Best Crock-Pot French Dip Sandwich

French dip sandwiches paired with a mouthwatering au jus! These Crock-Pot French Dip Sandwiches are slow cooked and produce a tender and flavorful beef. By using chuck roast, you'll get a delicious, full of flavor sandwich every time.

I am a lover of all kinds of sandwiches, but a hearty French dip sandwich holds a special place in my heart. Comfort food at its finest, these sandwiches are a family favorite. And they taste so good paired with a big bowl of creamy tomato soup!

Warm and comforting, French dip sandwiches are easy to make because the slow cooker does all the hard work. By slow cooking the chuck roast, you'll get the most tender, fall apart beef that's perfect for making sandwiches. An easy dinner recipe that is also great the next day for leftovers!

Jump to:

• What Are French Dip Sandwiches?
• Where They Originated
• Ingredients You'll Need
• Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions
• Types of Cheese
• Leftovers and Storage
• What Other Cuts Of Meat Can I Use?
• Expert Tips and FAQs
• Side Dish Ideas
• Best Crock-Pot French Dip Sandwich

What Are French Dip Sandwiches?

Simply put, it's a roast beef sandwich.

But it's so much more than that!

It's a hot sandwich made with incredibly tender roast beef that is stuffed into a crusty piece of French bread then dipped into a mouthwatering au jus. The au jus soaks into the French roll and makes for an amazing moist sandwich.

Where They Originated

There's a lot of mystery around the origin of the French Dip Sandwich. It involves two restaurants based in Southern California where both owners claim to be the inventor of this delicious sandwich.

Here's the first claim. In 1918, restaurant owner Philippe Mathieu was making a sandwich for a police officer. He accidentally dropped a sliced French roll in a pan filled with the roasting juices (au jus). The police officer didn’t mind and told Philippe that he’d take the sandwich anyway. The next day the police officer returned with his friends and asked Philippe to make more of those dipped sandwiches.

The second claim involves Cole’s Pacific Electric Buffet. Henry Cole, who is the owner of the restaurant, claims the sandwich was first made when a customer who had recently had dental work done complained that the bread was too hard for him to chew. So Henry Cole had his chef dipped the French bread in the juices from the roasting pan in order to make it softer.

Voilà - the French Dip Sandwich was invented.

Regardless of which claim is true, it resulted in one of the best hot sandwiches. And it's absolutely a recipe worth repeating.

Ingredients You'll Need

Only 5 simple ingredients are needed for this recipe. I use chuck roast because it's a tender cut a beef that has layers of marbling throughout. It's also relatively inexpensive. A 2-3 lb chuck roast will feed 6-8 people.

For the au jus, I use a can of beef consommé, beef broth, and French onion soup. Consommé has a "meatier" flavor and is a full-bodied soup made from beef stock and seasonings. Use a 10.5 ounce can of beef consommé. I use French Onion Soup because it's typically made with caramelized onions, dry white wine, fresh thyme, and beef broth. While you can use a homemade French Onion Soup, it's easier to just buy a 10.5 ounce can. I also add a 10.5 ounce can of beef broth.

Adding a beef bouillon cube intensifies the beef flavor of this dish. Add in 1 teaspoon of beef bouillon granules or 1 beef bouillon cube. I like to serve these on fresh baked French loaves (typically comes in a bag of 6-8 loaves) from the bakery at my local grocery store.

Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

These steps are so simple and it should only take you 5 minutes to put everything together. First, place the chuck roast in a Crock-Pot. You'll need at least a 5 quart Crock-Pot to make this French dip sandwich recipe. Next, pour in the beef consommé, French onion soup, beef broth, and add the bouillon cube.

Place the lid on the Crock-Pot and slow cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Expert Tip: I start checking for doneness around the 8th hour. Place a fork into the meat and if it easily starts to fall apart, the chuck roast is done.

Once the meat is done, remove it from the Crock-Pot and place it in a large pyrex dish. Using two forks, shred the meat and discard any fat. Stuff the French rolls with the shredded beef and dip in a small bowl of au jus with every bite.

Expert Tip: To slice the French rolls, cut them down the middle lengthwise, ensuring you don't cut the roll in half.

Types of Cheese

This recipe for French dip sandwiches tastes amazing when topped with cheese! Sprinkle on shredded mozzarella cheese or a slice of Provolone cheese. If you want to add a bit of spice, use pepper jack cheese. Simply add the cheese on top of the shredded beef and place it in the oven or toaster oven until the cheese has slightly melted.

Leftovers and Storage

If you have leftovers, you can store both the shredded beef and au jus in a container with a lid in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Just ensure the mixture has cooled before placing it in the refrigerator.

This is a freezer-friendly meal so you can also freeze any leftovers. Once the meat and au jus has cooled, place the shredded beef in a gallon size Ziplock bag and place flat in the freezer. Don't let the au jus go to waste! It can be frozen, as well. Grab a freezer safe container or a smaller Ziplock baggie and pour in the cooled juice.

Both the meat and juice will stay good in the freezer for 3-4 months. When you're ready to pull these out of the freezer to serve, place the beef and au jus in a large bowl and let the beef and au jus slowly thaw in the refrigerator. Once thawed, place the meat and juice back into the Crock-Pot and heat on low for 1-2 hours. Or if you're in a hurry, you can warm them up in a large saucepan on the stove or use a microwave to warm both the meat and au jus.

What Other Cuts Of Meat Can I Use?

You can use beef brisket, prime rib, as well as deli roast beef if you don't want to use chuck roast. You can use the whole piece of meat or ask your butcher to thinly slice the meat for you.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Use a 2-3 lb chuck roast for the best results.
• While you can buy chuck roast at your local grocery store, I typically purchase mine at either the butcher or at Costco. Costco has an amazing variety of good quality meats and they are not overly expensive. By using a good quality chuck roast, the roast beef will melt in your mouth. USDA prime is my favorite for this recipe.
• I use French loves for these sandwiches. For a smaller size sandwich, these are also really good on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. You can also serve these on a hamburger bun.
• Slightly toast whatever bread you use before you add in the shredded beef. I preheat the oven to 300°F and let the bread toast for 5-7 minutes. If you're adding cheese, sprinkle it on and then toast in the oven again until the cheese is just starting to melt.
• This recipe was created as an easy method for making French Dip Sandwiches. While you can make your own beef broths, consommé, and french onion soup, using condensed soups for this recipe makes things quick, easy, and no-hassle.

Side Dish Ideas

Looking for some side dishes? These are the perfect pairings for this amazing beef sandwich! These Air Fryer French Fries are crispy and delicious, these french fries are easy to make in the air fryer! You can have better than restaurant french fries in your home in less than 20 minutes. Or make the best Oven Roasted Potatoes that are full of flavor, have a crispy texture, and super easy to make!

A good salad recipe pairs really well with this French Dip sandwich and my Firehouse Salad is full of zesty flavors with a crunchy finish! Pasta salads also pair really well with BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, burgers, and this French Dip recipe. This Orzo Salad contains fresh tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, and pumpkin seeds!