by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Last modified: · 3 Comments
Welcome to the collection of my best 22 recipes for smaller crock pots—all will work in 3-4 quart or larger crock pots. But many will also work in 2-quart mini crock pots.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Chili Recipes
- Italian Recipes
- Tex Mex Recipes
- Soup Recipes
- Main Dishes
- Chinese Recipes
- Candy and Dessert Recipes
- About Crock Pot Size
Give that smaller crock pot some love with one of these favorites, or check out the categories pages for all the choices.
33 Mini Crock Pot Recipes—a sub-group of the small crock pot group that will also work in a 2-quart crock pot and have instructions for a 2-quart crock pot.
45 Small Crock Pot Recipes—All the recipes for 3-4 quart crock pots.
60 Crock Pot Recipes—All the recipes for any size crock pot—full size, small, or mini.
Chili Recipes
Chili is great in a crock pot. The first two are specifically for smaller crock pots and are two of the best chilis you will ever make. Check out all the great chili recipes in the Chili category.
Easy Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
This Easy Crock Pot White Chicken Chili recipe only needs 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of preparation to make the best chili for dinner, potlucks, or game-day parties—creamy, cheesy, and delicious.
Small Crock Pot Chili
Easy to make and one of the best homemade chilies, this small-batch crock pot chili recipe is versatile—you can make chili for two in a mini crock pot or larger for a crowd. It's a classic recipe with ground beef, a mildly spicy tomato-based sauce, and tender beans.
Stew Meat Chili
This Stew Meat Chili recipe is simple for even the non-cook—you only need a few knife skills. With this easy small-batch recipe, you can make chili for two or as much as you need.
Italian Recipes
I love Italian, and you can check out all the Italian recipes in the Italian category, but these are my favorites for smaller crock pots.
Crock Pot Baked Ziti
DeliciousCrock Pot Baked Zithas delicious meat sauce, three kinds of cheese, plus uncooked pasta baked in the slow cooker. You can have the best Italian pasta for dinner tonight.
Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
Crock Pot Pizza Casserole is an easy, delicious dinner recipe with tender pasta, meaty homemade pizza sauce, melted cheese, and pizza toppings of your choice.
Crock Pot Chicken Pasta
Delicious Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with an easy homemade marinara sauce that cooks the dry pasta and chicken while it simmers. You will love this cheesy Italian bake.
Tex Mex Recipes
The Tex-Mex section may be disproportionate to the others, mainly due to my love for Tex-Mex foods and tastes. We can still have great flavor even if we cook for smaller households.
Here are a few of my favorite Tex-Mex recipes I cook in a smaller crock pot, but you can see all the recipes in the Tex-Mex category.
Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas
Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make with delicious homemade sauce, tender chicken, tortillas, and loaded with cheese.
Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
This easy Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas recipe only needs a few ingredients for delicious healthy chicken fajitas in your slow cooker.
Crock Pot Mexican Casserole with Chicken
This easy Crock Pot Mexican Casserole is packed with tender pasta, chicken, black beans, and a spicy Southwest sauce loaded with cheese. Easy to make in almost any size crock pot with raw chicken, dry pasta, and pantry ingredients.
Soup Recipes
Like Chili recipes, soup is just fantastic in a crock pot. These are designed for the smaller crock pot. Check out all the great soups in the Soup category.
Crock Pot Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
Rich and creamy, this easy Crock Pot Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup is made with frozen or fresh broccoli, cheddar cheese, and common ingredients in only a few minutes of prep before going in your slow cooker—the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day.
Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
This simple classicChicken Noodle Souprecipe can be made in a crock pot or on the stovetop—get a great homemade taste with tender chicken, noodles, and vegetables.
Crock Pot French Onion Soup
Crock Pot French Onion Soup is an easy and economical way to make classic French onion soup at home without standing at the stove all day. With rich buttery caramelized onions in a rich broth, topped with toasted crusty bread and melted cheese.
Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup
An easy and delicious dump-and-go crock pot beef barley soup recipe with tender stew meat, beef broth, vegetables, and plump barley. Use any size slow cooker, from mini crock pots to full-size.
Main Dishes
Here are some favorites from various categories.
Small Crock Pot Ham with Brown Sugar Honey Glaze
This Small Crock Pot Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze recipe uses Pineapple, a precooked quarter or half ham, and pantry spices to make a perfect holiday ham for a small household or as a second main dish for large holiday feasts.
Crock Pot French Dip
Crock Pot French Dip sandwiches have tender beef and caramelized onions topped with melted cheese. Serve on a toasted roll with au jus for dipping.
Creamy Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
A creamy, tasty mac and cheese recipe that is ultra-simple, and this will become your favorite comfort food recipe. As easy as boiling water, it is a delicious alternative to the blue box. And good enough to make my "in-house mac and cheese expert" go back for seconds.
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese with Uncooked Pasta
Crock Pot Mac and Cheese with Uncooked Pasta has excellent taste, creamy texture, and tender pasta in one of the easiest recipes you can make for dinner tonight—no boiling for you.
Chinese Recipes
Yes, Chinese food is excellent in a crock pot. Here is a sampling, but all my Chinese recipes are in the Chinese category.
Crock Pot Cashew Chicken
Packed with tender breaded chicken, cashews, and a wonderful sauce, this Crock Pot Cashew Chicken recipe works in a small crock pot but is easy to scale to larger amounts.
Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken has fall-apart tender chicken breasts or thighs coated in a sticky honey sauce. With only 10 minutes of prep, this is an easy weeknight dinner recipe.
Candy and Dessert Recipes
It's a great way to end the day, something sweet. We all love a great dessert, so check out more dessert recipes in the Dessert Category.
The candy recipes are all gift-giving worth. Check out more candy recipes in the Candy Category.
Crock Pot Apple Cobbler
Make this easy Crock Pot Apple Cobbler recipe with a cake mix topping, butter, fresh apples, or canned pie filling instead of apples. A smaller cobbler recipe perfect for beginning cooks.
Crock Pot Fudge
Make your holidays sweeter with this Crock Pot Fudge recipe. 4 ingredients and 15 minutes is all you need to make delicious chocolate fudge with the gentle heat of your crock pot—time to have fun with kids and make it together.
Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Clusters
Chocolate peanut clusters are the best candy treat and are super easy to make at home in your crock pot. Lightly salted peanuts covered with sweet chocolate coating make the perfect gift, or keep them all for yourself—you can always make more with this smaller recipe.Only a few ingredients.
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About Crock Pot Size
A crock pot will make your life easier, but in a smaller household, large six to seven-quart crock pots are too big for everyday use. You only have so much freezer space. They are heavy and harder to store. So, let's talk crock pot size.
2 quart or smaller crock pots may have more temperature and quality control issues, so watch the temperatures and end points closely. Both micro (less than 2 quarts) and mini (2-3 quarts) will have more wasted ingredients, the same work, and fewer results—your choice.
- Micro crock pots (less than 2-quart) are what many people have, but the recipes are few—but some of the 2-quart mini crock pot recipes will work. Remember, crock pots should not be over 75% full.
- 2-3 quart mini crock pots can work for more dishes and may be enough for a "cooking for one or two" household.
- A 3-4 quart crock pot is "just right" most of the time in smaller "cooking for two" households. It is small enough for most people to handle and make recipes with some leftovers while not wasting many ingredients.
- Full-size crock pots—usually 6-7 quarts, but some odd sizes, like 5 or 8 quarts, are out there. They will handle large recipes, and most smaller recipes for small 3-quart slow cookers will also work well but may cook a little faster.
Thanks for stopping by.
DrDan, Wifo, Molly, and Lilly
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Cammie Hendricks
Making a dish designed for a 1-2 quart crockpot or smaller crockpot in a 4 quart crockpot, what are the pitfalls?
Reply
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Cammie,
Welcome to the blog.
Cooking a small recipe is a bigger crock pot can cook a little faster. So just watch closer.
Some smaller recipes won't even cover the bottom of some large crock pots which might lead to unpredictable results (due to locations of heating elements and thermostats. So a really small recipe, I wouldn't do in a large crock pot.
Finally. Cooking is just applying heat in a controlled manor. You can get away with a lot if you just watch closely.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Carol
You need to up date your information. I use a 1.5 crock pot all the time. It has, low, high and warm settings. I've made Swiss steak for 3 people.. It is great for one person and I've never made a dip in it. A 2 - 3 quart is way too much for a one person household.
Reply
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