20 holiday slow cooker recipes you need to try

Using a slow cooker is our favorite way to make apple crisp. Lil’ Luna agrees as they put together a recipe that combines the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, but is still a cinch to make in your crockpot.

Okay, so latkes, a Hanukkah staple, cannot be made in the slow cooker. (Unless you have extremely low standards.) But the applesauce? That can absolutely be made in your crockpot. This recipe from BellyFull also includes a link for latkes.

If you want your beef brisket to be so tender that it falls apart—or all you have to work with is a slow cooker—then we’ve got the recipe for you. Keeping It Simple lives up to its name with this brisket recipe that only calls for eight simple ingredients. (Note: You’ll still want to sear the meat, but only for a few minutes per side.)

Did you know Brussels sprouts are among the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes? If you’re looking to get in on the fun and want a low-lift way to do so, try this recipe from Easy Weeknight Recipes. These babies are tossed in four of our favorite things: olive oil, butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese.

The flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, and molasses combine in these candied yams from The Magical Slow Cooker. The brown sugar and butter don’t hurt either! Oh, and delicious yams are involved, too. 

If collard greens are part of your holiday table, then you’ll definitely want to check out this recipe from the Magical Slow Cooker. It includes ham hock, bacon, brown sugar, chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, and a few spices, and can be ready in four hours.

This cranberry sauce from Cleverly Simple only requires six ingredients and can be made ahead of time to save you some precious minutes on the actual holiday. Thanks to your slow cooker, it’s also a snap.

Six ingredients—spinach, butter, cream cheese, cream of mushroom soup, Italian dressing mix, and Sherry—are all you need for this creamed spinach recipe from Recipes that Crock. And the whole thing can be ready in under three hours!

Slow cooker gingerbread cake? We love all those words! And who would have thought they could all be used together? The Magical Slow Cooker—that’s who. This recipe involves a bit of prep, but once the batter goes into the crockpot, it only takes two hours.

Glazed carrots are already a pretty simple side dish, and the introduction of the slow cooker only makes things easier. And with this recipe from Dinner at the Zoo, you only need three hours of cooking time.

Green bean casserole is already pretty easy, but it’s even simpler in your slow cooker. Just whisk, stir, and turn on the heat. Get the details from The Salty Marshmallow.

Instead of using your oven to cook a glazed ham and calculating the time per pound, just let your slow cooker do the work! As this recipe from Dinner at the Zoo states, a 7-8 pound ham (likely the largest size that will fit in a crockpot) should take about three to four hours to register a temperature of 140 F.

Some folks can’t have a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Kwanzaa dinner without the gooey goodness of mac & cheese, and hopefully, those folks are making their lives easier by using a slow cooker. This recipe from Amanda’s Cookin’ can be made entirely in the crockpot—no need to boil, or strain, or use a pot at all!

Why deal with all the boiling and draining that comes with mashed potatoes when you can do the whole thing in your slow cooker? This recipe from Gimme Some Oven only takes three hours for three pounds of potatoes. 

Slow cookers are great for soup, and matzo ball soup is no exception. You can pull the whole thing together in four hours with this recipe from Tasty, which includes chicken as well as instructions for making the matzo balls from scratch. They don’t go in the pot until 30 minutes before it’s done, so you can make and refrigerate them while the soup cooks!

These peanut clusters from the Chunky Chef are the easiest candies possible. They’re made of just peanuts, almond bark, two types of chocolate, and sprinkles (if you are so inclined). And since you only need to melt the chocolate, your slow cooker can make this happen in two hours...plus another hour in the fridge.

Turn stuffing into a simple make-ahead side by subbing in your slow cooker. Spend with Pennies has a version with celery and onion, as well as parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Sweet potato casserole is a must on our Thanksgiving table, and preparing it in the slow cooker is a no-brainer for any holiday. We prefer our taters mashed, so we recommend this version from Baking Beauty.

Did you know you can make a whole turkey in the slow cooker? If not, now you do. If you want to know how this feat is pulled off, check out this recipe for turkey with garlic butter from The Recipe Rebel.

Not only is this pumpkin soup simple and absolutely scrumptious, but it’s also vegan! Instead of heavy cream, this recipe from Jessica in the Kitchen calls for coconut milk, along with vegetable broth, pumpkin, garlic, onion, oil, and a mix of spices.