Welcome to the ultimate guide for effortless meal planning and delicious dining! Get ready to unlock the true potential of your slow cooker with these 28 Incredible Slow Cooker Side Dishes, perfect for complementing any main course. Whether you’re hosting a grand holiday feast or simply preparing a weeknight family dinner, these easy CrockPot recipes promise to save precious oven space and simplify your cooking process, all while delivering exceptional flavor.
Just as a hero relies on their trusty sidekick to conquer challenges, a delicious entrée finds its perfect partner in a well-chosen side dish. These pairings don’t just complete a meal; they elevate it, creating a balanced and memorable culinary experience for you and your cherished ones. And what better way to achieve this culinary harmony than with the magic of a slow cooker?
Effortless CrockPot Side Dishes for Every Occasion
It’s no secret that the slow cooker holds a special place in our kitchen! We’ve expanded our collection to three slow cookers, making meal preparation incredibly easy and hands-off. The allure of a recipe that requires nothing more than tossing ingredients into a CrockPot and letting it work its magic for a few hours is undeniable. Imagine coming home to the comforting aroma of a perfectly cooked dish, ready to be served.
During my days working from home, I found immense joy in preparing CrockPot meals. If my husband, John, was ever delayed returning from work, there was never any stress about dinner; our meal would simply stay warm and perfectly cooked in the slow cooker, ensuring we could still enjoy a hot supper together whenever he arrived. This flexibility is a true game-changer for busy households.
Today, we’ve curated an extensive collection of slow cooker side dishes that are not only incredibly simple to prepare but also versatile enough to pair beautifully with a wide array of entrées and your favorite main courses. From essential vegetables bursting with flavor to comforting, hearty starches, our selection has something for everyone. Dive in and discover your new favorite way to cook! These CrockPot side dishes are ideal for grand special occasions, festive holiday gatherings, or simply making family dinners more manageable. They even make fantastic leftovers for the next day, saving you time and effort.
CrockPot Stuffing (or Dressing!)
Whether your family tradition calls it stuffing or dressing, this indispensable CrockPot recipe offers a brilliant solution to reduce holiday cooking stress during one of the busiest times of the year. The slow cooker method ensures a perfectly moist and flavorful result every time, freeing up valuable oven space for your turkey or other main dishes. Even better, you can leave the slow cooker on a warm setting throughout your Thanksgiving dinner, allowing guests to effortlessly serve themselves seconds whenever they desire, keeping the dish warm and inviting. This truly is one of our favorite holiday slow cooker side dish recipes, celebrated for its superb taste and incredible ease of preparation.
Crock Pot Parmesan Potatoes
These luxurious slow-cooker potatoes are infused with rich Parmesan flavor, creating a delightful accompaniment to a variety of meals. They would be absolutely fantastic as part of an Italian-themed dinner, perhaps alongside a hearty pasta dish, a comforting bowl of Zuppa Toscana, and finished with a classic tiramisu for dessert. You have the flexibility to use either shaved or grated Parmesan, depending on your preference for how well the cheese blends into the creamy potatoes. We chose the shaved variety when we developed this recipe, simply because it was what we had on hand, and the results were spectacular, offering delightful pockets of melted cheese.
CrockPot Sweet Potato Casserole
Regardless of whether your holiday table features a savory ham or a traditional turkey, this incredible slow-cooker sweet potato casserole stands out as the quintessential classic side dish, perfectly complementing any protein you plan to serve. It’s a comforting blend of sweet and savory, ensuring a delightful taste experience. To cater to all guests, we’ve included helpful tips within the recipe post for easily adapting it into both vegetarian and vegan versions, ensuring everyone at the table can savor its deliciousness. Finish this festive Thanksgiving side dish with a generous topping of fluffy marshmallows, perfectly toasted, or for a nutty crunch, sprinkle with toasted pecans. We often prepare it for Christmas dinner as well, making it one of my absolute favorite and most requested side dish recipes.
Crock Pot Bacon Wrapped Potatoes
The universally acknowledged truth that “everything is better with bacon” served as the delicious inspiration for these remarkable Crock Pot bacon-wrapped fingerling potatoes! We are particularly fond of how the tender potatoes absorb the rich, smoky flavor of the bacon as they slowly cook in a savory broth, creating a deeply satisfying taste. For those seeking a lighter alternative, turkey bacon can be used, or if you’re catering to vegetarians or vegans in your household, meatless bacon crumbles can be a fantastic substitute, ensuring everyone can enjoy this delightful side.
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Even the most reluctant vegetable eaters will find themselves reaching for seconds of these delightful layers of brown sugar-infused sweet potatoes and apples. The slow cooking process beautifully melds the flavors, creating a dish that’s both sweet and subtly tart. We prepared ours in elegant medallions, making them incredibly easy to serve and enjoy with a fork. However, we’ve also seen people mash them together for a creamy version that has the comforting consistency of mashed potatoes. This unique and flavorful side dish is one of our absolute favorite pairings, especially when served alongside savory pork dishes, adding a wonderful balance to the meal.
CrockPot Corn Pudding
You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to create this incredibly easy yet undeniably yummy side dish, requiring just six common pantry staples, including your choice of fresh, canned, or frozen corn. This versatile corn pudding feels just as at home gracing a festive holiday meal as it does bringing warmth and comfort to a busy weeknight dinner. Enjoy it in its pure, creamy form, or elevate its richness by adding a generous layer of shredded cheese for a truly indulgent and cheesy corn experience that will have everyone asking for the recipe.
Loaded CrockPot Mashed Potatoes
Loaded mashed potatoes are that quintessential comfort food we find ourselves craving as the weather turns colder and drearier, demanding a stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. This slow cooker recipe makes the process incredibly easy-peasy, allowing for numerous substitutions to perfectly suit everyone’s taste preferences. Feel completely free to get creative with your additions – whether it’s different cheeses, herbs, or protein variations – to discover the ideal combination that your family will eagerly request on a regular rotation. The slow cooker ensures a creamy, fluffy texture with minimal effort, making it a perfect hearty side dish.
Crock Pot Cornbread
This simple and satisfying recipe serves as a fantastic reminder that your Crock Pot is capable of preparing far more than just main entrées. It truly is one of the best multi-use kitchen gadgets available and an absolute must-have for our household, saving time and simplifying baking. This tender, flavorful cornbread pairs wonderfully with a variety of meals. For a truly complete and comforting experience, try pairing it with our rich Crock-Pot Beef Stroganoff, and for a sweet finish, consider our delightful Crock-Pot Caramel Sauce and Apples.
CrockPot Creamed Corn
This irresistible side dish recipe for classic creamed corn allows you to bypass the canned varieties entirely, creating a fresh, homemade flavor with minimal effort. More importantly, it helps you save valuable oven real estate, which is incredibly useful during the bustling Thanksgiving and general holiday rush. When you desire something homemade and delicious but need multiple dishes to come together quickly and efficiently, this CrockPot creamed corn is the perfect solution, ensuring a creamy, sweet, and utterly satisfying accompaniment to your festive meals.
CrockPot Glazed Carrots
These delectable CrockPot Glazed Carrots, starting with two convenient bags of baby carrots, are an absolute triumph even for the most discerning and picky eaters who typically shy away from their vegetables! The clever combination of sweet orange juice, rich brown sugar, aromatic cinnamon, and a hint of vanilla imparts these carrots with a dessert-like quality that even kids will enthusiastically gobble up. The slow cooking method tenderizes them perfectly, creating a glistening, sweet, and healthy side dish that’s perfect for any meal, from family dinners to holiday feasts.
CrockPot Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Find yourself with an abundance of leftover holiday ham filling your fridge, and the thought of yet another ham sandwich or omelet just isn’t appealing? This fantastic slow cooker scalloped potatoes and ham recipe offers a welcome and delicious diversion, transforming your leftovers into a comforting and hearty meal. It’s destined to become a quick favorite for weekend brunches or a satisfying weeknight dinner, combining tender potatoes, savory ham, and a creamy, cheesy sauce, all cooked to perfection with minimal effort in your CrockPot.
Crock Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
One of the most delightful aspects of CrockPot cooking is the tantalizing aroma of tonight’s dinner wafting through your home as it slowly simmers throughout the day, and this ultimate comfort food classic is certainly no exception. The rich, savory scent of chili combined with cheesy pasta is simply irresistible. You can easily adapt this recipe to suit various dietary needs by swapping the ground beef with lean ground turkey or even plant-based meatless crumbles, ensuring everyone can enjoy this hearty and flavorful dish. This CrockPot side dish, which can also serve as a main, is absolutely perfect for potlucks and large gatherings, offering a crowd-pleasing, easy-to-serve option.
CrockPot Mushrooms
While we understand that not everyone is a fan, if you are a true mushroom lover, then this recipe is definitely for you! These Italian-style garlic mushrooms are cooked to tender perfection in your slow cooker, infusing them with incredible flavor. They make an exquisite pairing with a hearty Italian dinner, adding a rich, earthy depth to pasta, chicken, or beef dishes. Additionally, their elegant presentation and savory taste make them an ideal appetizer for a cocktail party, offering a sophisticated bite that’s surprisingly simple to prepare.
CrockPot Bourbon Baked Beans
This outstanding slow cooker recipe ingeniously combines everyone’s three favorite B’s – the rich depth of bourbon, the smoky crunch of bacon, and the belly-filling goodness of beans – to create a baked bean recipe that you’ll eagerly enjoy any time of year! We particularly love serving this comforting dish for lively summer barbecues and casual cookouts, knowing that we can simply leave the slow cooker on a low setting. This allows guests to help themselves to perfectly warm, delicious beans as the party merrily continues, making it a truly stress-free and crowd-pleasing addition to any gathering.
CrockPot Refried Beans
Here’s another fantastic recipe that empowers you to skip the canned versions entirely and create incredibly delicious, homemade refried beans right in your own kitchen, all for a mere fraction of the cost. The slow cooker method ensures a creamy, perfectly seasoned result every time. For a delightful twist in flavor, you can easily substitute black beans for the traditional pinto beans. These homemade refried beans are the absolute perfect accompaniment for a festive Mexican night or a lively Taco Tuesday, adding authentic taste and texture to your favorite dishes.
CrockPot Green Bean Casserole
We absolutely adore this slow cooker recipe because it conveniently utilizes frozen green beans, which we can easily stock up on whenever we find them on sale at the supermarket. This practical approach not only saves money but also ensures you always have ingredients on hand. If you take the initiative to stock up on other Thanksgiving staples, such as ham, turkey, and corn, during the off-season when prices are at their lowest, you can cook almost entirely from your freezer. This strategy dramatically reduces trips to the grocery store once the busy holiday season rolls around, allowing you more time to enjoy with family and less time worrying about shopping.
Crock Pot Vegetarian Chili
While I may never master the art of chopping onions without shedding a tear, this incredibly flavorful, plant-powered chili offers all the hearty goodness of a classic chili, but without any meat. This makes it a fantastic and deeply satisfying alternative for vegetarians and vegans alike. For those who miss the texture of meat but wish to maintain a vegetarian profile or simply prefer a heavier chili, feel free to enhance it with cooked meatless crumbles. The slow cooker method allows the flavors to meld beautifully, creating a rich and comforting bowl of chili that’s perfect for a chilly evening.
Slow Cooker Candied Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are inherently delicious and naturally sweet, but the thoughtful addition of a sugar substitute (or regular sugar), fragrant vanilla extract, and warm nutmeg elevates these candied sweet potatoes to an even more delectable level! If you’re a fan of our beloved CrockPot Sweet Potato Casserole and our popular CrockPot Glazed Carrots, then you are absolutely going to adore this slow cooker recipe. It delivers a similar comforting sweetness with a beautifully tender texture, making it an ideal side dish for holidays and special meals.
CrockPot Applesauce
This delightful slow cooker recipe provides an incredibly easy way to transform a simple sack of apples from the grocery store – any variety works beautifully! – into a truly yummy, homemade cinnamon applesauce. This versatile creation can be enjoyed for a wholesome breakfast, a satisfying snack, or even as a unique side dish with pork or chicken. A significant bonus is the utterly inviting scent that fills your home as the applesauce slowly simmers and comes together in your CrockPot; it’s a wonderful aromatic experience that’s almost as rewarding as the final product.
Crock Pot Rice
Rice, in its seemingly simple form, is often one of the trickiest foods to cook to absolute perfection. If you’re looking to avoid the fuss of precise water-to-rice measurements and the delicate balance of getting the cooking temperature just right, or perhaps you simply don’t have a dedicated rice cooker, then this easy go-to guide for making rice in your slow cooker is a game-changer! It promises perfectly fluffy rice every single time, with minimal effort and supervision, making it an ideal and reliable side for any meal.
CrockPot Garlic Potatoes
Thanksgiving and the broader holiday season are our absolute favorite times to feature these incredibly garlicky and tender potatoes. We love serving them as a key component alongside a lavish spread, perhaps with a succulent CrockPot Turkey or a perfectly glazed Ham, complemented by everyone’s beloved sides like our classic stuffing. However, their sheer ease of preparation means you can effortlessly whip them up for casual family dinners throughout the entire year. For an added layer of indulgence, stir in a bit of cheddar cheese to create wonderfully cheesy potatoes. I’ve even experimented with a packet of dry ranch seasoning mix, which adds an incredible burst of even more savory flavor!
Loaded Mashed Slow Cooker Cauliflower
While the holidays are often synonymous with delightful indulgence, we believe in offering wholesome yet equally delicious alternatives so that our more health-conscious friends and family can still feel completely welcome at the dinner table and enjoy yummy food right alongside us. This fantastic loaded mashed cauliflower, prepared effortlessly in your slow cooker, ingeniously replaces traditional potatoes with cauliflower. The result is a wonderfully guilt-free side dish that captures all the comforting goodness and creamy texture of the “real” thing, allowing everyone to celebrate with flavor without compromise.
Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese
The only thing more delightful than this scratch-made recipe for slow cooker macaroni and cheese – an undisputed, all-time comfort food favorite – is the incredible, cheesy aroma it leaves lingering in your home, practically begging you to go back for that second (or third!) helping. This method ensures a perfectly creamy, gooey, and flavorful mac and cheese with minimal hands-on time, making it a perfect dish for potlucks or family gatherings. Make sure to check out the recipe post for some fun and fascinating facts about macaroni and cheese, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to this beloved classic!
Crock Pot Fried Apples
If you cherish the comforting, homestyle flavors of Cracker Barrel as much as we do, then you are absolutely going to adore our homemade, slow cooker-made rendition of their famous fried apples. This recipe perfectly captures that warm, sweet, and spiced essence, bringing a beloved restaurant classic right into your kitchen with minimal effort. For the complete Cracker Barrel experience from the comfort of your home, don’t forget to pair these apples with our delicious Pecan Pancakes and a hearty serving of Chicken & Dumplings. It’s a feast that truly transports you!
CrockPot Stuffed Peppers
Depending entirely on your appetite and dining preferences, these flavorful stuffed peppers offer wonderful versatility. They can serve beautifully as a satisfying appetizer before a more substantial meal, or they can easily stand alone as a delicious and hearty entrée. We often opt for individual microwaveable rice cups, which are incredibly convenient since we don’t cook rice frequently. However, any variety of cooked rice – whether classic white, wholesome brown, or zesty Mexican rice – would be absolutely delicious and perfectly complement the savory filling, creating a truly customizable dish.
CrockPot Cheesy Hashbrowns
Say hello to these incredibly simple, almost prep-free Cheesy Hash Browns that demand only basic pantry ingredients and eliminate the need for any laborious peeling, dicing, chopping, slicing, marinating, squeezing, or other tedious kitchen exercises! Their remarkable ease of preparation makes them a perfect indulgence for leisurely weekend brunches or a quick, comforting addition to busy weekday breakfasts. The slow cooker ensures a creamy, cheesy, and perfectly cooked result every time, making them a family favorite that you’ll want to make again and again.
Crock Pot Quinoa
Although quinoa has been a dietary staple for centuries, it has recently gained immense popularity as a highly nutritious super grain. It pairs beautifully with fresh salads, adding a satisfying texture and protein boost, or serves as a healthy, nutrient-packed replacement for rice alongside various meat entrées. Make sure to consult the recipe post for a fantastic “set-it-and-forget-it” method for cooking quinoa that guarantees fluffy perfection every single time. For those serving vegetarians, feel absolutely free to use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock, making this versatile grain accessible to everyone at your table.
CrockPot Cabbage Rolls
While our hearts and stomachs will always have a special place for easy, fuss-free recipes that simplify everyone’s lives, we also truly appreciate the reward of a scratch-made meal prepared with love and a little more effort. Enter these delightful slow cooker cabbage rolls! While they do require a bit more hands-on time than some of our usual quick recipe posts, they are still 100 percent doable for any home cook. We absolutely promise that the rich, comforting, and deeply satisfying result is entirely worth the extra effort, making them a truly memorable and beloved dish.
Essential Kitchen Tools for Slow Cooker Success
Having the right tools can make your slow cooking experience even more enjoyable and efficient. Here are some of our favorite kitchen essentials that help us create perfect CrockPot side dishes every time:
Crockpot – A reliable slow cooker is, of course, the star of the show! We highly recommend investing in a model that features a digital timer which automatically switches the slow cooker to a “warm” setting after its designated cooking time. This crucial feature ensures your dinner cooks perfectly without overdoing it, giving you peace of mind and eliminating any stress about timing your meal’s readiness. Beyond that, using a slow cooker is invaluable for saving precious stove and oven space, especially during busy holiday cooking. It simplifies menu planning and allows you to schedule dishes to be perfectly done right when you need them.
Mix n Chop – This versatile tool is a true kitchen hero, especially when browning ground meats. We frequently use our mix n chop to efficiently break up sausage or ground beef directly in the pan, ensuring even cooking and a fine crumble for our recipes. It makes light work of a task that can often be tedious.
Baking Sheet with Sides – While not directly a slow cooker tool, a good baking sheet is essential for many kitchen tasks that complement slow cooker meals, like toasting nuts for a casserole topping or baking accompanying biscuits. We are huge fans of baking sheets that come with raised sides. This design prevents any food items from sliding right off the tray when you remove it from the oven, saving you from accidental spills and messes.
Microwave Silicone Cover – I absolutely swear by these ingenious lid covers, especially for preventing messy butter splatters when melting butter in the microwave. I’ve unfortunately had far too many “butter explosions” while trying to melt butter for baking and cooking. These silicone covers effectively keep the butter contained within the bowl, protecting the roof and interior of your microwave from unnecessary cleaning.
Heat-Resistant Potholders – Safety in the kitchen is paramount. A couple of years ago, we had a scary fire incident when we unknowingly turned on a burner, and a nearby cloth potholder caught fire. Thankfully, we walked by the kitchen just in time, saw the smoke, and were able to extinguish it ourselves. Since that unsettling experience, we have exclusively used these high-quality heat-resistant potholders, which provide superior protection and peace of mind when handling hot dishes and cookware.
Explore More Great Recipe Collections
Expand your culinary repertoire with these fantastic recipe roundups, offering inspiration for every meal and ingredient:
Recipes with Sour Cream – Discover our absolute favorite Sour Cream Recipes, a diverse collection including creamy dips, indulgent desserts, delightful appetizers, wholesome baked goods, hearty entrées, and comforting soups, all starring this incredibly versatile dairy product.
What to Make with Carrots – Prepare to be amazed by the sheer number of creative and delicious ways you can utilize carrots beyond a simple side dish. This collection offers fresh ideas for every occasion.
Celery Recipes that Taste Great – Are you wondering how to make the most of that celery stalk sitting in your fridge? Our curated list features truly fantastic recipes that highlight celery’s unique crunch and flavor, proving it’s more than just a soup ingredient.
Lemon Desserts – Pucker up for these incredibly delicious and refreshing Lemon Desserts! They are the absolute perfect sweet treat for brightening up your spring and summer days with their zesty, tangy flavor.
Vegetarian Air Fryer Recipes – Dive into an epic collection of easy and innovative vegetarian recipes that you can effortlessly create in your air fryer, making healthy cooking quick and convenient.
Cool Whip Recipes – You will be astonished by how many creative and delicious ways you can incorporate Cool Whip into a wide array of recipes, from fluffy desserts to delightful toppings.
Cream Cheese Recipes – Unlock the incredible potential of a simple block of cream cheese and discover how you can transform it into something truly epic and mouthwatering with these inspired recipes!
Do you love discovering new recipes? Be sure to check out our extensive collections of copycat recipes, irresistible dessert recipes, and our ever-popular CrockPot Recipes for even more culinary inspiration and easy meal solutions.
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