Sous Vide Eye of Round is the BEST way to cook this affordable beef cut, turning it into the most tender and juicy roast! This 16-hour low and slow sous vide method transforms the tough cut into a delicious eye of round roast that’s perfectly moist from edge to edge. Great for a festive holiday meal on a budget!
When it comes to tough beef cuts like chuck roast, London broil, and this eye of round beef roast, sous vide is my favorite way to cook the meat.
The sous vide eye of round is melt-in-your-mouth tender, and it can rival prime ribs or filet mignon! It’s like magic, and you got to try it! Plus this recipe is so easy to make and gluten-free.
Why Sous Vide Beef Eye of Round Roast?
Sous vide is a French cooking technique where the food is vacuum-sealed in a bag, and then cooked for a long time to a precise temperature in a warm water bath.
When cooking tough beef cuts, the oven or slow cooker method braises the meat for a long time when the roast is completely well-done. Sous vide allows you to evenly cook eye of round to rare or medium-rare with the precise temperate you set.
In addition, it produces the meat with an even doneness edge to edge. Try it once, and you’ll never look back!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Eye of Round Roast: It’s a very lean yet flavorful cut of beef as the muscles get lots of exercise. The eye of round is from the round primal on the backside of the cow, along with the top round, bottom round and sirloin tip. If your roast is too big for the bag, you can cut it into two pieces.
- Salt: I used Kosher salt, but you can use regular salt or sea salt.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper works the best.
- Garlic Powder: Adds complexity and deep rich flavor. You can also use minced fresh garlic.
- Sugar: It balances out the savory flavor nicely. You can use granulated or brown sugar.
- Olive Oil: Regular olive oil works great for this recipe.
You’ll also need a Sous Vide Machine (my favorite brand is Anova), large pot, zip-loc bag (or a vacuum-sealer), skillet for this recipe.
The Best Way to Tenderize Eye of Round
To tenderize this tough cut of meat, traditionally one of the best ways is to beat it with a hammer. However, you can easily tenderize the eye of round roast with sous vide method, making the meat perfectly tender. No marinade or brining needed.
How to Sous Vide Eye of Round
1. Whisk together salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sugar.
2. Season your eye of round roast generously with the seasoning.
3. Preheat the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 136°F (58°C).
4. Place the seasoned roast in a zip-top bag. Vacuum seal the bag using the water displacement technique.
5. Place the bag in the sous vide warm water bath, cover with aluminum foil and cook for 16 hours.
6. When the timer goes off, remove the roast from the bag and pat dry with paper towels.
7. Sear for about 2 minutes per side, just to caramelize the outside. Add more seasoning if needed.
8. Slice against the grain and serve.
Tips for the Perfect Sous Vide Eye of Round Beef Roast
- It’s important to season your roast generously before cooking it in the sous vide machine.
- Seal the bag without a vacuum sealer. I find Ziploc freezer bags are perfect for sealing the food. The trick is called the “water displacement method” by using the pressure from the water to force all the air out of the bag.
- Make sure to cover the pot with aluminum foil, as this will minimize water evaporation. Also check the water level halfway through to make sure the meat is completely submerged.
- Pat dry with paper towels thoroughly before searing.
Sous Vide Eye of Round Temperature
I like my eye of round roast medium-rare, so I set the sous vide machine to 136°F/58°C. As this particular cut is very lean, don’t cook it past medium doneness, as it will become tough and chewy.
If you’d like to try another doneness, follow the chart below:
| Sous Vide Eye of Round Temperature | Doneness |
| 125 °F / 52 °C | Rare |
| 136 °F / 58 °C | Medium-rare |
| 145 °F / 63 °C | Medium |
| 160 °F / 71 °C+ | Well-done |
How Long Does It Take to Sous Vide Eye of Round?
There is a wide range of cooking time, and I find cooking it at 136°F/58°C for 16 hours gives me the best result. But you can leave the meat in the water bath for an extra 1 or 2 hours.
Sides to Pair with Sous Vide Eye of Round
What Can Eye of Round Roast Be Used For?
If you have the leftover eye of round roast, you can cut them into thin slices or strips, and use them to make French dip steak sandwiches or steak salad.
Can you Overcook Eye of Round with the Sous Vide Method?
Although you cannot “overcook” a steak using sous vide method, the texture can become mushy if the steak is left in the machine for too long.
Can I Sous Vide Frozen Eye of Round?
Yes, you can sous vide eye of round straight from frozen. For this recipe, the cooking time is the same as the fresh meat.
If You Love This Recipe Try Out These Sous Vide Recipes
If you tried this recipe, let me know how your Sous Vide Eye of Round turns out in the comments below!
Sous Vide Eye of Round Roast Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs eye of round
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon regular salt)
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together salt, pepper, garlic powder, and sugar.
- Season your eye of round roast generously with the seasoning.
- Preheat the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 136°F (58°C).
- Place the seasoned roast in a zip-lock bag. Vacuum seal the bag using the water displacement technique: Simply seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, making sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Leave the bag in the sous vide warm water bath, cover with aluminum foil, and cook for 16 hours. (It’s important to cover with the foil to minimize water evaporation. You’ll also need to check the water level halfway through to make sure the meat is completely submerged.)
- When the timer goes off, remove the roast from the bag and pat dry with paper towels.
- Sear for about 2 minutes per side, just to caramelize the outside. Add more seasoning if needed.
- Slice against the grain and serve.
Notes
- Make sure to wipe off the moisture completely with paper towels before searing.
- You can save the juice from the bag, and cook it down to make gravy for the roast.
Nutrition
Debra Marshall says
If I havee a large group coming can i cook a whole eye of round that is larger than 3 lbs and cut it into 2-3 lb roast and cook them in the same bag, or separate bags, in the sous vide for the same amount of time?
Izzy says
Hi Debra, you can definitely cut it into smaller pieces. The cook time is the same. Hope this helps. Izzy
Pat McGuire says
I tried this recipe last week and it was wonderful! The leftovers made delicious sandwiches (rye bread, mayo, Dejon mustard and swiss), so much that I bought a whole eye of round on sale yesterday. I will prep thirds, one to start tonight for Saturday dinner and two for the freezer, I love that I can go directly from freezer to sous vide. The only thing I will do differently is cook at 125, as I like rare beef. Sous vide is great in that the roast is cooked all the way through to the same doneness, with no uncooked meat in the middle, which you often have with other methods for rare beef.
DWY says
I’m currently cooking this right now but can’t do the entire 16 hours. We’ll have it in the sous vide for at least 9 hours+. I know longer is better, but how much “less” will not get a better result?
Izzy says
You’ll need 16 hours to get your roast fully cooked. But if you have a smaller piece, you can cook for less than 16 hours. Check to see whether the center has been properly cooked before you take it out. Hope this helps.
Dan says
Can you do a whole eye of round?
Dan says
Do you cook a larger roast for the same time?