This French dip sandwich recipe is our absolute favorite! Just the smell alone is amazing, but it’s also awesome because it’s made in the slow cooker (or Instant Pot). The meat is so tender it just falls apart and melts in your mouth.

French dip sandwiches are a comfort food at its finest. They are also great for feeding a crowd because they are always a hit and they are super easy to scale up!

An opened French dip sandwich on a plate. The cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. There is a bowl of sauce and another sandwich in the background.

Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches

Seriously? Had I really forgotten all about french dip sandwiches? I’m not even exaggerating. Beef dip sandwiches are something that I haven’t had a lot of, but the few I’ve had were always made with sliced roast beef or deli slices. Not my style. This time I kicked things up a notch with a slow cooker french dip sandwich recipe.

I think that’s probably why I never thought french dip sandwiches were worth remembering. This french dip sandwich, though, it’s killer! It kind of reminds me of our famous pot roast sandwich, but man that au jus is seriously wonderful.

A while back I said I needed to use some beef broth and posted about what to make on Facebook. One reader suggested french dips! Aha! Genius. I was hooked on the idea, but I knew I wanted to make fresh bread and I wanted it to be good, tender, moist roast beef and nothing from the deli. I set out to make it and let me tell you, DELICIOUS!

The pot roast just falls apart in the slow cooker and it makes the most amazing au jus for dipping. The secret to a tender, juicy pot roast is to let it cook low and slow. You can actually use your Instant Pot to really speed things up, so I’ll add notes in for that as well.

But the real winner isn’t just the meat, it’s the combination of the meat, the HOMEMADE HOAGIES, yes homemade, and the au jus for dipping so don’t try to cut any corners. We added a little cheese to this version because why not?!

French Dip Sandwiches Ingredients

To make the BEST french dip sandwich recipe, you need surprisingly few ingredients. Here’s what all we put into this Crockpot french dip sandwich recipe:

  • Tri Tip: Wait for a good sale and get tri tip if you can! Chuck roast or rump roast will be your best substitutes.
  • Soy Sauce: adds flavor
  • Beef Broth: helps cook the beef and becomes the base for the au jus
  • Bay Leaf: adds flavor to the beef
  • Dried Spices: Black Pepper, Rosemary, Thyme and Garlic Powder
  • Hoagie Rolls: You can get store-bought rolls or make your own and I HIGHLY recommend making them from scratch. You’ll need: warm water, instant yeast, granulated sugar, honey, all-purpose flour, salt, unsalted butter, egg white and milk.
  • Swiss Cheese: Provolone would be a great substitute if you aren’t a Swiss cheese fan.

Jump down to the recipe card for all the measurements for each ingredient.

A French dip sandwich. The sandwich is on a hoagie roll and there is beef and melted cheese. The sandwich is on a plate and a blue and white napkin is under the plate.

How to Make French Dip Sandwiches

This french dip sandwich recipe couldn’t be simpler since your Crockpot does all the hard work. Here are the basic steps to making slow cooker french dip sandwiches:

  1. Add all the ingredients to a Crockpot.
  2. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours.
  3. Uncover, then shred the meat with two forks.
  4. Pop the lid back onto the Crockpot and let the shredded meat cook for another hour.
  5. Distribute the meat between the hoagie rolls and top with Swiss cheese.
  6. Place sandwiches under the broiler to get melty cheese, then enjoy!
  7. Pour the leftover juices into small bowls for everyone to dip their sandwiches into.

Keep scrolling to the end of the post to the recipe card. You can print or save the recipe there.

Watch This Short Video to See How They are Made…

Can I Make Instant Pot French Dip Sandwiches?

Yes, very easily! Here’s how to make this Crockpot french dip sandwich recipe in an Instant Pot:

  1. Follow steps 1 and 2 in the recipe card as listed in the instructions, then place the lid on the Instant pot with the steam valve closed.
  2. Switch Instant Pot setting to “manual” and set for 70 minutes on “high” pressure.
  3. Once finished cooking, do a quick release.
  4. Remove the roast from Instant Pot, and proceed with steps 4-8 of the instructions in the recipe card.
A French dip sandwich on a white plate. The cheese is melted over the beef. Another sandwich is in the background and two hoagie rolls are sitting on the table.

What Kind of Meat Should Be Used for French Dip Sandwiches?

We’ve tried them all, and our favorite by far is tri tip! The flavor is so beefy and it soaks in the flavor of the soy sauce and spices so well. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

If you can’t find tri tip, or it is just too pricey, chuck or rump roasts also work great.

Tips for Making the Best French Dip Sandwiches

After the meat has been shredded and distributed among the hoagie buns, make sure to save the liquid the meat cooked in! You can dunk the french dip sandwiches into the juices. If desired, strain the juices through a fine mesh strainer to filter out any bits of dried spices.

We like our french dip sandwiches with Swiss cheese, but you’re welcome to use provolone cheese as well. Both are tasty options.

Lastly, if you wind up with leftovers, you can easily freeze the shredded meat and enjoy it later. It can be used to make more sandwiches, or it can be used in soups and stews.

Storing and Reheating

Leftover french dip meat should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for 4-5 days. If a sandwich has been assembled, it won’t store well unfortunately. The bread will get soggy quickly. I would save the meat and ditch the bread.

I prefer to reheat leftovers in a saucepan on the stovetop. Add leftover au jus if you have it or a little beef stock to keep the meat nice and juicy. Then assemble the sandwiches as written in the recipe card.

A French dip sandwich on a white plate. The sandwich is toasted and the cheese is melted over the meat. Another sandwich is in the background, and a hoagie roll is next to the sandwich.

Slow cookers sure make life easy, but they also make life delicious! When you make this slow cooker french dip sandwich recipe, your house smells like heaven and the whole family is going to be dying for you to say that dinner is ready! Oh, and don’t skip the au jus!

More Slow Cooker Recipes:

French Dip Sandwiches

4.40 from 41 votes
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes

Description

This french dip sandwich recipe is our absolute favorite! Just the smell alone is amazing, but it's also awesome because it's made in the slow cooker.

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 3 Pound Tri Tip
  • 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 1 Can Beef Broth, 15 oz
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Rosemary, dried
  • 1 teaspoon Thyme, dried
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 8 Hoagie Rolls
  • Swiss Cheese Slices

Instructions

  • Remove and discard the fat from the roast. Place the trimmed roast in a crockpot on low.
    3 Pound Tri Tip
  • In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, beef broth, bay leaf, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Pour mixture over the roast.
    1/2 Cup Soy Sauce, 1 Can Beef Broth, 1 Bay Leaf, 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Rosemary, 1 teaspoon Thyme, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • Cover, and cook on Low heat for 8 hours.
  • Take the meat out and shred it, then let it cook 1-2 hours more, or until meat is very tender.
  • Remove meat from broth, reserving the broth.
  • Distribute the meat on hoagies and top with swiss cheese.
    8 Hoagie Rolls, Swiss Cheese Slices
  • Place under a broiler until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.
  • Use reserved broth for dipping!

Notes

To Cook in an Instant Pot: Place lid on Instant pot with steam valve closed. Switch Instant Pot setting to “manual” and set for 70 minutes on “high” pressure. Once finished cooking, do a quick release. Remove from roast from instant pot, and proceed with the recipe.
To reheat, wrap sandwiches in foil and heat for 7-10 minutes in the oven.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwichCalories: 455kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 43gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 1395mgPotassium: 614mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 14IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 14mg
Author: Carrian Cheney
Course: 100 + BEST Easy Beef Recipes for Dinner
Cuisine: American