The 6 best slow cookers for convenient hands-off cooking

You’re busy. You don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. And with a slow cooker, you can minimize prep time, leave meals simmering to perfection while you’re away from home — and still enjoy nutritious, healthy meals every night.

From tender chicken for tacos to perfectly cooked beans, flavorful soups and stews, and even delicious dips, slow cookers are incredibly versatile. They’re super easy to use and can help you cook up a wide variety of meals that your whole family is sure to love.

The best slow cookers and Crock-Pots provide several temperature options, digital timers, keep-warm settings, and tons of other features, as well as generous capacities and reliability for all-day cooking. Read on and get a look at our top picks for the best slow cookers for your kitchen.

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Our picks for the best slow cookers

Best overall slow cooker

Crockpot 7 Quart Manual

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$32.98 at Walmart

Top slow cooker for families

Ninja Foodi 8.5-qt. PossibleCooker PRO Multi-Cooker

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$169.99 at Kohl's

Best-rated slow cooker

Hamilton Beach Programmable Stay or Go Slow Cooker

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$39.96 at Walmart

Best affordable slow cooker

Crock-Pot 4.5qt Manual Slow Cooker

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$24.99 at Target

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Best overall slow cooker

Crockpot 7 Quart Manual

$32.98

$32.98 at Walmart

Specifications

• Weight: 12.62 pounds

• Capacity: 7 quarts

• Power / Wattage: 250 watts

• Voltage: 110 volts

Pros & Cons

• Generously-sized 7-quart pot

• Simple controls

• Plenty of cooking power

• Not programmable

• Base can wobble while stirring

This model from Crock-Pot is our top pick overall for the best slow cooker. Its 7-quart capacity is plenty for most families and households. Whether you’re whipping up a batch of chili, pot roast, or even a whole chicken, you can fit plenty into the stoneware pot.

It’s a manual unit, so it’s very reliable and easy to use. Set it to Low, High, or Keep Warm, and it will keep cooking until you turn it off. However, it is a budget model and lacks digital controls, so we recommend looking elsewhere if you need a programmable slow cooker.

The stoneware pot and lid are both dishwasher safe, so cleanup is a breeze, too. Overall, this slow cooker from Crock-Pot is a fantastic option, especially considering the budget price and high capacity.

Top slow cooker for families

Ninja Foodi 8.5-qt. PossibleCooker PRO Multi-Cooker

$169.99

$169.99 at Kohl's

Specifications

• Weight: 12.6 pounds

• Capacity: 8.5 quarts

• Power / Wattage: 1,200 watts

• Voltage: 120 volts

Pros & Cons

• Includes eight cooking modes

• Powerful and even heat

• Easy to clean

• Larger and bulkier than some competitors

• Multiple modes mean a bigger learning curve

If you need a seriously versatile slow cooker with a generous capacity for your large family, the Ninja Foodi is a great option. It boasts an 8.5-quart capacity, which is plenty for huge batches of dip, sauce, chili, stew, roasts — and whatever else you may want to cook. 

It’s not just a slow cooker, either. The Ninja Foodi also has alternate modes that let you sear and saute directly in the pot. The pot itself is oven-safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, which expands your cooking possibilities and makes this an incredibly versatile product. It also features Triple Fusion Heat technology, which means it can cook up to 30% faster than the competition.

Best-rated slow cooker

Hamilton Beach Programmable Stay or Go Slow Cooker

You save $10.56 (20.90%)

$39.96$50.52

$39.96 at Walmart

Specifications

• Weight: 12.3 pounds

• Capacity: 7 quarts

• Power / Wattage: 340 watts

• Voltage: 220 volts

Pros & Cons

• Plenty of space for big meals

• Pot and lid are dishwasher-safe

• Digital settings are great for busy schedules

• Locking lid can be hard to clean thoroughly

• Doesn’t display time remaining when cooking

Online reviewers can be picky! So if you’re looking for the best slow cooker with the highest ratings from customers, this model from Hamilton Beach is a great option, with a 4.3-star average rating from over 400 reviews at Walmart. It holds up to 7 quarts of food, which is plenty for most people. It also has a locking lid, which makes it easy to move and transport, even when it’s full of food.

The digital settings are also easy to program, and allow you to set timers. For example, you can set the unit to cook for eight hours on Low, and then it will automatically switch to the Keep Warm setting once the timer is up. The lid and pot are both dishwasher safe for easy cleanup, too.

Best affordable slow cooker

Crock-Pot 4.5qt Manual Slow Cooker

$24.99

$24.99 at Target

$39.33 at Walmart

Specifications

• Weight: 10 pounds

• Capacity: 4.5 quarts

• Power / Wattage: 175 watts

• Voltage: 137 volts

Pros & Cons

• Small footprint for easy storage

• Easy manual operation

• Plenty of heating power

• Not ideal for bigger families

• No timers or automatic cooking settings

If you’re on a tight budget, this model from Crock-Pot is definitely one of the best slow cookers out there. At 4.5 quarts, it’s a bit smaller than larger models, but the pot is still big enough to handle most recipes without spilling. The manual controls are easy to use, and its small footprint makes it ideal if you don’t have much kitchen storage space.

It cooks like a champ, too, with plenty of heating power for making pulled pork, slow-cooked veggies, and anything else you may want to whip up. The pot and lid can both be put in the dishwasher safely, too.

Best slow cooker that doubles as a pressure cooker

Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Pressure Cooker Combo

You save $14.72 (7.36%)

$185.27$199.99

$185.27 at Walmart

Specifications

• Weight: 23.6 pounds

• Capacity: 8 quarts

• Power / Wattage: 1,500 watts

• Voltage: 120 volts

Pros & Cons

• Large 8-quart cooking pot

• Unbeatable versatility

• Intuitive digital controls

• A lot more complicated than other slow cookers

• Attachments and accessories require lots of storage space

Pressure cookers are kind of the opposite of slow cookers. While slow cookers use low heat and cook food for hours, pressure cookers use high heat and pressure to raise the boiling point of water and cook foods extremely quickly. This model from Instant Pot combines a slow cooker and a pressure cooker into one product. It also includes functions for steaming, sauteing, air frying, and so much more.

All in all, this slow cooker has 11 different functions. And while this does make it a great option if you’re just starting out on your cooking journey, more experienced cooks who already may have an air fryer, pressure cooker, and other dedicated appliances may not benefit from its added versatility.

Best small slow cooker

Crock-Pot 2qt Slow Cooker

$14.99

$14.99 at Target

Specifications

• Weight: 4.9 pounds

• Capacity: 2 quart

• Power / Wattage: 100 watts

• Voltage: 220 volts

Pros & Cons

• Easy to clean and store

• Excellent for making small meals and side dishes

• Pot is oven-safe up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

• Too small for most entrees

• No timer or power indicator light

If you’re just cooking for yourself or you frequently cook small batches of dips and other sides, a small slow cooker is a great option. This 2-quart model from Crock-Pot is a great example. While it won’t fit a large roast or stew, it’s ideal for cooking up a small batch of queso, bean dip, or some other side for a backyard barbecue or tailgate.

Since it’s so small, this slow cooker is also really easy to store. Both the pot and the lid are dishwasher safe, so cleanup is easy. This slow cooker from Crock-Pot is so good for dips and small side dishes, it would be nice if the lid locked for easier transport to events. But since this pint-sized powerhouse is already so affordable, it’s easy to overlook that drawback.

What should I look for in a slow cooker?

There are lots of different slow cookers out there, and each one is different. Wondering what you should be looking out for when picking the right slow cooker for your needs? Let’s get into some of the features and other design elements you should keep in mind while selecting the right product.

• Pot capacity: The right capacity depends on the size of the meals you’re cooking. For most people, a pot capacity of 6 to 8 quarts is plenty. This will easily feed four people with leftovers to spare after dinner. If you often cook for large groups, a bigger slow cooker up to 12 quarts in size may be an option, but these larger models are quite bulky and hard to store. And if you’re flying solo, you may be able to get away with a model that cooks 2 to 4 quarts, but 6 quarts is still a good all-around size in our opinion.

• Manual or digital/programmable: Manual slow cookers are simple. They usually have three positions — Low, High, and Keep Warm. Just flip a switch and start cooking. Digital units usually have these settings, too, but may have more advanced temperature and time settings. They also let you set timers for easier use. For example, you could set a digital slow cooker to High for six hours, then set it to automatically flip to “Keep Warm” to keep your food warm and safe until you get back from work. These additional features make digital units more convenient overall.

• Ease of cleaning: Most slow cookers have a ceramic, non-stick, or stainless steel pot. These all work well and are easy to clean. But if you want the lowest-maintenance slow cooker, find a slow cooker that’s dishwasher-safe. You can just pop the pot in the dishwasher, wipe out the inside of the slow cooker with a damp cloth, and call it a day.

• Locking lid: In our opinion, the very best slow cookers have a locking lid. With a locking lid, you can transport your entire slow cooker to a cookout, barbecue, potluck, or another event without needing another container. This makes it more convenient to prepare and transport dishes for big events, since you won’t have to worry about spills.

• Oven safety: Some slow cookers have oven-safe pots that can handle temperatures of up to 400 degrees or 500 degrees Fahrenheit. If your slow cooker’s pot is oven-safe, this opens up some more possibilities when it comes to preparing meals. For example, you could cook a pot roast in your slow cooker, then broil it in the oven to brown the top and add some more flavor.

• Extra cooking modes: If you just want a slow cooker, that’s totally fine! You can’t go wrong with any pick on our list. But some slow cookers combine other cooking methods into one unit. For example, there are some slow cookers that also have a pressure cooker feature or even an air frying mode. If you’re looking to experiment with new recipes and save space by combining multiple kitchen appliances into one, you may want to consider a slow cooker with these additional cooking modes.

Our verdict: Which slow cookers get our vote?

If you’re looking to add some versatility to your kitchen, any of the best slow cookers we mentioned above will be a great choice. For our overall winner, though, we’d have to go with the Crockpot 7 Quart Manual slow cooker. It’s simple, affordable, and big enough for most families. It cooks well on both the Low and High setting, and the manual design is very easy to use.

Looking for an upgrade pick? We’d go with the Instant Pot Duo Crisp 11-in-1 Pressure Cooker Combo. It’s a complex little appliance and it’s not exactly cheap. However, it has a truly astonishing number of features and cooking modes. Once you get used to it and understand how it functions, it’s sure to be your kitchen go-to for years to come.

Prices updated on 08/03/2023. We are not responsible for any changes to the prices mentioned above.