Roast Beef Recipe with Gravy (VIDEO)

This juicy Roast Beef recipe is rubbed with garlic and herbs and slow-roasted for a classic beef dinner that’s just as impressive as any holiday roast. Enjoy slices of tender beef drizzled with a simple and savory homemade gravy made from pan drippings. You’ll love how every bite melts in your mouth.

If you love succulent roasts like Prime Rib or Baked Ham that don’t break the bank, this Roast Beef recipe is sure to impress.

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Roast Beef Recipe with Gravy

This recipe for thinly sliced roast beef covered in the delicious pan gravy is irresistibly delicious and so EASY. Slow-roasting beef in the oven ensures it’s perfectly tender and evenly cooked all the way through. The beef is rubbed with a savory combination of herbs before roasting, and every bite is juicy and mouthwatering.

The best part about this recipe is, just like our Instant Pot Chicken and Gravy, this easy roast beef recipe creates a rich and delicious pan gravy that you can pour over slices of beef or over Creamy Mashed Potatoes. Watch the video tutorial below and see how easy it is to have a succulent beef roast ready for any occasion.

Easy Roast Beef Video

Watch Natasha make the juiciest, most mouthwatering slow-roasted beef, and then turn the pan drippings into a savory homemade gravy. You won’t believe how effortless it is!

Pro Tip: If you liked the giant pepper grinder, it would make a fun gift or decor for your kitchen (make sure you have enough space on your counter since it’s quite tall). We found our giant 31-inch pepper mill on Amazon.

Ingredients

The secret to perfect roast beef is a good quality, room-temperature cut of beef and a few choice ingredients. Below you’ll find an overview of what you’ll need for this recipe, with the full details available in the recipe card.

For the Roast Beef

• Beef – I always choose a top round roast when I make this recipe. See below for suggestions of other good cuts for roasting.
• Olive Oil – Use extra light olive oil to make your herb rub. it has a higher smoke point to help the beef sear without smoking.
• Fresh Herbs – I rub this classic roast with a combination of chopped fresh rosemary, garlic, thyme, sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. 

For the Pan Gravy

• Red Wine – You’ll want to use a dry red when making your pan gravy. The best wines to cook with are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, or Merlot. Shiraz also works nicely with roast beef.
• Beef Broth –  For a true pan gravy, use beef broth combined with some of the pan drippings. Chicken stock works in a pinch.
• Seasonings – Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper bring a wonderful flavor to this easy beef gravy.
• Butter – Stirring a pat of unsalted butter into the gravy at the very end makes the texture silky smooth and enriches the flavor.
• Corn Starch and Water – You’ll use this to make a slurry to simmer into the gravy, in order to thicken it.

What Cut of Beef Is Best for Roasting?

My first choice for a beef roast is a top-round roast (also known as inside round). If you can’t find one where you are, other good options are top sirloin roast, bottom round roast, or eye of round roast.

Pro Tip: Make sure to take your roast out of the fridge two hours (or at least one hour) before roasting so that it comes to room temperature. This way, the beef roasts more quickly and evenly once it’s in the oven.

How to Roast Beef in the Oven

You don’t need any fancy equipment to roast beef perfectly in the oven. Just a sturdy roasting pan with a rack to catch the drippings (I used the rack from my Instant Pot!).

1. Make an Herb Rub – Combine rosemary, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper with olive oil. I recommend leaving the mixture for 5 minutes to let the flavors meld.
2. Prepare the Roast – Meanwhile, pat the beef dry, and truss it up with kitchen twine so that it cooks through evenly. Give the beef a good rub all over with the herb oil before moving it to the rack set inside your roasting pan.
3. Cook – Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the thickest part of the beef. Roast at 450ºF for the first 15 minutes, and then lower the oven temperature to 250ºF and continue baking for 28-30 minutes per pound of beef. See below for a helpful guide to knowing when your roast is ready.
4. Rest – When your roast is cooked to your liking, take it out of the oven and tent the pan with aluminum foil. Allow the roast to rest for at least 15 minutes while the juices redistribute and the beef reaches its final resting temperature.
5. Serve – See further down for instructions on how to prepare your pan gravy while the beef is resting. Once everything is ready, carve your beef, pour on the gravy, and serve. I’ve also included my carving and serving tips below.

How do you know when Roast Beef is done?

The easiest way to tell if a roast is ready is to check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer. Roast beef is usually cooked to medium rare. It’s important to remember when roasting beef that the roast’s temperature will continue to rise by 5 degrees while it rests so don’t overbake.

Check that your roast is done to your liking using my handy roast beef temperature guide:

• For Medium Rare – Roast until it reaches 135-140ºF (145ºF after resting)
• For Medium – Roast to 145ºF (150ºF after resting)

The cooking time will depend on the size of your roast as well as your oven. It’s always a good idea to monitor the temperature with a thermometer.

Making the Beef Pan Gravy

Once the beef is roasted and resting, we love using the leftover pan drippings to pull together a delicious beef gravy that’s saturated with flavor.

1. Make a Slurry – Combine water and cornstarch to make a slurry, then set aside.
2. Combine the Ingredients – Set the roasting pan with the roast drippings to the stove over medium heat, deglaze the pan with red wine and then let it reduce by half. Add the beef broth, and once it’s at a light boil, stir in the seasonings.
3. Thicken – Next, stir in the cornstarch slurry. Keep stirring as the gravy comes to a simmer and thickens, to prevent lumps from forming. Turn off the heat and stir butter into the gravy and season to taste if needed. Straining through a sieve is optional but will create a smoother gravy.
4. Serve – Pour your homemade beef gravy over slices of beef, mashed potatoes, or anything else that graces your plate. See the section later on for serving ideas.

How to Carve Roast Beef

Apart from proper roasting, properly carving the meat is the trick to unbelievably tender beef that basically melts in your mouth.

• The key to carving roast beef is to carve against the grain (lines) of the meat. These are the muscle fibers that run parallel to each other throughout a piece of beef. 
• Once you determine which way the grain is going, cut the beef into thin slices in the opposite direction (see photo).

Pro Tip: Cut only the amount of roast beef that you need for serving, and then refrigerate leftovers to slice and use for sandwich meat later. Roast beef serves really well cold and is the perfect sandwich meat for French Dip or even a quick Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich.

Common Questions

What to Serve with Roast Beef

Whether it’s for a special occasion, holiday, or more casual dinner, we love serving our roast beef with a combination of easy side dishes:

Make-Ahead

A beef roast is one of our favorite leftovers to have in the fridge. We love turning yesterday’s beef dinner into today’s roast beef sandwiches! It also helps that storing and reheating cooked beef is a breeze.

• To Refrigerate: Store your roast in an airtight container, or tightly wrapped, in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• Freezing: Freeze airtight, either whole or in servings, for 2-3 months. Thaw the beef in the fridge overnight.
• To Reheat: It’s easiest to reheat the beef when it’s in slices. I’ll place the beef in a pan with a bit of gravy, and reheat it in the oven at 350ºF until warmed through.

Pro Tip: You can serve leftover roast beef cold or warm. We love to shave it thinly and serve it cold.

We just know you’re going to love making this perfect roast all winter long. Roast beef is great for feeding a crowd, or you can make it for a weeknight dinner and have leftovers for days. You can’t go wrong!

More Easy Beef Recipes

If you loved this recipe for succulent roast beef, here are more delicious beef dinner ideas to try: