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This juicy, tender top round roast beef is a perfect dish for any holiday celebration, but it’s so simple to make, that you will want to add it into your regular dinner rotation! Perfectly seasoned with a simple herb rub and then quickly cooked on high heat for a brown crust before shifting to low heat–this roast beef will be a hit with the whole family!
This post is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting beef farmers!
A roast beef is a perfect dish for any holiday meal with the people you love. This simple top round roast beef recipe is a simple but tender, juicy and delicious. The family will love this and you will love how easy it is to prepare!
Beef lovers, try these other favorite beef recipes: CrockPot Short Rib Ragu Ground Beef Stuffed Shells, Crock Pot Shredded Beef, or these Crockpot Red Wine Short Ribs.
Why you’ll love this Roast Beef Recipe
This holiday beef recipe is so festive and delicious but honestly it is so incredibly simple to make.
The searing happens in the oven so you don’t have to move it from a skillet to roasting pan–just add the meat, sear, lower heat and cook until your desired doneness!
This top round roast beef recipe is:
- incredibly easy to prepare
- so flavorful, juicy and tender
- budget friendly–top round is a more affordable cut of beef
- rich in protein and 10 essential nutrients including zinc, iron and B vitamins — the stuff we need!
- freezer friendly (hello, leftovers!)
Hoping this delicious holiday dinner recipe becomes a family favorite for you as well!
Ingredient Notes
See full list of ingredients below in recipe card with exact measurements.
- To keep this recipe on the more budget friendly side, we use a top round roast. It is fairly lean, but still has some marbling that will help add juiciness and flavor to your dish. When selecting your piece of meat, look for even thickness if possible, and a bright red color. You also want to see little streaks of white as that is the marbling that will add to the tenderness of the beef. You can use a rump roast, top sirloin or eye of round roast as alternative cuts. When I was testing this recipe, I had a hard time finding a top round roast and now as we near the holidays, they seem to be more readily available.
- For optimal flavor, we use fresh herbs: rosemary and thyme specifically. in this recipe. You can certainly add some chopped oregano or other fresh herbs if you’d like. Dried rosemary and thyme can be used but we prefer the fresh.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Allow the meat to sit out for about 15 minutes to take some of the chill off, for the most even cooking. While it sits, add the olive oil, chopped herbs, sea salt and garlic to a small dish.
Step 2: Whisk the ingredients together.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Pat the top round roast dry with a paper towel. Spread the herb mixture all over the roast, on all sides, massaging and pressing it gently into the meat. (The roast in these images was on the smaller side–sometimes you have to work with what you can find! It cooked faster as it was thinner.)
Step 4: Place the roasting pan with the meat in the oven and allow it to sear for about 12-15 minutes. Lower the heat to 325°F. Continue to roast for approximately 40-60 minutes more, or until about 5°-10°F temperature lower than desired internal temperature is reached as it will continue to rise once removed from the oven: 145°F (medium rare)–remove at about 135°F, 160°F (medium)–remove at about 150°F, 170°F (well done), remove at 160°F. Loosely tent the beef with foil and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before slicing. Prepare the gravy at this time!
Recipe Tips
Use butchers twine to tie up your roast to help make it more even thickness throughout. The cut I used in the images was about the same thickness throughout, so it wasn’t needed but if you have a cut that is much thicker on one end, you will want to use it.
If your cut of beef is thinner than 3 inches in thickness, it will cook at a much quicker rate, so either insert an oven safe thermometer or check regularly with an instant-read thermometer.
Slice beef very thin with a sharp knife, against the grain. This is the ideal way to slice roast beef for the most tender slices. Make sure you let the meat rest as well before slicing.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. We add it to a shallow dish with some of the gravy or a bit of beef broth to help keep the meat moist. You can also freeze for about 3-4 months.
Money-Saving Beef Tips
Beef offers a variety of cuts at different price points, making it easy to find an option that fits both your recipe and your wallet.
- For roasting: Try Top Round, Chuck or Sirloin Tip
- For pan-searing or grilling: Go for affordable favorites like Flank, Skirt or Sirloin.
- For soups, stews or casseroles: Ground Beef and stew meat deliver big flavor at a lower cost.
Visit www.OhioBeef.org, and follow the Ohio Beef Council on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for beef nutrition facts, cooking tips, recipes and to meet Ohio’s beef farming families. Use #OhioBeef to share photos of your favorite beef dishes this season.
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Top Round Roast Beef Recipe
Ingredients
For the Roast Beef
- 3-4 lb top round roast
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves, or about 1-2 tsp dried
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary, or about 1-2 tsp dried rosemary
- ½ tsp ground mustard
- ½-1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cracked pepper
- 1-1½ tsp sea salt, adjust this as desired
Optional Beef Gravy
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 2-3 cups beef broth
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Allow the meat to sit out for about 15 minutes to take some of the chill off, for the most even cooking. While it sits, add the olive oil, chopped herbs, sea salt and garlic to a small dish and whisk together.
- Pat the top round roast dry with a paper towel. Place on the roasting rack in a roasting pan and spread the herb mixture all over the roast, on all sides, massaging and pressing it gently into the meat.
- Place the roasting pan in the oven and allow it to sear for about 12-15 minutes. Lower the heat to 325°F.
- Continue to roast for approximately 40-60* minutes more, or until about 5°-10°F temperature lower than desired internal temperature is reached as it will continue to rise once removed from the oven: 145°F (medium rare)–remove at about 135°F, 160°F (medium)–remove at about 150°F, 170°F (well done), remove at 160°F.
- Loosely tent the beef with foil and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute before slicing.
Optional Beef Gravy
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add in the flour one tablespoon at a time, whisking until smooth.
- Slowly pour in the 2 cups of beef broth and whisk until smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Bring to a boil and allow the mixture to thicken to desired thickness, adding some of the extra broth if needed to thin the gravy out. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over the roast beef.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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