10+ Crockpot Recipes Easy and Delicious for Busy Weeknights

If you want to make meals without spending too much time in the kitchen, crockpot recipes are a solid choice. They let you prep simple dishes that cook slowly while you do, well, anything else.

Crockpot recipes easy to make save you time and effort, making dinner stress-free.

Using a slow cooker means you can enjoy warm, tasty food with barely any prep. You don’t have to stand around watching the stove—just toss in the ingredients and walk away.

Come home to a meal that’s basically cooked itself. It doesn’t get much easier.

1) Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

You can whip up a simple, tasty meal with slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs. The chicken soaks up a sweet and savory sauce and comes out super juicy.

It’s perfect for a busy day when you want dinner ready with almost no effort. This recipe uses just a handful of everyday ingredients: honey, garlic, soy sauce, and ketchup.

Just add everything to the crockpot and let it do its thing. The result? Chicken thighs with a sticky, delicious honey garlic glaze.

Serve them with rice or steamed veggies to round things out.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ½ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil

Cooking Instructions

1. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker.
2. Mix soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, and basil in a bowl.
3. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
4. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
5. Serve hot with your favorite sides.

More details on this recipe can be found at slow cooker honey garlic chicken thighs.

2) Easy Crockpot Pulled Pork

Making pulled pork in your crockpot is a breeze. Grab a pork shoulder or pork loin and some basic seasonings—honestly, that’s about it.

The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting and makes the meat super tender. You can add barbecue sauce or a mix of spices like garlic powder, paprika, and cumin for extra flavor.

Let it cook low and slow for several hours. Once it’s done, shred the pork with forks and you’re good to go.

Try it in sandwiches, tacos, or just with rice and veggies. It’s a crowd-pleaser and makes great leftovers.

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds pork shoulder or pork loin
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 onion (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. Season the pork with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin.
2. Place sliced onion at the bottom of the crockpot (optional).
3. Put pork on top and pour barbecue sauce over it.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
5. Remove pork and shred with two forks.
6. Return shredded pork to crockpot and mix with the sauce before serving.

For more on slow cooker pulled pork, see this easy slow cooker pulled pork recipe.

3) Simple Butter Beef Stew

Butter beef stew in the crockpot is about as easy as it gets. Just add beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic.

Toss some butter slices on top before cooking. The butter brings a rich flavor that’s hard to beat.

It cooks slowly, so the beef gets tender and everything tastes like it’s been simmering all day. You barely have to check on it.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef stew meat
• 4 cups potatoes, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 4 tbsp sliced butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Add beef, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and onion soup mix to the crockpot.
2. Stir gently to combine.
3. Place butter slices on top.
4. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
5. Check seasoning before serving and add salt or pepper if needed.

4) Three-Ingredient Turkey Breast

Making a juicy turkey breast in your crockpot only takes three ingredients. No added liquid needed—the turkey makes its own juices.

Just put a thawed bone-in turkey breast in the slow cooker. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix on top, then add a couple pats of butter.

Cover and cook on low for about 7 hours. The turkey comes out tender and full of flavor.

Leftovers work great for sandwiches or salads.

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in turkey breast, thawed
• 1 packet dry onion soup mix
• 2 tablespoons butter

Cooking Instructions

1. Place the turkey breast in the crockpot.
2. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix evenly over the turkey.
3. Place butter pieces on top of the turkey.
4. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
5. Check for an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) before serving.

5) Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo chicken dip in the crockpot is a party favorite. You just need cooked chicken, cream cheese, ranch dressing, buffalo sauce, and cheddar.

Toss everything in the slow cooker and turn it on. The dip gets creamy and packed with flavor.

Serve it with chips, crackers, or veggies. It’s way less messy than making wings.

You can find a good recipe like this at Iowa Girl Eats.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to your slow cooker.
2. Stir gently to combine.
3. Cook on low for 2 hours or high for 1 hour.
4. Stir halfway through cooking.
5. Serve warm with chips or veggies.

6) Dump and Go Meatball Subs

This one’s about as easy as it gets. Dump frozen meatballs, pasta sauce, and a few seasonings into your slow cooker.

No need to thaw or pre-cook anything. The slow cooker makes the meatballs tender and lets the flavors blend.

When they’re ready, spoon the meatballs and sauce onto sub rolls. Add cheese if you’re feeling it.

You can even toss in onions or Italian seasoning for extra flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen meatballs
• 3 cups marinara or pasta sauce
• 1 small onion, sliced (optional)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Sub sandwich rolls
• Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Place onion slices in the slow cooker.
2. Add frozen meatballs on top.
3. Pour marinara sauce over meatballs.
4. Sprinkle Italian seasoning.
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
6. Serve meatballs and sauce on rolls.
7. Add cheese if desired and warm before serving.

7) Easy Crockpot Taco Pasta

Crockpot taco pasta is a weeknight lifesaver. Mix ground beef, taco seasoning, pasta shells, and cheese all in one pot.

Just add everything to the slow cooker and let it cook. The pasta soaks up the taco flavors and gets nice and soft.

You’ll have a cheesy, comforting meal ready when you need it. Throw in some peppers or black beans if you want to bulk it up.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cups pasta shells
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
• 1 cup corn (optional)
• 1 cup black beans (optional)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup salsa

Cooking Instructions

1. Brown the ground beef in a pan, then drain fat.
2. Put the beef, pasta, taco seasoning, tomatoes, corn, black beans, and salsa in the crockpot.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
5. Add cheese on top, cover, and cook for 10 more minutes until melted.
6. Stir and serve warm.

For more details, you can check this slow cooker taco pasta recipe.

8) Slow Cooker Pot Roast

A slow cooker pot roast is the ultimate comfort food. You just need a good cut of beef, some veggies, and a few basic seasonings.

Let it cook all day while you do your thing. The meat turns out tender and the veggies soak up all that flavor.

You can even make a quick gravy from the juices if you want. No fancy spices needed—just salt, pepper, carrots, and onions.

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 pound beef chuck roast
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 cups beef broth

Cooking Instructions:

1. Season the roast with salt and pepper.
2. Place roast in the slow cooker.
3. Add carrots, onion, and potatoes around the roast.
4. Pour beef broth over everything.
5. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
6. Remove roast and vegetables.
7. Optional: Make gravy with the cooking juices before serving.

9) Cream Cheese Ranch Chicken

This recipe’s honestly so easy and surprisingly tasty. You just need a handful of ingredients—think chicken breasts, cream cheese, and ranch seasoning.

Toss everything into your crockpot. Let it cook low and slow, and the chicken gets super tender.

No need to fuss or stir. Just let it do its thing for a few hours.

It’s a lifesaver on those chaotic days when you want dinner but don’t want to think about it. When it’s done, you can shred the chicken or keep it in bigger pieces.

Serve it up with rice, stuff it in tortillas, or maybe pair it with some veggies. Whatever works for you.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Cooking Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts in the crockpot.
2. Sprinkle ranch seasoning over the chicken.
3. Add cream cheese cubes on top.
4. Pour chicken broth into the pot.
5. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
6. Serve warm with your favorite sides.

For more details, see slow cooker cream cheese ranch chicken recipes.

10) Crockpot Glazed Pork Chops

Making tender, flavorful pork chops in the crockpot? Honestly, it’s way easier than I expected. The glaze usually calls for apple juice, broth, onions, and just a few simple seasonings.

As these cook slowly for hours, the pork chops turn out juicy and soft. You don’t have to stand over the stove or check on them every ten minutes.

Just set everything up and let the crockpot handle the rest. I love serving this with mashed potatoes or maybe some steamed veggies when I feel like being healthy.

The glaze gives a sweet and savory kick without much fuss. The texture is that fall-apart, melt-in-your-mouth kind of good.

Ingredients:

• 4 pork chops
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup broth
• 1 onion, sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
2. Put the pork chops in the crockpot.
3. Pour in the apple juice, broth, and toss in the onions.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or crank it to high for 3-4 hours if you’re in a rush.
5. Serve warm with whatever sides you like best.

Learn more about this delicious dish at Glazed Crock Pot Pork Chops.