When it comes to delicious dinners that take very little effort to make, slow cooker recipes are basically the best way to go. For people who are constantly on the move, all you have to do is throw all your ingredients together in a dish, close it up and wait for it to be done. Still, it’s not always so easy to decide which recipe is the best one to make and under what circumstances. Fortunately, we’ve done all the research for you and have whittled it down to only the best of the best. With no further ado, here are the eight best slow cooker recipes we’ve found—with video instructions as well!
1. Slow Cooker Asian Chicken
If you have a hankering for some Chinese takeout-style food, why not just make it at home yourself? For those who want something extremely simple that still tastes delicious and goes well with rice and veggies, this recipe is a great place to start. Fortunately, it also couldn’t be easier to make. Here’s how you do it.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3/4 pound snow peas, trimmed
- 2 heads baby bok choy, leaves separated
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- black pepper and salt to taste
Directions:
- In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, mix together the sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, fish sauce, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat.
- Cover and cook until the chicken is tender, on high for 4 to 5 hours.
- Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour the cooking liquid into a large skillet and boil until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a second large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the snow peas, bok choy, bell pepper, scallions, and garlic and cook, tossing frequently, until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Serve with the chicken; drizzle with the cooking liquid.
2. Chicken Gravy and Biscuits
Everyone loves a hearty, breakfast-style biscuits and gravy recipe. Although it’s generally eaten in the morning, this dish can be made at any time and is sure to satisfy you and the whole family. As always, the ingredients are super easy to come by and simple to combine—just throw everything together and enjoy. Let’s do it.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 8 ounces of sliced portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
- 1/4 cup of heavy cream
- 8-10 refrigerated biscuits
Here’s what you do:
- Begin by combining your chicken thighs, mushrooms, flour, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper in your slow cooker.
- Mix everything up before adding chicken broth and mixing again. Cover it and let it cook on low for four to six hours.
- When the time is up, give everything a stir and add your heavy cream as well, mixing that in.
- With the wet ingredients set, carefully place your uncooked refrigerated biscuits in the mix as well, submerging them partway until you’ve filled the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Cover it again and set it to cook on high for an hour. When the time is up, scoop some out and you’re ready to eat!
3. Cranberry Apple Cider
Ok, so this one isn’t a meal like some of the other ones on this list are. Still, it’s fall and with that time of year comes plenty of reason to celebrate. Of all the many fall traditions we have, drinking hot apple cider is one of the best ones—and this is one of the best recipes for it that we’ve ever tried. So let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 liter of pure, unsweetened apple juice
- 2 cups of pure, unsweetened orange juice
- 1 liter of unsweetened cranberry juice
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 apple, sliced
- 4 whole cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries
Here’s what to do:
- Of all these recipes, this might be the simplest. Start by pouring your apple juice, orange juice, cranberry juice, sugar and cloves into the slow cooker.
- Stir it up a few times with a wooden spoon before adding in your sliced orange, sliced apple, cinnamon sticks and cranberries.
- When it’s all in there, cover the crock pot and set it to cook on low for four hours.
- When it’s done, scoop a cup out and enjoy! You can even eat the fruit pieces as well.
4. Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork
Although this one might sound a little unusual, the results are absolutely delicious. While we’ve all had a standard barbecue pulled pork at some point in our lives, a Dr. Pepper flavored one is a little bit unusual. Regardless, the tastes of the soda work perfectly with the meat and result in a sweet and tangy dish that you’ll want to make again and again. So let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 3-4 pounds of pork loin roast
- 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of pepper
- 2 tablespoons of salt
- 12 ounces of Dr. Pepper
- barbecue sauce (to taste)
Here’s what you do:
Start by placing your pork loin right in the middle of the slow cooker. Add your garlic powder, pepper and salt on top of the pork loin as well and roll it all around until all sides are well-coated in it as a dry rub. If you need to add a little extra of any of these ingredients, do so as you wish but keep them all proportional to each other. When it’s completely covered, pour in your Dr. Pepper as well and close the pot up. Set it to cook on low for five hours before opening it up and shredding the meat with two forks. Once it looks good, pour in a few cups of your favorite barbecue sauce. Mix everything up and you’re ready to serve!
5. Coca-Cola Baby Back Ribs
Just like the meal above, this recipe for Coca-Cola ribs may seem a little unusual on the surface. For anyone who tried the Dr. Pepper one, though, they’ll likely be rushing into making this one as well. Although it might seem like an unorthodox ingredient, the soda works so well to flavor and tenderize the meat—and it all results in fall-off-the-bone ribs. So let’s do it.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 rack of baby back ribs
- salt
- pepper
- 1 can of Coca-Cola
- 1 cup of barbecue sauce
Here’s what you do:
- Salt and pepper ribs generously on both sides.
- Wrap ribs around outside of crock pot.
- Pour Coke over ribs and cook for 8-10 hours.
- Cover a oven safe pan with aluminum foil.
- The meat will be falling off the bones, so carefully transfer the ribs to the foil lined pan (meaty side up).
- Cover ribs with barbecue sauce and place under broiler until sauce starts to sizzle and caramelize.
- Remove from oven and serve.
If recipes can get any easier than this, we don’t know them.
6. Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice White Hot Chocolate
This recipe may be a mouthful but the end result is a perfect fall recipe that’s sure to become one of your new favorites. While it’s not necessarily a full meal, it’s definitely a delicious snack that your kids will love and that you’ll return to throughout the season. If you were looking for a unique new dessert-style snack, this is it. Let’s do it.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 cups of whole milk
- 1 cup of white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree
- 4 3-inch cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg (plus extra for topping)
- cinnamon sticks (for topping)
- whipped cream (for topping)
Here’s how you do it:
- Begin by pouring your milk, white chocolate chips, pumpkin, cinnamon sticks, ginger and nutmeg into the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Stir everything up and close the lid, setting it to cook on low for two to three hours (though be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so for the first hour).
- When the time is up, make sure everything is smooth and well-combined before scooping it out into mugs. Top each one with a little extra nutmeg, a cinnamon stick and some whipped cream!
7. Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
Chicken Parmesan is a classic Italian dish that you might get while eating out at your favorite local restaurant. But did you know that it’s also incredibly easy to make right at home? If you follow these simple instructions at home, you’ll be eating high-quality Italian cuisine in no time—and your taste buds will thank you. Let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 24-ounce jars of chunky tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
- 1 pound of cooked penne pasta
- 3 cups of shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
Here’s what you do:
- Start by adding your chicken to the slow cooker and sprinkling in your salt, pepper and oregano.
- Pour in the tomato sauce before covering it up and cooking on high for four hours or on low for six to eight.
- When the time is up, cook your pasta according to the instructions on the package—and while it cooks, take your chicken out and break it into smaller pieces on a plate before adding it back to the sauce.
- When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the slow cooker. Spread it into an even layer and add your shredded parmesan and mozzarella on top.
- Cover it up for another 15 minutes until the cheese melts and dig in!
8. Slow Cooker Pot Roast
We typically think of pot roasts as something of a pain to make, or something to pull out only on special occasions. Still, once you see how simple it is to make one of them in a slow cooker, you may change your mind about that. While this recipe definitely tastes delicious, consider this a jumping off point for your own meaty creations. Let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4 pounds of chuck roast
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 packet of dry onion soup mix
- 1 cup of water
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
Here’s what you do:
- Begin by seasoning your chuck roast liberally with salt and pepper all over.
- Next, get out a large skillet and brown it on all sides over high heat—this should take about four minutes per side.
- When that’s done, put the roast in the middle of your slow cooker and add your soup mix, water, carrots, onions, potatoes and celery.
- Close everything up and set it to cook on low for eight to 10 hours.
- When it’s done, open it up and enjoy! You can also use a liner for the slow cooker to cut down on the clean-up factor.
As you can see, there’s virtually no limit to the delicious meals you can make when you get creative with your slow cooker. Each one of these recipes takes very little effort to put together and results in great-tasting meals that the whole family is sure to love. Have you given any of these recipes a try for yourself? Which one is your favorite? Let us know by leaving us a comment and as always, don’t be afraid to experiment and make these dishes your own!
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