Easy Top Round Roast Beef (2024)

Published: Dec 14, 2023 by Chef Ryan Littley. This post includes affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

5 from 2 votes

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My easy Top Round Roast Beef recipe is perfect for a special occasion or a Sunday dinner. This lean cut of beef cooks into a tender and flavorful roast that your whole family will love!

My top round roast beef is the perfect roast for dinner, served with mashed potatoes and green beans or as a hot roast beef sandwich served with a tangy horseradish sauce.

Serve this delicious tender beef with au jus or beef gravy. My easy recipe is guaranteed to become your go-to recipe for beef roast.

If you love a good roast beef, make sure to check out my Garlic Herb Bottom Round Roast and Prime Rib Roast (Standing Rib Roast).

Table of Contents:

Ingredients to make Top Round Roast Beef

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Easy Top Round Roast Beef. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

*I like using fresh herbs to make this recipe, but you can also use dried herbs, including garlic powder instead of the fresh chopped garlic.

How to make Top Round Roast Beef

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and set the oven rack in the center of the oven.
Fit a wire rack in a roasting pan and set aside until needed.

Add the chopped garlic, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, cracked black pepper, kosher salt, dried oregano, and dry mustard to a small bowl.
Mix the seasonings together to combine.

Pat the roast dry with paper towels, then rub the olive oil over the entire surface of the beef.
Rub the seasoning mixture on the top, bottom, and sides. Let the roast sit for 20-30 minutes to come to room temperature before placing it in the oven. This will help the meat cook more evenly.
Place the seasoned roast on the rack in a roasting pan, then place the roast uncovered on the center rack of the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. and continue to cook for another 45 to 60 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast reads between 125 and 130 degrees F.

Use a meat thermometer or instant read thermometer to check on the internal temperature of the roast.

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Remove the beef from the oven and loosely tent it with aluminum foil.
Let the roast rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing to give the juices time to redistribute into the beef.

While the beef is resting, add a cup of water to the pan drippings in the roasting pan and place it on the stove to heat back up. Use a heavy spoon to scrape all the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Strain the au jus and keep warm until ready to serve the beef.

*If you need more au jus add a little beef broth to the pan. You can also add red wine to the pan for a more flavorful au jus.

This tender and delicious top round roast beef will make the meat eaters in your family very happy. It’s also a great dish for game day or to make a week night a special occasion.

Store any leftover roast beef in an airtight container for 4-5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

Recipe FAQs

What is a top round roast?

A top round roast beef is cut from the inside of the hind leg of a steer. It’s a lean cut of beef that is typically boneless and can be roasted to make a delicious and tender roast. This is the same part of the steer that a London broil comes from.

What is a top round roast good for?

This beef roast is most commonly used fordeli roast beef. As far as inexpensive cuts of beef go, this lean cut of meat is packed with flavor, and since this muscle isn’t as heavily worked as other parts of the steer, it’s fairly tender.

How long should I cook the top round roast?

The cooking time will depend on the size of your roast, as well as your desired doneness. As a general guideline, you can estimate about 20 minutes of cooking time per pound for medium-rare. Use a meat thermometer to check for the desired internal temperature.

More Recipes You’ll Love!

Garlic Herb Bottom Round Roast
Best Prime Rib Roast {Standing Rib Roast}
Easy Oven Baked Beef Brisket Recipe
Perfect Pot Roast Recipe

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5 from 2 votes

Easy Top Round Roast Beef

My easy Top Round Roast Beef recipe is perfect for a special occasion or a Sunday dinner. This lean cut of beef cooks into a tender and flavorful roast that your whole family will love!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Resting Time10 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6

Calories: 404kcal

Author: Chef Ryan Littley

Equipment

▢
roasting pan
▢
Meat thermometer

Ingredients

3 – 4 pound top round roast
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic finely minced. *for garlic powder use one teaspoon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves finely chopped *for dried thyme use one teaspoon
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped *for dried rosemary, use one teaspoon.
1 tablespoon kosher salt *if you use table salt cut it back to 1 ½ teaspoons.
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper *if you use table grind black pepper cut it back to one teaspoon.
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and set the oven rack in the center of the oven.
Fit a roasting rack in a roasting pan, and set aside until needed.
Pat the roast dry with paper towels, then rub the olive oil over the entire surface of the beef.
Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl and mix to combine.
Rub the seasoning mixture on the top, bottom and sides of the beef.
Place the seasoned roast on the rack in a roasting pan.
Let the roast sit for 20-30 minutes to come to room temperature before placing it in the oven. This will help the meat cook more evenly.
Place the roast uncovered on the center rack of the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes.
Then reduce the heat to 325.
Let the roast cook for another 45 to 60 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast reads between 125 and 130 degrees F.
Remove the beef from the oven and loosely tent it with aluminum foil.
Let the roast rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing, to give the juices time to redistribute into the beef.
While the beef is resting, add a cup of water to the pan drippings in the roasting pan and place it on the stove to heat back up. Use a heavy spoon to scrape all the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Strain the au jus and keep warm until ready to serve the beef.
Slice the roast and serve with au jus, mashed potatoes and green beans.

Notes

*I like using fresh herbs to make this recipe, but you can also use dried herbs, including garlic powder instead of the fresh chopped garlic.

If you need more aujus, add beef broth to the pan. You can also add a little red wine for a more robust au jus.

Nutrition

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About Chef Dennis

Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home.For more details, check out his About page.

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As an enthusiast and expert in culinary arts with a strong background in food preparation techniques, recipe development, and kitchen tools, I'll delve into the concepts mentioned in the provided article about the "Easy Top Round Roast Beef" by Chef Ryan Littley.

Key Concepts in the Recipe:

Top Round Roast Beef: This is a cut of beef from the inside of the steer's hind leg. It's lean, boneless, and typically used for roast beef or deli meat. Due to its tenderness and flavor, it's a good choice for roasting.
Ingredients and Mise en Place: The article emphasizes the importance of gathering ingredients and setting up the "Mise en Place" (everything in its place) before cooking. It not only expedites the cooking process but ensures readiness and completeness in cooking.
Seasoning and Cooking Technique: The recipe specifies a blend of fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme) and spices (garlic, oregano, mustard, black pepper, salt) for seasoning the beef. The cooking technique involves preheating the oven, using a roasting pan with a rack, applying seasoning, and roasting at high heat initially, followed by lower heat until reaching the desired internal temperature.
Temperature Control: The importance of using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the roast for desired doneness is highlighted. The recommended internal temperature for medium-rare is 125-130 degrees Fahrenheit.
Resting and Au Jus Preparation: Allowing the roast to rest after cooking helps redistribute juices, enhancing flavor and tenderness. Additionally, the recipe suggests preparing au jus (a flavorful sauce made from pan drippings) by deglazing the roasting pan with water and scraping browned bits, straining the liquid, and keeping it warm for serving.
Cooking Time and Storage: The cooking time for the roast varies based on its size and desired doneness. The article recommends estimating about 20 minutes per pound for medium-rare. Leftover roast beef can be stored in an airtight container for several days in the refrigerator or frozen for up to two months.
Equipment: The recipe mentions specific kitchen equipment, such as a roasting pan, wire rack, and the recommendation of a wireless smart meat thermometer for accurate temperature monitoring.

Chef Ryan Littley's recipe for Easy Top Round Roast Beef showcases a systematic approach to preparing a flavorful and tender roast, emphasizing ingredient preparation, seasoning, precise cooking techniques, and post-cooking practices like resting and sauce preparation to enhance the overall dining experience.