The Best Slow Cooker Recipes To Save Time and Money

The winter months are here! With a chill in the air, the very first thing we think of is comfort food. If you own a slow cooker, you know that switching it on in the morning and coming home to a mouthwatering smell is one of the best ways to warm you on a winter’s evening.

Plus, slow cooker meals save you time and money! If you’re stuck in a recipe rut, or just want to feed your family healthy, hearty meals without having to take out a small personal loan to cover the grocery bill, have a look at our 10 best slow cooker recipes.

Overview:

1. Pea and Ham Soup
2. Corned Beef
3. Easy Beef Roast
4. Indian Madras Curry
5. Pumpkin Soup
6. Beef and Wine Casserole
7. Chicken Laksa
8. Barbecue Chicken
9. Cheesy Potatoes
10. Pulled Pork

10 Best Slow Cooker Recipes

1. Pea and Ham Soup

This hearty and filling soup has been a winter favourite for generations. Our slow cooker version is quick and easy and oh-so-tasty. This recipe uses 800g of ham hock. If your hock is smaller, use less water. It also freezes well, so this winter favourite will keep you fed for more than one meal!

Servings: 6 servings

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook time: 6 to 8 hours

Ingredients:

• 800g ham hock
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 brown onion, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 cups yellow split peas
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 cups water

Method:

1. Place the split peas in an even layer on the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Place the other ingredients on top and cover with the water.
3. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 6 hours. At this point, the meat should fall off the bone easily.
4. Remove the bone, chop the meat, and return it to the soup. Your pea and ham soup is now ready to serve!

2. Corned Beef

Corned beef is an easy and versatile dinner, plus it offers a great twist to the traditional Sunday roast. This one comes loaded with veggies for a well-balanced, nutritional meal. Try serving with a traditional white sauce. For a twist, add a spoonful of mustard to your white sauce.

Servings: 8 servings

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours

Ingredients:

• 2.5kg uncooked corned beef
• 1 litre (4 cups) water
• 1 medium brown onion, coarsely chopped
• 10 whole peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp brown sugar

Method

1. Rinse corned beef to remove excess salt.
2. Place corned beef in the slow cooker and cover with cold water. Add all other ingredients and cook on high for 4 hours.
3. Turn meat and cook for another 4 hours. If you are putting this on before work, skip this step and instead cook on low for 8 hours.
4. Serve hot immediately with mashed potatoes and sauce, or cool and store in the fridge for sandwiches – or both!

3. Easy Beef Roast

The only thing better than a beef roast is an easy beef roast! Put this one on in the morning and come home to the wonderful smell just in time for dinner. This tender roast easily makes our list of the best beef slow cooker recipes.

Servings: 6 servings

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook time: 6 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1.8kg piece beef topside or beef blade roast
• 3 small pickling onions, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 3 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 500g potatoes
• 1 bunch baby carrots, trimmed, peeled
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. Cook beef roast for 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Place in the slow cooker.
2. While the pan is still hot, add the garlic and onion and cook until softened.
3. Add the wine and cook until the liquid is halved. Stir in the mustard and stock and heat until the liquid is warm.
4. Carefully transfer to a slow cooker. Add the potatoes, carrots, and thyme. Season with pepper. Cook on low for 6 – 8 hours.
5. Add the peas for 20 minutes before serving.
6. When serving, the liquid can be used as a delicious gravy.

4. Indian Madras Curry

Slow cooker meals aren’t all roasts and casseroles. This recipe uses curry paste, and the slow cooking delivers a delicious, rich flavour. It’s perfect to serve with naan bread and rice.

Servings: 6 servings

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook time: 7 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1kg beef, cubed
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, diced (or 1 tsp minced garlic)
• 4 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated (or 2 tsp ginger paste)
• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup curry paste
• 400ml coconut milk
• 1 stock cube
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf

Method

1. Place the beef in a bowl and cover with the flour. Toss to coat.
2. Heat some olive oil in a pan and cook the beef in small batches, adding it to the slow cooker as you go.
3. Fry the onion, garlic, and ginger in the same pan for a few minutes. Add the chilli and curry paste to the onion mix. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Transfer ingredients from the pan to the slow cooker and add the coconut milk and stock. Use 3/4 cup of water to deglaze the pan and also add to the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and stir to combine.
5. Cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf before serving.

5. Slow Cooked Pumpkin Soup

This is one of the easiest and finest slow cooker recipes. The slow cooking time makes the pumpkin beautifully soft and easy to blend. You can use a stick blender for a super smooth texture, or just mash it if you like it chunkier. If you are mashing, make sure you cut the onions very finely.

Servings: 6 servings

Prep: 45 minutes

Cook time: 4 hours

Ingredients

• 1/2 kent pumpkin (about 1 – 1/2kgs)
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 brown onion
• 1L vegetable stock
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Pepper, to taste
• 250ml cream, to serve

Method

1. Place all ingredients except the cream in the slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 6 to 8 hours.
3. Once cooked, blend until smooth, or mash if you prefer a chunky texture.
4. Add the cream just before serving.
5. Serve with crusty bread or dinner rolls.

6. Beef and Red Wine Casserole

This delicious and easy casserole is just what you need to warm you on a long, winter’s evening. It has a nice hit of veggies too, making this a hearty favourite in our list of the best slow cooker crock pot recipes.

Servings: 4 servings

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours

Ingredients

• 1kg beef, cubed
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced (or 1 tsp minced garlic)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 400g tin diced tomatoes
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 capsicum, diced
• 500g green beans, cut into pieces
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme

Method

1. Place the beef into a bowl and cover with flour. Toss to coat.
2. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and brown the beef in batches, adding to the slow cooker as you go.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with crusty bread, rice, or just on its own.

7. Chicken Laksa

This slow cooker recipe makes a creamy noodle soup rich with hearty flavours. An easy twist on a favourite Thai recipe and one of the great slow cooker recipes that incorporates Asian flavours. Being one of the longest cook times on this list, chicken laksa is a great cheap way to heat your house on a winter’s day.

Servings: 6 servings

Prep:  20 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3cm ginger root, chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 750g skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 400ml coconut cream
• 2L chicken stock
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1/2 red capsicum, sliced
• 2 lemongrass stalks
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 500g egg noodles
• 2 cups green beans

Method

1. Heat some olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook until the onion has softened, then stir in curry powder and cook until fragrant.
2. Add the chicken and cook until it loses its pink colour. Transfer to a slow cooker.
3. Add the remaining ingredients except the noodles. Cook for 6 to 8 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high.
4. At the end of cooking, turn to high and add noodles. Cook for another 30 minutes.
5. Serve with fresh chopped coriander.

8. Barbecue Chicken

The best chicken breast slow cooker recipes are quick and easy. This no-fuss chicken recipe is perfect after a long day. See, not every slow cooker recipe is a casserole!

Servings: 4 servings

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours

Ingredients

• 4 chicken maryland pieces
• 400g tin diced tomatoes
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup fresh basil

Method

1. Place chicken pieces in the slow cooker.
2. Mix all the other ingredients and pour over the top.
3. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
4. Serve with mashed potatoes and veg. Easy!

9. Cheesy Potatoes

Have you ever tried to cook potatoes in the slow cooker? This set-and-forget recipe will allow you to get perfect potatoes without worrying about using the oven. This recipe is great as a side dish, or delicious just on its own as a great family meal on a budget.

Servings: 6 servings

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 rashers of bacon
• 1 onion, diced
• 8 baby potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp dried herbs
• 50g butter
• 2 shallots, chopped

Method

1. Line a slow cooker with foil, leaving enough foil on either side so that you can cover the top when done.
2. Place half of the bacon, potatoes, and cheese in layers, then repeat.
3. Season with salt and pepper, and place the butter on top in dots. Cover with the foil.
4. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 to 8 hours.
5. Sprinkle with diced shallots before serving.

10. Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is a wonderfully versatile dish. It could be an easy work lunch idea for sandwiches and burgers, in tacos and wraps, or served with veggies for a delicious main meal. This recipe produces beautifully tender pulled pork that you will enjoy eating for days!

Servings: 8-10 servings

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours and 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2kg pork shoulder
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 tsp oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 160ml cloudy apple juice
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 50g onion marmalade

Method

1. Place the onion on the bottom of the slow cooker, then lay the pork on top.
2. Mix all the other ingredients to form a thick marinade. Pour this over the pork to coat it.
3. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
4. Once the pork is cooked, remove the skin and fat and shred with a fork.
5. Meanwhile, drain the liquid into a pan to cool and skim off the excess fat as it surfaces. Once that process is complete, mix the sauce with the pulled pork. Yum!

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Best Slow Cooker Recipes FAQs

What is best to cook in a slow cooker?

The best things to cook include curries, casseroles, soups, and meats like pulled pork or roast beef.

What cannot be cooked in a slow cooker?

There are a few things you shouldn’t put in a slow cooker, such as:

• Milk and cream
• Raw meat
• Lean meats
• Soft fresh herbs
• Seafood
• Meat with too much skin on

What is the best cut of meat for a slow cooker?

Slow cookers are great for cooking cheaper cuts of meat, like beef brisket, pork shoulder, lamb shoulder, and chicken thighs.