The Very Best Crock Pot Recipes

Crock pots make cooking a hearty and hot meal easy on weekdays—even while you're working—and on busy weekends when you have better things to do than spend hours chained to the stove. Many dishes, such as stews, pot roasts with vegetables, and bean dishes, are a complete dinner in one pot, making mealtime and cleanup a breeze.

The recipes included in this list were selected for their ease of preparation and overall popularity. Choose from main dish pork, beef, and chicken recipes or add a slow-cooked vegetable side dish or dessert to your menu plan.

  • 01 of 50

    Hearty Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

    Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

     The Spruce

    This easy slow cooker chicken chili is relatively light and low calorie compared to the classic beef or pork chili. Boneless chicken breasts and a variety of canned beans make the chili super easy and convenient. If you prefer to cook the chili on the stovetop, then see the tips below the recipe.

  • 02 of 50

    Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole

    Crockpot breakfast casserole recipe

    The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt

    This overnight slow cooker breakfast casserole makes getting out of bed worth it—your hearty breakfast cooked while you slept! Hash brown potatoes, eggs, and ham team up in this easy breakfast casserole along with lots of shredded cheddar cheese and seasonings. 

  • 03 of 50

    Easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

    easy crock pot turkey breast and gravy
    Diana Rattray

    You don't have to wait for a holiday to enjoy this easy crock pot turkey breast. For a fabulous meal, add mashed potatoes, easy stovetop dressing, and cranberry sauce.

  • 04 of 50

    Slow Cooker Chicken With Farro and Vegetables

    Slow cooker chicken thighs with farro
    Diana Rattray

    This flavorful chicken and farro dinner offers loads of flavor, and it's relatively light. We use chicken thighs in the dish, but leaner chicken breasts are an alternative. The combination of several vegetables with the chicken and farro make it a hearty, satisfying slow cooker meal.

    Continue to 5 of 50 below.
  • 05 of 50

    4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Cola Chicken

    Slow Cooker Cola Chicken
    Diana Rattray

    Use chicken parts or split chickens in this easy slow cooker cola chicken recipe. All you need is the chicken, an onion, some ketchup, and cola or Dr. Pepper. Season the dish with salt and pepper, and cook!

  • 06 of 50

    Crock Pot Pizza Pasta Casserole

    Slow Cooker Pizza Pasta Casserole
    Diana Rattray

    Your whole family will love this crock pot pizza flavored pasta and beef combo! Pizza flavors include ground beef, pepperoni, prepared pizza sauce, and cheese toppings. Add some sliced ripe olives if you like. The casserole is an excellent choice for tailgating or a potluck dinner.

  • 07 of 50

    Slow Cooker Garlic Shrimp

    Slow cooker garlic shrimp

    The Spruce

    You might not think of seafood when you think of slow cooking, but this is a delicious exception. The garlic shrimp is a snap to prepare and cook in a slow cooker. The dish needs very little attention, so it's perfect for a busy day or when you don't have stovetop or oven space for another dish. 

  • 08 of 50

    Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes With Ham

    Slow cooker scalloped potatoes with ham
    Diana Rattray

    These slow cooker scalloped potatoes are especially convenient when the oven is needed for other things. The potato dish is a good choice for an everyday meal or a holiday dinner.

    Continue to 9 of 50 below.
  • 09 of 50

    Slow Cooker Italian Beef

    Crockpot Italian beef sandwich
    Diana Rattray

    Italian beef has long been a slow cooker favorite because of its ease of preparation and fabulous flavor. The Italian-style pickled vegetables—giardiniera and pepperoncini—give this dish its name.

  • 10 of 50

    Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice With Andouille Sausage

    Crock pot red beans and rice recipe

    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

    Spicy andouille sausage jazzes up this basic slow cooker red beans and rice recipe. If you like meatier red beans and rice, add a ham bone, ham hocks, diced ham, or some bacon to the beans.

  • 11 of 50

    Slow Cooker Smothered Chicken With Vegetables

    Smothered Chicken, Slow Cooker
    Diana Rattray

    This comforting chicken dish includes mushrooms and sliced vegetables. Use a combination of carrots, celery, and onions, or add your favorite frozen vegetables shortly before the dish is ready.

  • 12 of 50

    Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

    Crockpot baked mac and cheese

    The Spruce

    This dish is a tasty slow cooker macaroni and cheese recipe, made with just a few ingredients in the slow cooker or crock pot. If you crave mac and cheese but don't have the oven or stovetop space, try this method.

    Continue to 13 of 50 below.
  • 13 of 50

    Southern Pinto Beans With Ham Hocks, Slow Cooker

    Crock Pot Pinto Beans With Ham Hocks

     The Spruce

    These basic pinto beans are a Southern favorite. They're great for parties and potluck dinners, and they go well with barbecue, tacos or burritos, and fried chicken.

  • 14 of 50

    Basic Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

    canadian pea soup

    Diana Rattray

    This pea soup is a rich and hearty version of a French Canadian favorite. Load the slow cooker in the morning, and you'll have a stick-to-your-ribs soup when it's time to eat.

  • 15 of 50

    Basic Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas

    Slow cooker black-eyed peas
    Diana Rattray

    These simple slow cooker black-eyed peas are slow cooked to perfection with water and onions, and there's no need to pre-soak the peas. We did not add meat to the peas, but diced cooked bacon or ham may be added after the peas have softened. 

  • 16 of 50

    Slow Cooker Chicken With Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce

    Creamy Dijon Chicken
    Crockpot Dijon Chicken Photo: Diana Rattray

    A simple Dijon mustard sauce jazzes up these otherwise plain chicken breasts. The chicken with Dijon sauce is tasty enough for a special occasion but easy enough for an everyday meal.

    Continue to 17 of 50 below.
  • 17 of 50

    Swedish Cabbage Rolls, Slow Cooker or Stovetop

    Cabbage rolls, Swedish style
    Diana Rattray

    These easy, tasty cabbage rolls are ground beef and rice stuffed cabbage leaves cooked with a tomato sauce. Prepare and cook them in the slow cooker or on the stovetop.

  • 18 of 50

    Slow Cooker Onion Soup Beef Pot Roast

    crockpot onion soup beef pot roast recipe

    The Spruce

     

    This onion soup pot roast is always a hit. The pot roast is cooked with potatoes and carrots in an easy, creamy sauce. Dry onion soup mix and condensed soup are the flavor ingredients in this popular pot roast meal.

  • 19 of 50

    Slow Cooker Great Northern Beans

    Slow cooker great northern beans.

     The Spruce

    These slow cooker great northern beans are made with dry beans and an assortment of vegetables. Remember to add the salt at the very end of the cooking time. If you add it early, the beans might not soften.

  • 20 of 50

    Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Barbecue

    Pulled pork barbecue slow cooker
    Diana Rattray

    Do you have friends and family coming for the day or weekend? You can't go wrong with slow cooked pulled pork sandwiches. The pork needs little preparation, and it is a real crowd-pleaser. Serve the sandwiches in buns with slaw and fries or chips on the side.

    Continue to 21 of 50 below.
  • 21 of 50

    Slow Cooker Clam Chowder Recipe

    Slow cooker clam chowder

    The Spruce Eats / Katarina Zunic

    This great-tasting clam chowder cooks to perfection in the slow cooker. The chowder contains potatoes and milk, a little bacon or salt pork, and canned minced clams. Cornstarch makes the chowder thick and satisfying.

  • 22 of 50

    Slow Cooker Ground Beef and Hash Brown Dinner

    Slow cooker hash brown and ground beef
    Diana Rattray

    This easy slow cooker hash brown dinner takes just minutes to assemble, and it's an excellent choice for a busy day. Just set the slow cooker, and you're free for the rest of the day. 

  • 23 of 50

    Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Dinner

    Slow cooker beans with beef
    Diana Rattray

    Take this delicious bean dish along to a cookout or serve it as a main dish with hot baked cornbread. It's an easy dish to throw together with a variety of canned beans, browned ground beef and bacon, and everyday seasonings.

  • 24 of 50

    Slow Cooker Sloppy Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

    Sloppy Joes with barbecue flavor
    Diana Rattray

    This "sloppy" barbecued ground beef mixture makes delicious sandwiches with barbecue flavors. These sandwiches are especially good with French fries or potato chips and coleslaw or serve them with roasted potatoes or a potato salad. They make a fabulous casual family meal

    Continue to 25 of 50 below.
  • 25 of 50

    Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes With Cheese

    Crock pot scalloped potatoes with cheese

    The Spruce

    These popular scalloped potatoes are creamy and cheesy. This dish is especially convenient for a holiday dinner because they leave your oven and stovetop free for other dishes.

  • 26 of 50

    Southern Grape Jelly Meatballs

    Grape jelly meatballs

    The Spruce

     

    These great tasting grape jelly meatballs are always a hit, and once you taste them, you'll see why. The combination of chili sauce and grape jelly with the Dijon mustard makes a flavorful, tangy sauce. Besides that, it's fun to see the look on people's faces when you tell them about the grape jelly.

  • 27 of 50

    Old-Fashioned Slow Cooker Beef Stew

    Old-Fashioned Slow Cooker Beef Stew

    The Spruce 

    This dish is an old-fashioned beef stew for the slow cooker. The easy slow cooker beef stew gets its great flavor from a variety of basic pantry herbs and seasonings, along with garlic, onion, and vegetables. 

  • 28 of 50

    Slow-Cooker Barbecued Boston Butt

    Barbecued Boston butt recipe with slaw
    Diana Rattray

    This Boston butt—also known as pork shoulder—is slow-cooked to succulent perfection with your choice of beer, apple juice or broth. Shred the pork and serve it with barbecue sauce.

    Continue to 29 of 50 below.
  • 29 of 50

    Super Easy Slow-Cooker Pork Chops

    Super easy slow cooker pork chops
    Diana Rattray

    These easy pork chops are perfect for a busy day any time of the year. Onion soup mix flavors the chops, and they take about 5 or 6 hours cooking time.

  • 30 of 50

    Slow Cooker Cola Ham

    Slow Cooker Cola Ham

    The Spruce

    Cola, brown sugar, and some mustard team up to flavor this tasty slow cooker ham. Finish the ham with some pineapple rings and whole cloves for an attractive presentation.

  • 31 of 50

    Tater Tot Casserole, Slow Cooker or Oven

    Tater Tot Casserole
    Diana Rattray

    This dish is a family favorite! Bake the tater tot casserole in the oven or cook it in the slow cooker.

  • 32 of 50

    Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Pork Loin

    Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

    The Spruce

    This is a juicy, tender slow cooker pork roast with a sweet and lightly spiced brown sugar and cinnamon glaze. Serve this easy pork roast with mashed potatoes or baked potatoes, along with steamed broccoli or your favorite side dish vegetables

    Continue to 33 of 50 below.
  • 33 of 50

    Slow Cooker Meatloaf With Potatoes

    Crockpot meatloaf with potatoes

    The Spruce

    This crock pot meatloaf includes potatoes, which makes it a convenient one-pot meal. Add some steamed broccoli or add some thick-sliced carrots to the slow cooker along with the potatoes.

  • 34 of 50

    Easy Slow-Cooker Chili

    Simple Chili

    Diana Rattray

    Sometimes simple is best, and this slow cooker chili is an excellent example. Garnish the chili with cornbread croutons or skip the croutons and bake a pan of cornbread to go with it.

  • 35 of 50

    Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken

    crock pot pulled chicken

     The Spruce

    A homemade barbecue sauce makes this easy slow-cooker pulled chicken flavorful and juicy. Serve the chicken on split, toasted buns with coleslaw and baked beans, along with sliced pickles and your favorite side dishes for barbecue.

  • 36 of 50

    Easy Cheesy Slow Cooker Chicken

    Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken (Easy!)
    Diana Rattray

    This slow cooker chicken dish is all about convenience. The combination of condensed soups makes a tasty sauce that is delicious served with the chicken.

    Continue to 37 of 50 below.
  • 37 of 50

    Slow Cooker Barbecued Country-Style Ribs

    Crock Pot Barbecue Beef

     The Spruce

    Boneless country-style ribs are an excellent choice for the slow cooker, and your favorite barbecue sauce and a little apple juice and garlic make these ribs extra-flavorful.

  • 38 of 50

    Marie's Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

    Chicken tortilla soup

     jjpoole/iStock/Getty Images

    This hearty tortilla soup takes just minutes to put together in the slow cooker. It cooks hands-free in about 6 or 7 hours.

    Top this tortilla soup with crispy tortilla chips, extra shredded cheese, and some fresh chopped cilantro or 

  • 39 of 50

    Quick Fix Slow Cooker Pot Roast With French Onion Soup

    Pot roast with mushrooms
    Diana Rattray

    This slow cooker pot roast cooks over the course of the day, but it takes only 3 or 4 minutes to prepare. Similar pot roasts use dry onion soup mix. This version is made with a can of condensed French onion soup. 

  • 40 of 50

    Slow Cooker Italian-Seasoned Chicken With Potatoes

    Italian seasoned chicken with potatoes
    Diana Rattray

    This slow cooker chicken dish takes about 10 minutes to put together. Layer the ingredients, set your cooker on low, and forget it for 5 to 7 hours! Chicken, cheese, and potatoes make this dish a complete dinner! 

    Continue to 41 of 50 below.
  • 41 of 50

    Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers Recipe With Ground Beef and Rice

    Stuffed Green Peppers With Ground Beef

    The Spruce 

    Prepare the stuffed peppers and put everything in the slow cooker before you leave for work and you'll have dinner ready when you get home! Add a salad and mashed potatoes for a fabulous everyday meal.

  • 42 of 50

    Swedish Meatballs for the Slow Cooker or Stovetop

    Swedish Meatballs
    Brian Leatart Photolibrary/Getty Images

    Swedish meatballs make a tasty family meal. These meatballs are prepared and baked, and then they are briefly cooked with the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker. The meatballs and sauce may be cooked on the stovetop as well.

  • 43 of 50

    Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan

    Chicken in spaghetti sauce
    Brian Hagiwara/Photolibrary/Getty Images

    For this chicken Parmesan, the chicken is browned and then combined in the slow cooker with your favorite spaghetti sauce. Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses provide the perfect finishing touch.

  • 44 of 50

    Slow Cooker Chicken With Biscuits

    Slowcooker chicken and biscuits

    ​The Spruce Eats / Victoria Heydt

    This delicious slow cooker chicken and biscuits​ dish is a meal the whole family will enjoy, and your crock pot helps to make it quick and easy to prepare. 

    Continue to 45 of 50 below.
  • 45 of 50

    Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens

    Slow cooker black-eyed peas and collard greens
    Diana Rattray

    These slow cooker black-eyed peas and collard greens make a satisfying meal with baked cornbread and a salad. Black-eyed peas and greens are a natural combination, and the addition of bacon, tomato paste, garlic, and pepper flakes flavors the dish perfectly. Use fresh collard greens or a combination of collard greens and turnips.

  • 46 of 50

    Slow Cooker Garden Cabbage Soup

    Slow cooker garden cabbage soup
    Diana Rattray

    This easy slow cooker cabbage soup is light and flavorful. The soup offers a vast array of vegetables, including cabbage, zucchini, carrots, and spinach. 

  • 47 of 50

    Slow Cooker Taco Stack with Ground Beef

    Slow cooker taco stack
    Diana Rattray

    This taco stack looks a bit messy, but the Tex-Mex flavors are out of this world. Making the foil "handles" is essential to cutting down on the mess, so be sure to do that. Also, let the stack cool a bit before cutting it into wedges.

  • 48 of 50

    Slow Cooker Creole Chicken With Sausage

    Slow cooker creole chicken with sausage
    Diana Rattray

    Boneless chicken thighs and spicy andouille sausage are slow cooked to perfection in a deliciously seasoned tomato sauce. This chicken and sausage combination is easy to put together, and everything goes into the crock pot with no browning. Just cover the slow cooker and plug it in. Serve this flavorful chicken over hot cooked rice for a fabulous meal any night of the week.

    Continue to 49 of 50 below.
  • 49 of 50

    Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe

    Slow cooker sweet and sour meatballs
    Diana Rattray

    These sweet and sour meatballs make an excellent appetizer or serve them as a main dish with hot boiled rice or these easy sesame noodles and a salad.

  • 50 of 50

    Savory Crock Pot Pork Loin Roast

    Crock pot pork loin roast

    The Spruce

     

    This delicious pork loin roast starts with a simple herb and spice rub and then it is slow cooked to perfection with a tangy sauce mixture. The sauce is thickened and served with the pork.