Crockpot Recipes

Crockpot recipes for families are here to fill up your meal planning for the month and try a new weeknight dinner. From slow cooker casseroles to dinner soups and desserts, they’re my favorite ones all wrapped up in one handy guide. 

Family Crockpot Recipes

With these easy slow cooker recipes you don’t have to be a professional home cook to make your family think you are. 😉 From frozen chicken, to pork chops and taco meat in slow cooker you can make it all y’all.

We’re all busy right??!! If I can cook chicken in one and easy Crockpot side dishes in another there really isn’t any prep at all. Then dinner is ready when you are at the end of the day when you are exhausted and just want to sit down and eat.

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
2. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

What to Make in a Slow Cooker

From appetizers like Crockpot smokies, to soups, desserts, to main dishes, I am constantly creating new Crockpot dinner ideas that all of us will enjoy.

• In the New Year, slow cooker Hoppin John is supposed to bring everyone luck and prosperity. We could all use more of that right?
• That is not the “norm” and neither are slow cooker oxtails. If you’re thinking ehhhh, you have to try them first.
• Whole Cauliflower in Crock pot makes for a simple side dish
• If you only thought about cooking meat slow and low, that isn’t all. You can cook slow cooker vegetables in it too for a healthy side dish.
• An easy one is this slow cooker spaghetti sauce or veggie loaded Crockpot cabbage soup.

Like our slow cooker beef tips and shredded slow cooker beef barbacoa recipes are amazing. Love thick gravy? Try slow cooker roast beef and gravy over mashed potatoes or with Crockpot cornbread.

Chicken Recipes

Of course when I do I love sharing them with all of you to help you out as well. If you too are looking for a few easy crockpot recipes you’ve come to the right place. From how to cook a whole head of cabbage in slow cooker which is a healthy side dish to proteins, here are a few of our favorites!

I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a bit obsessed with my slow cooker! My mom always used to make a version of this Goulash in the Crock-pot meal back in the day and I just had to do it with my kids when I had them.

For a finger food dinner our  Slow Cooker Riblets are super fun with whatever sauce you love. Barbecue and teriyaki is killer. If you want a duo I would make our Chicken and Stuffing Crockpot.

• I’ll first get you drooling with our crockpot crack chicken recipe here
• Our crockpot spaghetti and meatballs and/or Crockpot stuffed bell peppers are great with ground beef too.
• We have a lot of crockpot chicken recipes on our site for sure since that is all my youngest would eat when she was younger.

And since I am forgetful, a lot, I have instructions for things right out of the freezer. Slow cooker frozen cube steak is just one, more to follow below.

Dinner Recipes

Sometimes all you have time to do is a little bit of prep in the morning to create a melt in your mouth roast or flavorful shredded beef or chicken for dinner. The easiest is just meat and sauce, that is it. The most simple would be our slow cooker chicken tenderloins here.

If you meal plan, having a bunch of recipes can be helpful. Write down your favorites on printable recipe cards or bookmark this page. Then start with something with 1 ingredient like our Slow Cooker Hot Dogs that is always a hit with kids.

• That’s when these crockpot recipes come in SO handy!
• Recipe for Kielbasa in Crock Pot is so easy with just 2 main ingredients. I like it with beer but broth is another option.
• Or throw that into our 15 Bean Soup Crock Pot to make it heartier.
• Some Crockpot Sausage Recipes only require the main ingredient and a sauce to get tender. Or dice up veggies or peppers and onions and throw those in too.
• Crockpot Creamy Potato and Hamburger Soup is an easy cheap one pot meal.

Here’s a printable for Crock Pot cooking times that will help you convert from high to low depending on how much time you have.

We have a list of easy cheap crockpot meals to choose from here too. Some are vegetarian like slow cooker cabbage and others are high in protein.

Dump and Go Recipes

One that is a perfect size for dips and a small casserole, a large version if I know company is coming over, and one that is perfect for feeding our family of 5. These are my favorite styles I recommend everyone has in their cupboards.

• Large crockpot is perfect for a larger crowd and crockpot soup recipes
• Casserole crockpot – not just for casseroles but perfect for dips too
• Medium is perfect for our family of 5 with maybe 1 serving for leftovers the next day

I can say I have never used crockpot liners, but some people swear by them to eliminate some of the mess/scrubbing. 

Here are some of our favorites with links to a total of over 50 different crockpot recipes for you to try and enjoy. Starting with easy easy like out 2 ingredient Slow Cooker BBQ chicken thighs and on to show you how to cook pasta in slow cooker too we have it all.

Family Friendly Meals

Want a protein packed meal with veggies all cooked together? Try this Crockpot jerk chicken one pot meal that everyone loves. Poultry does so well low and slow. It just falls apart whether it is frozen or thawed and the timing really doesn’t change when making Slow Cooker Rotel Tacos or others below…

• Crockpot chili – my most popular recipe and something we make on a weekly basis!
  • if you want to use something other than ground beef, try our Crockpot venison chili sometime too
• It’s as simple as our easy Crockpot soup but without so many beans and heartier.
• You can serve Crockpot carrots with just about anything.
• If you ask my girls they’ll say slow cooker chicken legs are their fave.
• Slow cooker creamy tomato soup is yummy
• Crockpot potato soup or our Crockpot ham and potatoes recipes are perfect after the holidays when you have leftovers.
  • I did make an entire Crockpot recipes with leftover ham post with all of them though.
  • We love our crockpot lasagna recipe

Here are a few easy slow cooker turkey crown you can choose from for the holidays..or year round. You can then use the drippings to make the base to our Slow Cooker Biscuits and Gravy recipe for breakfast the next day.

Classic Meals

You can start the day with your every day ingredients, but made in this pot. If you haven’t tried Crockpot scrambled eggs it’s a great one for a large crowd, especially during the holidays.

Our creamy Crockpot ham and potato soup is amazing. If you want a cheap and healthy chicken option, this pepperoncini chicken in your pot is fabulous.

• Holiday Crockpot ham recipe goes well with our simple Crockpot Corn on the Cob side
  • These slow cooker scalloped potatoes and Crockpot steel cut oats are great for breakfast too
• Healthy butter chicken recipe is great over a bed of rice.
• For pure comfort food, give Crockpot enchilada casserole a whirl!
• Baked Beans with Ground Beef can be made and kept warm together in this pot.
• Some night make this fork tender amazing pork tenderloin slow cooker recipe of ours.
• A healthy throw together one pot meal is our boneless skinless chicken thighs Crockpot recipe.

Now if you’re forgetful, you can still cook this frozen whole chicken in Crockpot and still save dinner. I’ve done it lots of times. It surprisingly comes out super tender like frozen chicken thighs Crock Pot.

Simple Crockpot chicken noodle soup is always a winner for dinner. Like healthy? We have a roundup of Crockpot cabbage recipes to choose from too.

Family Slow Cooker Meal Ideas

If you’re looking for really cheap crockpot meals we have a bunch! Crockpot recipes using hamburger tend to be a bit less expensive. To really cut down on costs choose a meat with a bit higher fat content, that will drive the price down.

With our Slow Cooker Lentil Stew Recipe you can add kielbasa sausage, chicken or leave plant based as a dinner idea. But for beef you can make a large cut tender like our Crockpot Brisket Recipe.

Since you’ll have to precook your ground beef anyway you can drain the fat so it won’t matter. If you want it lower in fat put it into a strainer and spray hot water on your meat to rinse more fat off it it too. Using poultry is healthier and tasty too. Make plain with seasonings or Slow Cooker Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup.

You can use precooked meat to make cooking faster too like our Crockpot tuna noodle casserole recipe.

• The best Slow Cooker stuffed cabbage soup
• An old fashioned favorite, this is our Crockpot Meatloaf Recipe
• Our chopped steak recipe can be made low and slow ideally.
• Easy crockpot french onion soup is a lighter meal where Crockpot Brunswick stew is hearty.
• 2 Ingredient Pulled Pork only needs barbecue sauce
• Slow cooker chicken parmesan is a healthy Crockpot recipe
• Crockpot chili mac is cheap, and then make our Mississippi roast slow cooker recipe next.

Then if you want a good ol’ fashioned meal you should try our slow cooker cube steak or slow cooker beef stew with onion soup mix.

Recipes for Two

If you want to make a smaller batch of any of these just cut in half. I recommend using a smaller 4 qt. pot for less food. Our carne asada Crock Pot recipe is full of flavor, low carb, protein packed and great shredded or chopped inside of tacos. Throw in 2 Crockpot chicken leg quarters and that’s a cheap meal.

If you want to use pork I would give our slow cooker pork chops and gravy a whirl. Want something without a heavy sauce to it? Use powdered flavoring mixes like our slow cooker ranch pork chops which packs a ton of flavor.

Forgetful like me?? I bet you have had your moments. That is when this Crockpot chicken frozen breasts recipe comes in handy. We made it like chicken caprese but you could use all sorts of sauces with it to get tender. The kids prefer a Chopped Cheese Sandwich but easy to make both.

Side Dishes

I mean anything goes with our no yeast slow cooker bread recipe. More like rolls but you’ll love that one for sure. Want a veggie? Slow cooker collard greens.

• Our cabbage and ham will remind you of your grams or just leave out the meat and make Crockpot Brats to serve together.
• Pumpkin in slow cooker can be sliced or pureed and baked with.
• Simple Crockpot Mushrooms for steak or a side with any meal really turn out tender and delish.

Appetizers

Ok so I make slow cooker bbq meatballs for an app and am guilty of serving for dinner in slider buns or over the top of rice in slow cooker too!

You can cook to tender these frozen pork chops in Crock Pot too if that is all you had. In a second one throw in some green beans with ham and potatoes cooked together with or without the meat in there.

• Tender Crockpot bbq beef is great. You can pair it with some parmesan and/or mushroom slow cooker risotto which is a great alternative to rice.
• Dr Pepper Pulled Pork Slow Cooker is a fave.
• Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff is great over egg noodles
• Slow Cooker Ossobuco Beef is amazing.
• We’ve made beef as well as slow cooker pork carnitas for taco Tuesdays too
• Hashbrown Soup in a slow cooker is an easy one made with frozen hashbrowns
• Our crockpot buffalo chicken sliders are a great appetizer.
  • When it’s chilly, our Crockpot tortellini soup is great

Have you ever wondered if you cook cook Crockpot ground beef or slow cooker eggs in this thing? You can!! It’s kinda’ great on a busy day when you’re doing work around the house. A few stirs throughout and done.

Meals with Chicken

Cooking for the holidays? Forgetful? You can still save the day with frozen chicken or making frozen pork loin in Crock Pot to tender in no time. Our slow cooker green bean casserole recipe works so well.

If you want spicy I would go with our slow cooker Mexican shredded chicken. It can be made spicy or mild served as tacos when you are ready.

And if you hate wasting food of any kind and wondering how to cook chicken livers we have a recipe for that too. Cooked a few different ways, low and slow is always a great way to do it.

• Chicken soup in the Crockpot is healthy and great when you’re not feeling well.
• This crockpot lemon pepper chicken is healthy.
• Crockpot cheesy chicken and rice is always a winner with chicken thighs, or creamy Crockpot chicken with breasts.
• Crockpot Green Chili Chicken has bold flavor and can be made with homemade Bone Broth Slow Cooker

To slow cook large thick pieces of meat or roasts this is by far the best method. It will break down the connective tissues making them fork tender, easy to cut and melt in your mouth. One of many focus on a specific cut, our sirloin tip roast slow cooker recipe here. You can even include vegetables together.

Try this EASY Crockpot potato soup with frozen hashbrowns some night. We have made Crockpot frozen chicken before too when batch cooking. It can be used for a number of other recipes.

If you haven’t baked a slow cooker dessert yet they turn out quite well actually. You can throw together this Crockpot cobbler with frozen fruit in no time. Year round you can find the ingredients which is nice.

4 Ingredient Dump Meals

Many of these are easy few ingredient recipes like our slow cooker oatmeal that is simple to prep the night before.

One of the magical things about this pot is how it cooks beans from dry. I never ever would do it any other way (other than in a pressure cooker) because it is too labor intensive. But when making slow cooker black beans you just rinse, add, and let them get tender low and slow all day. That is it.

You can then use those beans in our slow cooker casserole with pasta and sauce. Add leftover meat or leave vegetarian. Our Crockpot recipes with tortellini can be made with just 2 ingredients, just frozen tortellini and sauce if you want.

• Slow cooker teriyaki chicken wings with a healthy batch of slow cooker brown rice is great
• For a side dish we love Crockpot baked beans or slow cooker mung beans
• This is how long to cook ground turkey if you want to make tacos with it when you get home.
• If you’re looking for an easy Crockpot chicken casserole recipe, we have lots. But first, start with this creamy Crockpot pesto chicken alfredo casserole

Forgetful?? Me too. Here’s how to cook frozen roast in slow cooker perfectly or this is how to cook Crockpot chuck roast that is fresh or frozen.

There are tons of different thick cuts that cook down well low and slow. Often times I will buy a smaller piece and make slow cooker picnic pork roast with teriyaki sauce for sliders.

Frozen Meat in Crockpot

Can you cook straight out of the freezer this way?? Totally, we do it like all the time. A whole chicken is great and doesn’t take any longer than if it were defrosted either!! Surprising but true. Want more ideas? This is how to cook frozen corned beef in Crock Pot too.

Want a super cheap and hearty meal? Try our easy white chicken chili Crockpot recipe or frozen meatballs in Crockpot some night. They aren’t just for an appetizer. You can use spaghetti sauce and make subs for dinner. So inexpensive and yummy.

A healthy option you can just add some simple seasonings to is this slow cooker chicken thighs and potatoes one pot meal. For a Puerto Rican flare use the same meat to make Guisado de Pollo with a ton of spices too.

Using a chuck roast we love making beef manhattan. This one is fun served on top of garlic bread with a dollop of mashed potatoes too. SO good. If you have burgers for a meal, Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions are great.

• This Crockpot chicken taco meat is perfect for a quick meal.
  • This crockpot chicken cacciatore is healthy and yummy
• Our classic Crockpot hamburger helper recipe
• Angel Crockpot Chicken with pasta and cream of chicken soup

If you have even more ground beef or turkey to use up make a batch of slow cooker sloppy joes for dinner too. Another protein packed meal with beef is our London Broil for the Slow Cooker.

Casseroles

Soup or Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole with Noodles doesn’t have to be made when you’re sick or it’s snowing outside. Many times we make it year round because it’s pure comfort food in a bowl. Pair it with a side of semi homemade pull apart bread and dinner is done in no time!

We love breakfast for dinner too. When I have leftover ham after the holidays I’ll make Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes Crockpot to enjoy. For lunch you can make a homemade slow cooker chicken alfredo too.

Time for brunch?? Use boneless skinless chicken thighs to make our chicken poblano, omg is it delicious. Serve with little bowls so everyone can get a bit of this, a bit of that and have a few bites of them all. Shred our Crockpot chicken with Italian dressing and serve with slider buns too.

• Crockpot sticky teriyaki chicken with a side of slow cooker brussel sprouts is great.
• Simple but delish Crockpot Italian wedding soup
• Our Crockpot lasagna casserole – great if you’re having a large crowd, everyone loves it.
• Loaded baked potato soup or use the sweeter version to make Crockpot Sweet Potatoes
• Hearty Crockpot pork chops or slow cooker pulled pork are great
• We share here how long to cook dry beans low and slow, which goes well with any main dish.

If you want to make high protein meals, Eye of Round Roast Slow Cooker is delicious and can be tweaked many different ways with vegetables and gravy. Slow cooker corned beef brisket is amazing and you don’t need to wait until St. Patrick’s Day to make it!

Family Crockpot Meals

For a really healthy crockpot recipe try our pea soup below using dry split peas that can be found at the Dollar Store, literally. Using broth and some vegetables it will become a new family favorite. Throwing in some leftover ham is a great add in to our Haluski recipe and other dishes too.

You can make a great one pot meal with protein and your favorite side like our egg noodles and chicken dish. Add more broth to make it a soup or leave as a meal like this. You can do the same thing with Slow Cooker Lentils as a side or soup too.

• Healthy Crockpot split pea soup
• Beef barley soup in Crockpot is a cheap one
• Crockpot cinnamon roll monkey bread
• Slow cooker ham and potato soup
• Try this Slow cooker chocolate chip banana bread
• Make sandwiches with this slow cooker drip beef! Served with a side of Pinto Beans in Crockpot Recipe it is always a hit.

If you didn’t know you could cook fish or specifically, Crockpot salmon you totally can!Here are a few pictures of our favorite crock pot recipes that are soups, but there are so many other things you can make in your slow cooker including hearty dinners and desserts!

I’ve even made these fabulous buttery garlic slow cooker no yeast rolls as a side dish on a busy evening and they’re so yummy. If you have two pots you can make the insides of your sliders by making shredded chicken cordon bleu sandwich ingredients in another.

Recipes with Vegetables

If you love cabbage you must try our Crockpot cabbage and sausage recipes loaded with potatoes too. A hearty meal that is way too good to only make it around St. Patrick’s Day.

• Crockpot chicken cacciatore is a great low fat one pot meal your whole family will love. Make it easier using a jar of spaghetti sauce.
• Normally you would make Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes during Thanksgiving but seriously year round is better.
• You can make Crockpot Green Beans Recipe easily.
• Slow cooker Korean beef uses a homemade sauce that is simple to throw together for sure. You can make our bulgur wheat recipe with it too.
  • Crockpot sesame chicken is great served on a bed of white or brown rice.

With our 3 ingredient pork roast slow cooker you can certainly throw in halved petite potatoes and chunks of carrots that have been peeled.

Easy Meals

For a really hometown dish try a roast with onion soup mix in Crockpot! Another comfort food we love is shepherds pie Crockpot style.

• Hearty Crock pot vegetable beef soup is a good dinner, while Crockpot appetizer meatballs are a fun start.
• Salsa chicken crockpot recipe is great shredded inside corn tortillas with some cheddar cheese and sour cream on top.
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast Red Wine comes out tender and shredded ready for rolls
• Crockpot pizza rocks
• This is how to cook garbanzo beans low and slow

Crockpot hamburger casserole is amazing, as well as all our other crockpot hamburger recipes here. We buy a lot of this type of meat because it is high in protein but inexpensive at the same time. It is something even my picky youngest daughter will eat which is a win win.

Best Things to Make

Did you know you could even make snack mix in slow cooker? You totally can, Crockpot boiled peanuts are another fave. I honestly don’t think I have tried anything for it to become a complete failure really.

You can make Velveeta sausage dip Rotel in your Crock too which is great if you’re having people over. It keeps for hours on warm or off to use as a cheesy sauce for chips or to make nachos.

This easy slow cooker stew recipe is great to make year round with vegetables and tender meat. Make some for your pup too with our Crockpot dog food recipe.

• The best Crockpot corn chowder
• We have a lot of Crockpot Chicken Recipes with Cream Cheese recipes here too
• Pot roast in the slow cooker comes out great too
• Our Crockpot steak and potatoes turn out amazing like our Slow Cooker Cornish Hens using taters as trivets
• Easy Crockpot Hawaiian chicken can be served as is or shredded
• Crockpot brownie cookies for dessert

Cooking beans in slow cooker is a game changer. I do still soak for a few hours, but you don’t need to. One that turns out great is our mayocoba beans recipe. Often times I will make Crockpot Porketta Roast with those using two different pots.

Dinners

If you want to try foods from other countries you can do just that right at home. You can make enchiladas in this and our Puerto Rican beef stew is incredible. Love seafood? Try a batch of Crock Pot shrimp boil y’all.

For pork with or boneless Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs I use my favorite bottle of barbecue sauce to make these. That is really all you need.

You know you can make things that would normally be baked in the oven too right? Our chicken slow cooker enchiladas are a good example of this.

• BBQ pulled pork crockpot recipe
  • using bottled barbecue sauce or homemade with soy sauce, brown sugar and worcestershire sauce it comes out incredibly tender
• Super cheap Crockpot sausage and vegetables
• Crockpot goulash
• Simple Crockpot chicken fajitas
• Slow cooker chicken and dumplings
• Crustless crockpot apple crisp pie
• Holiday Crockpot hot apple cider

From comfort foods like our hamburger helper you see here, to healthy dishes like chicken fajitas and the easiest crockpot chicken cacciatore recipe you’ll ever make there’s always something new you can try!

Dessert in Slow Cooker

If you’re new to breakfast crockpot recipes we have a few including the potatoes below. Add sausage or ham and it’s great for Christmas brunch too. But wait, you can make sweets in it too!! In the Fall we will make Crockpot Pumpkin Dump Cake but other flavors work well too with cake mix.

We share How to Make Caramel with Condensed Milk in our Crock too. Great served on top of all of these really.

• Crockpot chocolate lava cake
• And chocolate Crockpot cake
• Breakfast Crockpot french toast casserole
• The best Crockpot pizza casserole
• Slow cooker cheesy potatoes or slow cooker cheesy cauliflower are great side dishes.

The question when you add meat is, can you put raw meat in a slow cooker?

I do not do this with hamburger, but beef and chicken I do. In general it isn’t a hard no no. You can cook raw meat in the slow cooker by putting in your meat with the liquid your recipe calls for, and set to high or low. Generally people start at high and after a few hours turn it down.

In 6-8 hours most meats will be cooked through and safe to eat. As always use a thermometer to ensure it’s the right temp for safety reasons for Crockpot Salisbury Steak and others.

As you can see it is just about everything! From chicken to beef, pork and even desserts there is nothing this oval pot can’t do really. Yes I do have a lot of Instant Pot recipes to choose from too but occasionally I just want to go back to the basics.

You can cook comfort food and things like our tasty healthy Crockpot soup with little to no prep on your part. Many times you can dice everything the night before too.

• Tasty Crockpot beef stroganoff 2 ways is shared here
  • it’s amazing how tender this gets cooked all day
• Tater tot casserole
• Crockpot french toast casserole for brunch.
• Creamy slow cooker rice pudding for dessert.
• Easy slow cooker beef short rib recipe you will love and should try this week

If you’ve never made a crockpot dessert there are many on this site. We’ve made things like our crockpot apple dump cake and Crockpot peanut clusters that are amazing. Use pretzels and nuts instead to make this Crockpot chocolate candy treat.

If there aren’t enough easy crockpot recipes here to choose from I have more here:

• Slow cooker soup recipes
• I have a bunch of different Slow cooker chili recipes here too

I am adding new recipes each week so make sure to check back often!