Beef · oven
Eye of Round Roast
Eye of Round Roast
cooking times
1 hr 15 min – 1 hr 40 min At the most common temperature, 325°F, an eye of round roast runs about 1 hr 15 min – 1 hr 40 min at 3.5 lb. Pick your temperature below for the full chart. Done is always 145°F internal.
When is it actually done?
145°F internal The USDA FSIS safe minimum internal temperature for this cut is 145°F, followed by a rest of about 15 minutes. The clock estimates; the thermometer decides. Every time on this page is a planning range, not a doneness test.
Doneness temperatures
| Doneness | Internal temp | |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 120–125°F | below the USDA minimum |
| Medium-rare | 130–135°F | below the USDA minimum |
| Medium | 135–145°F |
USDA FSIS recommends a minimum of 145°F with a 15-minute rest for whole cuts. Rare and medium-rare sit below that guideline — a personal choice many cooks make with fresh, well-handled meat, listed here because these are the temperatures cookbooks and restaurants use.
Worth knowing before you start
- This is the classic deli-roast-beef cut: cook to medium-rare at most, rest fully, then slice paper thin against the grain — thick slices of round are shoe leather.
- Some cooks prefer the 'closed-oven' method (500°F for 5 min/lb, then oven off for 2 hours untouched); it works, but only the timetable above is oven-independent.
- A lean round roast has no marbling to hide behind — the thermometer matters more here than on a rib roast.