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Home » Course » Main Dishes » Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

February 25, 2021

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

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This slow cooker french dip recipe makes a flavorful and tender beef dip sandwich! Serve with the au jus poured straight from the crock pot for an easy weeknight dinner!

This slow cooker french dip recipe makes a flavorful and tender beef dip sandwich! Serve with the au jus poured straight from the crock pot for an easy weeknight dinner!

Click here to PIN this French dip recipe!

The French dip, also called Beef Dip, is one of my all-time favorite sandwiches. Making it at home is very simple and delicious! When you use a slow cooker, the juices from the meat and seasonings automatically become your au jus dipping sauce. It doesn't get easier than that! If you love this, you should also try my shredded beef barbacoa recipe!

beef dip sandwich plated with pickles and au jus

Jump to:
  • 💬 What is French Dip?
  • 🧾 Grocery List
  • 👩🏽‍🍳 How to Make French Dip in the Slow Cooker
  • 🥘 Au Jus Recipe
  • 💭 Your Questions Answered
  • 🍟 What to Serve with French Dip Sandwiches
  • ⭐Recipe Card

💬 What is French Dip?

Can you believe the French dip sandwich did not originate from France? The French dip recipe is an American invention! It consists of either sliced or shredded beef (your favorite type) over a sliced hoagie roll served with a seasoned dipping sauce called au jus. Typically served hot on a toasted roll and sometimes with melty cheese. It's one of my favorites!

french dip sandwich dipped into bowl of au jus

🧾 Grocery List

You can easily find everything you need in the typical grocery store to make French dip for an easy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients for this recipe:

  • Chuck roast (about 3 lbs)
  • Garlic (3 cloves)
  • Bay leaves (2 dried)
  • Dried rosemary (2 teaspoons)
  • Ground black pepper (1/2 teaspoon)
  • Soy sauce (1 cup)
  • Water (3 cups)
  • Hoagie or French rolls (8 quantity)
  • Provolone cheese (16 slices) - optional!

If you like thyme, consider adding dried thyme or thyme leaves to the seasonings. Or, add a tablespoon or two of Worcestershire sauce. I also sometimes chopped up an onion and add it. This recipe is very forgiving and can be easily altered to your tastes.

french dip sandwich on a plate with melty cheese

👩🏽‍🍳 How to Make French Dip in the Slow Cooker

  1. Place roast in the slow cooker.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients except hoagies and cheese.
    adding liquid and seasonings to crock pot
  3. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
  4. Remove cook meat and shred or thinly slice.
    shredding beef in slow cooker
  5. Toast rolls in a preheated 400°F oven.
  6. Top toasted rolls with shredded or sliced beef, then cheese.
    topping hoagie rolls with shredded beef on baking sheet
  7. Bake again until cheese is melted.topping beef sandwiches with cheese slices
  8. Serve sandwiches with a small bowl of au jus sauce from the slow cooker on the side.

Click here for full recipe ingredients and instructions.

🥘 Au Jus Recipe

Because we are cooking the meat in a slow cooker with soy sauce and seasonings, the au jus is simply the cooked juices from the slow cooker. You can use the au jus right away by serving into small individual bowls for dipping.

If you are preparing the beef dip in advance, let the au jus cool in the crock pot then skim the fat that rises to the surface before storing it in a container in the fridge. You may find more fat to skim before reheating and serving. Simply use a spoon to achieve this.

💭 Your Questions Answered

What kind of bread is used for French dip sandwiches?
French bread is traditional but we like to use whatever crusty hoagie rolls we can get our hands on and is on sale!

Should I shred the beef or slice it?
You can do either! If you want it sliced, cook for a little less time, maybe just 7 hours.

Can I use low-sodium soy sauce?
Yes, you can. Low-sodium may not be as flavorful but you can add salt as needed.

What is the difference between Italian beef and French dip?
One is Italian and the other is French. Just kidding! These two sandwiches are very similar, but one difference is the Italian beef is placed back into the juices after sliced while the juices are served on the side for French dips. Another difference is you can order Italian beef "dry", "wet" or "dipped." I always ordered mine "dipped" when we lived in Chicago, which means the entire sandwich is dipped into the juice.

Lastly, Italian beef sandwiches are typically always served with cheese which is not quite traditional for French dips. Italian beef also is topped with either hot or sweet peppers.

How do you pronounce au jus?
You say it like this [oh -zhoo]. You can listen to the pronunciation by clicking here.

french dip sandwich on a plate with melty cheese

🍟 What to Serve with French Dip Sandwiches

  • Potato Soup
  • Cajun Fries
  • Coleslaw
  • Onion Rings
  • Pickles
  • Potato Chips
  • Fruit Salad

PRINT this recipe or PIN IT for later! Made this recipe? Leave a star rating and tag me on Instagram @seededtable so I can see.  I love hearing from you!

⭐Recipe Card

french dip sandwich in bowl of au jus
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4.67 from 3 votes

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich Recipe

This slow cooker french dip recipe makes a flavorful and tender beef dip sandwich! Serve with the au jus poured straight from the crock pot for an easy weeknight dinner!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time8 hrs
Total Time8 hrs 10 mins
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Slow Cooker
Keyword: au jus recipe, beef dip, french dip, french dip recipe, french dip sandwich
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 624kcal
Author: Nikki Gladd

Ingredients

  • 3 lb chuck roast
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 3 cups water
  • 8 hoagie buns , sliced in half
  • 16 slices provolone cheese , optional

Instructions

  • Place roast in slow cooker. Season with garlic, rosemary and pepper. Add bay leaves. Pour in soy sauce and water. Cook on low 8-10 hours.
  • Prepare buns: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place buns cut side up on large baking sheet and bake 5 minutes.
  • To serve, shred beef in the slow cooker and remove excess fat. Place shredded beef on bottom sides of hoagies. Top with 1-2 slices of provolone and return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes (leaving both top and bottom sides cut side up) until cheese is bubbly and bread is toasty.
  • Serve with juices from slow cooker as an au jus on the side. (in a small bowl)

Notes

  • Optional variations:
    • Add 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced, to the slow cooker before cooking.
    • Add fresh thyme leaves to the slow cooker and remove before shredding the beef.
    • Serve plain without the cheese.
    • Serve sandwiches topped with pickled peppers.
    • Butter the rolls before toasting.
  • Nutrition information is an estimate only.

Nutrition

Calories: 624kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 1578mg | Potassium: 654mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 360IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 331mg | Iron: 15mg
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Thanks for visiting! We’re the Gladd family! We love donuts, Disney, LEGO and Jesus. Not in that order, of course. 🙂 Ben shares DIY wood-working projects and Nikki shares delicious recipes. You’ll also find a sprinkling of travel adventures and other family fun ideas!

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