Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches -Tender beef, caramelized onions and melted cheese with au jus on the side for dipping. An easy recipe made in your slow cooker or crock pot. Check out the video below!
I’m stopping in today to share an old recipe with a new video! I’m in the process of updating the photos and adding videos for some of my most popular recipes. This tasty sandwich continues to be one of the most viewed recipes on this site. It is a crowd pleaser for sure!
I first shared this Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich recipe a couple years ago. I’m leaving the recipe the same because it’s great as-is, but the original photos were not so great (eeekkk). Fortunately, my photography and food styling skills are slowly but surely improving. I still have a long way to go, but I figure that if I can make a tasty recipe look a little better – why not?!
These sandwiches are always a hit! Cooking the meat in the slow cooker makes it super tender and gives the au jus tons of flavor. If you’re a fan of French Dip Sandwiches, you’ll love this easy slow cooker version. Check out my video below to see how simple this recipe is.
What’s to love about these Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches?
Tender meat, crusty bread, sweet onions, melty cheese, and a bowl of au jus for dipping.
Let’s dive in!
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Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 pound beef chuck roast trimmed of excess fat (I've also used a sirloin steak for a leaner option)
- 3 cups low sodium beef broth plus a little more if needed
- 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions halved and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 bay leaf
- salt/pepper
- 4 rolls nothing too soft or it will fall apart once dipped
- 8 slices cheese (provolone, swiss, havarti or monterey jack)
Instructions
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Liberally salt and pepper your roast.
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In a large glass measuring cup, combine the beef broth and worcestershire sauce and set aside.
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In a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high heat, add the meat and sear on all sides until each side has a nice brown crust formed. Transfer meat into your slow cooker.
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Reduce the heat to medium and in the same pot you browned the meat in, add the sliced onions and cook for 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional minute or two. Pour a couple tablespoons of the beef broth mixture into the pot with the onions and using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (this will add lots of flavor). Transfer the onion mixture and all accumulated juices into the slow cooker and add in the remaining broth and the bay leaf.
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Cook in your slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove the meat to a cutting board and thinly slice it or shred it with a fork and set aside.
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Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and carefully pour the juices from the slow cooker through the strainer and into the bowl (this is your au jus). Set aside the onions that remain in the strainer, discard the bay leaf.
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Transfer the sliced meat and the onions back into the slow cooker. Pour over a little bit of au jus to moisten the meat (season to taste with salt and pepper). Reserve the remaining au jus for dipping. If you'd like more au jus, you can stir in a little beef broth to make it stretch farther.
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Toast your rolls, pile with meat and onions, cover with the cheese of your choice. If you want the cheese melted you can place it in a 375° oven or under the broiler until melted. Serve with the au jus on the side for dipping.
This looks so easy and delish! Thanks for the great idea!
Oh wow, these sandwiches look so good!
Love the new photos of the French dip! It looks so juicy!
I’ve been craving french dip lately! I’m going to try this!
I love it!
Oh, that cheese. And that meat. And that juice. Okay, now I’m drooling. Must try these ASAP!
Thanks, Karly! You’ll love them!
I fixed these for supper. They were so good. I used Italian loaf from Walmart and split it into pieces, then cut in half (to open) and put the provolone on top of each half and then broiled. Let me just say, I drank the au jus when I was finished with my sandwich(es). Even my super picky husband loved them. 🙂
Ha! I’m with you on drinking the au jus – isn’t is so good?! I’m happy to hear that you liked this recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
I tried this with a couple rump roasts that I cooked, sliced on a meat slicer, then put back in the slow cooker to finish tenderizing–delicious, even without the cheese! Just when I thought I’d never eat French Dip again (since we are almost all organic) Thanks!
Fantastic! I’m glad that you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!
The photos of this have me salivating!!
Beautiful photography!
I very rarely come in here, as I use to cook for my family, (kids are all grown & out on their own & my husband is no longer with us, he is with the Lord, therefore I am by myself, I have s real difficult time cooking for one,. Your beef sandwiches look absolutely wonderful, I would like to try it. Do you have any ideas you could share with me concerning cooking for one? When I do cook, I always cook extra for another meal,
Thsnk you very much ,
Edie Antoninich ~
Hi Edie. I would suggest trying to find a small 1 pound roast and cutting all the other ingredients in half. If you can only find a large roast, you can cut it in half and freeze half for another recipe at a later date. Best of luck! Thanks for stopping by!
Could I cook in the oven in my Dutch oven? If so, would I need to do anything differently? Looks like an awesome recipe!
Hi, Leighann. I have never made this in the oven but I would imagine that you can with no problem. The important thing is to cook the meat low and slow so that it is tender. I’m guessing an oven temp of 325°F-350°F. Here is a link that might be helpful. Best of luck! http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/slow-cooker-vs-dutch-oven-a-conversion-guide/
I just made this for my family just now and we all loved it. The Au Jus was really delicious. Anything that turns out as good as this in my Slow Cooker is a must for my regular rotation list for dinner recipes!!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to stop by, Cindy! Take care.
This sandwich looks great… Just an FYI I had already pinned your image in my meal planning board, but when I landed on your page, I had no clue that the recipe was at the VERY bottom of the page. (I just wanted to confirm the ingredients to see if I needed to get anything from the store on the way home from work)
Maybe you should add a link to the recipe at the top or half way down the page. just for convenience.
Otherwise I will be back and sign up for your recipes. thanks
Thanks for the suggestion, Shay. I have considered adding a “jump to recipe” option at the top of each page. I hope you enjoy these sandwiches. Thanks for stopping by.
These look amazing! I always love a good slow cooker recipe. Loving how saucy and cheesy it is, yum!
I’d love to visit NY where they seem to so a lot of these french dip sandwiches. Now I can just cook these are home!
Wow, this looks so over-the-top incredible! I so wish I had one in front of me!
Ahhh, french dip sandwiches are my favorite and these look absolutely incredible! The au jus looks perfect too – I’m pretty sure I could have au jus with just about anything.
Oh my goshhh this sandwich looks so good! I normally am not a sandwich person but this looks amazing xo, sharon
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I made this dinner a few nights ago, and my husband just raved about it. He gave it a big thumbs up and told me that it is a definite keeper. I’m glad, because it’s so easy and delicious, so it’s definitely going to be on a regular rotation of our favorite meals in our household from now on. The only thing that I did differently with this recipe was to discard the onions after I drained the au jus from the crock pot. We like the flavor of an onion, but not necessarily enjoy having onions all over our meat. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe! I just discovered your website, but I know that I will be back to try many more of your recipes.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by. I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed these. My husband loves them too! Take care!
Great idea and recipe! Thank you for sharing 🙂