Master List of Slow Cooker Recipes for Kids

Find the best slow cooker recipes for kids (and parents!) with this master list of easy recipes. Included you’ll find crock pot chicken, soups, stews, chili, and much more—made with your picky eaters in mind!

The crock pot can be such a busy-family lifesaver with its whole set-it-and-forget-it capabilities. It’s such an amazing feeling to have dinner ready and waiting at the end of the day!

This list of slow cooker favorites is designed to help make cooking family meals easier—especially when there are picky eaters at the table.

Below you will find a range of recipes to please your family, regardless of their preferences. And I included a few favorite slow cooker sides and snacks (like applesauce and beans, too).

Here’s to easier cooking!

(You may also like my favorite freezer meals and shortcut meals.)

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

Cooking chicken in the crock pot is one of the easiest ways to make tender, easy-to-chew chicken that kids and adults love. These are some of our go-to recipes for chicken in the slow cooker, starting with these easy tacos.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Bean Tacos

With a short ingredient list and a veggie-loaded sauce, these Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos are such a delicious family meal. (You can even make it in the Instant Pot for dinner in just 25 minutes.)

Slow Cooker Chicken and Bean Tacos

Salsa Chicken

Fast, simple, and flavorful, this chicken taco meat can be served as regular tacos or as a burrito bowl filling.

Salsa Chicken Tacos

With just two main ingredients and the option to cook this easy dinner in a pan on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the Instant Pot, these Salsa Chicken Tacos are the flexible meal we all need. Plus: You can scale this up or down as needed!

Salsa Chicken Tacos

Butter Chicken

You can make this Indian-style chicken in the crock pot or Instant Pot, so you can go with the one that works better for your day.

Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken

This Instant Pot Butter Chicken is a fast and easy family dinner perfect for babies through adults. The chicken is tender, the flavors robust but mellow, and the method is so easy. Adapted from The Multi-Cooker Baby Food Cookbook.

Easy Instant Pot Butter Chicken

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

You can make this easy barbecue chicken recipe in the slow cooker or Instant Pot, then serve it in sandwiches or alongside bread or rice.

Easiest Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

With just two ingredients, you can cook up deliciously moist and tender Instant Pot BBQ Chicken to use over noodles or rice or in sandwiches. So easy—and ready in about 20 minutes!

Easiest Instant Pot BBQ Chicken

Crock Pot Veggie Chili

Whether for game day, a hearty meal on a chilly weekend, or just an easy weeknight supper, slow cooker chili is easy to make and serve up. I love to put out bowls of toppings, like shredded cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, and diced tomatoes, so the kids can choose which ones they want.

And you can make this chunky soup easier for kids to eat by draining off some of the liquid.

Vegetarian Bean Chili (Big Batch)

When serving this to a little one, I like to drain off much of the broth. This makes it a little easier (and less messy) for them to eat. If your family likes spice, add in a dash or two of cayenne pepper.

Vegetarian Bean Chili (Big Batch)

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

I love using a slow cooker to make soups and stews since you don’t need to stand by the pot while the soup simmers, and the flavors have plenty of time to meld and mix. This black bean soup is a family favorite.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Use the crock pot to cook up a hearty and nutritious Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup with veggies and lots of kid-friendly flavor. It's easy, versatile, and a great freezer meal

 

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

Red Lentil Soup

This plant-based soup includes sweet potato, coconut milk, ginger, and turmeric for a most delicious combination of flavors.

Easy Red Lentil Soup

With plant-based protein and Vitamin C-rich veggies, this brightly flavored Red Lentil Soup—with sweet potato, ginger, and coconut— is a perfect fast family dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.

Easy Red Lentil Soup

Crock Pot Lentil Soup

Put everything into the slow cooker and let it cook low and slow all day to make the yummiest vegetarian lentil soup.

Add a simple side of crackers, toast, or a muffin to round out the meal.

Favorite Vegetarian Lentil Soup

With a quick method and a variety of vegetables packed into the soup, this vegetarian Lentil Soup is a perfect weeknight family dinner—especially when you're craving comfort food.

Favorite Vegetarian Lentil Soup

Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes

We love these easy sweet potatoes as a side dish, but they can also be added to Sheet Pan Quesadillas and Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese.

Easy Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes

With an almost fool proof method, these Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes mash up into silky smooth baby food or a side. You can also skip the mashing and serve them as you would baked potatoes if preferred.

Easy Crock Pot Sweet Potatoes

Crock Pot Refried Beans

Learn how to make the easiest homemade refried beans to add to burritos, tacos, and more.

Easiest Homemade Refried Beans

This recipe makes enough for 2-3 meals depending on the size and appetites of your family. See below for storage information!

Easiest Homemade Refried Beans

Slow Cooker Black Beans

It’s so easy to make a big batch of black beans starting from dried beans to use in soups, tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, Black Bean Brownies, and more.

Slow Cooker Black Beans (with Instant Pot Option)

This recipe makes enough for 4-5 meals depending on the size and appetites of your family. I make one batch about every 4-6 weeks and freeze the beans in meal-size portions until we’re ready to enjoy them. You can also use just 1 pound of beans if desired and cook them as directed—just cut the seasoning in half as well.

Slow Cooker Black Beans (with Instant Pot Option)

Easy Crockpot Applesauce

With just a few basic ingredients and fresh apples, your crock pot can do the rest of the work of making applesauce!

Easy Crockpot Applesauce

Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce

Whenever we have too many fresh tomatoes, this is my go-to method for turning them into sauce.

Easy Tomato Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes

This slow cooker tomato sauce method is the easiest way to transform fresh tomatoes into delicious sauce. Scale the recipe up or down for a smaller or larger slow cooker. You don't have to be precise! And the chopped tomatoes can be very roughly chopped.

Easy Tomato Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes

Chana Masala-Style Chickpeas with Rice

With a veggie-loaded base and Indian-style spices, this slow cooker meal can also be done in the instant pot if you prefer.

Instant Pot Chana Masala-Style Chickpeas

Try making a super easy Indian food recipe at home with this mild Instant Pot Chana Masala. It's easy to make, freezes beautifully, and packs extra veggies tucked right into the sauce. (This will likely make enough for two meals—I like to freeze the second half for a future week.)

Instant Pot Chana Masala-Style Chickpeas

Slow Cooker Beef Burritos

With beef and veggies in the mix, this easy slow cooker recipe is a satisfying and flavorful burrito mixture.

Slow Cooker Beef Burrito Recipe

With lots of vegetables right in the mix and a simple slow cooker method, this Slow Cooker Beef Burrito Recipe is an easy family dinner for the little kids and the parents at the table! 

Slow Cooker Beef Burrito Recipe

Slow Cooker Meatballs

Use ground turkey, beef, or a mixture of pork and beef. Make any classic meatball recipe you like—such as the one below—by simmering meatballs on low in the slow cooker with a jar of marinara sauce.

Healthy Meatballs (with Hidden Vegetables)

With the texture you expect from a traditional meatball but added nutrition from three types of veggies, your whole family will love these.

Healthy Meatballs (with Hidden Vegetables)

Slow Cooker Pasta Recipes for Kids

There’s nothing inherently difficult about boiling water and making pasta…until you have little kids underfoot and demanding your attention! You can try slow cooker lasagna or slow cooker macaroni if you’d like.

Best Slow Cooker for Families

For years, I relied on my basic Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker. It was reliable and consistent and I totally recommend it—especially since it’s less than $40! Lately though, I’ve been using the slow-cooker function on my Instant Pot more, which is just as great. I recommend both options!

Best Tips for Success

• Try my Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal as an easy breakfast recipe.
• Refer to each recipe for storage and reheating advice.
• Serve the entrees with easy sides such as Broccoli Mashed Potatoes, Cinnamon Apples, or cut up cucumbers or fruit.
• Start with a smaller portion of a new recipe to reduce overwhelming the kiddos.
• Serve family-style meals to allow kids more freedom over what winds up on their plates.

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Do you have a favorite slow cooker for kids recipe that I missed? Please add it in the comments—I’d love to know!

This post was first published October 2019.