Eye Round Roast: the simple recipe for a tender beef roast

Who doesn't love a perfectly cooked roast? Eye round roast is a tasty, inexpensive way to enjoy roast beef whenever you want. This simple recipe yields a juicy, tender roast that's seasoned with herbs and spices and an incredible homemade gravy using the beef drippings.

Eye of round roast is an amazing dish for family dinners or holiday lunches. It's a low effort meal that gives fantastic results. You'll make this delicious roast beef again and again!

What is Eye of Round?

Eye of round is an inexpensive beef cut that comes from the hindquarters of a cow. It's leaner than other beef cuts, but still has plenty of flavor, which means it's great for making juicy, tender roast beef.

How to Make Eye of Round Roast

Making a beautiful, delicious roast beef from an eye of round is incredibly easy. All you have to do is gently massage the meat with olive oil and rub in the seasonings to infuse the meat with flavor. Then simply place it on a wire rack over a baking dish and roast it for about an hour or so. Then comes the fun part – making the gravy from the beef drippings. First, combine the butter and flour to make a roux. This will help thicken up your gravy. Next, deglaze the roasting tray with red wine, then add in the roux and some beef broth. Whisk well and let it simmer gently on the stovetop to thicken. After a few minutes, pour the gravy into a gravy boat and serve it with your eye of round roast.

Cooking Temperature for Eye of Round Roast

The key to a successful juicy roast is to cook it at a high temperature for a short amount of time, then to cook it at a lower temperature over a longer period. Start by cooking it for 15 minutes at 500°F, then lower the temperature to 300°F and cook it for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on how done you prefer your roast.

How to Make Gravy for Eye of Round Roast

Using the beef drippings from the roast will give your gravy an exceptional flavor. Heat the roasting pan over medium heat and deglaze the pan with red wine. Add in beef gravy, butter, and flour to thicken it, and simmer it for a few minutes until it takes on a gravy-like texture. You can add a little extra salt and pepper if you want, but there's so much flavor in the drippings, you shouldn't need much extra seasoning.

Tips for Making the Best Eye Round Roast

Use an instant-read meat thermometer to know when your roast is done. Medium rare is ideal as it yields the most tender roast. For medium-rare, it should read 135°F.

Let the roast rest at room temperature for about an hour before you plan on cooking it.

Pat the beef dry with towels before rubbing it with olive oil and the herb seasoning. This will help it stick better.

Make sure to place the eye of round with the fat side up when roasting it. This will help it to stay moist, juicy, and tender.

You can also cook your eye of round in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. In a slow cooker, cook it for 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high. In an Instant Pot, set it to the low heat and cook for 5 minutes, making sure you also press the keep warm button. Then leave the roast in the pot on the keep warm setting for another 35 to 45 minutes, or until it reaches 135°F.

For ultra-tender roast beef, cook it sous vide. Set the sous vide machine to your preferred doneness, let the water heat up, then vacuum seal the beef after you've seasoned it. Cook it for 18 to 24 hours, then remove it from the vacuum-sealed bag and sear it on each side.

When cutting your roast beef, cut it against the grain.

What to Serve with Eye of Round Roast

Just about any side dish goes well with roast beef. Mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, roasted vegetables, cauliflower rice, dinner rolls, pasta salad… the list goes on! Use leftover roast beef for sandwiches with mustard, sauerkraut, and pickles.

How to Store and Freeze Eye of Round Roast 

Roast beef lasts 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Cooked eye of round roasts lasts 2 to 3 months in the freezer. It can be thawed in the fridge overnight when you're ready to enjoy it again. To reheat eye of round roast, wrap the roast in foil and bake it in at 250°F. Heat it until the internal temperature reaches 120°F, about 1 hour.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 500°F.

Whisk the ingredients for the seasoning rub in a small bowl.

Pat the eye of round dry with paper towels.

Massage olive oil into its surface.

Coat the roast with the seasoning mix.

Put it on the rack of a roasting pan, then roast for 15 minutes until browned. Lower the temperature to 300°F and cook for 40 to 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and loosely cover with foil. Rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing.

When slicing the roast, cut it against the grain.

To make the gravy, beat flour and butter together.

Pour the drippings from the roast into a pan. Heat over medium heat.

Pour in the red wine. Deglaze the pan, then add in the beef broth and butter mixture.

Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Serve the eye round roast with the gravy and some vegetables.

Notes

Use a dry red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Syrah.