Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Tender roast beef, seasoned perfectly, piled on toasted french rolls and smothered in cheese. There’s just something about a French Dip Sandwich that feels like comfort wrapped in a crusty roll—savory, juicy, and melty in all the right ways. And the best part? This version is made in the slow cooker, so you can set it and forget it while the magic happens.

This recipe is a longtime family favorite at our table, and it’s perfect for busy days when you still want a meal that feels special. We’re talking melt-in-your-mouth beef, real ingredients (no packets here!), and rich au jus made from scratch. Serve it up on broiled, buttery rolls with a slice of provolone and a side of that flavorful dipping broth, and you’ve got yourself a meal worth gathering around.

Ingredient Notes

A few notes about the ingredients I chose for this recipe

• Butter- I prefer unsalted for this recipe so I have more control over the salt, however, salted butter is fine and not a dealbreaker here.
• Onions– You can use yellow, white or sweet onions.
• Beef chuck roast– Perfect cut for this recipe, always so tender.
• Homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix- I use this one from Wellness Mama. You can use a package if you prefer, I just like homemade better.
• Beef broth– I prefer low sodium, but feel free to use your favorite.
• Red wine– NOT cooking wine (if you wouldn’t drink it on it’s own, don’t use it in your food- ha)! I like a nice Merlot or Red blend. Regular or Non-alcoholic works just fine.
• Fresh garlic-minced or pressed. I use this garlic press to make it quick and easy.
• Salt & Pepper- For seasoning the meat, and to taste when it’s finished. Be generous when salting the chuck roast, it helps tenderize the meat.
• Provolone cheese– This is the perfect flavor and meltiness! You can certainly swap it for another variety if desired. White cheddar is very tasty too. Mozzarella if you like something more mild.
• French rolls– I usually find these in the deli section of the grocery store. Hoagie rolls or Ciabatta also work well.

How to Make French Dip Sandwiches

1. Caramelize the onions.
2. Salt and pepper the chuck roast and place in the slow cooker.
3. Add onion soup mix, broth, wine, caramelized onions and garlic
4. Cook on low 8 hours
5. Shred meat and reserve the juices for au jus
6. Slice and butter the french rolls, broil for a few minutes
7. Place meat and and cheese on the bottoms of the rolls and return to broiler to melt cheese
8. Serve immediately

Tips & Tricks

• You do not have to use home made french onion soup mix, however, I am a big proponent of real food, and there is definitely preservatives, msg, and artificial things happening in the prepackaged mix. But, no judgement here, do what you gotta do!
• For the au jus, you will have a lot of liquid. Take out a few cups and let it stand in a bowl, then you can skim off the fat and it’s ready for dipping. I serve it in ramekins, 1 per person.
• The secret to a super tender roast is low and slow, so I recommend cooking this on low for the 8 hours or longer.

If you’re looking for more hearty sandwiches the whole family will love, don’t miss this Chicago Italian Beef recipe, it’s juicy, flavorful, and makes a perfect dinner any night of the week.

Storing Leftovers

Fridge- Store the shredded beef and au jus separately in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, and assemble fresh sandwiches when ready to serve. This is a great make ahead recipe, in my opinion, it tastes even better the second day.

Freezer- Freeze the shredded beef with some of the au jus to keep it moist. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat before serving. I don’t recommend freezing assembled sandwhiches, but you can freeze rolls and you can even freeze cheese.

What To Do With Leftover Roast Beef

• Serve the beef on top of egg noodles and add in your favorite vegetable~green beans, broccoli, carrots.
• Use leftover beef for French Dip Sliders, always a crowd pleaser.
• Serve the beef over Wild Rice or Boursin Mashed Potatoes and again add your favorite Roasted Veggies or another Side Dish.
• Make a big pan of Nachos starring this tender roast beef smothered in cheese, topped with black beans, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, sour cream and salsa.
• Use it instead of ground beef in tacos, taco soup, or chili.

Please share

Your shares are how this site grows, and I appreciate each one. Do you know someone who would enjoy this recipe?

I’d love it if you shared it on your favorite Pinterest board or Facebook! AND…if you like this recipe, please do me a favor and give it a ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ rating! TIA 🥰

You can also follow along on YouTube and Instagram!

Behind the Recipe

You know how food can bring back certain memories? Well, Slow Cooker French Dip sandwiches brings me back to my adolescent years. My best friend Stacey and I would go out to eat at the local Arnie’s restaurant that was within walking distance of our house. This was our favorite dish they had and we got it every single time. Plus, we just thought we were so grown up, going to a restaurant all on our own. I don’t remember how old we were but certainly old enough to be out on our own, but not old enough to drive.

No need to visit your local restaurant, you can enjoy this recipe from the comforts of your own home, and, it’s restaurant quality!

whether it’s game day, a cozy Sunday dinner, or a make-ahead meal for a full weeknight, this Slow Cooker French Dip is sure to bring everyone running to the table.

Love This Recipe? Bookmark it for later!

Tap the heart symbol in the lower right hand corner of your screen, and the recipe will be saved in your own personal recipe box.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Tenderest roast beef on a crispy french roll with melted provolone dipped in savory sauce.

4.50 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate Save Saved Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 8 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 people

Calories: 495kcal

Author: Chellie Schmitz

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for buttering the rolls.
• ▢ 3 onions sliced
• ▢ 5 lbs beef chuck roast
• ▢ 1/4 cup homemade french onion soup mix see link in blog post
• ▢ 3 cups beef broth
• ▢ 6 oz red wine
• ▢ 3 cloves crushed garlic
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 6 French rolls
• ▢ sliced provolone cheese

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Caramelize the onions by cooking them in a large frying pan on medium low heat in 3 Tbs butter until deep brown. (this can take awhile, but prep your other ingredients while you're waiting)
• Salt and pepper the roast on both sides and place in the slow cooker.
• Add soup mix, broth, wine, garlic and caramelized onions.
• Cook on low for 8 hours (or longer)
• Reserve about 3 cups or so of the juices, let it stand in a bowl for 10 minutes, skim off fat.
• Shred the beef with 2 forks, it should be very tender. Return it back to the slow cooker.
• Slice the rolls and butter them, place under the broiler for a few minutes until golden.
• Pile some beef on the bottom part of the roll and top with a slice of cheese, return to the broiler to melt the cheese.
• Cover with the top of the bun and serve immediately with au jus for dipping.

Notes

• You do not have to use home made french onion soup mix, however, I am a big proponent of real food, and there is definitely preservatives, msg, and artificial things happening in the prepackaged mix. But, no judgement here, do what you gotta do!
• For the au jus, you will have a lot of liquid. Take out a few cups and let it stand in a bowl, then you can skim off the fat and it’s ready for dipping. I serve it in ramekins, 1 per person.
• The secret to a super tender roast is low and slow, so I recommend cooking this on low for the 8 hours or longer.

Nutrition

Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 921mg | Potassium: 757mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 10mg

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!I love to see what’s on YOUR table! Mention @artfrommytable or tag #artfrommytable on your favorite social.

This recipe is adapted from baking bites.