Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches
Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches are easily made with only five ingredients! So tender and flavorful and cooked until it falls apart in au jus gravy!
AN EASY AND TASTY BEEF DIP SANDWICH
These French dip sandwiches are a staple recipe in my house. We make them pretty often because they’re easy and anyone in my family (even the ones that don’t enjoy cooking) can pop it all in the slow cooker and get dinner going for us. You can serve with chips or French fries and a little au jus sauce on the side and you have the perfect, easy weeknight meal!
Hands down, the best French Dip recipe out there! I’ve tried many others, but none measure up to this one! And so easy too!
– Katherine
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
They are the same thing. Different regions will call it either one or the other. But both are made with beef (usually thinly sliced) that is cooked until tender in a broth (au jus). Then it is put on a sub roll and topped with cheese. It is served warm along with some of the au jus to dip the sandwich into.
Any kind of chuck roast will work. You can even use sliced roast beef for this recipe. Sometimes my grocery store carries shaved steak and I will use that for this. It cooks up a lot quicker when its already sliced but it still tastes amazing.
I have a recipe on my site for Homemade Onion Soup Mix that you can make if you want to use that. You can leave out the au jus seasoning if you don’t want to use pre-packaged ingredients. Or perhaps try a beef broth base (it’s a thick paste sold in jars.) There are a few brands on the market that are all natural and preservative free. Just check the ingredients on the back of the jar.
Use your favorite sub rolls here. I use a 6-inch soft sub roll. French bread will also work for this.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- beef round steak or chuck roast – purchase your favorite or whatever is the best price at the time.
- onion soup mix – you can use store-bought or make your own homemade onion soup mix.
- au jus gravy mix – this is going to be a packet mix. If you can’t find this, you could go with a brown gravy mix.
- beef broth or stock – if you are concerned about sodium, I would use a low or no sodium option here.
- water
- mozzarella or provolone cheese – traditionally provolone is used but we also enjoy this with mozzarella.
- sub rolls – sometimes I will go buy some good sub rolls from my local deli. They are nice and fresh and are perfect for this type of sandwich.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT FRENCH DIP SANDWICHES:
This step is optional but adds great flavor. In a hot pan with a little oil, brown both sides of he pot roast really well. Don’t cook it all the way through, just brown each side in the hot skillet.
Put beef roast in slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine beef broth, onion soup mix, au jus seasoning and water and stir until combined. Pour mixture over beef, put cover on slow cooker and cook on low for about 8 hours. Do not remove the slow cooker lid and check the meat while cooking. Doing this will result in tougher meat that is harder to shred. Just cover and leave it alone.
An hour before serving, shred meat with two forks or take it out and slice thinly. Place meat back in the slow cooker for about another hour.
When ready to serve, place some sub rolls on a baking sheet and top the rolls with some of the shredded beef. Add slices of cheese onto the top of shredded beef. Place under the broiler (or use broil option on toaster oven). Watch carefully, broil for just a couple of minutes until cheese is melted and roll is just slightly toasted.
Serve sandwich with a bit of Au Jus from the slow cooker (you may want to strain it first). Also, I added just a bit more beef broth to our Au Jus to make sure there was enough for all of the sandwiches.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: May 2011
Updated photos and republished: September 2025
Crock Pot French Dips (+Video)
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds beef round steak (or any type of beef roast like chuck roast)
- 1 packet onion soup mix
- 1 packet au jus seasoning
- 15 ounce can of beef broth or stock
- ½ cup water
- 6 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese (for serving)
- 6 sub rolls (for serving)
Instructions
- This step is optional but adds great flavor. In a hot pan with a little oil, brown both sides of the 3-4 pounds beef round steak. Don't cook it all the way through, just brown each side really well in the hot skillet.
- Put browned beef roast into an oval slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 packet onion soup mix, 1 packet au jus seasoning, 15 ounce can of beef broth or stock and ½ cup water and stir until combined.
- Pour mixture over beef, put cover on slow cooker and cook on low for about 8 hours. NOTE: Do not cook on high and do not remove the slow cooker lid and check the meat while cooking. Doing this will result in tougher meat that is harder to shred. Just leave it alone while it cooks.
- An hour before serving, shred meat with two forks or take it out and slice thinly.
- Place meat back in the slow cooker for about another hour.
- When ready to serve, place 6 sub rolls (open faced) on a baking sheet. Top one side of each sub roll with some of the shredded beef. Then take the 6 slices mozzarella or provolone cheese and place them on top of the beef.
- Turn on the oven broiler to high. Place baking sheet in the oven and broil until cheese is melted and buns are toasted. NOTE: Do not walk aways from your oven for any reason while doing this. It can go from lightly toasted to burned very quickly. So check often.
- Serve sandwich with a bit of Au Jus from the slow cooker and enjoy! Note: you may want to strain the sauce in your slow cooker before serving.
Video
Notes
- Optional toppings include onions, green peppers and mushrooms.
- We also enjoy adding some mayonnaise to our buns.
- Also, instead of the water, you can substitute with more beef stock if you like.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Can this be cooked on low for 4 hours? I forgot to put it in earlier and my hubby is chomping at the bit to have these tonight!!
I made these last night and they were awesome. The meat is so tender and the taste is out of this world! For dinner tonight, I reheated the leftover meat and juices, added another container of beef stock, a little more au jus and another packet of onion soup mix, let it cook for about an hour and then thickened it for gravy over mashed potatoes. The husband was in heaven!
Looks delicious! I'm new to the crock pot…Can I cook it on high for a shorter cook time?
I have this in my crock now……hope it is as good as it looks!!
Trina..hahaha, yes that was VERY subtle! Love it! So happy y'all really liked this one. thank you so much for letting me know!
My hubby left this on the counter with the ingredients (subtle hint)… I made this and it was a hit.
Hi RobinKay!! Yay!! So happy to hear you love this one!!
I have been CRAVING french dip for a ridiculously looong time. We made these on Friday and now its all I think about. Saying they're good is like saying the Grand Canyon is deep. They were fabulous. And sooo simple. Thanks for makin me look good.
Spinningstars – I would say 4 servings. It depends on how high you pile it and if you use longer sub rolls..LOL. But you should be able to at least get 4 out of it. 🙂
How many servings does this recipe make?
I just made these sandwiches and they they are seriously delicious!! It was also super easy getting it all going this morning.
My grocery store didn't have a round steak so I used two top round roasts that totaled about 3.5 pounds.
Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi, this is Sandra from TX, originally from AL. My husband David is the one who grew up in Roanoke, VA and and loved going down to the market on Saturdays. I still need to get with you about that Chow-Chow. 🙂 I bought the ingredients for Crock Pot Beef Dips and am making it tomorrow. Can't wait!
I made these last night for my family, and they were so yummy! My husband LOVED them, and my 2 and 4 year olds devoured them!
I made these last night, and they were a huge hit! I will be making these for a tailgate this fall!
The best looking sandwich:)) Looks amazing, and finger licking..yumm!
I've done something similar, except I let the meat cook until it falls apart and then I shred it. No slicing necessary and it's DELICIOUS!!!
Brandie I'm seriously thinking you need to write a cookbook! I LOVE all your recipes!
And now I'm craving Phillies! I'd love it if you'd come link up this, and a few more recipes, to my contest/linky!~K
I made this recipe this past weekend. Loved it and so did hubby. I did use a smaller roast since it was just for the 2 of us and we had plenty of leftovers. Thanks for sharing.
Made it. Loved it.
I think sexy was the perfect word to use. I cannot wait to try these out this weekend. YUM!
Yum!!! looks great. i'm always looking for more crockpot recipes 🙂
I am not a great cook and I don't eat much meat but… This looks really yummy! My family is always asking for more beef. This recipe looks doable even for me. I can't wait to try this out for my family!
So, so good. Thank you for sharing!
I've always loved French dip sandwiches, and I'll bet these are just wonderful. I love that they are done in the crock pot!
I saw this at the Tattertots & Jello link up party and had to check it out. I'm always looking for stuff to do with my crock pot and this looks super easy.
We love French dip style sandwiches and this one is so good.
Looks great! Congrats on your new domain. Simple and delish! As always another great recipe to add.
Sandwich looks great. I want one or two. 🙂
These sandwiches look so good! No wonder your husband can't talk when eating these, because his mouth is full of wonderful dripping au jus, beef and soft bread. Another added benefit is that you can make them in the slow cooker!
This is one great looking sandwich! Hubby would love this one. 🙂
Oh Bran, this looks FABULOUS! I love beef dip sandwiches, whenever we go to a new restaurant I always order that as my gauge of how good the restaurant will be. haha! Love it!
It's my first time here and following now and that recipe looks fabulous! I'm a sucker for steak sandwiches:)
theres just something so homey about dipping into gravy/sauce… looks melt in your mouth delicious!
I used this recipe and it was DELICIOUS!
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm yummmmmmmm!
I have given you an award! Happy Tuesday! =)
http://cookinformycaptain.blogspot.com/2011/05/orange-jam-olb-award.html
So THAT is what I need to do to get a ring on my finger?! haha those look seriously good. I can't imagine talking during eating one of those either…
Brandie, you bring total new meaning to the sandwich! Amazing.
I am bummed- I would make this today but I have no au jus. Heading to the store after work- I am always looking for a no-fuss dinner that is ready when I come home from work!
Ooh! Ths is another one I'm gonna have to put on my list! My hubby would definitely like this (I would too!) and it would be super easy for me to toss in the slow cooker before work.
I REALLY need to invest in a slow cooker. I cannot believe how many wonderful recipes there are.
🙂 Mandy
These sandwiches look sooo amazing!!
I just got done eating dinner, and I think I might be hungry again after reading this. Looks so good! I love a French Dip sandwich!!
You have the best, most comforting recipes, Brandie! This is something I haven't made in years, but after seeing your photos, I think French Dip sandwiches need to make an appearance on our menu!
PS..do you think Bill will finally trim my red bud tree if I make these???! Worth a shot 🙂
My hubby loves beef dip sandwiches, so I def need to make these for him. They look delicious!
That looks like it would just melt in your mouth. Well done!
Oh yum! This sounds so tasty.
Mmmm…yum!
HOT DIGGITY DAWG! Oh I'd call these sexy too! Mmmmmm I use this exact recipe when I make ours! They be soooo yummy! : )
I shall take 2…see ya in a couple hours!