Food & Cooking Recipes Slow Cooker Recipes 28 Slow Cooker Recipes You'll Want to Make All Year Long From meaty classics to hearty soups, these recipes allow you to set it and forget it. By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan is a New York City-based food writer and editor with six years of digital editorial experience in roles at MarthaStewart.com, Food52, and TODAY Show. In addition to her roles, Kelly has seven years of food writing experience with work found in Allrecipes, Bon Appètit, Food & Wine, Real Simple, and more. Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 1, 2024 Close Photo: Stephen Kent Johnson There's nothing like the slow cooker for preparing comfort food. The steady, even heat of this appliance turns out succulent meat every time, tenderizing tougher cuts such as flank steak and beef chuck. It excels at making soup and chili, too—and it's the go-to tool for home cooks looking to get a head start on dinner prep. We love its set-it-and-forget-it dependability, which is why we're sharing our favorite slow cooker recipes. They include everything from classics like pot roast and corned beef and cabbage to dinner party-worthy chicken dishes, fish stews, vegetarian entrées, and even dessert. 32 One-Pot Chicken Recipes for Busy Weeknight Dinners 01 of 28 Slow-Cooker Sausage Lasagna Lasagna may not be the first thing that pops into mind when you think of a slow cooker, but nothing beats coming home to it after a long day at work. The meat sauce is made separately, then layered with noodles and cheese for slow cooking. View Recipe 02 of 28 Classic Pot Roast for the Slow Cooker Christina Holmes Here's a tried-and-true slow cooker meal: All of the ingredients for this cozy pot roast—including the carrots and potatoes—cook together, which makes for easy clean-up and builds so much flavor. View Recipe 03 of 28 Slow-Cooker Queso Con Poulos The ultimate party starter, queso stays warm and creamy when made in a slow cooker. The combination of ooey-gooey American cheese and sharp pepper Jack is irresistible. View Recipe 04 of 28 Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole Romulo Yanes This recipe for mole, a Mexican chile sauce, gets its rich flavor from a combination of ancho chiles, raisins, chipotles in adobo sauce, and bittersweet chocolate. The chicken gets wonderfully tender after a low, slow cooking time. View Recipe 05 of 28 Easy Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Christina Holmes Don't just enjoy pulled pork on game day. It's a sweet, tangy main that's so satisfying any night of the week. Instead of using barbecue sauce, we make a marinade with crushed and whole tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, dried oregano, and dried bay leaves. View Recipe 06 of 28 Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans Stephen Kent Johnson Jarred salsa plus chopped chipotles in adobo sauce are fast shortcuts to prepping this hearty entrée. They impart plenty of deep, smoky flavor to the boneless, skinless chicken thighs while they cook low and slow. View Recipe 07 of 28 Slow-Cooker Ribollita Stephen Kent Johnson Craving soup for dinner, but looking for something a little heartier? This Tuscan bread soup, which also happens to be vegetarian, should satisfy; leave off the Parmigiano-Reggiano and it's vegan, too. View Recipe 08 of 28 Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Buns Stephen Kent Johnson If you're hosting a brunch and want to prep one of the main dishes in advance, this sweet recipe is for you. Individual rolls are arranged in a slow cooker, then "baked" until they are fluffy and moist. View Recipe 09 of 28 Slow-Cooker Indian-Style Fish Curry Stephen Kent Johnson In this fish curry—which is so different from many slow cooker recipes—the protein is only added for the last 20 minutes of cooking. It's the rich coconut-milk sauce, flavored with an array of spices, that needs time to cook. View Recipe 10 of 28 Slow-Cooker Brisket and Onions Brisket takes a long time to cook. Using a slow cooker turns this recipe into a no-brainer. You can make it up to a week in advance, reheating in an oven before serving. View Recipe 11 of 28 Slow-Cooker Ropa Vieja Stephen Kent Johnson We make this popular braise with flank steak, an inexpensive cut of meat that becomes super tender when cooked low and slow. Serve over white rice and top with plantain chips. View Recipe 12 of 28 Garlic Chicken With Barley Christina Holmes A one-pot winner chicken dinner! The barley cooks along with the chicken pieces in the slow cooker. View Recipe 13 of 28 Emeril's Slow-Cooker Split-Pea Soup Marcus Nilsson The easiest split-pea soup recipe you'll ever make, you just dump all the ingredients in a slow cooker and set it for 6 hours. Before serving, pull out the ham hock and chop the meat to add back into the soup. View Recipe 14 of 28 Shredded Beef Chuck Roast Jason Donnelly This recipe provides a blank slate for whatever flavors you're craving. You can take this tender shredded beef in a Korean, Mexican, or Argentine direction by adding different seasonings. You can also use it as a topping for nachos, rice bowls, or as a filling for empanadas and more. View Recipe 15 of 28 Slow-Cooker Sicilian-Style Beef Stew Lennart Weibull Beef chuck is an economical cut of meat and becomes tender and delicious when cooked with orange zest, rosemary, and luscious green olives in this hearty stew. It's delicious served over mashed potatoes or polenta. View Recipe 16 of 28 Hawaiian-Style Short Ribs This dish is like a tropical vacation in a single dish. Layer aromatics into a slow cooker, top with beef short ribs, and drizzle with chili-soy sauce. Fresh cubed pineapple gets added in the final hour of cooking. View Recipe 17 of 28 Slow-Cooker White-Bean Soup Lennart Weibull Loaded with great northern beans, leeks, butternut squash, and spinach, this hearty dish is the answer when you need healthy comfort food. Make it on a weekend and enjoy it for lunch or dinner during the week. View Recipe 18 of 28 Slow-Cooker Cilantro-Chutney Chicken Lennart Weibull Set it and forget it—then enjoy this garlicky, gingery, and fragrant stew three hours later. It starts with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and ends with a lively topping of chutney made with cilantro, roasted peanuts, and lime juice. It's a company-worthy slow-cooker dish. View Recipe 19 of 28 Slow-Cooker Carne Guisada A tough cut of beef gets simmered in a spicy tomato sauce until tender. It's delicious served in a flour tortilla with cheese and cilantro, or spooned over white rice. View Recipe 20 of 28 Classic Beef Stroganoff The long simmering time for this beef-and-mushroom mixture turns wonderfully tender over the course of a day. Thicken it at the end with added cornstarch, finished with sour cream and dill. View Recipe 21 of 28 Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage Lucky you: We have a recipe for corned beef and cabbage that takes only a fraction of the prep work and keeps all the traditional taste. View Recipe 22 of 28 Slow-Cooker Beef Ragu Slow cook a beef chuck roast with garlic, onion, and tomato paste and the result is a robust ragu with fewer ingredients than there are ways to serve it. View Recipe 23 of 28 Slow-Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos Cook chicken thighs low and slow with garlic, salsa, chipotle chiles in adobo, and chili powder for a succulent, flavor-packed taco filling. View Recipe 24 of 28 Slow-Cooker Garlic Chicken With Couscous Romulo Yanes This dish, which is sure to become a family favorite, starts by combining a cut-up whole chicken with onion, thyme, and white wine. Serve it over couscous to sop up the delicious sauce. View Recipe 25 of 28 Slow-Cooker Triple-Chocolate Brownies Talk about magic. You don't need to fire up your oven to make a batch of gooey, fudgy brownies—the slow cooker does the job just fine. View Recipe 26 of 28 Slow-Cooker White-Bean Soup Lennart Weibull Meat is not the only thing that is transformed in the slow cooker. Vegetables also benefit from the low, slow cooking process. This soup features butternut squash, leeks, and spinach with Great Northern beans. View Recipe 27 of 28 White Bean Chicken Chili A lighter take on chili than the usual beef-based version, this recipe uses chicken thighs and is thickened with the addition of cornmeal. Offer a variety of toppings so people can customize their bowls. View Recipe 28 of 28 Loaded Slow-Cooker Baked Potatoes Romulo Yanes Baked potatoes in the slow cooker? Yes, please! Yogurt and vegetable broth lend lushness and tang to the potatoes as they cook. A topping of sautéed mushrooms and broccoli adds heft. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit