How To Recreate Culver's Beloved Pot Roast Sandwich At Home And For Cheaper

Culver's fans know that one of the chain's most iconic, unique menu offerings is its Beef Pot Roast sandwich. This fast-casual standout (what other chains are serving up pot roast?) features slow-braised, hand-shredded premium chuck roast tucked into a plush toasted bun. Its assembly is straightforward yet totally effective, letting the star ingredient — all that flavorful, dimensional meat — shine. Happily, this simple assemblage also makes this menu staple sammy easy to replicate at home. All it takes is the help of your go-to pot roast recipe and a pack of burger buns.

Not only are these sandwiches ultra-flavorful, they're also wildly budget-friendly. At a Culver's location in Chicago, the Beef Pot Roast sandwich á la carte currently costs $7.29 – more than twice the cost of making a DIY version at home. At a Walmart in Chicago, choice Angus beef chuck roast currently runs for $8.77 per pound, and an eight-pack of Pepperidge Farm soft white hamburger buns costs $3.52.

As a general rule, home cooks should plan on about ⅓ pound of pot roast per person, which brings the total cost of whipping up this Culver's Beef Pot Roast copycat at home to roughly $3.36 per serving. This Culver's dupe can also make a fun, fresh way to breathe new life into leftover pot roast from dinner the night before. 

To make it, feel free to take a cue from our Mississippi Roast recipe as a jumping-off point. This savory, dimensional roast infuses chuck roast with the taste and moisture of jarred pepperoncini peppers — which could yield a bold pot roast sammy in its own right. But, to capture the most accurate Culver's dupe, swap diced white onion and beef broth in for the peppers. As it cooks, the beef will absorb the pungent onion flavor and become tenderized from the succulent broth. One whole onion and four cups of broth is enough per three pounds of beef. Perhaps best of all, in a slow cooker, the whole thing comes together with just 10 minutes of hands-on prep work.

When dining out at Culver's, foodies can upgrade that classic pot roast sando even further by mixing it with a side of mashed potatoes for a heartier meal, or by drizzling it with the chain's gooey melted cheese sauce. If you're feeling ambitious, these ordering hacks can also be recreated at home. To complete the meal, serve your Culver's-dupe pot roast sammy with a side of fluffy mashed potatoes (bonus points if you use Russet potatoes and savory gravy, in true Culver's fashion) and a drizzle of gooey cheese. A slice of Wisconsin cheddar will melt beautifully placed under the broiler for a minute or two. Or, you could spoon on some convenient jarred cheese sauce, like this double-cheddar offering from Ragú (currently $2.47 per 16-ounce jar at Walmart).