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Juicy, fall-apart beef with almost no work? That’s the magic of slow cooker tri tip. A quick sear, a splash of flavor, and by dinner, you’ve got tender meat that works in tacos, sandwiches, or straight off the fork. It also freezes well, perfect for future-you.
This recipe only takes 15 minutes of prep time, and it makes a great weeknight dinner. You can even stretch it into a couple of meals and
Prefer the oven? We also have a baked tri tip recipe that turns out tender and flavorful with a nice crust, no slow cooker required.
Here’s Why This Slow Cooker Tri Tip Recipe Works
Deep flavor, no babysitting: The beef simmers all day in a blend of broth, wine, garlic, and herbs, while you do literally anything else.
Searing is the secret: That quick crust on the roast locks in flavor and gives you that rich, beefy taste slow cookers usually miss.
Leftovers for days: This makes a big batch. Portion it out and freeze it. You’ll thank yourself later when it’s time to whip up easy meals like tri tip fajitas.
Balanced braise: The combo of soy sauce, Worcestershire, and Dijon brings just enough acid and umami to cut through the richness.
You can also use the shredded meat in beef chimichangas for a crispy, cheesy way to repurpose leftovers.
Recipe Tips
Use a hot pan: Don’t skimp on the sear. Get that pan ripping hot so the meat crusts instead of steams.
Season aggressively: Tri tip can take a solid dose of salt and pepper, don’t be shy.
Partially cover with liquid: The tri tip doesn’t need to be fully submerged—about halfway is enough. The steam and trapped heat will do the rest.
Let it rest: Before shredding, give the roast a few minutes to cool. It’ll shred cleaner and juicier.
Use the “keep warm” setting: If your tri tip is done early, no worries. Most slow cookers have a warm setting that’ll hold it safely for an hour or two without drying it out.
If you’re in the mood to try another cooking method, our sous vide tri tip delivers perfectly cooked beef every time.
If you love cozy, hands-off meals like this, you’ll also want to try our slow cooker pot roast and slow cooker beef stew. Both are comforting classics that make dinner easy.
Perfect for Meal Prep
This slow cooker tri tip is a dinner win with major meal prep potential. It’s low effort, high reward, and seriously satisfying. Make it once, and you’ll start keeping a stash in the freezer “just in case”.
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Tri-Tip in the Crock Pot
If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2½ to 3 pound Tri-Tip roast
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine
- 4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 to 3 sprigs Fresh thyme
- 1 to 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Add the sliced onions to the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Brush the tri-tip roast on all sides with the oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over high heat until very hot and add the meat. Sear for about 3 minutes on each side and edges to a deep crust. (Turn on your stove vent and open your doors)
- Transfer the seared meat to the slow cooker. Brush the Dijon mustard on the exposed top of the tri-tip and dust with the smoked paprika.
- Combine the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, red wine and garlic together and pour around the sides of the tri-tip. Add the bay leaves and fresh herbs.
- Place the cover on the cooker and set the temperature to low and cook for 8 hours or until the meat shreds when tested with a fork. Remove the tri-tip from the cooker and place on a platter until cool enough to handle. Using two forks, shred the meat then drizzle with ½ cup of the cooking liquid remaining in the cooker.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Hi! My trip tip roast is a bit smaller….1.46 pounds. Would you be able to tell me how much to decrease the time? Thank you!
Great question about adjusting the cooking time for your 1.46-pound tri-tip roast. While the size of your roast is smaller than the 3-pound one used in the recipe, the thickness of the meat is an important factor to consider. Since this recipe is designed to cook the tri-tip until it’s tender enough to shred with a fork, I recommend starting to check the meat after 4 to 6 hours of cooking. If it doesn’t shred easily at that point, continue cooking it a bit longer until it reaches the desired tenderness. The key is to ensure that it cooks through and becomes perfectly tender, so a little bit of monitoring towards the end of the cooking time will do the trick.
I have a tri tip already seasoned. What do you recommend for the slow cooker.
You can follow the recipe except you won’t need to season the tri tip with salt and pepper since yours is already seasoned. The rest of the ingredients in the recipe are wonderful flavor enhancers.
I cannot get your recipe it’s not at the bottom of this page!! This sucks so I’m just having to eyeball everyone of the ingredients thank you
the recipe is there, you just have to click the button that says “I want it”
I am cooking this today and it is in the crockpot. My brother used to make the best tri-tip on the grill and I miss it! But I cannot wait to taste this!
Thanks for the comment. Enjoy!
Hi, Deborah….this slow cooker method is a great tri-tip recipe, hope you enjoy it as much as your brothers from the grill.
Never thought of cooking a tri-tip in the slow cooker — it’s always been a grill or oven thing for me. Great idea, though — gotta try this. Thanks!
It turns out great and makes fantastic shredded beef.
I absolutely love this recipe! My second time making it & it’s so deliciously flavorful! Thank you!
Thank you, Mari….I agree with you, this is easy and delicious! Watch out blog space for more delicious tri-tip recipes.
I made this today. My youngest child, who does not like meat and douses all food I make with ketchup, loved this. She had three helpings and said she wants to eat this every day for the rest of her life! We are all in awe! The rest of the family loved it too, but this was really a turning point for her. What a keeper of a recipe! Thanks!
Wow, Brandy! Kudos to your daughter for three helpings! Thanks for sharing this great review! I am thrilled that your family enjoyed this recipe! ♥️
I just made a tri-tip in my sous vide, and I just didn’t like the results. I might have to find other time and temperatures, but in the mean time, I’ll follow your recipe for some old fashioned cooking!
Hi, Mimi….How disappointing is that! I love using my sous vide but have not used it for a tri-tip. There must be a way to fix the problem. Last resort there is always a good beef/veggie soup. lol
Made this recipe last week. Best Tri-Tip we’ve ever had. Made sandwiches on ciabatta buns and used the juice from the cooker to dip the sandwiches in. Doesn’t get any better than that.
Oooh, that sandwich sounds delicious, Mike! I must give that a try…if you have some leftovers you could use it for fajitas, they are also delicious and it is an easy meal to put together. Thanks for your comments, we love hearing from our readers.
Could I have some to make a sandwich? That looks so flavourful and amazingly delicious.
Sure, Angie! It makes a great BBQ sandwich with caramelized onions on a burger bun! Also, it is delicious in fajitas! Thanks for your comments.