30 Easy Crockpot Recipes (2024)

It’s a busy time of year! Don’t worry, I’ve gotcha covered!

This time of year brings all sorts of added rushes. Everyone has to get back into the swing of the school schedule. There is drop-off, pick-up, after school activities, sports, playdates, homework groups, music lessons…..

As a working mom, I know that added stress of packing lunches AND planning dinners everyday is enough to push a sane person over the edge. This is why I rely so heavily on my crockpot. It really is a busy family’sbest friend.

So you don’t have to search around the endless recipes on Google or Pinterest, I thought I would put together a group of my favorite 30 Easy Crockpot Recipesfor the family. These are all in my regular rotation and are loved by all.

If you are ever in need of MORE crockpot ideas, make sure to follow my Crockpot OBSESSED Pinterest Board. The name really does say it all 🙂

30 Easy Crockpot Recipes

Crockpot Lasagna Soup || Family Fresh Meals

Crockpot Carnitas|| Pinch of Yum

Crockpot Orange Glazed Meatballs|| Family Fresh Meals

Crockpot Lasagna|| Family Fresh Meals

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore|| Family Fresh Meals

Crockpot Honey Garlic Meatballs|| Family Fresh Meals

Crockpot Stuffed Peppers|| Family Fresh Meals

Creamy Tomato Slow-Cooker Chicken|| Betty Crocker

Slow Cooker Ribs|| Family Fresh Meals

Slow Cooker Tamale Pie||Six Sisters’ Stuff

Crockpot Sesame Chicken|| Family Fresh Meals

Easy Crockpot Pasta Bake|| Family Fresh Meals

Crockpot Smothered Pork|| Recipes That Crock

Mexican Lasagna Stack Up|| Family Fresh Meals

Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Brisket|| The Country Cook

Crockpot Cool Ranch Chicken|| Family Fresh Meals

The Best Crockpot BBQ Chicken || Family Fresh Meals

Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pork Roast Recipe|| Six Sisters’ Stuff

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and Ranch Potatoes || The Magical Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker Cheesy Italian Tortellini|| Betty Crocker

Crockpot Cheesy Chicken and Rice|| Family Fresh Meals

Slow Cooker Jalapeno Popper Sandwiches || Betty Crocker/Family Fresh Meals

Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Brisket|| The Country Cook

Slow-Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Fajitas|| Betty Crocker

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff || Yummy Healthy Easy

Cheesy Crockpot Cowboy Casserole || Family Fresh Meals

Whole Roasted Chicken in the Crockpot|| Family Fresh Meals

Crockpot Thai Peanut Chicken|| Family Fresh Meals

||Betty Crocker/Family Fresh Meals

The Best Crockpot Beef Stew|| Family Fresh Meals

Do you love soup? Make sure to check out my favorite crockpot soups!

OTHER SLOW COOKER RECIPES WE LOVE!

Creamy Crockpot Crack Chicken
Crockpot Chicken and Gravy
Crockpot Chili Cheese Dip

Post updated September 2020

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98 Comments

rachel d says
August 8, 2014 at 8:08 am

FYI – you have Betty Crocker cheesy italian tortellini in there twice. LOL!!
Reply
- Corey says
  August 8, 2014 at 8:22 am
  
  Haha.. It’s just that good 🙂 Thanks for catching that!
  Reply
momoffour says
August 13, 2014 at 11:05 pm

With four very active kids (currently juggling one kid in high school football, one playing football in two separate leagues, one playing football AND soccer, and another “just” playing soccer, a full time job, and a husband) needles to say, I’m very busy! I love LOVE my crock pot! I have recently discovered freezer meals. (Another wonderful time saver!) But even better is freezing meals for the crock pot. Have you tried making any of these recipes ahead of time and popping them in the freezer until your ready for them? I have one week left before school starts and I go back to work. I’m trying to make up as many meals as I can this week to make my life so much simpler and avoid not having an answer for the dreaded “what’s for supper?” question.
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- jeanine says
  August 18, 2014 at 10:28 am
  
  When I was a single mom and my children still lived at home and I worked ten hour days, I named my crock pot ‘wife’. I did my shopping and prep work on one day kept everything in rubbermaid or baggies put my meals together, and put my frozen things in the pot in the morning, came home added fresh garnishes and voila…supper. I loved my wife…
  Now alone in my home, I make soup, or ribs, or something else I don’t mind eating all week, we’ve grown old and matured together… plus it’s great for parties or when my grandkids come over… put something in before we go to the beach! woo hoo
  Reply
  - Katharine+in+Brussels says
    August 20, 2014 at 2:30 am
    
    Thank you Jeanine for these awesome tips from the trenches. You’re an inspiration!
    Reply
  - sherry Stambaugh says
    September 2, 2014 at 4:16 pm
    
    I’d like a good recipe for ribs in a crock pot, do you have one?
    Reply
    - Corey says
      September 2, 2014 at 6:53 pm
      
      I do!
      https://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2012/02/slow-cooker-barbecue-ribs.html
      Reply
      - Edward Lumm says
        September 10, 2014 at 3:37 pm
        
        Mairnate Ribs over night and put in crockpot with no liquid. When done take them out and apply Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce on them they will fall off the bone.
    - Y Charles says
      September 15, 2014 at 7:20 pm
      
      Thank you Janine!! I think I need to get “my wife” outta the cupboard …. lol
      This will make my life soooo much easier …. thank you!!
      Reply
  - Basia says
    September 16, 2014 at 2:36 pm
    
    I also work 9-10 hour days, but I have never made chicken in my crockpot. Most of the recipes say cook for 6 hours, but I certainly won’t be home by then. If I leave the chicken for 9 hours on low, will it overcook too far?
    Reply
    - Kathleen says
      September 16, 2014 at 9:13 pm
      
      No it comes out super tender. I work 10 hours or more put the frozen chicken with whatever else i want in it set it to cook 10 hours and by the time I get home it’s on warm and dinners ready
      Reply
      See Also
      Homemade Bread Bowl Recipe
    - Bridget says
      September 17, 2014 at 2:21 pm
      
      I put my chicken in frozen (after I buy it, I open the package, take out the giblets, etc and then wrap and freeze) and it cooks up perfectly. I do the same thing with stew meat, pot roast, etc…
      Reply
    - Tara says
      January 30, 2015 at 11:09 am
      
      I am a busy working mom and commute 30 miles for work. I have found that outlet timers work great for the meals that only need to be in the crockpot for 6-8 hours. I throw in the ingredients- usually frozen crockpot meals or semi thawed at 7 before I leave for work, and set the timer to have the crockpot turn on accordingly! Has worked wonders for our family meals!
      Reply
      - Jill says
        March 16, 2015 at 2:50 pm
        
        OMG I never thought of that, thank you so much Tara, this is utter genius!!!
      - Tim from NZ says
        October 28, 2016 at 7:51 pm
        
        Hi Tara I had the same problem and came up with the same solution. Plug Crock pot into the wall outlet timer and set to go. Dinner comes on about 1 in the afternoon and is ready to serve at 6-7 pm. I usually let it go longer after dinner time to keep seconds hot and allow for being late home. Works a treat and the timers are cheap.
- Cindy says
  September 2, 2014 at 9:33 pm
  
  Back in the 1980’s, I would make freezer meals for my boys. I had trays that looked like the TV dinner trays. I didn’t have a microwave, so making meals was more time consuming. I was a single mom who worked late a lot. The boys are grown now with families of their own. They tell their wives they need to make freezer meals. They had no clue as to what that was till I told them. It’s nice to read some one else was doing the same thing.
  Reply
Sharon says
August 14, 2014 at 11:51 am

Some of these recipes look really delicious (and easy – win!). My only question is that a lot of them say cook for low 4-5hrs (ish). Could it stay on warm all day? I work all day and aren’t able to turn it off after 4 hours. How will it turn out if it kept in there longer?
Reply
- Corey says
  August 14, 2014 at 2:32 pm
  
  Some crockpots have a timer that will switch to warm once it is done cooking. I hope that helps Sharon 🙂
  Reply
  - Katharine+in+Brussels says
    August 20, 2014 at 5:18 am
    
    Hi Sharon, if I can add some ideas I work 12-hr shifts 2-3 weeks of the month so have the same problem. My slow cooker has an auto setting that cooks on high for 4 hours then goes to warm, but sometimes that’s still too overcooked. First, the ideal is to use stew and soup recipes with a lot of liquid, and if you really can’t stand overcooked veg to add tiny minced pieces when you get home then wait another half hour, or sauté them seperately in a pan. Another idea is to cook in quantity over the weekend–I like setting up the slow cooker and then doing the shopping to come home for dinner ready and waiting, then package up the rest to eat later. I have also been known to freeze ingredients in advance, then dump and turn on the slow cooker before running out the door. But sometimes that’s still too fast. So I started using an timer plug attachment like what one uses to turn on the lamp every evening when you’re on vacation: I set it for two hours and put in frozen ingredients but my crock pot insulates really well and 120mins later a lot is still frozen, so I could make that longer. So far I have just used that over the weekend when I’m at home since I haven’t totally got the hang of when everything thaws to room temp, and I don’t want to court food poisoning. FWIW I’m vegetarian so I don’t make anything with raw or frozen raw meat in it–and notably most veggie dishes cook faster than omnivore ones. The solutions are out there, but stay safe!
    Reply
- Debbie says
  August 15, 2014 at 8:19 am
  
  I’m away at work all day myself and my crockpot is not programmable so I use a timer on mine (the kind you use for your Christmas lights). It works great! It allows me to program when I want my crockpot to turn on and off that way your food is not overcooked when you get home:) Hope this helps:
  Reply
  - Holly says
    August 19, 2014 at 3:28 pm
    
    Unbelievably brilliant!
    Reply
  - Sara says
    September 19, 2014 at 11:10 am
    
    Wow, that is so freaking easy and so smart! My crock pot it a hand me down from my Grannie so it is not programmable! I am heading to the hardware store this weekend and I am gonna cook away. Thank you, THANK you for this tip!!!
    Reply
  - Troy says
    November 21, 2014 at 2:52 pm
    
    That IS brilliant. Woohoo!
    Reply
- CheesyLouise says
  August 20, 2014 at 12:00 am
  
  Actually, I have cooked meat all night in a crock on just the “Keep Warm” setting and it is fully cooked. So YES you can use a lowest setting possible if you are going to be gone all day.
  Reply
- Karen says
  September 5, 2014 at 9:48 am
  
  I use a light timer to turn my crock pot on at a certain time. That way a breakfast meal can start cooking at midnight or 2 am and an evening meal can start cooking at 10 am or noon. We do a lot of slow cooking when we are camping and this works perfectly. We get back from riding our horses, just need to put the finishing touches on our meal and it is ready to eat.
  Reply
  - Wanda says
    November 2, 2014 at 4:57 am
    
    A timer! That is the greatest idea! I can’t believe I never thought of that. Thanks for sharing.
    Reply
- Claire says
  October 6, 2014 at 2:20 pm
  
  I use a timer switch. So the slow cooker comes on at lunchtime (or however long it needs to) so its ready for dinner time. So if something needs 6 hours in the slow cooker and I eat at 6pm, I set it to come on at 12 midday. My slow cooker doesn’t have a timer switch, so this is a cheaper way of doing the job 🙂
  Reply
Sandra says
August 14, 2014 at 5:50 pm

These all look really good, going to have to break out the crockpot and give them a go. Thanks =]
Reply
nicole says
August 15, 2014 at 10:33 am

My crock pot does not have a timer to switch to keep warm..would I be able to have the setting on keep warm all day? I am in school until 8 pm and my husband works all day too. Thanks ahead of time!
Reply
- Katharine+in+Brussels says
  August 20, 2014 at 5:21 am
  
  Hi Nicole, I’m not Corey but I put a few ideas in another reply if those help 🙂
  Reply
Debra says
August 16, 2014 at 6:19 pm

These will come very handy thank so much these all look delish!
Reply
Rachel says
August 17, 2014 at 6:28 pm

Are there good substitutes for all the cream of chicken/mushroom soups? Whole ingredients?
Reply
- Corey says
  August 17, 2014 at 9:00 pm
  
  Yes Rachel. My friend Laura over at MOMables has a Cream of Soup substitution recipe! See it here: http://bit.ly/diycreamofsoup
  Reply
  - Rachel says
    August 18, 2014 at 11:18 am
    
    That’s awesome. Thank you!
    Reply
  - Katharine+in+Brussels says
    August 18, 2014 at 11:37 am
    
    Rachel, I’ve used a recipe for ‘cream of anything soup’ from Once a Month Meals, which is actually how I found Corey’s amazing crockpot lasagne soup–always served about twice a month chez nous.
    Reply
Katharine in Brussels says
August 18, 2014 at 11:35 am

Thank you Corey for this awesome roundup! Our family is yours ‘in reverse’: I’m veg and husband is not. I can make everything here, including the chicken recipes (although they won’t shred) with Quron chick’n pieces. I buy in bulk frozen so they can even be added at the same time as you add raw chick’n. And I am going to figure out how to veg that beef stew too! 🙂 Am so psyched… I have American family and friends visiting this week and was wondering what I was going to make, especially since I have kind of forgotten what we eat a lot in America. Thanks to you Corey–problem solved!
Reply
- Corey says
  August 18, 2014 at 8:55 pm
  
  Awesome Katharine! Can you get the veggie beef by you? There is a brand I use called Gardein and they make vegetarian friendly “beef-less beef tips”.
  Reply
Kelly Hedley says
August 20, 2014 at 4:48 pm

I was wondering if these meals could be made, and then frozen for quick reheat on busy week night?
Reply
Elizabeth says
August 27, 2014 at 9:10 am

Awesome post will definitely be trying these this fall… you also have honey balsamic pork roast in there twice also.
Reply

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