Each French Dip Sandwich is loaded with fall-apart tender beef topped with melty cheese in a toasted garlic-seasoned hoagie roll. The slow cooker does the work to get the meat ultra tender and the sandwiches come together quickly and easily! Dip the sandwiches in the juices leftover in the slow cooker — no extra work required!
French Dip Sandwich
One of the most viral recipes I’ve ever shared are these French Dip Sliders — they’ve been pinned over a million times and the page has been visited by millions!
So it’s about time I shared a regular French Dip Sandwich Recipe. And I really think you guys are going to love this one! It took a few months to get it just right, but I’m happy to report these sandwiches are every bit as good as the sliders. We think these are the best slow cooker French Dip Sandwiches and I can’t wait to hear what you all think!
What Is A French Dip Sandwich?
Also known as a “beef dip” is a hot sandwich with thinly sliced or shredded beef. The meat is typically served on a French roll or baguette. It can be served plain or topped with cheese and onions. The sandwich is dipped in an “au jus” which is a dipping sauce made during the meat cooking process. ‘Au jus’ translated from the French simply means ‘with juice.’
What Is The Best Meat For French Dip Sandwiches?
A beef chuck roast is by far our favorite — especially a good well-marbled roast! The beef cooks to be so tender, it literally falls apart– so we prefer shredding the meat instead of cutting it.
Quick Tip
Other favorite recipes where we use a beef chuck roast: Mississippi Pot Roast, Beef Gyros, Beef Ragu, Crock Pot Roast, and this Crockpot Beef Stew.
How To Make French Dip Sandwiches
While a lot of slow cooker French Dip recipes add everything into the cooker without browning the meat first, I highly recommend taking the time to sear the beef and onions. This is going to result in the most flavor possible and create the tastiest pan juices (Au jus sauce). This recipe is practically a dump-and-go thing, with just that one preliminary step.
- So we start by searing the beef until we’ve got a nice crust — we’re creating layers of flavor here!
- Next, we quickly sauté the onions and remaining sauce ingredients so we can release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (which are where tons of flavor is hidden).
- Transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook until the meat literally falls apart because it’s that tender!
- Spread some softened butter on sub rolls, sprinkle the rolls with garlic powder, top with beef, and broil until toasted.
- Serve the sandwiches with the juice from the slow cooker. Dunk and enjoy!
What Is The Best Bread For French Dip Sandwiches?
White sub rolls are our go-to for French Dip sandwiches. And our “secret” flavor-enhancing tip? Spread melted butter on the rolls and then top with a light sprinkling of garlic powder — divine!
Quick Tip
Thoroughly drain the meat before adding to the sub roll to avoid soggy sandwiches. Watch very closely as the sandwiches broil — they can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds!
French Dip Sandwich FAQs
What is Au Jus sauce?
“Au jus” means “with juice” in French. It’s the juice that comes from the meat while it’s cooking. The sauce from our recipe is amazing! It’s well-seasoned, rich, and tastes indulgent.
Why is it called a French Dip Sandwich?
According to Philippe Mathieu, a restaurant founder, the sandwich was invented in 1918 when he accidentally dropped a French roll into a roasting pan filled with juices. The waiting customer said he would eat the “dipped” sandwich, and so the French Dip was born!
What To Serve With French Dip Sandwiches
French Dip Sandwiches can taste quite indulgent and rich, especially with a well-marbled chuck roast! We like having a lighter side such as roasted veggies or a side salad. Here’s a list of great side dish options (we usually do several of these!):
- Salad such as this Garden Salad, Italian Salad, or Olive Garden Salad
- Roasted veggies such as this Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Green Beans, Roasted Broccoli, or Roasted Asparagus
- Potato chips
- Coleslaw
- Sweet potato fries (we love Alexia® brand) or onion rings
- Crunchy side salads like this Cucumber Salad, Panzanella Salad, or Caprese Salad
Storage
To store French dip sandwiches, store the components separately before assembling them. They can last in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
More Slow Cooker Recipes:
- Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork with a chipotle honey BBQ sauce
- Chicken Corn Chowder dump-it-and-forget-about-it recipe!
- Taco Chili with ranch seasoning mix!
- Crockpot Cajun Chicken with chicken, veggies, and rice
- Spaghetti Bolognese made in the slow cooker
French Dip Sandwich
Equipment
- 5 or 6-quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 2.5 pounds beef chuck roast (Note 1)
- Fine sea salt & pepper
- 2 small yellow onions, very thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon beef bouillon powder
- 2 teaspoons each: garlic powder, onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (Note 2)
- 2 cups beef broth (Note 3)
- 1 bay leaf, optional
- For serving: White sub rolls, softened butter, and slices of Provolone (or shredded Gruyere) cheese, for serving (Note 4)
Instructions
- PREP BEEF: Remove beef from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Season the roast all over with salt and pepper to taste. I add 2 teaspoons fine sea salt (or 1 tablespoon Kosher salt) and 1 teaspoon pepper. Gently press seasonings into the meat.
- CHAR BEEF: Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or oven-safe heavy-bottomed pot) over medium-high heat. Once you can feel the heat when you hold your hand 6 inches above the pot, load in the beef. Brown for about 5 minutes or until you get a nice crust and it releases easily from the pan when lifted. Flip and brown for another 5 minutes. Don't skip this step. We are adding layers of flavor here. Once the beef is nicely seared with a good crust, remove it from the Dutch oven and place it in the slow cooker.
- ONIONS: Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the thinly sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle in the seasonings (1 tablespoon beef bouillon powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon thyme) and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine. Pour in the beef broth and deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula as it bubbles. (This is where we're going to get loads of flavor.)
- SLOW COOK: Pour all the contents of the pot into the slow cooker, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add bay leaf. Cover and cook for 7-9 hours on low or until meat is fall-apart tender. I don't recommend cooking on high, as it doesn't get nearly as tender. (But if you do, about 5-7 hours is how long it will take on high.) Pull out some butter now too so it will be nice and soft come time to make the sandwiches!
- MAKE SANDWICHES: Use a sharp bread knife to slice sub rolls in half. Butter the insides of both pieces and lightly sprinkle with garlic powder (optional, but yum!). Place on a sheet pan and broil for 20 seconds, watching to avoid burning. Remove. Use a slotted spoon to remove meat from the slow cooker (shake off excess liquid) and place it on the bottom half of the rolls. Add cheese on top. Return to the oven and broil for 30 seconds to a minute or two, until cheese is melted and tops are light golden brown. Watch very closely-- they can go from perfect to burnt in seconds! Sandwich the two sides together. Spoon out liquid from the slow cooker into bowls and serve alongside (for dipping) with the sandwiches. Enjoy promptly out of the oven.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are a delicious mess! If you don’t have au jus dripping down your arms as you eat, you’re doing it wrong. Don’t skip the butter and garlic powder on the rolls. It is such a simple trick that really takes the recipe to the next level. For being so easy, this recipe has amazing depth of flavor. Thank you, Chelsea!
Hahaha I completely agree with this! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed! Thanks so much Briana! 🙂
Looks great! Do you think the recipe could be scaled down/halved for a smaller serving size? If that’s not an option, would leftovers keep/freeze well?
Absolutely! So much of this is just like making a regular sandwich you can make as much or as little as you’d like, you just might have a little bit of extra roast beef or cheese that you can use for another day!
Beef bullion is listed in the ingredient list but not in the instructions. Is the beef bullion supposed to be added in addition to the beef broth? Thanks!
I’m sorry, yes! I’ve updated the recipe. Thank you!
Oh my gosh. This is restaurant quality!! I followed the instructions with the exception of beef boullion (I didn’t have it). Definitely putting in the rotation! This was an amazing Saturday night dinner that felt like we were at a restaurant ordering it.
I am thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much! 🙂
This looks so delicious Chelsea! I was wondering if it would be ok to cook the meat overnight, put in fridge in the morning before I go to work, and then reheat the sandwiches for dinner later?
Thanks so much Michelle! So I actually did just that and we didn’t love it as much — the meat tasted a bit soggy (not sure how to describe it). What I have done is fully shred the meat, removing fat and liquid then adding it to a separate container from the liquid (au jus) and then reheated both gently over the stovetop. Not as good as right out of the crockpot, but better than letting the meat sit in the liquid in the fridge for an extended period of time! Hope that helps 🙂
Thank you Chelsea! That’s helpful! I just put everything in the crockpot this morning and super excited for lunch time!
I completely missed the bouillon powder and threw it in crockpot afterward. I hope it taste ok.
I am thankful for your recipes!!! They are fantastic🙂