps so much!
And if you snap a photo, tag me on Instagram @gonna_want_seconds— so I can see your delicious kitchen creations.
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Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today — happy cooking, friends! ❤️ Kathleen
Mississippi Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 1 (3-5 pounds) chuck roast
- 1 package Au Jus Gravy mix
- 1 package dry ranch dressing mix
- 5-6 whole pepperoncini peppers
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Place the chuck roast (1 (3-5 pounds)) in a large crockpot.
- Sprinkle the au jus mix (1 package) and the dry ranch mix (1 package) evenly over the roast. Top with pepperoncini peppers (5-6) and stick of butter. Cover.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or until roast is fork-tender. Using 2 forks, shred the meat. Remove meat and pepperoncini to a platter. Whisk all the cooking liquids together and spoon over the meat. Sprinkle meat with chopped parsley (2 tablespoons) and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- The best cut of meat for this recipe is a chuck roast. You might see other recipes call for a bottom-round roast. I don't like to use it because it's a lot leaner than a chuck roast and can easily come out a bit dry. Stick with a chuck roast!
- Chuck Roast- Use a 3-5 pound well-marbled roast for this recipe. I try to use a 5 pounder because this dish is so popular in my house.
- Peppers - Make sure you use the whole peppers in this recipe rather than the slices because the slices will fall apart too much in the long cooking process.
- Unsalted Butter - This dish tends to be a bit salty because of the au jus and ranch packets. Using unsalted butter, rather than regular, helps to reduce the overall saltiness.
- Do you have to sear a pot roast before slow cooking? Nope! In this recipe, there is no need to sear the meat before placing it in the slow cooker. It's one of those amazing dump and cook recipes!
- Is this spicy? No. The pepperoncini peppers add a lot of flavor without adding heat to the roast and gravy. The pepperoncini will of course be hot and spicy if you eat them.
- Can you cook this on high? You can also cook this on high in your slow cooker for about four hours.
- Can you add potatoes and carrots? Yes absolutely. Add potatoes and carrots that have been cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces at step #2 in the recipe instructions below
- Can you make this without pepperoncini? Well sure but you'll miss out on a key flavor element of this recipe. The acidity from the peppers also helps cut through the richness of the meat and gravy.
- Can you make this with pork? Yes, and it's absolutely delicious. Choose a 3 1/2--4-pound boneless pork shoulder roast instead of the roast beef. This pork roast version is a wonderful change to add to your dinner rotation.
- How to thicken the gravy? The gravy is on the thin side when the roast is finished cooking. To thicken, remove the roast to a platter, turn the crockpot on "high," and make a simple cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Slowly stir the slurry into the crockpot, adding just enough of the slurry to achieve the desired thickness. You may not add all of it.
- Is this keto-friendly? Yes, if made as written without thickening the gravy or adding any optional carrots and potato carbs. To serve it as a low-carb meal, serve over cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower.
I have a substitution suggestion: I realized too late that I didn’t have the au jus mix, so I used “better than bouillon” beef flavor paste. Because of the salt content, I used half a packet of the ranch seasoning mix and unsalted butter (with the pepperoncinis, of course) and it was AMAZING!!! That is how I’m going to make it from now on.
Wow, that’s awesome! Thank you for letting us know about the better than bouillon. That’s a great idea. 🙂
My grocery store didn’t have whole pepperoncini so I used the sliced ones. Hopefully, I get the amazing outcome that so many have had in the comments… crossing my fingers.
I hope you enjoy, Elaine!!!
So I accidentally got the wrong ranch mix yesterday and I didn’t realized it till after I had already put it on the roast. It’s the dip mix instead of the seasoning mix. Will it still turn out good and taste okay?
Hi Patience. I never tried it with that. I can’t imagine it wouldn’t work, though!
I have made a lot of pot roasts over the years but without a doubt turned out to be the best pot roast ever. I added onions and carrots to it. I didn’t use the small mini carrots that come in a bag. I took the 5 extra minutes to peel some carrots and cut them up. What a difference. The carrots were delicious
OMG, Kathy. Thank you so much for your positive review 🙂
I’m gonna try this with carrots too, thank you for sharing!
I have made this mostly by the recipe, but I have to admit to putting in just a dash of pepper liquid and also a few extra peppers. All the heat cooks out of the peppers in case anybody wonders. Since you mentioned the saltiness, I just now looked to see if I could locate some low-sodium au jus mix or ranch dressing mix. I thought surely there would be some, but I didn’t find any. Seems like gluten-free is the new trend even in those things. I didn’t find it too salty for me, but that’s me. Oh – I didn’t mention how much I liked this roast. Ate the whole thing by myself without putting any into the freezer and it kept fine because I kept going back and stealing bites.
So glad you liked this pot roast! It’s not too salty for me either! I could eat the whole thing myself too!!! <3
Can you use dill pickles instead of pepperocini (pepperoncini)? Also can you use a packet of brown gravy instead of aujis? If anyone finds this a little on the salty side use unsalted butter you can put a halved potato or two in the liquid halfway through if it is too salty the potato will soak up just the salt not to flavor just the saltiness you may need to add salt after the potatoes are in there but you can remove the potatoes and eat them or throw away whichever you choose to do cuz it doesn’t really go in this recipe in my opinion but overall it’s awesome the way it is.
Hi Teresa. So, I’ve only made this recipe as I’ve written it. Not sure how dill pickles will taste after the cooking time. Also, I haven’t switched the brown gravy for au jus. Best of luck with the substitutes!! Let us know how your results come out <3
Can you cook this on high for a shorter amount of time?
Hi, Colin. Just cook this on high in your slow cooker for about four hours. Enjoy!
This was excellent! I added 1&1/2 cups chicken broth, marjoram rosemary and garlic. Cooked on low with onions, carrots and potatoes and pepperoncinis. So flavorful that my husband ate two plates of it. I used a venison neck roast and it was perfect. Cooked for 6&1/2 hours on low. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi, Berni! I wanna try your version very soon. Thank you for sharing!
Can you use beef stock, I don’t have aut jus in the house, don’t want to go out for just that
Yes you can, Lori!
Can’t wait to try this, but I need servings for 8. Can I just put 2 roasts in the crock pot and double everything else? I’ve never cooked more than one at a time so didn’t know if this would be a success or diaster and didn’t want to wait 8 hours to find out 🙂
Hi Jeralyn. It really will depend on the size and capacity of your crockpot. If you got a 5-pound roast, don’t you think that will cover you. If you happen to find a larger roast I don’t think you’ll need to double the other ingredients. Even if you put 2 smaller roasts in you should be good. I just don’t want your au jus to get too concentrated. Let me know how it goes!
What modifications should I make if using frozen roast to start?
Hi, Erin. I’m sorry, it’s not advisable to put 3-5 pounds of frozen roast in the crockpot. Best to thaw it first. Thank you!
Delish!!!! I did find it a little salty in some spots but all in all was super tender with great flavor. It’s the first time ever that I didn’t add water to the crockpot and was pleasantly surprised with how much juice there was. Definitely a keeper!
Yay! Thank you for your feedback, Jax! Yes, there’s a lot of juice, right?
If you put a raw potato or two in the liquid halfway through it’ll take away any extra saltiness. Just cut them in half and put them in raw, once they’re done pull them out and check the salt level of the roast juice now. Magic,! This also works for any soup or stew that’s too salty it’s a lifesaver
Sooo good! My husband and I both loved this and it was so easy to make.
Thanks, Shell! So happy you and your hubby loved it!!! <3
We found this to be extremely salty.
Okay I read all the comments and never used my crockpot before I got it as a gift do I add water or broth or oil? How much and how big of a chuck should I get for 3 people? I’m really confused on how to make this
Hi Mary Elizabeth. No, you do not need to add any extra water or oil to your crockpot. Just follow the instructions or watch the video. No steps are left out. As to how many pounds you should get, that really is dependent on how big of eaters you are. Remember your meat will shrink down quite a bit so add a little extra for that. I hope this helps. 🙂
Going to make this recipe. What heat are the peppers? Mild or Medium? I have medium because they were out of mild, will it make it too hot?
Hi CH. My husband is very sensitive to any heat so I stick with mild peppers. I haven’t made this recipe with medium so I don’t know for sure how much hotter they will be.
I just love this recipe! But I must admit, after making it for many years, I do make one tweak. I add a whole jar of pepperoncinis along with the brine. I just love the vinegary bite that it gives it. And I can’t say that I have ever served it with mashed potatoes and a veggie. I always make French dip sandwiches! Oh, soooo good!
That’s a nice tweak, Nancy! 😀 Glad to hear you like it!
Has anyone cooked this in their Instant pot? I am obsessed with my Instant Pot.
Thanks!
Kathleen , there are plenty of recipes on Pinterest, for the Mississippi Pot roast and yours is my favorite!!!
I have to double the roasts and ingredients, because loves the leftovers for tacos and sandwiches.!!
I do use crossrib roasts instead of a chuck roast .. which works great … but I am partial to cross ribs! And talk about fork tender .. even six pounds cooks fork tender !!!!
You are amazing , lady !!!!! Thanks for such delicious recipes and a wonderful web site !!!!
Wow thank you very much, Cathy! That means a lot to me and I’m soooo happy you like my recipe.❤️❤️❤️❤️
I wrapped the roast in tin foil and put it into a plastic bag and refrigerator it over night. Next day i sliced and warmed the slices in a simmering pan of au jus (from the roast) and served with mashed potaoes and smushed root veg. Best pot roast I ever made
Wow! That’s awesome, John! So happy to hear it turned out great for you. 😀