These French Dip Sandwich are the BEST! Juicy and cheesy, the tender roast beef practically melts in your mouth. You can prepare them in the Instant Pot or slow cooker for a simple meal the whole family will be begging for time and time again!
French Dip Sandwich
I’m always looking for easy dinner recipes throughout the week and these French dip sandwiches are a go to. Made with tender roast beef, sauteed onions, and topped with cheese, all held together in a soft roll, my family could easily eat these sandwiches once a week if I let them. I’ve tried this recipe two ways, in the Instant Pot, and in the Crockpot. Both cooking methods deliver the same, amazingly flavorful beef. Both were equally tender and both times I made them, we didn’t have any leftovers! Whichever way you decide to make these, really just comes down to your own preference and time constraints. Sometimes I just don’t have the time in the morning when we’re running around trying to get out the door to get food in the slow cooker. That’s where the Instant Pot comes in super handy! Either way these are a must try any time of year!
Savory sandwiches are perfect for lunch or dinner. Try my Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak or Perfect Reuben Sandwich when you’re looking to deviate from a tired pb&j.
What’s the difference between a french dip and a Philly cheesesteak?
While they do seem similar, French dip and Philly cheesesteaks are very different sandwiches. French dips are made with roast beef. The au jus from the cooking process is used to dip them in and they are topped with provolone cheese. Cheesesteaks are seasoned with Italian seasonings, made from shredded beef steak, and usually cooked with bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Oh and we can’t forget their classic cheez whiz topping. So even though they can look similar, the tastes are very different.
How To Make French Dip Sandwich
In the Slow Cooker:
- Season. Season the roast the same as with the Instant Pot method.
- Sear. Use a large pan heated over medium high heat and add olive oil. Sear the roast on all sides then let rest on a plate to the side.
- Saute. Add the onions and saute until soft.
- Combine. Combine the roast, onions, beef broth, French onion soup, and Worcestershire sauce in the crockpot.
- Cook. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the meat is easily coming apart.
- Shred. Transfer the roast to a platter and shred.
- Strain. Strain the liquid from the crockpot into a bowl.
- Serve. Assemble your sandwiches and serve with the reserved au jus.
NOTE: For the Instant Pot version of this recipe, see the Notes section of the recipe card below.
Storing French Dip Sandwich
Let the beef cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can pour some of the leftover liquid in with the meat to keep it nice and juicy. I recommend only making the sandwiches you plan on eating right away, and storing the bread and leftover beef separately to avoid soggy sandwiches.
Ingredients Notes for French Dip Sandwich
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil also gets the job done.
- Chuck Roast – I found that a 2 pound roast was perfect for these sandwiches. If you use something larger, you’ll need to up your cook time.
- Onion – Yellow or white works here. You could even try a sweet onion for a change!
- French Onion Soup – One 11 ounce can is all you need here. If you can’t find the canned version, you can substitute a french onion soup mix and water.
- Beef Broth – While you can substitute vegetable broth, the beef broth (or stock) gives the meat a richer flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce – I like to start with about 2 tablespoons and add more if I feel like I need an extra kick.
- Garlic Powder – This is the main seasoning for the meat so be generous. Also feel free to add your own blend of spices.
- Bread – I used hoagie rolls for these sandwiches but you can opt for a classic french bread or even wheat.
- Provolone Cheese – One to two slices for each sandwich, depending on how much cheese you like!
Enjoy!
~Nichole
French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 Pound Chuck Roast
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Large Onion Sliced
- 1 10.5 Ounce Can French Onion Soup
- 2 Cups Beef Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 6 Hoagies
- 6 Slices Provolone
Instructions
CROCKPOT/SLOW COOKER METHOD:
- Season the roast with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.Add the olive oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides, then remove to a plate. Add the onions to the pan and saute until soft.
- Add the roast and onions to the crockpot, along with the broth, soup, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until meat is tender.
- Remove meat from the crockpot and slice or shred. Strain the liquid (au jus) from the crockpot through a strainer into a bowl. Add meat and cheese to the buns, toast if desired. Serve immediately with the au jus.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Super excited ! making this recipe tonight, ( 10/09/20) , smells wonderful! thank you for the recipe!
This is great I’ve followed this recipe a dozen times and my family loves it every time!!!!
My husband and I are French Dip connoisseurs. We love them and order them all the time. We’ve made them at home before, but this was by far the best homemade recipe! Thank you!
Made this last night – had it at home and shared with another family. SO GOOD!! Like everything I’ve found on your site, this is definitely a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Trying to find hearty crock pot meals for my college son – any experience or ideas on how to possibly prepare this as a freezer meal? TIA
I make it as usual, shred the meat, then freeze the liquid and the meat separately. Buy the buns and cheese when you’re ready to eat it. Thaw the meat and liquid the day before, then heat in a pot on stove and serve. Microwave also works but dries the meat out a little. I also like to toast the buns in oven a little before I add the meat to dry them out. This makes them crisper and the perfect texture for dipping!
Made this last night for dinner in the instant pot. It was AMAZING! My family of 5 all ate it and asked for seconds which is in itself a miracle. I will definitely make this again!
This was a hit at our house. I had an almost 3lb roast. I did 90 min. Fed 5 adults. Very simple tasty recipe that I’ll be sharing with all my friends
This recipe is delicious! You may want to update your timing on it though. Even using the instant pot, it takes way longer than 1 hour and 10 minutes. The recipe itself says 60 min in the instant pot and 20 min on a slow release, so that right there is 1 hour and 20 min and it doesn’t even include the searing time. It was absolutely delicious when it was finished, so this will be a weekend staple, but man, not exactly a weeknight meal unless you throw it in immediately after you get home. The kids definitely went to bed a bit later than normal tonight haha
I need to double this recipe…do you think I will run into trouble with the pressure? I’m thinking I’ll need to add some time…
30 min per lb
I have an older Cuisinart pressure cooker, and since I live alone I used 1/4 of a 3 lb. chuck roast, 1small onion, 1 can beef broth. Browned the meat, added the onion and broth and set the cooker on high pressure for 45 min.
When beef is cooked, I cut a slice off a loaf of french bread into the size of the cheese slices. I then put a slice of cheese (I used Swiss cheese) on each half and toasted in my toaster oven. When the cheese melted, I put the beef and onions on the bread and used the juice for dipping. This produced enough for 2-3 sandwiches! Delicious!!