How to cook Beef Eye of Round Roast (Recipe + Tips)
This really is the perfect Eye of Round Roast! This lean cut of beef is cooked slow and steady for a tender and juicy middle with a crispy browned exterior. Ready in under an hour!
Melt in your mouth Eye Round Roast
Oftentimes, people ask us how we cook our beef recipes. We usually reply with “salt, pepper, and fat.” And this Perfect Eye of Round Roast is no different. Since good beef already has tons of flavor in it, we’re keeping this recipe simple, with just a few extra ingredients for a little oomph!
This easy-to-make, affordable roast is guaranteed to be a show-stopper. A perfect medium-rare center, a flavorful brown outer layer, and so much flavor!
The Cut: What Is Eye of Round Roast?
Eye of round roast is one of the more budget-friendly beef cuts that comes from the hindquarters, aka the round, hindquarters of the cow. Without much fat, it’s a lean roast that has a good beef flavor, like this Smoked Chuck Roast.
Is it a good cut of beef? Oh, it’s one of our favorites. It’s a flavorful cut with a rich beef taste begging to be turned into classic delicious roast beef. But we feel it gets a bad rap.
Since eye of round roast comes from a core muscle, it’s lean and can be tough when not cooked properly, similar to the way Flank Steak really loves a good marinade to be enjoyed. However, using this foolproof recipe for an oven-roasted method, you can turn eye of round into a perfect roast beef dinner with great flavor, like this Herb Rubbed Top Round Roast Beef! And even better, for amazing lunch meat sandwiches all week long.
The key here is making sure not to cook it past 135 degrees F to retain the perfect juicy medium rare center.
Beef Eye Round Roast Ingredients
- Eye of the Round Roast – You’ll need a 3-pound eye of round roast for this recipe.
- Seasonings – I use a simple blend of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and my Oomami Rub.
- Stew Meat – You’ll cook the stew meat right in the pan with the roast, then strain it to make flavorful beef gravy.
- Onion, Carrot, and fresh Garlic – roasted with the meat to create a flavor base for the gravy.
- Beef Broth – You’ll use beef broth to deglaze the pan as you make the au jus for the roast. We always use low-sodium beef broth.
How to cook Eye of Round Roast
1. Prep the Beef
Bring the meat to room temperature, pat it dry, then season the whole thing all over with salt, pepper, and Oomami Rub.
In a shallow roasting pan or Dutch oven, arrange the stew meat, carrots, onion, and garlic. Add the eye roast to the top of the meat and veggies.
2. Roast the Beef
Roast the beef at 450ºF for 30 minutes uncovered in the preheated oven. Without opening the oven, turn the heat down to 300ºF and cook for 10 minutes longer.
Remove the beef from the oven, remove the roast from the pan, tent it in foil, and rest it for 20 minutes. As always, make sure to temp the roast with an instant-read thermometer to make sure it’s reached an internal temperature of 125-130 degrees F (for rare).
3. Make the Au Jus
While the roast rests, make the au jus with the stew meat and veggies. First, deglaze the pan with beef broth. Cook down until the broth has caramelized. Remove any fat from the surface and repeat the steps two more times. Deglaze once more, whisk everything together, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a serving dish.
4. Carve the Beef And serve
Right before serving, carve just what you intend to serve into thin slices of beef no more than 1/2″ thick.
Serve the au jus over the finished roast, then devour!
Round Roast Recipe Tips
For this lean cut, oven-roasting is the ideal solution. The slow and constant heat allows the outside to become browned while the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees F without drying out.
What to serve with Eye of the Round Roast
Serve up this juicy roast with some of our favorite side dishes like
How to store Eye of Round Roast
Leftover eye of round roast will last in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, slice thin portions as needed and warm on low in the oven until heated through.
Leftover Eye of Round Roast Recipes:
What to make with leftovers? Shave the beef for roast beef sandwiches, French Dips, and more!
Beef Eye of Round Roast Recipe FAQs
While this depends on the size of your roast, the 3-pound beef eye of round roast we used in this recipe took a total of just 40 minutes to cook!
This roast beef recipe starts off using a high temperature, then drops the heat to finish it off. This simulates pan-searing without ever having to pull the meat from the oven. You cook for 30 minutes at 450ºF, then finish it off with ten more minutes at 300ºF.
It’s the simplicity of this recipe that makes it the best way to cook this timeless beef roast. Nothing fancy, just salt, pepper, and fat – and a little added oomph from our umami powder! Then watching the temps of the roast with an instant read thermometer for a tender eye of round roast beef every time!
There are a couple of things you can do to make sure that your eye of round roast reaches ultimate juicy tenderness:
Bring it to room temperature. We recommend setting the eye of round out on the counter about 30 minutes before you cook it. Room-temperature meat cooks more evenly!
Cook slowly and steadily. We are looking to create that perfect outer texture with a tender middle with this cut of meat. Cooking a roast too hot or too fast results in tough, dry meat. Slow and steady achieves that perfectly tender roast beef every time.
Check the temp. Since eye of round roast is lean meat, it can dry out quickly. The only way you can be certain that your roast is perfect is to use a digital thermometer. It should be cooked to a perfect 130 degrees F.
Rest the meat. Once the meat is done cooking, let it sit to rest for 20 minutes before carving it into thin slices. This gives the moisture time to redistribute throughout. If you cut into it too soon, that flavorful juice will run out, and your meat will be dry.
Carve against the grain. Slicing the meat against the grain shortens the long, tough muscle fibers, making them easier to chew.
Carve only what you’ll serve. Once the eye of round roast is sliced, it will dry out more quickly. When you do cut into it, we recommend only cutting off what you’re going to serve immediately, sliced thin for the most tender bite. That way if you have leftovers, they stay nice and juicy!
Once you master this classic oven roast beef, try our pork belly porchetta recipe for even more flavor!
More Delicious Roast Recipes
With this Eye of Round Roast recipe, you can turn an inexpensive cut of meat into a juicy masterpiece! Cooked to perfection at a low and slow temperature, this pot roast cuts like butter and will impress even the pickiest of eaters. If you try this recipe, please rate the recipe card and leave a comment below to help out the next reader!
Are you looking for the perfect Eye of Round Roast recipe? A no-fail, guaranteed medium-rare slice of red meat? This is it. And it’s simple, just the way good beef should be. All about the meat. No filler.
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Roast the Beef
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Cook for 30 minutes, uncovered.
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Without opening the oven, turn down the heat to 300 and cook for 10 minutes longer, or until the beef temps 130 internally.
Deglaze the Pan
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Meanwhile, make the au jus with the stew meat and veggies in the pan.
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Place the roasting pan over high heat on the stove top and deglaze the pan with 1 cup beef broth, scraping up any browned bits.
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Cook down until the broth has caramelized into a crusty layer.
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With a slotted spoon, remove any fat from the surface and repeat the steps two more times.
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Finally, deglaze the pan with the one remaining cup and dissolve the crust, whisking everything together.
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Strain the au jus through a fine mesh strainer into a serving dish.
I recently updated this recipe with Ooomami rub, which adds extra beefy flavor to the dish – and Umami based mushroom powder will do or you can omit
Store leftovers wrapped tightly in foil in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Slice off thin portions as needed to reheat.
Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 483mg | Potassium: 302mg | Vitamin A: 1275IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1.4mg
