What could be better on a cold winter day than coming home to a warm, slow-cooked meal? To help you gain some winter meal inspiration, this list includes 27 of our favorite mains, sides, soups, vegan and vegetarian meals, meaty and hearty recipes, and even desserts to keep you (and your crock pot) warm all winter long.
Easy Winter Crock-Pot Recipes
Cooking in a crock-pot is already so simple- but it gets even easier with these awesome recipes that require little time or talent.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Credit: The Frugal Girls
This super easy, super delicious sweet and sour chicken is packed with flavor- but not ingredients. With only five ingredients and super easy-to-follow instructions, this dish is great for beginner chefs. Add some spice and sweetness to your winter meal routine with this memorable slow cooker recipe.
Easy Chicken Noodle Soup
Credit: Food Network Kitchen
You don’t get more basic than chicken noodle soup!
This simple soup is healthy yet homey, with all of the traditional ingredients that make chicken noodle soup such a classic. Perfect for cold winter days, or nights where you may have a winter cold, this crock-pot recipe will become one of your family’s favorites.
Simple Spaghetti Sauce
Put away that jarred sauce, there’s a new simple sauce in town that will blow it out of the water! This simple spaghetti sauce is full of flavor, with Italian spices, plenty of tomatoes, and slowly simmered meat. After you cook the meat and onions, and prep your tomatoes, the crock-pot does most of the work for you.
Healthy Winter Slow-Cooker Recipes
People normally associate crock-pots with decadent comfort food, or in other words, food high in calories. While it’s true that cheesy creations and gooey desserts thrive in slow cookers, you can also make some insanely decadent healthy food in your crock-pot.
Squash, Chickpea, and Red Lentil Stew
Credit: Eating Well
This aromatic squash, chickpea, and red lentil stew is not only healthy, it’s also perfect for vegetarians and vegans. Based on North African stews, this stew is jampacked with flavor and veggies. Let it simmer in your slow cooker for 6 hours and then serve over a bed of brown rice.
African Peanut Sweet Potato Stew
Credit: Taste of Home
Not to be outshone, this awesome African peanut sweet potato stew is absolutely addictive.. You’ll want to have it again and again, and can, because it not only tastes good, it’s good for you. This stew is perfect for gloomy winter nights when you want something colorful and flavorful.
Pineapple Chicken
Credit: Eating Well
This incredible pineapple chicken proves that meals can be packed with flavor and nutrients. The sweetness of the pineapple, spice of the red pepper, and tang of the ginger mingle in a mesmerizing medley that will have you coming back for seconds.
Meaty Winter Crock Pot Recipes
Now we are getting into the meat of this list! These filling dishes include slowly simmered savory meat.
Honey Pulled Pork Subs
Credit: Taste of Home
“Honey, I slow cooked the pork!” These honey pulled pork subs bring the sweet and the savory but not the stress. With only 8 ingredients, and 15 minutes of prep you will want to, and will, make these all the time. The honey ginger infusion gives a warmth to these subs that will be especially exquisite in the winter.
Wild Rice Chili
There are few meals that are as perfect for slow cooking as chili. This wild rice crockpot chili exemplifies that perfection, with a savory, hearty chili and the unique addition of wild rice, which complements the dish perfectly.
Serve it with hot, buttery cornbread for the ideal winter meal.
Crispy Caramelized Pork Ramen Noodle
Credit: Half-Baked Harvest
Rarely is ramen outshone by its toppings, but with this crispy caramelized pork ramen there’s no contest. The slow-cooked, tender pork has a crispy delectable skin that is totally heavenly. Pairing the pork with wild mushrooms, delicious ramen noodles, and sweet and sour notes makes this dish to die for.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Thighs
Credit: Food Network Kitchen
Super simple but so scrumptious, these slow-cooker chicken thighs will melt in your mouth and your heart. These thighs will ruin all other home-cooked chicken for you- seriously, you’ll never want to bake it or grill it again.
Winter Crock-Pot Comfort Food Recipes
If it’s cooked in a crock-pot, it’s bound to be a comfort food in some respect. The ooey-gooey, melty, simmering, slow-cook style can’t help but make hearty homey food.
Barbecue Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Credit: Andy Lyons/BHG
Making macaroni and cheese more delicious is no simple task. You already have cheese, lots of butter, and fun-shaped noodles, what more could you need? Barbecue chicken it turns out. For barbecue lovers and mac n’cheese lovers, this barbecue chicken macaroni and cheese recipe is guaranteed to blow your mind and appease your taste buds.
Southern Pot Roast
Credit: Yummy Healthy Easy
It’s hard to get homier than a southern pot roast. Perfectly cooked tender pot roast, potatoes, and carrots will make a wholesome and flavorful dinner for your family after a cold winter day. This dish is especially perfect for holiday meals and events.
Chicken Pot Pie
Credit: Damn Delicious
One of my favorite dishes of all time is chicken pot pie, so naturally, I’m completely in love with this slow-cooked chicken pot pie recipe. Loaded with delicious veggies, plenty of spices, and a decadent buttermilk biscuit crust, this dish has everything that makes chicken pot pies so heavenly.
Cheesy Breakfast Potatoes
Credit: Damn Delicious
Crock-pots don’t only make delightful dinners, they also can make beautiful breakfasts! One example is these cheesy breakfast potatoes which make a truly decadent breakfast. With loads of sausage, potatoes, and cheese, this is a breakfast you’ll love waking up to. The only problem is that you may have to go back to bed after devouring them!
Vegetarian Winter Crock-Pot Recipes
Using all of the best winter vegetables, these crock-pot recipes will make a vegetarian out of anyone.
Butternut Squash Soup
Credit: Well Plated
This cozy, crock-pot butternut squash soup delivers savory butternut squash flavor with a touch of sweetness and a dash of spice. This soup is perfect for dark fall or winter nights where you just want to curl up with a bowl of soup next to a roaring fire.
It’s safe to say you’ll go absolutely “butternuts” for it!
Vegan Jambalaya
Credit: All Recipes
People love taking it slow in the big easy so naturally slow cooking and jambalaya go together like rice and creole spices.
This vegan jambalaya is a fantastic option for people who love jambalaya but hate the pounds of meat it's stuffed with. With plenty of veggies and vegan sausage, this delicious dish will spice up any winter day.
Jackfruit Pulled “Pork”
Credit: All Recipes
For the vegetarians who were salivating at the pulled pork recipe, I mentioned earlier this jackfruit pulled “pork” will be right up your alley. The jackfruit is slow-cooked until its tender in barbecue sauce, garlic, onions, and olive oil. Top it off with coleslaw to level up your sandwich flavor-wise.
Winter Crock-Pot Soup Recipes
There has never been a better device for soup and stews than crock-pots. They make soup easy, effortlessly bringing out the flavors of the foods stewed within them.
Indian Chicken Stew
Credit: Blaine Moats/BHG
The warmth of this slow cooker Indian chicken stew comes not only from its temperature but also from its delicious spicy flavor. This colorful dish features tender chicken thighs, flavor-infused chickpeas, and a spicy kick.
Serve this flavorful stew over rice for a truly delicious meal.
Cheesy Beef Nacho Soup
Credit: Baked by Rachel
You’ve heard of tortilla soup, but have you ever heard of cheesy beef nacho soup? Once you’ve had it you're going to wish that you had heard of it sooner. This scrumptious soup features all of your favorite taco ingredients within a flavorful, cheesy broth.
Potato Leek Soup
Credit: The Recipe Critic
My mom used to make me potato leek soup every winter. The warm, pureed broth, was absolutely heavenly to have after a gloomy winter day. This recipe takes hers up a notch with the addition of caramelized onions and a required long simmer in a crock-pot.
Winter Crock-Pot Pasta Recipes
Bring a little bit of Italy to your crock-pot with these delicious winter crock-pot pasta recipes!
Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Ragu
Credit: Half-Baked Harvest
While this Tuscan sausage and white bean ragu recipe may look hard, it’s actually quite easy to make - but your family and friends don’t have to know that. With gently browned sausage, delicious white bean ragu, and decadent buttered gnocchi, this recipe is full of flavor and Italian inspiration
Lasagna
Credit: The Country Cook
I had no idea that you could make lasagna in a crock-pot! This savory, homey dish actually tastes better when it’s slow-cooked and is way easier to make. It’s absolutely perfect to bring to holiday potlucks and events.
Short Rib Sauce with Bucatini
Credit: How Sweet Eats
This decadent short rib sauce with bucatini recipe, while difficult to make is totally worth the trouble. It’s the kind of quality you would get in a real Italian restaurant, but you get to eat it in your home, curled up next to a fire. With tender short ribs and a sweet flavorful sauce, this dish is *chefs kiss.*
Winter Crock-Pot Dessert Recipes
Last but not least are some totally decadent, ooey-gooey, winter crock-pot dessert recipes.
Caramel Apple Crumble
Credit: How Sweet Eats
The swirl of cinnamon and sweetness of apples in this caramel apple crumble pair perfectly with the sweet, sugary oat topping. This crumble is literal perfection, the only thing it needs is a dollop of rich vanilla ice cream once it's out of the slow cooker.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
Credit: The Magical Slow Cooker
Has there ever been a more iconic pair than chocolate and peanut butter? This peanut butter chocolate cake recipe firmly says, “No!” with its ooey-gooey deliciousness. The only problem is you’ll have a lot of trouble waiting for this decadent dish to cook.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Credit: The Stay-at-Home Chef
This chocolate chip cookie bars recipe puts a fun spin on the classic dessert. These cookies are even simpler to make than the ones that you bake- and so much more delicious. With a gooey center and plenty of chocolate on top, they are sure to steal the show at any holiday get-together.
Brownie Cookies
Credit: The Typical Mom
Just looking at these decadent brownie cookies makes my mouth water. They end up having a firm, pudding-like texture that melts in your mouth. This duo can absolutely do no wrong, especially if you are feasting on them after enduring the cold of winter.
Bottom Line
Whether you were looking for a slowly simmered stew or a creamy crock-pot creation, this list has a recipe for everyone. Crock-pots are such amazing cooking tools that especially shine when it comes to winter cuisine.
Let me know which recipe was your favorite in the comments. And remember, if you found this list inspiring than be sure to share it!