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This London broil crock pot recipe takes very little effort, but you will end up with a very tender, flavorful meat along with a delectable gravy that's great served over rice or noodles or sopped up with some homemade bread!
So Fork-Tender and Delicious!
As you can see in the pictures, the meat is fork-tender and falls apart easily. No real need to cut with a knife.
In fact, if you wanted to you could pull it all apart (like pulled pork, except it's beef ...) and use it in soup or served mixed in with mac and cheese or mashed potatoes
(ah ... don't you know the possibilities are endless with a tender cut of meat!)
What You'll Need
- 2 pounds London broil (or other low-fat cut of meat)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (or oil of choice)
- 2 tsp dry thyme
- 2 tsp dry marjoram (or oregano)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup French fried onions (like Durkee - I used a store brand), lightly crushed
- 2 cups chicken or beef broth (I used chicken because that's what I had)
Cook a Less-Than-Tender Cut of Meat
If you take a less-than-tender cut of meat like London broil and slow cook it for several hours (4 hours on high 6-7 hours on low), you will be rewarded with a very tender, flavorful meat for dinner!
London broil doesn't have much fat, so it tends to be tough unless quick broiled in the oven. Or you can make this fabulous slow-cook method.
Adding the French fried onions is the secret to ending up with an automatic gravy when your London broil is done.
A flavorful, saucy gravy to serve over the meat, over mashed potatoes, over biscuits - over veggies. Yum!
How to Cook
Prepping this London broil for the slow cooker is super easy.
First, you will turn your crock pot to high heat. You can cook on low if you prefer, especially if you will be away from home for 6-8 hours.
Next, you will just add your oil to the slow cooker and place the beef roast on top and then flip it over to get oil on both sides.
You will then add thyme, marjoram, fried onions, salt, pepper, and broth and mix it all around a bit to coat the meat.
Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours, checking every few hours if you're home (don't worry if you can't check - it won't burn). Make sure that it's fork tender before you consider it done.
Once the meat is cooked and tender, turn off the heat and let the roast sit uncovered for 5 minutes or so for gravy to thicken slightly.
Serve on a platter with the gravy, slicing portion sizes for each plate.
Great paired with the broccoli (pictured) or other vegetable of choice. Serve over or alongside potatoes, rice, or noodles if desired.
What to Serve with your Roast
I served mine with my Sauteed Broccoli with red peppers (as seen in the pictures). So easy to prepare and cook the broccoli 20 minutes before the London broil crock pot recipe is done.
Also fabulous served with mashed potatoes (great for topping with the extra gravy!), mac and cheese, side salad, rice, or just about anything!
Add crusty bread like my Savory Zucchini Bread with cheddar or my homemade Southern biscuits, and you have a fabulous meal the whole family will love!
Also delicious served with my Recipe for Mushroom Risotto or my Cream of Peas.
FAQs & Tips
No - not with this recipe. I like to make my recipes as simple as possible. This includes dirtying as few dishes as possible. I really don't like to have to cook anything on the stove top before slow cooking.
I realize that browning could increase the flavor of this London broil, but I don't believe you'll miss it. This recipe is very flavorful, fall-apart tender, and easy.
If you don't have fried onions, you can substitute a package of dry onion soup mix instead. Although I haven't tried using onion soup mix, I believe the results will be very tasty and similar to using fried onions.
Alternately, you could use a finely chopped fresh onion placed under the London broil before cooking and sprinkling ¼ cup of flour in with the broth.
London broil is a beef roast cut that is also called top round, top blade, or flank steak.
It's a cut of meat with very little fat or marbling and can be tough if not cooked properly. Many times it's broiled in the oven for a short time (while still quite red in the center) and sliced thin to serve.
I like how using a tougher, flavorful cut of meat in the slow cooker really maximizes the meat's flavor and tenderizes it along the way.
If you don't have London broil or the other cuts above, feel free to use any lower fat cut of beef that you can find.
If you use a larger cut of meat (larger than 2 pounds), you may need to cook the London broil longer. The roast is done when the meat is fall-apart tender.
You will also want to add more seasonings if your roast is larger. For example, one commenter below said she needed to cook hers on high for 7-8 hours, because she had a 4-pound cut of meat.
If your roast is double in size, then I would recommend doubling the other ingredients.
Be sure to let me know what cut of beef you used for this recipe and how it turned out for you in the comments below!
Also, let me know your favorite sides to go with it!
Other Recipes You May Love:
Spaghetti Bolognaise (Southern Style, of course!)
Corn Potato Chowder (Easy, Hearty & Delicious!)
Baked Mahi Mahi Recipe (Simple & So Flavorful!)
Authentic Jambalaya Recipe (Lots of Spicy Flavors!)
Turkey Ala King (Using Leftover Turkey or Chicken)
London Broil Crock Pot Recipe
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds London broil or other lean beef roast
- 2 Tbsp olive oil (or oil of choice)
- 2 tsp dry thyme
- 2 tsp dry marjoram
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup French fried onions (like Durkee - I used a store brand), lightly crushed
- 2 cups beef broth (or chicken)
Instructions
- Turn crock pot to high heat and add oil to bottom.
- Place London broil on top of oil move it around a bit to coat, then flip over.
- Add thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper, fried onions, and broth. Mix around a bit to coat.
- Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-8 hours, checking every few hours if you're home (don't worry if you can't check - it won't burn). Make sure to cook until fork tender, even if you need to cook longer than stated.
- Once meat is cooked and tender, turn off heat and let sit uncovered for 5 minutes or so for gravy to thicken slightly.
- Serve on a platter with the gravy, slicing portion sizes for each plate. Serve with the broccoli pictured or other vegetable of choice. Serve over potatoes, rice, or noodles if desired.
Nutrition
Don't Forget to Pin For Later!
Hi, do you add the french fried onions to the crockpot at the start or do you add them at the end when the roast is done cooking?
Oh my! I forgot to say, didn't I? You add the fried onions at the beginning with everything else. Thanks for your question, Amanda! I'll go fix it in the recipe card right now!
That meat is so tender! I don't have a crock pot, but perhaps can make this in the Instant Pot? Love the sound of that gravy too
Yes, it is very tender, Shinta! I don't have an Instant Pot, so I wouldn't know how to tell you to cook it. Thanks for stopping by!
This was so tender and delicious! I'll definitely keep this recipe around for future dinners!
Thanks Taylor! We love it at my house!
So very tender!! Really easy to make as well. Will be having this recipe on repeat 🙂
Thanks Laura! We love it too!
I couldn't believe how tender and flavorful this meat was. The gravy was so good on the mashed potatoes I made to go with it. My husband wants me to save the recipe.
That's great, Krissy! I love to hear that!
So tender and full of flavor.
Thanks for letting me know, Stephanie!
Delicious!!! If I wanted to double the recipe would I just double all ingredients? Would it need more cooking time? Thanks!
Thanks for dropping by, Angie! Yes, you would just double the ingredients. You may want to bump the time up an hour or two in order to get a tender roast. I haven't tried it, but you wouldn't over cook it if you cooked for another hour or two. Just make sure it's tender. Let me know how it turns out!
I have everything for the recipe but the thyme and marjoram, is there something else I could use or should I just wait until I can get it?,
Thanks for your question John! If you have a poultry seasoning or Italian seasoning blend, this would also work. Otherwise, just use oregano or wait till you can get the thyme and marjoram. Let me know!
Does this come out as well done, or no pink in the center? Do you have a suggestion for reduced cooking time/temperature if one is going for medium rare or medium?
Thanks for your question, Joe. It does come out well done, but not lacking in flavor like a steak would be. The goal with this recipe is tenderness and fuss-free cooking. If you cooked it less, it might be less tender - I'm not sure, though. Not sure you would get the red center anyway, since the heat is surrounding the meat instead of cooking one side at a time. Instead of this being steak-like, it's more of a roast when cooked. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out.
Wow This is a keeper !
Thanks Richard - glad you liked it!
I subbed dry onion soup mix and chicken stock since that's what I had on hand. Turned out great! Will definitely make this again.
Perfect Heather! Great substitutions!
What if you do not have marjoram?
Thanks for your question, Chastity. Oregano is a good substitute for marjoram.
Classic! My mom always does the halved onion under roast method, but I didn’t want our small house to smell like onion for 3 days, so i used the mckormick montreal steak rub which has dried onion in it & the end result was the same as if I had used the raw onion. I found that I needed to cook this on high for around 7-8 hours to get the fork tender (my london broil was almost 4lbs lol). Yum!
Fabulous Jamie!
I've got a 2 1/4 lb London broil I want to cook in crockpot. Can't I cook small potatoes & mushrooms and vegetables in with it?
You absolutely can! Sounds delicious! Let me know how yours turns out, Teresa!
I made this tonight. Absolutely delicious! I cooked on low for 7 hours. At the 3 hour mark I added baby carrots and Yukon gold potatoes to the pot. The meat just fell apart. There was so much flavor in the carrots and potatoes. My London broil must have had a little fat because there was a layer in the pot and the gravy never really thickened. I made a slurry and tried to thicken it some to have that delicious flavor from that gravy. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Awesome Linda! Thanks for letting me know!
I see that you have French Fried onions listed as an ingredient, but nowhere can I find when you add them in the recipe??? Unless I am reading it wrong, Do you add the onions to the juice when the London broil is done?
Thanks for your inquiry, Pama. I mention adding the fried onions in step 3 along with the other seasonings. It will cook along with the meat. Hope you enjoy it!
I went step by step and mine wasn’t tender at all. I read and reread recipe.
Only thing I didn’t do right away was dry onions because I didn’t see when to add initially.
Please help me figure out what it could be.
Thanks for your inquiry, Dee. Off the top of my head, my first questions to you would be - What type of meat did you use? How long did you cook it? The London broil is pretty lean (meaning not much fat or tough bits). My first thought is the amount of time cooked or how well your slow cooker is working. Let me know, and I will try to help you troubleshoot more.
Love the looks of this recipe, however I don’t have any chicken or beef broth. Any substitute for this? Maybe just water?
Lau - You could use just water, but it wouldn't be quite as flavorful. If you have a bouillon cube to add to the water that would be a tasty option as well.
I wanted this to be so good and it turned out awful. I followed recipe exactly. Only cooked it for 3 hours because I could see it was done. It’s so tough I can barely stick a fork in it. And it has no flavor. I was worried about cooking this in the crock pot because of the lack of fat on the London broil, but trusted some reviews. Super bummed this didn’t work out.
Actually, Kat, according to what you said in your comment, you didn't follow the recipe exactly. Perhaps I should clarify that you should cook the meat until it is fork tender and falling apart. However, you specifically said you cooked it for 3 hours because it was done. To be clear, it's not done if it's not tender (and I will add that to the recipe to clarify). Also, the recipe says to cook at least 4 hours on high. Did you cook it on high? How big was your London broil? The recipe calls for a 2-pound cut of meat. Another reviewer said hers took 7-8 hours on high, but hers was about 4 pounds and double what the recipe called for. I'm happy to clarify further in the post and recipe card, but your review isn't fair since you didn't follow the recipe. Hopefully you can see that and will give the recipe another try. -Sally
Thank you! One of the best recipes I have found! Meat was so tender that it just fell apart trying to cut it. Gravy was delicious...actually took a couple of spoonful's on it's own,,,great flavor.
Awesome Mike - thanks for letting me know!
Hello, I am using a 1 1/2 lb london broil. What size crockpot are you using for your 2lb?
Thank you,
Deborah
Mine is either 6 or 7 quarts, but it's way bigger than I need for this roast. You could easily get by with a 5 quart or maybe smaller. Hope yours turns out fabulous, Deborah!
Thanks for your reply. I cut it in half and seasoned each half with oil and dry spices, stacked then added onion rings and broth using a 4 qt crockpot. I can't wait and I'll let you know how it turns out
Awesome - please let me know!
What is the purpose of the oil? What does it do?
The oil adds flavor and prevents sticking. Thanks for your question, Zeek!
Me and my bf tried this recipe because by the luck of YouTube, yours was probably the first video I watched after I picked up my London broil. This came out so yummy! I omitted the fried onions, and I do have a question for you about the gravy. The “gravy” left in our pot, was definitely watery, nothing like the consistency of real gravy. Can you tell me do you add flour? Or if it because of the fried onions that you get more of a thick, try gravy? Stilled loved this and made it with homemade mashed potatoes and will be eating this for a long time! Thank you for the wonderful recipe !
Chelsea - Thanks for your feedback! The fried onions definitely add thickening to the gravy due to the flour coating, so that's why your gravy was watery. Flour is necessary for thickening. Hope you'll try it again with the fried onions!
The gravy was delicious, but the meat did not have as much flavor as I thought it would. If I make this again I will try puncturing and marinating the meat to infuse more flavor. Other than that, it was good and easy to make.
The recipe was easy and was great. I followed the recipe including a 6 oz container of Frenchs crispy fried onions and added 2 cups of sliced colored bell peppers. My London broil was 2.3 pounds, I cooked it in a 7 quart crock pot for 7 hours. I had doubts about it having a great gravy but in the last hours of cooking I could see the that there was a beautiful brown gravy. It was super tender and savory. Loved the recipe!
Thank you so much for your detailed comment, Betty! So happy that you loved the recipe and that it turned out so well for you. The addition of the bell peppers sounds delicious!
Because there I the two of us we cook half the steaks. So have a 3/4 lbs London Broil, can i use your recipe and so how long cooking times.
Thanks for your questions, Eric! You could use the recipe - just cut everything in half - and cooking time should be shorter as well. I would cook on low for 4-6 hours and see if it's done. It could likely go longer. It will be done when fall-apart tender.
Can this be done in a instant pot. I don’t have a crockpot!
Thank you.
Connie - An instant pot won't work the same as a slow cooker, unless it has a slow cooker feature. I'm not familiar with instant pots, so I'm sorry I can't help you with this.