Making the PERFECT Roast Beef in the Ninja Foodi is so easy and incredibly delicious!
You know that perfect thin slice of medium rare roast beef that you pile high onto a crusty roll and maybe dip into some Au Jus and call it a French Dip? Or slather it with BBQ sauce and call it a BBQ Pit Beef sandwich? Or whip up some mashed potatoes and gravy and call it Sunday Dinner!
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That’s what we are making today! Perfectly cooked Roast Beef in the Ninja Foodi! Before we get into the directions for this super easy Roast Beef in the Ninja Foodi, let’s talk about the differences between this recipe and pot roast.
Differences between Roast Beef and Pot Roast
Roast Beef and pot roast are not the same thing and the differences are in the cuts of meat used, in the cooking method, and how we serve it.
Roast beef is used mostly for sandwiches, although it is pretty good piled up high next to mashed potatoes and green beans for Sunday’s dinner, too.
Pot roast, like this Quick & Easy Pot Roast made in the Foodi, is also delicious for Sunday’s dinner, but it doesn’t slice like roast beef does. It makes a great pulled beef style sandwich, but not a deli roast beef style sandwich.
Roast Beef is usually roasted dry, meaning no liquid in the pot. Pot Roast on the other hand, usually uses a braising liquid.
You want fattier cuts of meat for a pot roast, those that come from the shoulder area of the cow work best. My favorite cut of meat for a pot roast is the chuck roast.
For roast beef, you want a cut that doesn’t fall apart when sliced.
What are the best cuts of meat for a Roast Beef?
The best choice is the top round and that is what we are using in this recipe. Any cuts from the round will work, but the eye of round and the bottom round won’t be as tender.
The round cuts come from the hindquarter of the cow and are considered tough cuts of meat. This muscle is worked hard and round cuts are very lean, yet flavorful cuts of meat.
The best way to serve them is medium rare and make sure you cut across the grain. If you don’t cut across the grain, the meat will be tough. It is also important to slice very thin slices for the best flavor and texture.
I know, not everyone likes rare roast beef, so I will include suggested cooking times if you like your roast beef well done.
Cooking Times & Temps for Roast Beef in the Ninja Foodi
*all cooking times are based on a 3 pound top round roast — adjust times according your size roast. These are estimates only. Please use a good quality meat thermometer for accuracy.
** The FDA recommends cooking beef roasts to an internal temperature of 145° F/ 63° C. There is a great article on times, temps, meat safety and other information right HERE.
I like my roast beef:
- Rare: Cool red center. For rare roast beef, broil for 20 minutes and let sit in the hot pot with the Ninja Foodi turned off for about 20 minutes. The internal temperature should register about 125 F/ 52° C.
- Medium-Rare: Warm red center. For medium-rare roast beef, broil for 25 minutes and let sit in the hot pot, with the Ninja Foodi turned off, for 25 minutes. The internal temperature should register 135° F/ 57° C.
- Medium: Warm pink center. For medium roast beef, broil for for 30 minutes and let sit in the hot pot, with the Ninja Foodi turned off, for 30 minutes. The internal temperature should register 145° F/ 63° C.
- Medium Well: Slightly pink center. For medium-well roast beef, broil for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 300° and bake for 5-10 minutes. Let sit in hot pot, with the Ninja Foodi turned off, until internal temperature registers 150° F/ 66° C.
- Well Done: Little or no pink. For a well-done roast beef, broil for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 300° and bake for 10-15 minutes. Let sit in hot pot, with the Ninja Foodi turned off, until internal temperature registers 160°F/ 71° C.
If you are not cutting and serving your roast beef right away, remove from the Ninja Foodi at about 5 degrees below the desired temperature to allow for carry over cooking. Since the meat is hot when removed from the Ninja Food, it will continue to cook and usually the temp rises about 5 degrees in 10-15 minutes.
How to slice Roast Beef for best results
The way you slice your roast beef greatly affects the tenderness. The top round, bottom round, or eye of round roasts are lean meats that can be tough and chewy unless they are sliced thinly and against the grain.
Knowing which way the grain is going before you season and cook your roast is the best course of action, but no worries if you start to slice the roast and realize you aren’t cutting against the grain.
It happens to all of us and I’m actually happy that it happened to me while filming the video, which you can see right here: Roast Beef in the Ninja Foodi
I thought I knew the direction of the grain, but realized after cutting several slices that I was cutting with the grain and not against the grain. If this happens to you, just turn the roast around and start cutting against the grain. There is a difference in the way your slices will look, so you can easily tell if you are slicing it correctly.
The thinner the slices, the more tender the roast beef will be. I have a very good meat slicer and it works perfectly, but unless you plan on slicing a lot of meat and cheese, the cost of a good slicer often isn’t worth it.
Instead, invest in a good knife. The one I use the most is a Chef’s Knife from Pampered Chef. The model I have is on sale right now in the outlet (quantities are limited, so they might be sold out) and it is a good quality knife with a very reasonable price tag.
When you slice roast beef correctly, you will be slicing against the grain. This cuts through the fibers in the meat and makes it much easier to chew.
How to make the PERFECT Roast Beef in the Ninja Foodi
First, bring your roast to room temp. This will allow for even cooking and is the first step to a perfect roast beef in the Ninja Foodi.
Second, season the outside of the meat generously! You can use the rub I used or any seasonings you prefer. Simple salt and pepper work great, but be sure to use a sea salt or Kosher salt and a course ground pepper for best results.
Preheat the Ninja Foodi for 10 minutes on BROIL with the rack in the low position. You want to start cooking the meat right away and having the rack and the Foodi preheated really helps.
Broil the roast on the rack in the low position for 25 minutes. Leave the roast in the Ninja Foodi with the lid closed and the Ninja Foodi turned off for 20-25 minutes. See cooking suggestions above if you want your meat cooked differently than medium-rare.
Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes. Slice against the grain.
If you want to make an au jus, add 3/4 cup of beef stock to the inner pot and sear/sauté on high. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom to incorporate with the stock.
Serve & Enjoy!
Perfect Roast Beef in the Ninja Foodi
Ingredients
- 3 pound Top Round Roast
Rub
- 2 Tbsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp pepper course
- 2 ½ tsp onion powder
- 2 ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Allow your roast to come to room temp. This takes about 1 hour.
- Combine the rub ingredients and generously apply to the outside of the meat.
- Preheat the Ninja Foodi on Broil with the rack in the low position inside the inner pot for 10 minutes.
- Broil the roast beef on the rack in the low position for 25 minutes. Turn the Ninja Foodi off and keep the lid closed for 25 minutes. See notes if you want your meat cooked to a different temperature.
- Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.
- Serve & Enjoy!
Notes
- Rare: Cool red center. For rare roast beef, broil for 20 minutes and let sit in the hot pot with the Ninja Foodi turned off for about 20 minutes. The internal temperature should register about 125 F/ 52° C.
- Medium-Rare: Warm red center. For medium-rare roast beef, broil for 25 minutes and let sit in the hot pot, with the Ninja Foodi turned off, for 25 minutes. The internal temperature should register 135° F/ 57° C.
- Medium: Warm pink center. For medium roast beef, broil for for 30 minutes and let sit in the hot pot, with the Ninja Foodi turned off, for 30 minutes. The internal temperature should register 145° F/ 63° C.
- Medium Well: Slightly pink center. For medium-well roast beef, broil for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 300° and bake for 5-10 minutes. Let sit in hot pot, with the Ninja Foodi turned off, until internal temperature registers 150° F/ 66° C.
- Well Done: Little or no pink. For a well-done roast beef, broil for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 300° and bake for 10-15 minutes. Let sit in hot pot, with the Ninja Foodi turned off, until internal temperature registers 160°F/ 71° C.
Nutrition
ABOUT THE RECIPE AUTHOR, LOUISE LONG
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of 
experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and getting the most out of the Ninja Foodi.
Ninja Foodi Fresh & Healthy Meals
Seeing the need for easy, delicious, and high quality recipes, she is focusing all of her efforts creating recipes specifically for the Ninja Foodi. Her recipes are easy for the home cook to follow and provide step-by-step instructions.
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can.
Dani
Can I make this with shoulder roast cut? And if so, do I need to change anything in the recipe?
Thanks!
Louise
I have never tried it with a shoulder roast, so I’m not exactly sure. From what I understand it is also a lean cut of beef, so I would think you could treat it the same as I did in this recipe. Please let me know if you give it a try!
Dave
I am new to the Ninja Foodi as I got one for a house warming gift, however it is the compact version, so it doesn’t come with a rack, it only has the pot and the air fryer crisper basket. Doesn’t look to have a broil setting either, but it does have a Roast setting. Would I just put the roast in the pot portion and use the roast setting for the same amount of time?
Louise
Yes, that is what I would do. I’m not sure how high roast feature goes, but it should be just about the same (maybe 25 degrees less) than the broil. You might need to increase the time a tad, but not much.
Audrey
I got a foodi for Christmas, and I’m really thrilled with your blog since I have zero prior experience with pressure cookers or instant pots, so finding you with your Foodi specific directions are really helping me make the most of using my new toy (and skeptical family members are now believers!)
I really want to do my next Roast Beef this qay. My question is, do you have directions or tips for starting with a frozen roast?
Louise
I’ll be real honest here, you need to thaw it first for the best outcome. Otherwise, you are going to have to really play around with the temperature and I’m afraid the outcome won’t be what you want.
Linda McLaughlin
Louise,
This roast was absolutely delicious and cooked perfectly! I did it exactly as your recipe with the rub and put it in the refrigerator overnight so we could have it for Sunday dinner the next day. So good! I also served roasted garlic mashed red potatoes I cooked on the stove top as the roast broiled in the Ninja Foodi. What made these potatoes was the roasted garlic you told how to do in the Ninja in previous recipes. I put a whole bulb in them and they were perfect.
Thank you so much for all your recipes and videos they are so helpful! I love the 360 meals. They are a lot of fun to do. I also have the Cold & Hot Blender and look forward to more recipes for it.
Linda
Louise
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Pat
First time doing a roast in the Foodi and followed the recipe exactly. It was amazing. Thank you for the recipe. So tasty I didn’t miss the gravy.
Louise
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Carl mcClain
OMG! Louise, I just tasted the best roast beef I have EVER tried! And I made it! Well…with your expert help of course. You are amazing, and I just don’t know why you haven’t got your on show on the Food Network channel. With your help, along with the Ninja Foodi, I have become the cook Ive always wanted to be! Thanks Louise, so very much.
Jasmine
Turned out awesome! Everyone loved it and it was so much easier than the oven.
Louise
I’m so glad you guess liked it!
Eddie
Louis,
Just would like to let you know that my 2.6lb eye of roast came out perfect!!! (wife likes it medium) it came out amazing!! Thank you for your recipe!!
Louise
That is wonderful!
Erika
I’m using a 4-1/2 bottom round roast to try this out. I’m a brand new Ninja Foodi owner…any idea on how long I would cook to medium rare using this recipe?
Erika
THat Ans supposed to say 4-1/2 POUND bottom round roast
Louise
I think I would broil for about 30 minutes and then let it sit in the Foodi for another 25-30 minutes. Use a thermometer to get the perfect results. You can always cook longer, but you can’t do much if it’s overcooked.
Elena
I tried this recipe for roast beef last night and it was absolutely delicious. I loved that seasoned flour crust – really made a difference. And we really appreciated the carving tips too. Thank you so much Louise!! I love all your tips and articles on the ninja Foodi, really enjoying using it. Thanks to this we are able to make proper meals again. From a family of four with young kids – I.e. little time to do anything including cook!
Louise
I am so glad you liked it! Thank you for the kind words, they mean the world to me!
Christopher Jones
Because my roast was only about 2 pounds, I cut the time down to 22 minutes at 450. then let it sit in the pot for another 25 minutes. I checked the internal temp and it was only about 117 degrees. I then extended the broil session for another 10 minutes, then checked the temp again. Still only 122. I continued cooking for another 5 minutes and let it sit for another 5. Temp was up to about 130. I took the roast out of the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes. I then began slicing it, but I could see that it was still quite rare in the middle. I ended up putting it in the microwave for a few minutes because by that time, I was starving. I looked at your cooking time instructions again, and realized that I should have cut the broil temp down to 300 and left it cooking for maybe another 5-10 minutes. I made a note to do that next time. Otherwise, the roast was delicious.
Christopher Jones
Another home run! This recipe was absolutely delicious. Even with a 2-pound roast, it took a lot longer to cook than I thought it would. A meat thermometer is definitely a must. My wife particularly loved the gravy I made from the drippings. Thanks, Louise. You did it again!
Louise
I’m so glad you liked it! I’m curious, how long did it take for a 2-pound roast to cook and to what temp did you cook it. I haven’t done on that small yet.
Gigi LePore
Just purchased the 8-1/2 qt Ninja Foodi and so far I love it! Looking forward to doing this roast beef. I sat and watched your videos on YouTube for over 2 hours yesterday and want to try them all. There is a recipe in the Ninja cookbook that comes with the Foodie for steak and asparagus but I wasn’t thrilled with it…I can’t see how you can put two steaks on the grill and the asparagus at the same time. It just doesn’t fit. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Louise
I’ve been working on various 360 meals, but haven’t ventured into steak yet so I’m not much help in that department. Sorry.