25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (2024)

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (1)

Making dinner after a long day at work sucks. Cooking breakfast when you have sleep in your eyes and barely have time to make it to work also sucks. You know what doesn't suck? These slow cooker recipes. All of these recipes are simple to make and ensure you always have a healthy meal on hand.

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (2)

Roasted Chicken

Yes, it's entirely possible to roast a chicken in your slow cooker. By doing so, you'll have the makings of healthy recipes for a week!

Get the recipe: roasted chicken

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (3)

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Who says pumpkin pie is just for Fall? With pumpkin puree readily available in your grocery store, this vegan oatmeal recipe can be part of your breakfast routine all year round. It's fruity, nutty, subtly sweet, and totally satisfying.

Get the recipe: pumpkin pie steel-cut oats

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (4)

Low-Calorie Beef and Vegetable Stew

Paleo dieters will love this beef and veggie stew, which only requires 20 minutes of preparation time before slow-cooking to perfection. Each serving is 265 calories.

Get the recipe: beef stew

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Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash can be a pain to cook, but not if you have a slow cooker! In just four to six hours, you'll have the makings of a ton of delicious spaghetti squash recipes.

Get the recipe: spaghetti squash

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Spicy Chicken Chili

Chili is one of the most common slow-cooker recipes, and this one made with ground chicken and kidney beans is sure to satisfy without breaking the calorie bank — it's only 324 calories per serving. This dish is made using a Dutch oven on the stove, but you can easily adapt this recipe to be made in a slow cooker; just keep it on low.

Get the recipe: spicy chicken chili

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Overnight Low-Carb Breakfast Bake

Take 20 minutes for prep the night before, set your slow cooker to low while you sleep, and wake up to the smell of eggs and bacon cooking in the kitchen. This easy breakfast casserole is grain-free, dairy-free, and Paleo-friendly.

Get the recipe: egg and sausage breakfast casserole

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (8)

Split Pea Soup

Few comfort foods are quite as rich as split pea soup, but the vegetable and ham dish can be time-consuming at the best of times. Try preparing it in your slow cooker for a bubbling dinner that's ready when you get home!

Get the recipe: split pea soup

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (9)

Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal

While it tastes extremely decadent, this chocolate and cherry oatmeal is a healthy breakfast option. Unsweetened dark chocolate and tart cherries will satisfy your sweet tooth without the guilt!

Get the recipe: chocolate and cherry oatmeal

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (10)

Vegan Split Pea and Sweet Potato Soup

You can make this on the stove much faster, but it's also a great slow-cooker recipe if you just want to set it and forget it. Made with split peas, celery, and sweet potatoes, this hearty soup is only 254 calories per serving.

Get the recipe: vegan split pea and sweet potato soup

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (11)

Chickpea Coconut Curry With Sweet Potatoes

Slow cookers aren't just for applesauce and stroganoff! Try something a little more exotic for your next healthy dinner — this chickpea curry is just the thing and under 400 calories when paired with coconut rice.

Get the recipe: chickpea curry

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (12)

Veggie Bean Chili

Though it contains all the fresh produce that a health nut could ever dream up, this nutritious chili has a warm, comforting quality that will remind you of childhood. It also makes great lunch leftovers!

Get the recipe: veggie bean chili

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (13)

Braised Chicken

Chefs swear by skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts because they provide the most flavorful, moist meat. Braising the chicken also helps retain the moisture, and it leaves you with a flavorful tomato-sage broth that can be poured over mashed potatoes or polenta.

Get the recipe: braised chicken with tomatoes

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (14)

Squash, Sweet Potato, Carrot, and White Bean Soup

It may sound complicated, but this seasonal slow-cooker soup only calls for eight ingredients! It offers over 14 grams of protein per 272-calorie serving.

Get the recipe: sweet potato and white bean soup

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (15)

Protein-Rich Mexican Chicken

Thanks to lean chicken breasts and toasted pumpkin seeds, this tender Mexican chicken dish is packed full of protein.

Get the recipe: chicken and black beans

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3-Ingredient Applesauce

Get the recipe: applesauce

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Healthy Chicken Carnitas

Much like its pork predecessor, this poultry-based carnitas recipe is tender, flavorful, and comforting — however, it leaves out the traditional portions of oil and lard. Try it on tacos, salad, or nachos!

Get the recipe: chicken carnitas

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Turkey Chili

This bean-free turkey chili is low in carbs but high in protein and flavor. Each serving is under 300 calories.

Get the recipe: turkey chili

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Low-Calorie Sweet and Sour Chicken

At 48 grams of protein and fewer than 350 calories per serving, this healthy take on a Chinese takeout favorite is much better than Panda Express!

Get the recipe: sweet and sour chicken

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (20)

Easy Chicken Fajitas

These tasty chicken fajitas practically cook themselves — perfect for busy weeknights. Did we mention you only need five ingredients for the fajitas? So easy.

Get the recipe: chicken fajitas

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Butternut Squash Lentil Soup

After you finish making eight servings of this vegan butternut squash and lentil soup, freeze the leftovers for a rainy (or exceptionally busy!) day.

Get the recipe: butternut squash lentil soup

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Perfect Steel-Cut Oats

If you've ever made a disastrous attempt at slow-cooker oatmeal, have no fear: steel-cut oats are here to redeem you. Let this recipe be your guide to nailing overnight oats!

Get the recipe: overnight steel-cut oats

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (23)

Vegetarian Chili

You know those days where you have a bunch of random vegetables in the fridge? The simple solution to using them all is this vegetarian chili loaded with zucchini, tomatoes, corn, and a ton of other pantry staples.

Get the recipe: vegetarian chili

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Mexican Breakfast Casserole

Gluten-free, protein-rich, and under 400 calories, this breakfast casserole is great to cook up on Sunday afternoon, slice up, and enjoy all week long.

Get the recipe: Mexican breakfast casserole

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Vegan Red Beans and Rice

Enjoy some real Cajun flavor by making a protein-packed batch of red beans and rice. Great for anyone who follows a vegan or Paleo diet.

Get the recipe: red beans and rice

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (26)

Santa Fe-Style Paleo Vegetable Soup

You can add shredded chicken to this Paleo-optimized recipe for additional protein, but it's perfectly tasty as a vegetarian dish!

Get the recipe: Santa Fe vegetable soup

25 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You Can Enjoy For Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest meat to slow cook? ›

common lean roasts found in the grocery store
  • chuck tender roast. A lean roast that requires slow cooking to tenderize.
  • shoulder roast. An inexpensive chuck cut with good flavor and good for roasting or slow cooking.
  • rump roast. A boneless and lean cut ideal for slow cooking.
  • eye of round roast.

What is the best thing to cook in a Crockpot? ›

Classics like chicken Alfredo, pepper steak, beef & broccoli, chicken cacciatore, and more might just taste even better in the crockpot (and are certainly way more hands-off than their skillet or baking dish counterparts).

Is a slow cooker a healthy way to cook? ›

A slow cooker can help with eating healthily, as this way of cooking doesn't need much (if any) fat, which can help to lower the calorie content. It also intensifies flavours – which is helpful when cutting down on salt.

Is Crockpot healthy? ›

Yes, if you use them correctly. The slow cooker cooks foods slowly at a low temperature, generally between 170 and 280 degrees F, over several hours. The combination of direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking and steam, destroys bacteria making the slow cooker a safe process for cooking foods.

What is the healthiest meat a person can eat? ›

While meat can be a part of a healthy diet, not all sources are created equal. The leanest and healthiest meats to eat include poultry, pork, fish, and seafood. Eating a balanced diet is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle, which means choosing various foods from different food groups, like proteins.

What is the healthiest cooked meat? ›

go for turkey and chicken without the skin as these are lower in fat (or remove the skin before cooking) try to limit processed meat products such as sausages, salami, pâté and beefburgers, because these are generally high in fat – they are often high in salt, too.

Which is better a crockpot or slow cooker? ›

If you're planning to cook your meals mostly when you're not home or overnight, then sticking to a Crockpot might be a better choice, since the heat distribution is more even and there is no need to stir at all.

What are the disadvantages of a slow cooker? ›

One of the downsides of slow cooking is that sauces don't reduce because the water that evaporates from the food condenses on the lid and drips back into the pot. Often that means having to place the pot back on the hob to reduce the sauce at the end, or removing and discarding excess liquid.

What is the best meat to slow cook? ›

Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.

What vegetables should not be added to a slow cooker? ›

Tender vegetables

Vegetables such as peas, asparagus and peppers can become a flavorless, mushy mess in a slow cooker.

Can I put frozen meat in a slow cooker? ›

Information. It is best to thaw meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker. Frozen pieces will take longer to reach a safe internal temperature and could possibly result in foodborne illness. Frozen or partially frozen foods can also cool everything else in the slow cooker.

Does slow cooker destroy nutrients? ›

As with all cooking methods, some nutrients will be broken down, but the gentle heat doesn't destroy as many nutrients as roasting or boiling. In most cases the resulting sauce is served as part of the meal, so the nutrients will be retained. Slow cookers are designed to be left alone.

Does slow cooking meat make it healthier? ›

The low heat used in slow cooking destroys fewer nutrients than high-heat cooking. Meat and other ingredients are also cooked more safely since any remaining bacteria are killed off by the steam and tightly sealed pot.

What is the best meat for slow cooking? ›

Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.

What is the best meat for low and slow cooking? ›

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that ribs (beef or pork), brisket, shoulders (pork or lamb), and pork belly are all fantastic candidates for low and slow cooking. But there are more! Chicken thighs, though they also thrive in high-heat applications due to their small size, BBQ wonderfully.

What is the best meat to cook low and slow? ›

What Are the Best Meats for Slow Cooking?
  1. Pork Shoulder. Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork. ...
  2. Beef Chuck Roast. Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast. ...
  3. Lamb Shanks. Rosemary Braised Lamb Shanks. ...
  4. Beef Short Ribs. Short Ribs Braised with Mushrooms and Tomatoes.
Sep 9, 2020

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