Cranberries are a classic winter ingredient that I normally think about using in sweet dishes, but they also work in savoury ones like this cranberry balsamic roast beef! This is a pretty simple roast beef where the beef is brown before being slowly braised until falling apart tender! The sauce or gravy contains onions, garlic, thyme, rosemary, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, cranberries, cranberry sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup, and Worcestershire sauce. The tartness of the cranberries are balanced by the sweetness in the cranberry sauce along with some maple syrup! You can cook this on the stovetop, in the oven or in a slow cooker and once it’s ready to braise, it takes almost no effort at all! Serve over mashed potatoes for a super simple and tasty meal!
Cranberry Balsamic Roast Beef
A winter pot roast with a balsamic cranberry sauce!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (2-3 pound) beef roast (such as chuck, round, brisket, etc.)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup cranberry sauce (optional)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced (or baby carrots)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water (optional)
directions
- Heat the oil in a large oven safe pan (dutch oven), add the beef and brown on all sides before setting aside.
- Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, balsamic vinegar, cranberry sauce, soy sauce, maple sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and mix before adding the carrots, cranberries, and beef.
- Transfer the pot to a preheated 275F/140C oven, cover, and braise until the meat is pull apart tender, about 3-4 hours. (OR Cook on the stove top: bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the meat is pull apart tender, about 3-4 hours. OR Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.)
- Remove the beef and slice or shred the beef.
- (Optional) Skim any fat from the cooking juices, place the pot back on the stove top, bring to a simmer, add the mixture of the cornstarch and water and cook until the sauce/gravy has thickened a bit.
Option: Replace some or all of the beef broth with (soft) apple cider.
Note: Taste test the sauce at the end to check the balance of sweet and tart optionally adding more sweetener as desired!
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great idea for a pot roast and haven’t tried beef and cranberry sauce before, I can see how it works! thank you
can this be done in a crock pot?
Yes it can! Step 5 includes the slow cooker cooking instructions. You can also, optionally, skip steps 1-4 and just throw everything into the crockpot. Enjoy!
Thank you!!! My bad, I just didn’t read far enough.
I made this today in my Lodge Dutch oven and it was awesome! Amazing how the beef was so tender yet the carrots and potatoes (I added 2 quartered russets to it) were just perfect, not cooked to the mushy stage. Many thanks for this great recipe!
I WILL TRY THE BEEF FIRST, WILL IT WORK WITH PORK MAYBE JUST CHANGE THE BROTH?
Chicken broth would go better with the pork (but beef broth will work).
This was so good! It smelled amazing while it was cooking. Made it in the oven, but I may try the crockpot next time.
Our family likes looking for new recipes to cook or grill. The Cranberry Balsamic Roast Beef could turn out to be one of our favorites here. And there’s so many other delicious recipes to try. Thanks for sharing!
Could you add potatoes to this? If so when would you add them?
Yes you can! Either use mini potatoes or cut larger potatoes into 1.5 inch cubes and add them with the carrots. Enjoy!
10/10! I just made this for my husband and WOW! It exceeded my expectations. I served this roast with the baby carrots and onions over smoked Gouda mashed potatoes with a side of some homemade sourdough discard red lobster cheddar biscuits and it was insanely flavorful! I seasoned my meat with some extra seasonings, opted out of the cranberries but added the cranberry sauce and a splash of OJ and followed the rest of the recipe to a T! Definitely recommend. Perfect comfort food meal and easy to make, I can’t wait to have it again tomorrow.
This was delicious, but my cranberries were mushy and brown and kind of got lost in the stew. They don’t look nice and red and pretty like your picture! Did you add extra cranberries after the fact?
Yes! You can add a few fresh cranberries near the end so that they get a little tender while retaining their colour and texture.
could you do this in an instapot
Yes you can! For step 5, transfer to the instapot and cook at HIGH pressure for about 20 minutes per pound of beef. Enjoy!
Made this for an early family Christmas this weekend and it was a huge hit! Thanks for sharing!!
This was amazing and the gravy is a must!!
good morning,
is there a way to adjust the servings? I need to make for 13 people. I don’t want to double the ingredients, might be too much.
For 13 servings I would double everything but the beef. For the beef, estimate how many ounces you want per person, say 6 ounces per person, or about a 5 pound roast, or 6.5 pounds for 8 ounces per person. Enjoy!
If you go to a 5lb roast, how would you adjust the cooking time in the oven?
Count on t being 4-5 hours for a 5 pound roast. Enjoy!
whoa! made exactly as written-so sweet!! very confusing, flavor wise. You get the balsamic, but it’s so overwhelmingly sweet! I just don’t understand the flavor profile- It is one note. Just my opinion, good luck to everyone else who tries it!😊