15+ Easy Slow-Cooker Recipes for New Year's Celebrations

Updated December 28, 2020
Credit: Oxmoor House

Goodbye 2020, hello 2021!  Celebrating the New Year is all about fresh beginnings and improving your quality of life--especially during a global pandemic.  Start the year off right by using your slow cooker to keep the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day festivities fun-filled and relaxed. 

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Slow Cooker Beef-and-Sweet Potato Chili

Credit: Jennifer Causey

Slow Cooker Beef-and-Sweet Potato Chili Recipe

Leaving the peels on the sweet potatoes has three benefits: Prep is faster, you add more fiber, and the potatoes hold their shape better after the 7-hour simmer. Besides, the peels get so tender that you barely notice they're there. If you'd like to change things up, try parsnips in place of the sweet potatoes; they have a similar sweetness and earthier flavor. For less sweetness, you can try small red potatoes or baby Yukon Golds. You don't need to fully cook the ground beef before it goes into the slow cooker; just cook it enough to "set" the shape of the crumbles.

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Good Luck Greens and Peas with Ham

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Good Luck Greens and Peas with Ham Recipe

Southern tradition says that eating nutrient-rich greens and black-eyed peas will bring good luck in the new year. This hearty dish pairs fresh collards and cooked ham with black-eyed peas and calls for sweet onion, apple cider vinegar, crushed red pepper, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard to create deep, rich flavor.

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Red Bean Chili

Red Bean Chili Recipe

Chili is the perfect no-muss, no-fuss food for casual New Year's celebrations. Simply brown the beef with chopped onion and place in your slow cooker, then add the remaining four ingredients and cook at HIGH for 5 hours. Set out bowls of condiments so everyone can tailor their chili to their own tastes, and serve with a platter full of homemade garlic toast.

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Rum-Raisin Arborio Pudding

Credit: Oxmoor House

Rum-Raisin Arborio Pudding Recipe

Rice pudding, a comforting dessert seasoned with sugar and nutmeg, is a welcome sweet treat on chilly winter nights. Preparing your dessert in the slow cooker frees you up to focus on the rest of your New Year's Eve preparations.

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Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs

Credit: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro

Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs Recipe

This irresistible meatball appetizer recipe not only cooks in the slow cooker, but it also calls for just five ingredients! You will love the spicy-sweet flavor notes from the cherry preserves and chipotle peppers.

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Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos

Credit: Laurey W. Glenn; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos Recipe

Add a little spice to your New Year's party with these easy beef nachos.  With their bite-sized portion size, it's easy to keep the New Year's noshing under control.  

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Mulled Pomegranate and Red Wine Punch

Credit: Yunhee Kim; Styling: Emma Star Jensen

Mulled Pomegranate and Red Wine Punch Recipe

Champagne may be the traditional New Year's drink, but this warm mulled wine punch features festive pomegranate juice, cinnamon, and cardamom. This drink makes a nice alternative to the bubbly and can be served straight from the slow cooker.

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Gruyère-Bacon Dip

Credit: Oxmoor House

Gruyère-Bacon Dip Recipe

Don't let the name intimidate you - you'll find Gruyère cheese in the deli case along with other imported cheeses like Gouda, Edam, and Reggiano. This simple dip is delicious served with sliced raw vegetables or crackers.

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Buffalo-Style Drummettes with Blue Cheese Dip

Credit: Oxmoor House

Buffalo-Style Drummettes with Blue Cheese Dip Recipe

Make your own Buffalo wings in the slow cooker for a delicious appetizer that's well suited to New Year's celebrations.

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Caramel Fondue

Credit: Oxmoor House

Caramel Fondue Recipe

Slow cookers are perfect for preparing fondue and keeping it warm the whole evening. This sweet caramel fondue calls for just two ingredients: caramels and sweetened condensed milk. Serve with apple slices and pound cake squares for dipping.

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Apple-Ale Wassail

Credit: Ralph Anderson; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Apple-Ale Wassail Recipe

Wassail is another holiday drink that just seems made for the slow cooker. The fruity spiced concoction features bottled ale, apple cider, port, lemonade, diced apple, brown sugar, and traditional holiday spices like allspice, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Garnish with lemon wedges and cinnamon sticks for a festive presentation.

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Hot-and-Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

Hot-and-Spicy Black-Eyed Peas Recipe

Like your black-eyed peas with a little heat? This easy dish should bring you luck in the new year - and with all that jalapeño and ground red pepper, it may bring you clear sinuses too.

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Slow Cooker Beef Daube

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Thom Driver

Slow Cooker Beef Daube Recipe

Here's a dinner that will cook itself to perfection as you go about your holiday errands. It's fine--in fact better--if you make it a day or two ahead, giving the herbs and wine time to meld with the meat and vegetables for rich, complex flavor. To end up with a 2-pound trimmed chuck roast, you should purchase 2 1/2 pounds. Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.

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Mini BBQ Sandwiches Recipe

Set up a simple BBQ sandwich bar so guests can create their own mini sandwiches with their favorite flavors. Serve fun and colorful toppings like coleslaw, pickles, Cheddar cheese, and pickled jalapeño peppers in small bowls alongside the slow cooker. To make an entrée-sized sandwich, feel free to substitute the dinner rolls with French sandwich rolls or buns.

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Sausage and Tater Tot Brunch Casserole

Credit: Photo by BHOFack via Getty Images
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Sausage and Tater Tot Brunch Casserole Recipe

After a late-night New Year's Eve, there's nothing like waking up to a delicious breakfast--that's already been cooked!  This egg-based breakfast casserole mixed with potatoes, cheese and/or bread is made for the slow cooker.  Simply brown the sausage and mix in the rest of the ingredients before you turn in for the night, then let it cook while you slumber your way into the new year.  

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Slow Cooker Chicken, Bacon, and Potato Soup

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Slow Cooker Chicken, Bacon, and Potato Soup Recipe

Not a chili fan?  Although you can’t leave it unattended all day, this chicken potato soup still offers the benefit of hands-free, fuss-free cooking. Prep it mid-afternoon, and it'll be ready by dinnertime.  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.

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Brownie Pudding Cake

Credit: Oxmoor House

Brownie Pudding Cake Recipe

Dutch process cocoa and bittersweet chocolate give this dessert - part cake and part pudding - its rich and decadent character. Top with light vanilla ice cream, if desired.

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