Easy Crock Pot Recipes for Beginners

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January 16, 2020 By Cris 1 Comment

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Our Easy Crock Pot Recipes for Beginners are our favorite tried and true slow cooker recipes that turn out great every time! If you are looking for easy fail-proof crock pot recipes, these are the dishes for you!

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Cris here.

Here on Recipes That Crock, most of our recipes are generally quick and easy to throw together in your slow cooker. However, with so many recipes to choose from, the site can be a little overwhelming for beginners or anyone looking for some great recipes to start out. So, I thought I would jump on here and share my suggestions of where you should begin if you want some simple recipes that turn out great every time, regardless of your skill level in the kitchen.

Tips for Beginners

Before we get started I thought I might give you some information and tips to help you as you start out with your slow cooker. You might also find our post about How to Fix Common Slow Cooker Issues useful if you ever run into problems.

Difference between Crock Pot and Slow Cooker

On this site we use the terms crock pot and slow cooker interchangeably. While Crock-Pot is a brand of slow cooker (and one we love), folks often use the term crock pot as another word for slow cooker. All of our crock pot recipes can be made in any brand slow cooker.

If you need help picking out a slow cooker, check out our Amazon Influencer Shop where we have noted our recommended slow cookers that we have tested in our kitchen.

Choosing Slow Cooker Recipes for Beginners

Using your crock pot is very easy and I know you will quickly find success with your slow cooker. Below are a few things to keep in mind when choosing recipes as you are first starting out for the best chance of success.

When choosing recipes at the beginning, stick to main dishes and soups until you get to know your slow cooker. These dishes tend to be easier for beginners with better results with less of a need to watch closely.
Until you get to know your slow cooker well, avoid recipes that involve pasta, rice and baking techniques. Cooking times will vary greatly for recipes and any recipe that needs to rise to “bake up” like many cakes and some casseroles. These dishes tend to be a little harder for beginners but become a lot easier once you build experience with your crock pot.
All slow cookers cook a little different. Some cook hotter than others depending on age, type of crock pot, pot size and quirks of individual units. For that reason you will often see a cooking time range of a few hours. Always assume any cooking time online is just a basic guideline. You will need to test the recipe in your slow cooker to know about how long that recipe takes in your unit.
If you are using an electric pressure cooker with a slow cooker feature (Ninja Foodi,Instant PotorCrock Pot Express)you will almost always have to add cooking time to most crock pot recipes when slow cooking. I generally find that I have to add around 2 hours to a typical crock pot recipe when making it in my electric pressure cookers using the slow cook feature.

Easy Crock Pot Soup Recipes

Slow cooker soups are great recipes for beginners! There are few things more comforting than a delicious bowl of soup that has slow cooked in amazing flavor for hours. You will totally shock yourself at how simple it is to make something so good! Let us show you how.

Low Carb Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup

Are you looking for a tomato soup recipe that is low carb? Our Low Carb Crock Pot Creamy Tomato Soup is super simple to throw together!

Check out this recipe

Easy Crock Pot Taco Soup

This Easy Crock Pot Taco Soup is so simple to throw together and delicious after a long day! Substitute your favorite beans for special flavor every time!

Check out this recipe

Crock Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Soup

Crock Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Soup has all the delicious flavor of stuffed cabbage with none of the mess! This dish is so simple to throw in the slow cooker and it is the perfect all day recipe.

Check out this recipe

Crock Pot Pizza Soup

Crock Pot Pizza Soup calls for all your favorite pizza flavors. This versatile crock pot soup recipe is always a family favorite for kids of all ages.

Check out this recipe

Crock Pot Sloppy Joe Soup

I love this Crock Pot Sloppy Joe Soup recipe! It is not only different from anything I’ve had before, it is easy to make and delicious!

Check out this recipe

Low Carb Crock Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Are you looking for an easy low carb soup? Our Low Carb Crock Pot Bacon Cheeseburger Soup is full of flavor and a family favorite.

Check out this recipe

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

Slow Cooker Stuffed Green Pepper Soup is super simple to throw together and a reader favorite!

Check out this recipe

Easy Main Dish Crock Pot Recipes

A basic rule of thumb for any meat in the crock pot is if it is dry or chalky, it has likely been overcooked. However, if it is tough, it will become tender if you cook it a little longer. Meats with fat in them tend to cook up best over longer cooking periods. However, meats with little fat like chicken breasts and some pork cuts will dry out if cooked too long.

If you struggle with getting cooking times right, a programmable meat thermometer could become your secret weapon. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone.

Slow Cooker Beef Recipes for Beginners

Beef recipes are some of the best slow cooker recipes for beginners. Beef tends to withstand long cooking times better than chicken and pork and often produces an incredibly flavorful dish. Always remember if your beef dish isn’t tender, try cooking it a little longer. Try some of these beef crock pot recipes and see just what your slow cooker can do.

Mississippi Pot Roast

Fantastic beef roast that is so easy to throw together with Low Carb options!

Check out this recipe

Steak Tacos {Crock Pot}

Delicious and simple Crock Pot Steak Tacos the entire family will love! This dump and go recipe produces tender shredded beef with savory Mexican inspired spices perfect for taco night!

Check out this recipe

Italian Instant Pot Roast

If you are looking for an easy roast recipe that is delicious and can be made after you get off work? Then you don’t want to miss this Italian Instant Pot Roast!

Check out this recipe

Crock Pot Crustless Pizza

This Crock Pot Crustless Pizza is so easy to make and can be made to fit your family's favorites!

Check out this recipe

Taco Joes

These aren’t your mama’s sloppy joes! Crock Pot Taco Joes are delicious taco inspired sandwiches that feed a crowd.

Check out this recipe

Easy Crock Pot Cowboy Beans

These Easy Crock Pot Cowboy Beans are always a hit!

Check out this recipe

Easy Crock Pot Chicken Recipes

Chicken is a popular ingredient in a lot of slow cooker recipes. The key to making a great chicken dish in your crock pot is to not overcook it. If you really love chicken breasts, you might find they cook up tender and flavorful in a few hours rather than all day, depending on your slow cooker. If you need to make your chicken dish cook longer due to your schedule, try substituting boneless skinless chicken thighs for breasts. They will hold up better over longer cooking times and tend to be more flavorful.

Creamy Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken

Do you love our Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken? Our Creamy Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken is a twist on one of the most popular crock pot chicken recipes on Recipes That Crock!

Check out this recipe

Pork Recipes for Slow Cooker Starters

Cooking pork in your slow cooker can produce a super tender dish. The trick is finding the right cooking time for your recipe in your crock pot. If you find your crock pot pork recipes to be dry, you are probably over cooking them. However, if they are too tough, cook them a little longer and you will be shocked at how tender the dish will become.

3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Steaks

This 3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Steaks recipe is the perfect recipe for those pork steaks you have in your fridge or freezer! Juicy, flavorful and tender!

Check out this recipe

Zesty Shredded Crock Pot Pork

Are you looking for an easy way to switch up your regular crock pot pulled pork recipe? This Zesty Shredded Crock Pot Pork is a recipe we have been using for years to give a little bit of zip to your sandwich or taco-- or making a delicious dish over rice! Or, serve it low carb with a side of broccoli or squash.

Check out this recipe

Crock Pot Pork Chops with Gravy

This Crock Pot Pork Chops with Gravy recipe has it all! It is quick and easy to make while still being flavorful and the perfect comfort food!

Check out this recipe

Easiest Crock Pot Pulled Pork EVER

Sometimes the best recipes are the simplest to make. This is the easiest crock pot pulled pork- ever!

Check out this recipe

Crock Pot Ham and Cabbage

Are you looking for an easy low carb family dinner? We love this Crock Pot Ham and Cabbage. It is so easy to throw together and a perfect leftover ham recipe.

Check out this recipe

Crock Pot Savory Sausage Slaw

Our Crock Pot Savory Sausage Slaw is a hearty Asian-inspired dish with browned sausage, sesame flavored shredded cabbage and green onion. This low carb one pot meal is a family favorite in our house!

Check out this recipe

SAVE THIS ENTIRE LIST OF RECIPES TO YOUR RECIPE BOX

On Recipes That Crock we have a way for you to save recipes, recipe collections and meal plans toyour own free recipe box.This way you won’t ever lose a recipe. With your free RTC account, you know that your favorite recipes and all the recipes you want to try are always just a click away.

You can register (or login if you are already a user) here:Register/Login Here.

If you don’t see the ability to save the list below, please make sureyou are logged in to your recipe box.

MORE Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

Still looking for easy crock pot recipes? Try our Recipe Finderto find exactly what you need.

Next Steps for Beginners

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Do you have an electric pressure cooker? Check out our Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners.

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Cris

Whether you've been told you can't cook your whole life or you have the knife skills of an Iron Chef, Cris loves to connect you to just the right recipe.

Her site Recipes That Crock is dedicated to helping everyone find delicious recipes to serve their families every month.

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Comments

Renee Baker says
January 17, 2020 at 10:47 am

Thank you for sharing your recipes! Love your emails!
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Easy Crock Pot Recipes for Beginners - Recipes That Crock! (2024)