Eye of Round Roast Beef - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

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Tender, juicy Eye of Round Roast Beef with garlic rosemary crust is a delicious dinner.

Eye of Round Roast Beef - CopyKat Recipes (1)

A flavorful mix of seasonings and the right cooking approach create this wonderfully tender eye of round roast beef. This is a meal that’s special for a holiday but also economical enough to serve any day of the week!

People often think of beef tenderloin or prime rib when it comes to tender roasted beef. But you’ve really got something special when you can create a juicy, tender roast with an inexpensive cut like the eye of round!

Table of Contents

What Is an Eye of Round Roast?

An eye of round is a lean, flavorful cut. It comes from the hindquarters or “round” of the cow. This area is involved in a lot of activity which produces beef that is leaner and less tender than cuts of meat that cost more. However, the eye of round is a great choice if you cook on a budget. It can be roasted to tender, juicy perfection if you know how to cook it properly. The trick is to keep an eye on the internal temperature and the “resting” part.

How to Choose a Good Eye of Round Roast

Ideally, buy your roast from a butcher. And avoid buying meat that’s vacuum-packed or covered with cling film. Meat sweats, and it needs air to stay in prime condition and age properly.

A good piece of beef should be dry to the touch and smell slightly sweet. Unless it has just been cut, the meat should not be colored bright red. (Bright red implies that the meat has been held in oxygen-free surroundings.) Eye of round is a lean cut, so you shouldn’t see much visible marbling.

Eye of Round Roast Cooking Time: How Long Should You Roast an Eye of Round?

For a 2-1/2lb medium-rare roast, roast for 15 minutes at 450°F. Then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and cook for approximately 70 minutes until the roast reaches medium-rare (125-130°F). For more guidance with respect to different weights of beef and more doneness, click on this link.

Is it Better to Cook a Roast Covered or Uncovered?

Do not cover the roast or add water or some other liquid. Covering the roast will result in more steaming than roasting.

Seasoning Your Roast

This recipe uses rosemary leaves, salt, and garlic. If you don’t like the taste of rosemary, you could try marjoram. It’s a little “woodsy,” like oregano, but sweeter and milder. Or, if you like thyme (which is excellent with beef), you could just double the herb amount. The flavor won’t be as complex, but it will still be delish.

Why You Should Tent Your Roast Before Carving

The reason to rest meat after roasting is simple: if you cut into it immediately, the juices inside run out, leaving you with a tougher and less flavorful piece of meat. Using aluminum foil to loosely tent your roast helps to retain some of the heat.

Best Tips for Carving an Eye of Round Roast

  • Let the roast rest for about 20 minutes before carving. This keeps the juices intact.
  • Use a sharp carving knife with a smooth slicing motion. If you use an electric knife, guide the blades and bear down lightly.
  • A carving fork will allow you to keep the roast steady and carve safely.
  • If necessary, slice off some meat from the roast’s backside to enable it to sit flat on your cutting board.
  • Carve only the number of slices you need for the meal to help keep the remaining portion juicy. Thicker slices will retain moisture and hold in juice.
  • Always carveagainst the grain for maximum tenderness.

How Much Roast Beef Do You Need?

When the roast beef is the meal’s star and is served with just a few sides, plan for 1/2 pound per person. However, leftovers are delicious to make sandwiches with.

Eye of Round Roast

This roast beef recipe allows you to indulge in a roast beef dinner anytime you get that craving.

Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Eye of round roast
  • Fresh rosemary leaves
  • Kosher salt
  • Garlic
  • Olive oil
Eye of Round Roast Beef - CopyKat Recipes (2)

How to Cook Eye of Round Roast

  1. Place rosemary, salt, garlic, and olive oil in a mortar and pestle or food processor.
  2. Mash or pulse until a paste is formed.
    Eye of Round Roast Beef - CopyKat Recipes (3)
  3. Place the roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan or on top of potatoes, carrots, and onions in the roasting pan.
  4. Season the roast with salt and pepper.
  5. Spread the paste on the roast.
    Eye of Round Roast Beef - CopyKat Recipes (4)
  6. Roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
  7. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
  8. Cook approximately 70 minutes, until the roast reaches medium-rare (internal temperature of 125 to 130 degrees).
  9. Remove the roast from the oven.
  10. Tent the roast loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
  11. Carve the roast against the grain.
Eye of Round Roast Beef - CopyKat Recipes (5)

How to Make Perfect Roast Beef Gravy

  1. After slicing the roast, pour those precious juices that have accumulated on your cutting board into the roasting pan with the rest of the drippings.
  2. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and add the red wine. Whisk for several minutes to cook off some of the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
  3. Add the beef broth.
  4. Add a paste made with the flour and softened butter. Vigorously whisk until the butter mixture has completely melted.
  5. Add a little browning sauce and bring to a low boil. Lower the heat as needed to keep a low simmer until the gravy thickens, whisking occasionally. Serve in a gravy boat.

Love roast beef? Try these recipes!

  • Boneless Prime Rib Roast
  • How to Cook a Chuck Roast in the Oven
  • Mushroom Pot Roast
  • NY Strip Roast
  • Oven Brisket
  • Perfect Pot Roast
  • Pressure Cooker Roast
  • Roasted Beef Tenderloin
  • Stove Top Pot Roast

Favorite Main Dish Recipes

  • Baked Chicken Quarters
  • Baked Pork Loin
  • Instant Pot Pork Loin
  • Turkey Drumsticks

Check out more of my easy beef recipes and the best recipes for dinner here on CopyKat!

Eye of Round Roast

Tender and juicy eye of round roast with garlic rosemary crust is a delicious dinner.

5 from 8 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Eye of Round Roast

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 310kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

  • pounds eye of round roast
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.

  • Place rosemary leaves, salt, garlic, and olive oil in a mortar and pestle or food processor.

  • Mash or pulse until a paste is formed.

  • Place the roast in a shallow roasting pan fitted with a rack or on top of potatoes, carrots, and onions in a roasting pan.

  • Season the roast with salt and pepper.

  • Spread the paste on the roast.

  • Roast for 15 minutes.

  • Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

  • Cook approximately 70 minutes, until the roast reaches medium-rare (125-130°F).

  • Remove the roast from the oven.

  • Tent the roast loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.

  • Carve the roast thinly against the grain.

Nutrition

Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 882mg | Potassium: 655mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 4mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karen

    How do you cook eye of round roast in instant pot? Same as the regular instant pot recipe that you shared?

    Reply

    • Stephanie Manley

      Yes, it should work the same.

      Reply

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Eye of Round Roast Beef - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook eye of the round so it is not tough? ›

This cut of beef is tougher than others, so following a steak recipe and using cooking methods that allow for long, slow cooking times work best for eye of round steak. Slow-cooking, braising, and cooking sous vide are some of the best cooking methods for eye of round steak.

Is eye of the round good for roast beef? ›

A lean, flavorful cut often used for roast beef at the deli. Can be roasted or slow-cooked at home for an everyday meal. Roast cut from the elongated muscle located in the center of the Round, thus the name “Eye.”

Is eye of round roast the same as chuck roast? ›

Chuck pot roasts have more fat, and therefore more flavor, than those from the round. Beef round roasts suitable for pot roasting are round tip, round rump, bottom round and eye round roasts. Most beef round and chuck pot roasts can be used interchangeably, with only slight adjustments in cooking time.

How do I cook a beef roast without drying it out? ›

When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

What is the best cooking method for eye round steak? ›

The beef eye of round steak is great for grilling, baking, slow cooking, and broiling. Sous vide is also one of our favorite ways to cook this steak cut.

How do you tenderize beef eye round steak? ›

7 Ways to Tenderize Steak
  1. Pounding. Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. ...
  2. Salting. Most cuts of steak benefit from being salted up to an hour in advance of cooking, but especially tougher cuts. ...
  3. Marinating. ...
  4. Velveting. ...
  5. Slow Cooking. ...
  6. Enzymatic Application. ...
  7. Scoring.
Oct 18, 2022

What is eye of round roast best used for? ›

Eye of round steak is a lean, boneless cut of beef from the back leg of the cow that is a great value for the money. It's a versatile cut, most suitable for pot-roasting, slow-cooking, stewing or braising to ensure the beef becomes tender and juicy, with tons of flavor.

How long do you cook eye of the round? ›

Preheat oven to 450°F232°C. Place roast in a shallow roasting pan fitted with a rack and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 325°F163°C. Cook approximately 70 minutes, until roast reaches medium rare (125-130°F52-55°C).

How long do you cook an eye of the round at 325 degrees? ›

Bake, tightly covered, at 325 degrees for 3 hours and 30 minutes or until tender.

Does round roast get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

Essential Tips for a Tender Top Round Roast

More specifically, we mean to cook it using low heat and over a long period, both of which work together to break down fat and tenderize the meat.

What cut of beef is best for Sunday roast? ›

For roasts, the best cuts include rib (on the bone or boned and rolled), sirloin, top rump and fillet. For quick cooking, try fillet, entrecôte, rib eye, sirloin or rump steaks. Brisket, topside and silverside are good for pot roasts, and stewing and braising steak are good for stews and casseroles.

What is another name for the eye of round roast? ›

Eye Round Roast/Steak or Eye of the Round: A boneless roast that looks like tenderloin, but it is much tougher. Used as a roast or cut into steaks. Steaks cut from the roast are used in stews or processed into cube steak. Also called breakfast steak, wafer steak, sandiwch steak, minute steak.

Do you put water in the pan when cooking roast beef? ›

How to Roast Beef Like a Pro. Don't crowd your meat in the pan – leaving some space around and under the meat allows it to heat evenly. To give your meat a flavourful crispy exterior, cook uncovered on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan. Don't add water!

Should I put water in my roasting pan? ›

"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."

Why is my round roast tough? ›

Because round roast is cut from the hind legs of the animal where muscles are worked a great deal, the meat is very lean and tough. This means that it needs to be slow-cooked so that the beef is enjoyable and not too chewy. A round roast is popularly used for serving deli roast beef; cut into very thin slices.

Why is my eye of round roast dry? ›

Test the eye of round roast for doneness with a meat thermometer, and remove when the internal temperature reaches 130°F to 135°F. If overcooked it becomes tough and dry.

Should I brine my eye of round roast? ›

Brining is the secret to a tender and juicy eye of round roast. The overnight soak infuses flavor and keeps moisture in while roasting.

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