43 Slow Cooker Recipes for Fall

You'll be wowed by the way lean flank steak transforms into tender, succulent shreds as it slowly simmers in the aromatic sauce. Served over rice (preferably brown), this homey Cuban dish makes for an exceptionally hearty and wholesome weeknight meal.

Slow cooking tougher cuts of meat, such as beef brisket, gives you a meltingly tender texture. For tacos, serve the saucy barbacoa in tortillas with green and red onion, cilantro leaves, jalapeño slices, and fresh lime wedges.

This classic red chili has chunks of stew meat and ground beef along with tomatoes, red beans, and spices. 

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.

Any ramen lover will tell you--it's all about the broth. We build layers of rich umami flavor with the help of mushroom stems, fresh ginger, kombu (a type of edible kelp), sesame oil, and, of course, low and slow heat.

The slow cooker does all the work in this comforting rice porridge, breaking down the rice with fragrant ginger and star anise and poaching the chicken until silky. A bit of chili oil is the vibrant kick this dish needs. You can also use Sriracha or a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Cilantro or baby spinach leaves can work in place of the watercress.

Switch up your go-to slow-cooker meals and go for a cheesy pasta dish that's loaded with hearty sausage. It's a great option for the entire family, and you can take the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Simmering the base of this rich stew in the slow cooker allows for ultimate flavor concentration. When you're almost ready to serve, add raw fish to poach quickly. A signature dish of the West Coast, cioppino can be made with a wide variety of fish and shellfish, so feel free to ­experiment with your favorites.

While the chicken becomes fall-apart tender, briny capers, crushed red pepper, and garlic infuse the tomatoes for a robust marinara sauce.

Traditionally, rice is cooked in the jambalaya liquid, but for this flavorful slow-cooker version, it's best to stir in the cooked rice at the end.

This chicken potato soup is perfect for ushering in fall: It's hearty enough for the beginning of soup season, yet brothy and veggie-packed so it doesn't feel too heavy. This recipe is ideal for a weekend, when you can check on the slow cooker after just a few hours. Although you can’t leave it unattended all day, this chicken potato soup still offers the benefit of hands-free, fuss-free cooking. Baby red, Yukon Gold, or fingerling potatoes will all work well here, as they'll maintain their shape nicely during cooking. Pair this easy chicken and potato soup with a slaw or kale side salad and crusty whole-grain bread for a healthy, satisfying dinner.

Think of posole as chili's brothier, lighter cousin, a Mexican version of chicken soup. Posole is also a name for the hominy, or rehydrated dried corn, that goes in the dish.

We love the heat level in this slow cooker take on tikka masala to fend off winter chill. If the spice kick is too much for your family, you can cut the red pepper down by half without losing any of the dynamic flavor layers.

This saucy slow cooker chicken lives at the flavorful intersection where sweet and savory meet. Never cooked with apricot brandy? It lends a unique fruity richness to this dish and can be found in most liquor stores shelved with flavored other liqueurs.

A full-plate dinner simmers to saucy, savory perfection in the slow cooker. To end up with super-succulent pork, don't overcook the chops in the pan before adding to the slow cooker. Just a couple of minutes per side will be enough to achieve nice color. Don't be afraid of the time, you will only be actively preparing and cooking for about 20 minutes as the rest cooks away in the slow-cooker for 7 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender. 

Oven-baked meatloaf can turn dry, but the moisture-sealing magic of the slow cooker makes this one melt in your mouth.

Simple flavors and a rustic touch will make this soup an instant home-cooked favorite, especially on chilly, wintry days. Inexpensive dried lentils make up the bulk of the soup, helping fill in your fiber gaps and keep you full longer. Chickpeas are the secret ingredient to achieve supreme creaminess, which become delightfully smooth when blended, and sneak in an extra 3g fiber per serving.

Save time and oven space and use a slow-cooker for brisket that's tender when pierced, with a rich, velvety sauce. Start in the morning and you'll have brisket by dinnertime.

The low, even heat of the slow cooker helps flavor powerhouses like miso, sesame oil, and soy sauce impart tenderizing moisture, umami depth, and savory personality to common pot roast.

The potatoes absorb the rich, smoky flavor of the ham hocks in this one-pot soup. Serve with crusty bread, a salad, and hot sauce on the side for an easy meal both kids and adults will love.

White meat can dry out after a long haul in the slow cooker, so we opt for bone-in thighs to guarantee optimal flavor and succulence. Make prep easier with prepeeled garlic, and pretty-up the platter with lemon slices and thyme sprigs.

If your Thanksgiving tradition includes a smoked turkey, save one of the legs for this easy, soul-satisfying soup. Otherwise, look for smoked turkey legs near the bacon at your grocery store (or use a ham hock).

This slow cooker french onion soup is so easy and delicious, you’ll never return to your stovetop ways. The slow cooker completely eliminates the stirring element of caramelizing onions. After hours in the low heat, the sliced onions will become soft and jammy with a rich, dark brown coloring—no attention necessary. Although you’ll need to start this soup the morning of, you’ll gain nine hours of enticing aromas that will warm your kitchen on a chilly winter day. If you don’t plan to eat it all, freeze the bag of soup in a bowl rather than laying it flat, so it will fit in the saucepan when it's time to thaw. Get ready for this slow cooker french onion soup to be the most requested dish in your house.

This recipe crockpot apple butter legitimately could not be easier. Requiring just a handful of basic ingredients, apple butter is a low-effort and inexpensive fall treat to make—but sure is an impressive one to share. And thanks to the hands-off power of the crockpot, the apple butter can simmer to perfection (and fill your kitchen with its heavenly aroma) while you’re out and about or taking care of other tasks around the house. Do note, there are two phases to the slow-cooking: First, you simmer your apples and apple cider vinegar in the crockpot for 6 hours on high. You’ll then add sugar and spice to the crockpot and cook for another 4 hours on low, so be sure to plan accordingly before starting into the recipe. Slather your crockpot apple butter over warm biscuits, toast, waffles, and anything else that could use a robust hit of sweet apple flavor. 

As easy as it gets, this is a great, hands-off, and foolproof method for making slow cooker spaghetti squash. Use the slow-cooked squash for salads, as a veggie swap for pasta noodles, or as a simple fall side dish.

A house full of guests requires a great meal that’s also easy on the cook, and our Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce is exactly that. This hearty meat sauce serves 12 people generously—or 16 people if you serve smaller portions or have lots of side dishes. Made with ground beef, spicy Italian sausage, and diced pancetta plus red wine, Italian seasoning, and lots of vegetables, it’s a robust, fully flavored topping for your favorite pasta. Best of all, this Bolognese sauce tastes incredible even when made ahead. (In fact, it may taste even better after the flavors have had a few days to come together.) The sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days or frozen in an airtight container (or ziplock freezer bags) up to 3 months.

Consider dinner covered for the day after Thanksgiving. This comforting slow cooker recipe is made with leftover turkey and will feed a full house. Cornmeal helps thicken this chili, and adds a hint of toasty corn flavor. Choose fine, rather than coarse, cornmeal for the smoothest texture. This is the perfect recipe to throw in the slow cooker before you head out the door on Black Friday. Let everything cook for 7 hours and you'll come home to a house that smells great. You'll be glad you have this Slow Cooker Turkey Chili to keep you warm.

Certain comfort foods are synonymous with Sunday supper, the meal that brings the family together. The convenience of a slow cooker makes it easy to enjoy this classic any day of the week. Be sure to cut the vegetables into large, uniform pieces so they will hold up during the long cook time.

This savory fall stew is filled with tender cubes of pumpkin, shredded chicken, and nutty wild rice in a creamy sauce. When choosing a pumpkin, look for a sugar or cheese pumpkin. Field pumpkins, which are larger in size, have watery, stringy flesh and are best used for decoration. Or substitute a butternut squash.

Packed with veggies and flavored with a little bacon, this recipe will warm you up on a chilly day. This hearty soup is as versatile as it is delicious. Substitute collards for the kale, use another type of small dried beans, or add heat with red pepper flakes. And because it’s made in a slow cooker, you don’t have to stand over the stove stirring it for hours. Just prepare the bacon in the microwave, crumble it, then add it along with the vegetables and other ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until the potatoes and beans are fork-tender, 5 1⁄2 to 6 hours.

Pantry staples like dried lentils and canned beans make up the bulk of this soup and boost the fiber to cover more than half your daily goal. Want to make it in your Instant Pot? Click here for the recipe. 

Look for bags of cubed butternut squash in the produce section to save you the trouble of peeling and dicing a whole squash. Find Castelvetrano olives either jarred in the olive and pickle section or fresh at most specialty market antipasti bars. If you can’t find them, use any green olive you like. Want to make it in your Instant Pot? Get the recipe here.