Sensational Summer Slow-Cooker Recipes (2024)

Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro

The slow-cooker can be your best friend during the summer months. Enjoythe weather with friends and family while the slow-cooker does all the work for you. With great dinner recipes like tender and juicypork, sandwiches, and even desserts, you can easily reap all of the benefits of this greatkitchen appliance with just a few simple ingredients.

Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos

Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos Recipe

Whether you're planning an easy dinner or a hearty snack, these tasty nachos feature simple ingredients that combine for bold flavor.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Bourbon-Peach Barbecue Sauce

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Bourbon-Peach Barbecue Sauce Recipe

The name of this barbecue sauce says it all. If that doesn't sound like summer in a dish, we don't know what does!

Easy BBQ Ribs

Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs Recipe

Barbecue season is here, but we'll let you in on a secret: All you really need for crowd-pleasing ribs is the right recipe and a slow cooker. Savory, tender, juicy, and slow-cooked to perfection, this recipe forEasy BBQ Ribs is our newest and best. And just because it's easy doesn't mean this recipe lacks character. Add our homemade Rib Rub and Fancy Barbecue Sauce for a foolproof meal that's truly special.

Slow-Cooker Green Chile Pork

Slow-Cooker Green Chile Pork Recipe

Make tonight Taco Night by preparing this flavorful pork and dishing it up alongside all the trimmings.

Slow-Cooker Veggie Chili

Slow-Cooker Veggie Chili Recipe

We normally reserve chili for warming our bones in the winter, but this version that calls for lots of summer produce, like zucchini and yellow squash, is too good for just one season. We also love adding fresh corn kernels instead of frozen for a bit of sweet summer goodness.

Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake

Slow-Cooker Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake Recipe

If you've never made a cake in your Crock-Pot, you definitely should. This set-it-and-forget-it method results in a nice crust and moist center.

Make this easy cake in your slow-cooker for your next backyard BBQ or garden party. Fresh lemon juice and zest give the cake a brightness that will rival the summer sun.

Fricassee of Chicken with Cream and Morel Mushrooms image

Chicken Fricassee with Cream and Morel Mushrooms Recipe

This recipe is full of fresh herbs and aromatics that are abundant and cheaper during the summer months.

Beef Pot Roast with Turnip Greens

Beef Pot Roast with Turnip Greens Recipe

This recipe calls for veggies and herbs you can find at your local famers market or maybe have growing in your own backyard, like parsnips, turnip greens, thyme, and parsley.

Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas image

Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas Recipe

Start these easy slow cooker fajitas when you get home and they'll be ready by dinner time. There's no hassle, no rush, and most importantly, no mess!

Glazed Carrots with Green Olives

Glazed Carrots with Green Olives Recipe

Here’s a simple side done in the slow-cooker that's perfect for your next outdoor gathering.

White Bean, Artichoke, and Chard Ragout

White Bean, Artichoke, and Chard Ragout Recipe

This recipe calls for lots of great produce like leeks, Swiss chard, carrots, bell peppers, fennel, and lemon. Plus, it’s hearty, delicious, and good for you!

Peaches 'n' Cream Tapioca

Peaches 'n' Cream Tapioca Recipe

Use fresh, gorgeously sweet peaches in this slow-cooker tapioca for a treat that the whole family will love.

Cheesy Grits with Shrimp

Cheesy Grits with Shrimp Recipe

A Southern favorite is made simpler in the slow cooker. Grits are slow-cooked for 6 hours, and then topped with cream, Cheddar cheese, and hot sauce. Tender, quick-cooking shrimp are the final touch, making this one meal you won't soon forget.

Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil image

Slow Cooker Shrimp Boil Recipe

For a classic summery meal without a fuss, look no further than this slow cooker shrimp boil. With a simple ingredient list and a largely hands-off cooking method, this easy seafood boil is a perfect recipe to plan on for casual warm weather entertaining or even as a low-effort meal to make at the rental house during a beach vacation. We opted to pull the corn out after 30 minutes of cooking as we preferred it on the crisp side, but as long as your slow cooker is large enough, feel free to leave it in the pot as the shrimp and sausage cook.

Slow Cooker Bourbon-Peach Baked Beans

Slow Cooker Bourbon-Peach Baked Beans Recipe

Skip the canned baked beans in favor of our fuss-free version, which saves up to 300mg sodium per serving. Adobo sauce and bacon build a smoky backbone, while peak-season peaches offer sweet contrast. Bonus: The beans will stay warm in a covered slow cooker for up to 2 hours after being unplugged.

ck-Slow Cooker Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps

Slow Cooker Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps Recipe

This dish is great for a casual get-together or a weeknight meal (with leftovers). The seasoning paste is modeled after Korean ssamjang--a concentrated, salty, slightly spicy concoction. Unlike traditional versions, though, ours is made with grocery store ingredients for ease and convenience.

slow-cooker-corn-chowder

Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder Recipe

This creamy soup makes an indulgent but not too heavy meal on a hot summer day. Pick the freshest sweet corn you can find.

Slow-Cooked BBQ Fennel, Onion, and Pork Sandwiches

Slow-Cooked BBQ Fennel, Onion, and Pork Sandwiches Recipe

Slow-Cooked BBQ Fennel, Onion, and Pork Sandwiches are a nod to low-and-slow Southern barbecue--using just a little bit of pork shoulder. And just like traditional pulled pork, the meltingly tender vegetables and pork are piled high on toasted buns, slathered with a Greek yogurt mixture, and topped with shredded cabbage.

Crock Pot BBQ Ribs image

Crock-Pot BBQ Ribs Recipe

If you’re skeptical about ribs in a slow cooker, prepare to be amazed by the tender and delicious results. Cooking ribs doesn’t get easier than this two-step method, and while they serve as the perfect summer entrée, you can make this crockpot ribs recipe just as easily atany time of year. Start by selecting the style you like: baby back ribs, spare ribs, St. Louis style ribs, or country style pork ribs. Combine with your favorite sweet and smoky BBQ sauce and let your Crock-Pot take it from there. These easy slow cooker ribs are fall-off-the-bone tasty.

Slow Cooker Chicken Verde

Slow Cooker Chicken Verde Recipe

It's not hard to make your own salsa verde, with fresher flavor and much less sodium than jarred versions: Simply blacken tomatillos, chiles, and onions; then blend.

Pulled-Pork Tacos

Pulled-Pork Tacos Recipe

Tacos are always a great summer meal you can eat with your hands. In this recipe, your pork gets perfectly tender and shreddable in the slow cooker.

Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken

Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken Recipe

Start with a whole chicken, cut up, and simmer in a homemade barbecue sauce of ketchup, cola, cider vinegar and a splash of bourbon for a Southern barbecue flavor.

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos Al Pastor with All the Fixings

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos Al Pastor with All the Fixings Recipe

Start by slow-cooking pork shoulder in an aromatic bath of pineapple, beer (try a floral, spiced white ale like Hoegaarden or Blue Moon), and canned chipotles in adobo. Then shred the meat and set out a taco bar full of fresh flavors, bright colors, and crunchy textures. You can't go wrong here. We like bowls of crumbled cheeses, sliced radishes, chopped onions, avocado, shredded cabbage, and plenty of fresh cilantro.

5-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

5-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe

Five ingredients and a few minutes of prep are all you need to prepare this delicious BBQ dinner for friends and family.

Peppered Corn on the Cob

Peppered Corn on the Cob Recipe

Have fun with fresh corn in this unique twist on corn on the cob. You’ll love the subtle heat from jalapeno, and we all know everything is better with bacon.

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Seafood Gumbo

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Seafood Gumbo Recipe

Seafood gumbo is a perfect meal after a day on the beach. We love this slow-cooker version from Real Simple.

Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches

Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken Sandwiches Recipe

Serve this crowd-pleaser at your next backyard get-together. The tangy barbecued chicken pairs perfectly with the light and refreshing slaw.

Mamma Mia Italian Stew

Mamma Mia Italian Stew Recipe

We love this stew because we can pack in all our favorite summer produce and just leave it to do it’s thing while we do ours. A cool summer night and a glass of wine, and we are in heaven.

Slow-cooker Sloppy Joes

Slow-cooker Sloppy Joes Recipe

Sloppy Joes are great during the summer because you can just send the kids outside to eat and not have to worry about the mess. Spend a few hours at the pool while this recipe cooks and come back to an easy lunch or dinner.

Sina's George-Style Boiled Peanuts

Sina's Georgia-Style Boiled Peanuts Recipe

This salty snack couldn’t be simpler or tastier. It calls for just three ingredients and pairs perfectly with those small-batch summer ales from local breweries.

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup Recipe

We love this quintessential slow-cooker recipe any time of year. Just throw everything in and 8 hours later, dinner is ready.