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Easy Top Round Roast Beef Recipe

4.91 from 162 votes
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posted: 12/02/21

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

This Easy Top Round Roast Beef Recipe is going to become a regular in your house after you see how easy it is to make. Our fail proof cooking method leaves you with a flavorful and tender roast that you prepared in five minutes.

easy top round roast beef recipe garnished with fresh herbs and on a plate of caramelized onions

This recipe has become a huge family favorite in the two plus years since it was first published. My kids love how delicious it is and my husband and I love how easy it is to make, which makes it a true winner.

This easy top round roast beef recipe comes together in just five minutes with only five ingredients and that is counting salt and pepper! You will be shocked by how little it takes to make this oven roast beef absolutely delicious.

Reader Review

Absolutely delicious! So easy. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!

front view of whole roast beef recipe on a bed of caramelized onions

How to Cook Roast Beef

The best way to cook a lean roast beef like top round is using a wire rack set in a roasting pan. This is actually key to this recipe because it lets the air circulate around the roast.

I bought my roasting pan (which you can see in the video) for $20 at a local department store and it is a great investment. You can also find one here.

How to Make a Tender Roast Beef in the Oven

In addition to the roasting pan, another key to this recipe is cooking the meat at a high temperature for 15 minutes before turning the heat down for slow roasting. This mimics searing the meat without actually searing it on the stove top. It works amazing!

  1. Season the beef. Rub the top round roast with olive oil. Then rub in the salt and pepper and the crushed garlic.
  2. Place the roast beef in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. This allows air to circulate around the roast, which is what you want.
  3. Start with the oven at 450 degrees. This will sear the outside of the roast beef, given it a nice crisp outside.
  4. After fifteen minutes, reduce the heat to 325. This will let the inside of the roast cook low and slow resulting in a tender roast beef.
  5. Use an oven proof thermometer to keep an eye on the internal temperature. Remove the top round roast right around 135 degrees for a nice medium rare roast like what you see pictured here. (See below for other temperatures to remove the roast at for different levels of doneness.)
  6. Remove the roast and tent it with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes. This will prevent the juices from running out when you slice it.
  7. Thinnly slice the roast beef against the grain.

Using an Instant Read Thermometer

I can’t recommend investing in an instant read thermometer enough. While I can give you a general idea of how long this will need to cook, because the thickness of a top round roast varies greatly, the time it takes to hit 135 will also vary greatly.

I love this instant read thermometer. You can poke the roast as many times as you need until the middle reaches 135. This instant read thermometer has been recommended to me by readers as one that you can leave in the roast inside the oven.

What Temperature is Beef Done?

I recommend pulling this recipe out of the oven at 135 for the medium rare you see here. If you would like the beef more rare, pull it out at 125. Pull it out at 145 for medium, and 155 for medium well. I don’t recommend cooking it past 155.

overhead view of sliced roast beef recipe in a cast iron skillet with caramelized onions

What is Top Round Roast

Top Round Roasts come from the back end of the cow and are an extremely lean cut of beef. It is sometimes labeled London Broil, which is a bit of a misnomer as that refers to the type of cooking, not the cut of meat.

The leanness of this cut of meat is the reason that it needs to be cooked low and slow as we are doing here. Additionally, you want to cut the meat into very thin slices to enjoy it more, even thinner than you see here.

Roast Beef Left Overs

Assuming you have top round roast beef left overs, though I would not be surprised if you don’t have any, there are so many great ways that you can eat it.

Storing

This roast can be kept in the refrigerator in an air tight container for three to four days.

Reheating

  1. Slice the entire roast before storing it.
  2. Put the sliced pieces in a 9×13 baking dish covered with tin foil.
  3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Put the meat in and turn off the heat.
  5. Warm in the oven for 15 minutes and then enjoy the left overs.

What to do with Leftover Roast Beef

  • Make a Roast Beef Sandwich. Layer the reheated thin slices on a French baguette, top with provolone cheese and put it under the broiler until the cheese is melted, watching it closely. Take it up a notch by adding horseradish sauce.
  • Make a Steak Salad. This roast beef is perfect on a simple green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and red peppers with some ranch dressing. It would also be amazing on this strawberry spinach salad. It would also be a great way to turn my Caesar Salad into a full meal.
  • Use it to make my Philly Cheesesteak Baked Tacos or my Philly Cheesesteak Cassserole.
easy roast beef in a cast iron skillet with caramelized onions

What to Serve with Top Round Roast Beef

There are so many great sides that would go with this roast beef!

If you make this easy top round roast beef recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

top round roast beef recipe on a white plate
easy top round roast beef recipe garnished with fresh herbs and on a plate of caramelized onions
4.91 from 162 votes

Easy Top Round Roast Beef Recipe

Serves: 6 people
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
This Easy Top Round Roast Beef Recipe is going to become a regular in your house after you see how easy it is to make. Our fail proof cooking method leaves you with a flavorful and tender roast that you prepared in five minutes.

Ingredients

  • 3 pound top round roast
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic minced

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Fit a rack in a roasting pan and set aside.
  • Rub the top round roast with the olive oil.  Then spread the salt, black pepper and garlic over it. Do your best to cover not only the top and bottom but the sides.
  • Place the seasoned roast on the rack in roasting pan.  Roast (uncovered) in the oven for 15 minutes.  Then reduce the heat to 325.  Roast for another 45 to 60 minutes or until the a thermometer reads between 135 and 140. Please note that roasts that are less than 3 inches thick will take less time to roast. I highly recommend investing in an instant read thermometer so you know the exact moment to pull it out of the oven.
  • Remove from the oven, loosely tent with foil, and allow the roast to rest for 10 minutes.  Slice thin, and enjoy. See post for details about reheating and left over ideas.
Calories: 384kcal (19%) Carbohydrates: 1g Protein: 50g (100%) Fat: 20g (31%) Saturated Fat: 7g (44%) Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 150mg (50%) Sodium: 701mg (30%) Potassium: 21mg (1%) Vitamin A: 100IU (2%) Vitamin C: 2.5mg (3%) Calcium: 10mg (1%) Iron: 3.8mg (21%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
easy top round roast beef recipe garnished with fresh herbs and on a plate of caramelized onions

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Easy Top Round Roast Beef Recipe

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Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. Lexe says

    This turned out AMAZING! We put like six cloves of garlic on it haha and I didn’t have a roasting pan but a rack and cookie sheet worked just fine!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it!

  2. Mary says

    First time doing one of these roast. Am I supposed to cover for the last 45 to 60 minutes?

    • Lisa Longley says

      Nope! No need to cover.

  3. Dj doodle says

    5 stars
    Genius! It really turned out just as expected. I feel like I cracked a code to round roast.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it!

  4. Janet says

    5 stars
    This was perfect!! Thank you for a keeper!!

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad that you liked it!

  5. Tracey says

    Do you put on center rack or the on below it? Once in the over there is about 3-4” away from the heating element.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I put it on the middle rack in our oven, but use your best judgment. If your heating element tends to really brown meat that is too close to it, then I would use the lower rack. I hope you enjoy this!

  6. Starving says

    Recipe looks fine as described.

    Damn shame that THE VIDEO WILL NOT PLAY PROPERLY.

    Of course the commercials play fine, audio & video. BUT THE RECIPE VIDEO EITHER REFUSES TO PLAY, OR PLAYS WITH ZERO AUDIO.

    And yes, I’ve checked my settings.

    BOOOOOO.

    • Lisa Longley says

      This video doesn’t actually have audio. I hope that helps. :)

  7. Mario says

    I’ve made this recipe in the past – so Simple yet Fantastic reviews from my family! Do you have a guide for larger roast? I’m planning on this method for a dinner party tonight – 5lb or 6lb roast.

    • Lisa Longley says

      Hi Mario! The tricky thing with this cut of meat is that it is the thickness of the cut that changes the cooking time, less so than the actual weight of the cut. Does that make sense? We’ve gotten 3 pound roasts that were super thin and took much less time than a 2 pound roast that was cut more thickly. My best guess is that after you turn the heat down, it is going to take about 90 minutes to be done. But you will absolutely want to use a thermometer that you can leave in the meat.

  8. Rhonda C says

    5 stars
    Excellent flavor! I am using it as you suggested for LO’s – steak salad and steak sandwich to take for lunch.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it!

  9. Sonja says

    Had this for dinner today. So easy I could even make it. My husband and granddaughter loved it. Thanks for sharing.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad you liked it!

  10. Cheryl Woody says

    5 stars
    I made this roast last night. All of my family loved it, and it was so easy to make. This will be a regular at our house. Thank you for sharing it.

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad that you liked it, Cheryl!

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