Crockpot Ground Beef

Crockpot ground beef recipe is here. Cooking hamburger meat without a skillet is not only possible but comes out great! Then use it as an ingredient in your recipe, or enjoy as is for tacos.

Can you put raw ground beef in a Crockpot?

In this case, yes!! No precooking or browning required. It is quite easy, you just break it up and in a few hours it is ready to add into a casserole or wrap inside a tortilla with cheese for tacos. This and our air fryer ground beef is a great alternative without a skillet necessary.

We love sharing what to cook with ground beef because we too have had super busy days when we need dinner done without a lot of prep. After an exhausting day of kids and sports it is nice to walk into your house and smell all the goodness.

Tips

Hamburger and ground beef essentially mean the same thing to most of us. The biggest difference in the outcome will depend on the amount of fat left at the bottom. To be honest, it needs some. Grease and fat means flavor y’all so don’t go super lean on me. 80/20 is best if you ask me. Ground venison, bison or ground turkey doesn’t have much and will need a bit more seasonings to amp it.

Do you need to brown the ground beef first?

This is not necessary and it will still turn out great. Would kinda’ defeat the whole purpose if you use a pan and then put into your Crock. We will show you how to do it with 1-3 pounds in the recipe card below. Now in the case of Crockpot hamburger casserole you would need to cook beforehand since it is mixed with other ingredients.

Do you need to add liquid to cook ground beef in a slow cooker?

Nope! Here is the first step to get this going….throw it in!! Ok you need to break it up and spread it out on the bottom like you see here. Makes sense right, because you want it to cook evenly. Reason why you don’t need water or broth is that when cooking there will be grease released which will allow steam to form and heat the meat to browned.

Can you cook frozen ground beef in a slow cooker?

In this case it wouldn’t work so great because you would need to consistently break off the cooked pieces to reveal the iced middle in order for it to brown all the way thru. This is How to Cook Frozen Ground Beef a number of different ways but this for this one specifically, cooking frozen meat in a slow cooker isn’t a great option. Instead allow it to defrost in the fridge first.

Typically if this is all I have I will choose to cook Instant Pot frozen ground beef instead which is a quick and effective method. For these steps below, make sure meat is defrosted beforehand.

How long is cooked hamburger able to sit in a Crockpot?

Most machines have a “Warm” setting designed to keep food at a safe temperature above 140°F or 60°C for quite some time. You can safely leave the cooked hamburger on this setting for 2 to 4 hours and then you should really turn it off and allow it to cool off so you can store in the fridge for later.

Will a Crockpot brown ground beef?

Not really. It will cook it to a safe consumable temperature but you’d need to get some color on it in a pan over medium high heat. I do still from time to time depending on what I am making. If I have a busy day though it isn’t necessary and you can add taco seasoning right into the pot to essentially marinate the meat for a few hours in with your onions.

What are some good Crock pot recipes using ground beef?

Here is a long list of easy hamburger Crock pot recipes you can try once you’re ready to go too. This is great if you are batch cooking and having a get together, especially to use for a taco bar. If you love adding diced tomatoes and tomato sauce so then you can make a few trays full of lasagna!

What is ground beef made of?

This protein generally consists of the leftover trimmings from steaks, roasts and other beef cuts. There is a wide range of different types though. The cheapest is going to have the highest fat content. Most expensive will be organic, grass fed and low fat. I think the first 2 are most important for us, I think there does need to be some fat for added flavor really.

What can ground beef be used for?

I could add into some homemade spaghetti sauce and have Crockpot spaghetti and meatballs ready super quick. Another hands off approach is our Sloppy Joes Recipe that is super quick to do and always a win with kids of all ages (and adults).

We will share a few of our family favorite comfort food meals below. Add cheddar cheese to this slow cooker breakfast casserole and you’re set. Sausage works too, whichever you prefer. Instant Pot lazy lasagna is a winner with parmesan cheese on top and a really short cooking time. Way easier than the “old fashioned” method.

Other ideas are air fryer stuffed peppers, this method is great. We love ground beef egg rolls for a fun meal idea too. There are tons of family friendly meals you can make once this is pre cooked and ready to go like our one pot spaghetti.