Coke roast morphs from the toughest, most impossible cut of meat into an incredibly juicy, tender delicacy!

I recently posted a cream of wheat recipe that took me back to the nostalgia of cold winter mornings in Idaho. I’m throwing it back to my childhood again with this recipe!
My mom didn’t love to cook, but no one would know it unless she told them. This was her standby recipe any time we had guests coming over, or a potluck to bring food to. There was never any reason to switch it up because everyone LOVED this dish, and praised her for the magic she worked once she told them it was a cheap ol’ chuck roast!
I grew up in a farming community, and my dad repaired farm trucks. In rural towns, people still barter, so we were often paid in cows and potatoes. I had no clue that it wasn’t normal to have several freezers chock full of beef! (Looking back, I now understand how poor we were back then. But thanks to bartering, I honestly didn’t have a clue. We were never close to hunger, and didn’t need to reach out to the government for help. Let’s bring bartering to the rest of America!!) All that to say, this, and steaks, were the most regular meals of my childhood.

Original “Coke Roast” Recipe
Once you see what it does to one of the toughest cuts of meat, you’ll think twice about tenderizing your stomach with it! (Or you should. I’m choosing to believe it’s something in the actual “cola” because I love soda water!!)
I don’t know why some things stick with me like they do, and other, more important information is long gone. But I remember the original recipe from my young years:
- 1 tough roast
- 10 tbs ketchup
- 1 Lipton onion soup dried packet
- 1 coke
Honestly, how could you not remember something as simple as that? We’ve obviously made changes to the recipe since we don’t do high fructose corn syrup or msg. But the base recipe has stuck with me and is easy to sub for!

My Healthier Melt-In-Your-Mouth Chuck Roast
Ingredients
- 1 tough roast
- 10 TBS ketchup (look for one with clean ingredients, or make your own)
- 1/4 C dried minced onions
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- Coke— This is probably the one and only time you will find conventional soda on my page. I use the Mexican coke because it uses sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. However, it’s still a lot of sugar… and seeing what it does to a tough roast, we have no business drinking this stuff! You can use the entire bottle if you’re not concerned about the sugar. But if you’re using a slow cooker or a 6 quart instant pot, you only need to use one cup. If you’re using an 8 quart, use at least 1 1/2 cups. I have tried this with regular soda water and Zevia Cola… it doesn’t get it anywhere near as tender. There’s something in the actual Coca Cola that does the trick.
Directions:
Either broil the roast until it has a nice dark crust, or sear in a pan on all sides. Place in crock pot, or instant pot, whichever you plan to use. Mix ketchup with the coke and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients and press into the roast on all sides. Pour ketchup/coke mixture into the pot, being careful to not pour it directly over the roast and wash the spices away.
For a Slow Cooker: cook on low for 8 hours
For an Instant Pot: cook at high pressure for 1 hour 15 minutes, and let the pressure naturally release.
Optional Add Ins:
Chop up potatoes, carrots and onions and fit in the pot around the roast. Some people add celery… to each his own! It’s tricky adding them to the instant pot. I would cook the roast on its own for the first hour. Wait ten minutes, then take the entire instant pot outside and manually release the pressure. (I always take mine outside if I’m manually releasing. We don’t need that crazy hot spewage of flavored liquid going all over the kitchen!) Add the vegetables, then cook for another 15 minutes at high pressure. Let it slowly and naturally release the pressure this time.
I love to bake rolls when I prepare this, and eat them as “pulled pork” sandwiches, hot or cold.

Enjoy the most delicious roast you’ve ever tasted!
Come back and give my mom a shout out in the comments for bringing this recipe into our lives! If you love it, would you mind rating it so other people can know if they should try it? Thank you for being here today! Don’t forget to pin it and come back to this whenever you have an impossibly tough cut of meat staring you down!
4 responses to “Coke Roast: The Trick to the Most Tender Roast”
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Ha! Ha! Thanks for the shout-out, Annie Mae! This is so beautifully and winsomely written! What a gift you have! ❤️
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Thanks, Mama! I have always loved this roast, and missed it in my no meat/no sugar days!!
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This takes me back to childhood, and even cooking it often for my family! I like how you basically made your own Lipton Onion soup mix. That gets rid of the MSG for sure.
How do you make your own ketchup?
Thank you!
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It’s fun! With tomato paste, vinegar, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and whatever spices you want to add. Like mayo, I never leave it plain, it’s always spiced with something extra!
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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Coke Roast

This melt in your mouth recipe can turn the toughest cut of meat into the most tender delicacy. Utilizing either a slow cooker or instant pot and a special tenderizing ingredient, coke, this is sure to be the only way you prepare these tough cuts of meat from now on!
Ingredients
- 1 tough roast
- 10 TBS ketchup
- 1/4 C dried minced onions
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1 Coke
Instructions
- Remove roast from packaging and pat dry. Either place under the broiler, or sear on all 6 sides until it has devloped a nice dark crust.
- Place in either slow cooker or instant pot.
- Mix ketchup and coke together. You can use the whole bottle, but if you’re trying to watch the sugar level, if you’re using a crockpot or 6 quart instant pot, you only need one cup of coke. If you are using an 8 quart instant pot, you’ll need to use at least 1 1/2 cups. Set aside.
- Mix remaining ingredients together, and cover all sides of the roast with it, pressing it into the meat.
- Pour ketchup/coke mixture into the pot, careful to not pour it over the roast, washing the seasonings off.
- If using a slow cooker, set it to low and cook for 8 hours.
- If using an instant pot, set it to high pressure and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Notes
Ketchup: Look for a ketchup with simple ingredients, or make your own.
Coke: I have made this with soda water and Zevia Cola… it’s just not the same. There’s something about using actual coke that makes it tender. Look for the Mexican coke that uses actual sugar, and only use what your pot requires.



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