25 summer slow-cooker recipes for every occasion

“Ribs. I had ribs for lunch. That’s why I’m doing this.” Be like Ron Burgundy and make sure you feast on mouth-watering baby back ribs at some point this summer. And with this six-ingredient recipe from All Recipes that requires just 10 minutes of prep, ribs don’t have to be only for special occasions. With a slow cooker, they’re so simple, you can easily enjoy them all season long. 

Didn’t know you could make cake in your crockpot? Well then allow us to surprise you and your family/friends/guests with this summery recipe for banana upside-down cake from The Food Network. Feeling especially chill? Top the finished product with your favorite ice cream.

Slide into summer cooking with some miniature chicken sandwiches made in the comfort of your own crockpot. Like the ribs recipe earlier in this slideshow, you’ll also only need six ingredients for this meal – and one of those is Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce, an amazing condiment that goes with tons of dishes. We’re glad Natasha’s Kitchen agrees, and also glad they provided us all with this fantastic recipe for BBQ chicken sliders. 

When you can’t decide between a meal and a snack, nachos are a perfect option. They’re always a crowd-pleaser (just be sure to leave out the meat if your crowd includes vegetarians), and in this recipe from My Recipes, the hot temperature is balanced out with some cool chunks of avocado. 

Brews and brats are your summer buddies, so why not combine both of them into one delicious recipe? Family Fresh Meals offers a recipe called “The Best Crockpot Beer Brats,” and we can’t argue with a name like that. You’ll need eight hours to completely cook this dish, so be sure not to dump all your beer into the slow cooker – you’ll want some to help pass the time.

When we say “every occasion,” this of course includes dessert. And since summer is blueberry season, we suggest trying your hand at this blueberry cobbler recipe from Crystal & Co. The ice cream isn’t required, but it’s highly encouraged.

Salads and slow cookers don’t go well together, so swap out that chicken caesar salad for a chicken caesar sandwich. Not into the whole submarine roll thing? Serve it on a wrap, or open-faced, or even as a dip. The choice is yours; just use this recipe from Delish to get started.

There are two events that make hot dogs taste even better: summer and baseball games. Get ready for the 2017 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 11 (and the rest of this season’s games) with this recipe for chili cheese dogs courtesy of Oh, Sweet Basil. As a bonus, this recipe allows you to cook everything in your slow cooker, ensuring that you won’t miss a single pitch.

Leave the grill off and don’t worry about filling a huge pot - all you need to make corn on the cob this summer is your slow cooker and just a little bit of water (and butter, lemon juice, parsley, chives, and salt and pepper... but who’s counting?) Get all the info from Recipes That Crock right here.

Crockpots: Is there anything they can’t do? Yes, it’s true, you can actually make a pizza in your slow cooker. And not just any pizza, but a doughy, mouth-watering thick-crust pizza topped with basically anything you want! Use this recipe from Pillsbury to get started, and then let your Italian-skewed imagination run wild.

The word “casserole” usually conjures up negative memories of disappointing dishes for many people, but insert the words “ham” and “hash brown” before it, and most folks will be on board before you even get to the ending. Head over to Taste of Home for the recipe, which only requires seven ingredients and three hours in the crockpot. 

Meatloaf is already one of the easiest meals to make because it’s extremely difficult to screw up. (Trust us there.) Making the experience even easier, meatloaf can also be prepared in your crockpot. Check out this “melt-in-your-mouth” version from All Recipes for a loaf you’ll be proud of.

Not only can you make cheesecake in a slow cooker, but you can also make adorable mini cheesecakes in separate ramekins and finish them with a variety of different toppings. Start with this recipe for crustless lemon strawberry cheesecake from Eazy Peazy Mealz, but feel free to swirl and top your version with your favorite fruit instead. We have a wonderful sauce suggestion for this, but you’ll have to read on to find out what it is!

Most of these recipes can be viewed as “hacks” for your slow cooker, but risotto is one dish for which crockpots always work best. Check out this easy mushroom risotto recipe from Moms With Crockpots and see for yourself. 

Get ready to repeatedly hear the phrase “please pass the paella,” because that’s all anyone will be saying when they spy your homemade slow cooker paella. This recipe from Delish calls for shrimp, chicken, and chorizo, but feel free to customize the meat and seafood to your liking.

If you were intrigued by the blueberry cobbler recipe but don’t care for Maine’s favorite fruit, try this slow-cooker peach crumble from Chowhound instead. The crockpot will give this dessert a more caramelized quality, and you won’t have to repeatedly open the roaring inferno that is your oven.

The bad news? These pork chops will take about 14 hours to prepare. The good news? You’ll only spend about 20 minutes of that time in the kitchen. There are lots of slow cooker pork chop recipes out there, so feel free to do some exploring. However, we’d like to recommend these pepper pork chops from Alton Brown of The Food Network.

We’ll admit it: steak just isn’t the same when it’s not cooked on a grill. However, when it comes to a Philly cheesesteak slathered in cheese and topped with peppers and onions, the rules can be relaxed a bit. We know grilling and summer go hand-in-hand, but sometimes it’s just too darn hot. Instead, prepare your steak in the slow cooker and beat the heat without sacrificing the taste of the meat courtesy of this recipe from The Cooking Mom.

Don’t listen to finicky fish folks, you can absolutely prepare poached salmon in a slow cooker. Serve this recipe for salmon with lemon and fresh herbs from The Kitchn and your family and/or guests won’t know the difference, except that it tastes better than anything they’ve ever made!

As the name suggests, this recipe from All Free Slow Cooker Recipes uses refrigerated buns, but the advantage is that you can make them without ever turning on your oven. You’ll also need to use a small saucepan for a few minutes, but that’s only if you want homemade caramel sauce. (And you definitely want homemade caramel sauce.)

We don’t know why hot and spicy food tastes best in the hotter months, but we’re not complaining – especially after finding this recipe for slow-cooker beef enchiladas via Tastes Better From Scratch. And yes, the meal totally lives up to the site’s name.

Preparing a homemade spinach and artichoke dip doesn’t require too much time in the kitchen, but all of it will be spent standing over a steaming pot. Instead, break out your slow cooker for this refreshing, three-cheese summer snack via Home Cooking Memories so you can enjoy the warm weather outside instead of melting over a hot stove. 

In true “every occasion” fashion, here’s a versatile strawberry rhubarb sauce that can be used in an endless number of ways. Try it atop pancakes and biscuits for breakfast, on ice cream or cheesecake for dessert, or even as a glaze for chicken at lunch or dinner. Get all the recipe info via Taste of Home right here.

There’s a lot more to sweet potato mash than mashing up sweet potatoes. Like this recipe from My Recipes states, you’ll also need to add butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Still, making this satisfying side in your slow cooker is a cinch.

Don’t let any culinary curmudgeons tell you that you need a deep fryer or a grill to make good chicken wings. As Betty Crocker proves with this recipe, all you really need is a slow cooker. Plus, Ms. Crocker will show you how to make your own teriyaki sauce at home, which surely beats any bottled variety.