Wonderful, wonderful slow cookers... we love the whole bung-it-in approach, and it means you can get on with other bits while those ingredients transform into a delicious dinner. Whether you're using a Crock-Pot or other brand of slow cooker, all the below slow-cooker recipes should work in it (did you know that you can even make spaghetti bolognese in a slow cooker?).

Advertisement

Energy-efficient and reliable, a slow cooker is the must-have appliance for batch cooking. Read our tried-and-tested reviews of the best slow cookers.

Our slow-cooker meals include slow-cooked chicken recipes, healthy slow-cooked recipes (try coconut dahl) as well as more indulgent options, perfect for a dinner party. How about an all-in-one fragrant lamb curry? Easy baked bolognese sauce?

Check out our expert guide for how to use a slow cooker.


Easy slow-cooker recipes

Slow-cooker beef stew

This hearty stew is full of iron, protein and natural antioxidants. Pop beef shin, red wine and veggies into a slow cooker and leave for four hours.

Beef stew with vegetables in a pot

Slow-cooked brisket with red wine, thyme and onions

Check out this simple slow cooker beef brisket recipe. This easy melt-in-the-mouth beef makes a perfect Sunday roast for when you have guests for dinner.

Slow Cooker Brisket Recipe with Red Wine, Thyme and Onions

Slow-cooker gammon in cider

Try this hassle-free centrepiece for an impressive weekend lunch. Put the ingredients into a slow cooker and leave for four hours, then glaze for a sticky-sweet finish.

Sliced slow cooker gammon braised in cider

Slow-cooker pulled pork

Get perfect pulled pork every time with this easy recipe. Put the ingredients into a slow cooker and leave for eight hours to let the spices infuse.

Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe

Slow-cooker chilli

A bit of everything goes into this chilli to create the ultimate winter warmer – dark chocolate, lager and Worcestershire sauce along with plenty of herbs and spices. Throw all the ingredients into a slow-cooker and let the mince soak up the flavours for four hours.

A large pot of slow-Cooker beef chilli, served with Jalapeño cheddar cornbread

Slow-cooker beef bourguignon

Achieve rich and deep flavours for your beef bourguignon by browning the meat well and caramelising the veg. Slow-cooking this dish allows the flavours to melt together, creating an intensely savoury end result.

Beef bourguignon with mash

Slow-cooker sausage casserole

Give your slow cooker some love with this winter warmer, packed with hearty ingredients including sausages, bacon and borlotti beans.

Pot of sausage casserole next to a tea towel and spoon

Lamb kleftiko

Check out these easy slow cooked lamb shanks with waxy potatoes. Kleftiko is a Greek dish of lamb and potatoes slow cooked with white wine, lemon and oregano. Serve with bread for mopping up juices, and a green salad dressed with red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Recipe For Lamb Kleftiko

Slow-cooker chicken curry

This creamy, aromatic curry is easy to make and is guaranteed to be a hit with the whole family. Put all the ingredients into a slow cooker and leave for four hours to let the spices infuse.

Two bowls of chicken curry with a white linen napkin and wooden-handled cutlery

Slow cooker chicken stew

Check out our creamy chicken stew with peanut butter. Groundnut stew is a typically West African dish. Serve this slow-cooked chicken, with its mellow peanut butter and fiery ensemble of spices, alongside extra sliced red chilli for oomph.

More like this
A dish of groundnut chicken stew on a bed of rice

Slow-cooker leg of lamb

This leg of lamb is slow-cooked with madeira, red onion, prunes and thyme, so it's rich and intense in flavour with a hint of sweetness.

Plate of shredded leg of lamb topped with prunes, pomegranate seeds and mint

Slow-cooker roast beef

Make this joint of beef in the slow cooker for a rich, tender centrepiece – miso provides an umami kick, adding depth of flavour to the beef and gravy.

Sliced roast beef next to roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings and greens

Sausages with blackberries, bay and juniper

Check out our slow-cooked sausages with juicy blackberries, bay leaves and fruity juniper berries. Perfect for a midweek dinner, served with buttery mashed potatoes and dijon mustard.

Sausages with Juniper and Bay Recipe

Slow-cooker Irish stew

This hearty, traditional stew is just the thing for dinner as the winter months roll in. Put the lamb and veggies in a slow cooker and leave for four hours.

A pot of slow cooker lamb stew with vegetables

Oxtail with orange, szechuan peppercorns and star anise

Check out our meltingly tender slow-cooked oxtail with Szechuan peppercorns, aromatic orange and star anise - the perfect weekend warming recipe.

Oxtail Recipe with Orange and Szechuan Peppercorns

Chickpeas with dates, turmeric, cinnamon and almonds

Check out our easy chickpea stew packed with dates, crunchy almonds and vibrant turmeric. Slow cooking chickpeas with a heady selection of spices really ramps up the flavour in this frugal dish. Try to get hold of the extra large, chubby chickpeas in jars for superior texture.

A bowl of chickpea stew with spices, topped with flaked almonds

Black bean and chipotle chilli

Check out our chilli with black beans and fiery chipotle chilli paste. This veggie one-pot is an easy, low calorie recipe the whole family will love.

Chipotle Black Bean Chilli Recipe

Slow-cooker dahl

Check out our healthy slow cooker recipe which uses lentils and split peas. This delicious slow cooker idea is sure to make a creamy dinner - it's a great weekend vegetarian warmer for those wintery months!

Coconut Dahl Recipe with Homemade Naans

Slow-braised Korean short ribs

This easy slow cooker recipe is worth the few hours of preparation it needs. Meaty beef ribs are cooked with gochuchang paste in a slow cooker to give a savoury, spicy umami rich dish. Looking for more inspiration? Check out our collection of best ever Korean recipes.

Slow Cooker Korean Beef Short Ribs Recipe

Best-ever spaghetti bolognese

Looking for a quick slow cooker meal? We've honed our favourite spag bol recipe to give perfect results every time. This easy recipe is great to get ahead with the night before in your slow cooker, a healthy, low-fat method of cooking which doesn't require much time or effort.

Spaghetti bolognese on a dish, topped with Parmesan

All-in-one fragrant lamb curry

This healthy slow-cooked recipe is totally fuss-free. Just bung all the ingredients in a slow cooker and it'll be ready to serve in only two hours - it's the perfect meal for a family night in.

Easy Fragrant Lamb Curry Recipe

Slow-cooker sweet and sour chicken

Make this popular dish your next Friday night fakeaway, with extra instructions to make the recipe using a slow cooker. You can control the fat and sugar in this recipe, and it will taste fresher than any takeaway version.

Sweet and sour chilli chicken

Campfire stew

To recreate this campfire stew in a slow cooker, simply add all the ingredients together (after soaking the gammon) then cook on low for six to eight hours. Shred the meat and serve.

Bowl of vegetable and gammon stew

Slow cooker prawn and chorizo paella

Centuries ago, Sardinia was occupied by the Spanish. As a result, the island is famous for its paella, albeit with an Italian twist (orzo or fregola is used instead of rice). This version, with smoky chorizo, sweet tomatoes and juicy prawns, is a great reason to get that slow cooker out.

Sardinian prawn and chorizo paella

Pepper, date and harissa tagine

This simple but flavour-packed veggie tagine makes a feature of meltingly soft peppers, but you could add any summery veg to the base sauce – chunks of squash or courgette would be good.

Advertisement
Pepper, date and harissa tagine in a serving bowl

Moroccan-style stuffed peppers

Adapt this vegetarian dinner to roast in the oven or in a slow cooker. The sweet flavour and soft texture of red peppers and pairs beautifully with chickpeas and rose harissa.

Moroccan stuffed peppers

Comments, questions and tips

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement