Ribeye Roast Recipe (Rosemary Mustard Crust)

This impressive ribeye roast recipe made with mustard, garlic, and rosemary is perfect for special occasions, entertaining, and the holidays. Tender, flavorful, and juicy beef that is absolutely stunning on the table!

We usually stick with steaks or slow-cooked beef, like beef stew, short ribs, or Instant Pot pot roast, but occasionally we go all in and splurge. This ribeye roast is our splurge this year. If you’re in the mood for something other than roasted turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas, this might be the recipe for you! I’d even wager it’s a little easier.

The best part about this beef roast is the mustard crust, which we brush on just before sliding it into the oven. Since it’s sticky, it acts as a glue for chopped fresh rosemary and garlic powder. As it roasts, it crisps and browns, turning into a perfect, flavorful crust around the tender beef.

Key Ingredients

• Beef Roast: This recipe is specifically designed for a ribeye roast. We used a boneless roast in our photos, but you can use a bone-in roast. Note that the bones add quite a bit of weight, so you’ll want to buy a larger roast to feed the same number of people (tips are below the recipe). Ribeye roasts can be a little pricey, but they are worth it for the flavorful and tender results. If you are looking for a more economical cut, try top sirloin roast. It is a little leaner, so keep a close eye on the internal temperature.
• Vegetables: We roast the beef in a roasting pan with a rack, so you can add a layer of veggies and liquid that becomes the base of a really delicious pan gravy. We use onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
• Dijon Mustard, Garlic Powder, and Rosemary: This trio turns into a flavorful crust for the roast. Before roasting, we generously brush the beef with mustard and sprinkle over salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chopped fresh rosemary.
• Red Wine and Beef Stock: Add these to the roasting pan to help make the gravy. Any dry red wine works well (use something you would drink). If you prefer to skip the wine, substitute more stock. Store-bought stock or broth is fine, but if you’d like 100% from scratch, here is our beef stock recipe.
• Butter and Flour: These help to make our roux for the easy pan gravy.

Find the full recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Our Favorite Ribeye Roast

First, brown the roast on all sides. This does a few things. It adds color, which makes the roast much prettier on the table. It builds a lovely crust, and it renders a bit of fat, which you can use to quickly sauté the vegetables.

Transfer the roast to a plate, then quickly sauté the veggies. This only takes a couple of minutes, but it gives the vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, and garlic) a head start and tosses them with some of that rendered beef fat. When they begin to sweat, scrape them into the roasting pan.

Then, add the mustard crust. This is our favorite part of this ribeye roast recipe. After browning the beef, brush it generously with Dijon mustard. Then use the mustard as the glue for a generous sprinkle of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chopped fresh rosemary.

Roast the beef on top of veggies. We use a roasting pan with a rack, which gives us space underneath the beef for vegetables and liquid. Add red wine and beef stock (or use more stock to substitute for the wine if needed).

With a large roast like this, we love using an oven-safe probe thermometer, so we always know how the roast is progressing, but if you don’t have one, set an instant-read thermometer aside so you can check the temp as the beef roasts in the oven.

For medium-rare, the rule of thumb is 15 to 18 minutes per pound (about 60 to 75 minutes), but use a meat thermometer to gauge final doneness. Pull the ribeye roast from the oven using the temperatures below as a guide (and remember, the temperature will continue to rise by 10 to 15 degrees as it rests):

• 125°F for medium-rare
• 135°F for medium
• 145°F for medium-well

Finally, make a pan gravy. Since we roasted the beef on top of veggies, we are left with some really flavorful pan drippings. If yours look especially fatty, skim off some of the extra fat on top, then save the rest of the drippings for your gravy.

We make the gravy in a small saucepan with a simple roux of butter and flour. When it’s golden and smells toasty, pour in a bit of beef stock, along with the pan drippings. Leave the vegetables in, or strain them out for a smooth gravy (we leave them in).

What to Serve with Ribeye Roast

When we serve it, we love slicing it into 1/2-inch slices, spooning on some gravy, and adding one to two sides to round out the plate. This impressive roast works well with any holiday-worthy side. We especially love it with potatoes, either mashed potatoes or these incredible potatoes au gratin. Easy roasted carrots, roasted broccolini, or a simple platter of roasted vegetables are also perfect.

More Impressive Holiday Mains to Try