Winter is the perfect season to embrace the warmth and convenience of hearty, slow-cooked meals. With colder temperatures and shorter days, there’s nothing quite like coming home to a kitchen filled with the inviting aroma of a simmering slow cooker. The slow cooker—also referred to as Crock-Pot, one of the popular brand names—is especially useful during the cold weather months, as many winter comfort recipes like soups, stews, chili, pasta, and roasts are super simple to make with it.
To help you stay warm and make your winter evenings a breeze in the kitchen, we’ve curated a collection of 15 easy and delicious slow cooker recipes. From savory stews to tender roasts to nostalgic pasta dishes, these recipes are designed to simplify your cooking routine while satisfying your cravings for comforting, home-cooked goodness.
Beat the winter blues with these easy slow-cooker recipes, and for more cooking tips, check out these 11 High-Fiber Lunches That Keep You Full.
Slow-Cooker Beef and Beer
You’ve heard of cooking with wine, but beer is another great alcohol to use in your recipes. This slow-cooker recipe is inspired by a classic Belgian dish that features beer-braised beef. You can prep your meat in the morning and warm up to this cozy meal by dinnertime.
Get our recipe for Beef and Beer.
Crockpot Chilli
This is one of the most flavorful chilis you can make, with ingredients like chuck roast, sirloin, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili powder, and a bottle of IPA or a stout beer. This one takes about five hours to fully cook, but the end result is well worth it.
Get our recipe for Crockpot Chili.
Slow Cooker Beef Goulash
Beef Goulash is an Eastern European dish full of ground beef, macaroni noodles, cheddar cheese, tomato sauce, and vegetables like peppers, carrots, and onions. This slow cooker recipe is finished in only two hours and goes great with your favorite type of side salad.
Get our recipe for Beef Goulash.
Slow-Cooked Turkey Cassoulet
Cassoulet is a type of French stew that usually features pork, sausage, and goose, but our recipe swaps these meats out for turkey to create a different take on the classic dish. This turkey cassoulet uses plenty of seasonings, vegetables, and beans so it never lacks in flavor.
Get our recipe for Turkey Cassoulet.
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
There is something so satisfyingly cozy about a beef ragu dish, so treat yourself to this winter dish by using your slow cooker. A fun piece of advice from this recipe is that even though it calls for beef stock, you can use leftover red wine for added flavor!
Get our recipe for Beef Ragu.
Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs
Heating up frozen meatballs is easy enough, but this recipe takes frozen Italian meatballs and tomatoes, stock, onion, and seasoning, and makes a flavorful dish of meatballs and sauce. This slow cooker dish also freezes well, so it’s great for making ahead of time and having leftovers throughout the cold winter months.
Get our recipe for Italian Meatballs.
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili
You can have a comforting bowl of chili that is high in protein without using any meat. This vegetarian chili recipe is full of beans, corn, potato, and other vegetables, and it uses plenty of seasonings so you won’t have to worry about a lack of flavor. If you want even more protein, you can still add chicken or ground beef.
Get our recipe for Vegetarian Chili.
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken noodle soup is a go-to dish for the cold weather months of the year, and research even backs up its potential health benefits when used as a cold remedy. To enjoy this wintery soup, try our super simple slow cooker recipe that takes minimal effort.
Get our recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup.
Slow Cooker Chicken in Red Wine
This slow-cooker chicken recipe takes a bit more work upfront than most of the other recipes on this list, but the flavors you’ll end up experiencing with this dish make the work worth it. The secret here is red wine, and you can even pull this one off without a slow cooker.
Get our recipe for Chicken in Red Wine.
Beef Stew in Red Wine
Don’t tell Julia Child, but this beef stew recipe is way easier to throw together in the slow cooker! It’s by far one of our favorite cozy slow-cooker recipes for winter.
Get our recipe for Beef Stew in Red Wine.
Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
We featured our classic crock-pot chicken tacos earlier, but if pork is more of your thing, you’ll love these pork carnitas tacos. The pork is cooked slowly for eight hours, creating juicy, flavorful meat that you’ll want seconds and thirds of. Top with pickled onions, queso fresco, lime, and cilantro for a perfectly comforting meal.
Get our recipe for Pork Carnitas Tacos.
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
An easy slow cooker take on a classic takeout dish, this Beef and Broccoli recipe is both easy and delicious. All you need is flank steak, broccoli, beef stock, and some ingredients for seasoning like soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and siracha.
Get our recipe for Beef and Broccoli.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Having friends over to help beat the winter blues? Tacos like these slow cooker chicken tacos are great to throw together for a crowd, and it takes only five ingredients to whip up: chicken, chicken stock, onion, bell pepper, and onion.
Get our recipe for Chicken Tacos.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Made with andouille sausage, shrimp, chicken, vegetables, and cajun seasoning, jambalaya is close to perfection when it comes to having a flavorful and comforting winter meal. The traditional way of eating jambalaya is with white rice, but feel free to swap out for quinoa or another grain of your choice.
Get our recipe for Jambalaya.
Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Soup
This green chili recipe uses up all kinds of fresh and canned vegetables in your pantry from cannellini beans to diced green chiles to poblano peppers!
Get our recipe for Green Chile Pork Soup.
Pumpkin Chicken Chili
Reap the benefits of pumpkins from fall into the winter season with this comforting slow-cooker meal.
Get our recipe for Pumpkin Chicken Chili.
Asian Beef Noodle Soup
Simmering this soup in the slow cooker results in chunks of fork-tender beef and a rich ginger and soy-spiked broth.
Get our recipe for Asian Beef Noodle Soup.
Basque Chicken
This flavorful slow-cooker recipe will give you all the cozy vibes you dream of this winter.
Get our recipe for Basque Chicken.
Short Ribs Braised in Guinness
Sure, Guinness is great to drink—but it’s even better when simmered with short ribs in your slow cooker.
Get our recipe for Short Ribs Braised in Guinness.
French Pot Roast
Yes, a French pot roast can be easy with the help of a Crock-Pot!
Get our recipe for French Pot Roast.
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Summer isn’t the only season for pulled pork. This Crock-Pot recipe will help you get a saucy meal on the dinner table without much prep!
Get our recipe for Pulled Pork Sandwich.
Lamb Tagine
Generously seasoned with Moroccan spices, bolstered with golden raisins and fresh ginger, and braised in a slow cooker with a flavorful broth until falling apart, this Lamb Tagine slow cooker recipe is a must-try this winter.
Get our recipe for Lamb Tagine.
Cuban Tomato and Black Bean Soup
This spicy tomato soup uses up ham in your fridge and cans of black beans for an easy slow-cooker meal.
Get our recipe for Cuban Tomato and Black Bean Soup.
Maple-Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables
Sweet and savory, this maple balsamic chicken recipe has everything you crave during the long winter nights.
Get our recipe for Maple-Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables.
Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Corned beef isn’t for everyone, but this recipe is a great choice for those who are fans of this salt-cured meat. Your meat will be done in about four hours, and it’s best when served immediately. Plate it with vegetables for a balanced meal.
Get our recipe for Corned Beef.
