The 15 Best Healthy Crock Pot Recipes!

I love when readers give me ideas for posts, and this was a great one. I recently received this message:

“Hi Chrissy! With school starting back up and the fall coming I know lots of families are soon to be overly busy and struggle to have the time and energy to fit cooking healthy and really tasty meals on weekdays, or even on the weekend with activities and catching up on family time and chores and errands. I was hoping you might consider doing a post of some good and good for you crock pot recipes? The one pitfall I find when googling crock pot or slow cooker recipes is that it seems like half of them start with the same two ingredients… Noodles and cream of something.”

I have struggled with the same thing sometimes when searching for crockpot recipes. So I went on a mission this past week to reach out to some of my favorite bloggers so that I could share the 15 best healthy crock pot recipes.

There were two main criteria to choose the best ones for this post:

1) Healthy ingredients – meaning using as many whole foods as possible, or nutritious processed foods (like canned beans or canned veggies).

2) Preferably no cooking beforehand. It drives me crazy when recipes want you to cook half the stuff before putting it in the slow cooker. There are 1 or 2 recipes on this list that might ask you to cook something before adding it to the slow cooker, but otherwise everything is prep, chop, and dump in the pot.

So, here you go! The 15 best healthy slow cooker recipes, with links to each recipe included.  Now you can have the convenience of slow cooker meals that are still healthy and nutritious for your body.

Note: This post was originally published in 2014 and has been updated in 2025.

15 Best Healthy Crock Pot Recipes

1) Slow cooker chicken and wild rice soup from Two Peas and Their Pod

This chicken and wild rice soup recipe is one of our favorite slow cooker dishes in the fall and winter. It’s a relatively short ingredient list of whole foods that pack a lot of flavor. And of course, if you end up with a cold this season, nothing tastes better than some warm chicken soup.

2) Slow cooker banana nut oatmeal from The Lemon Bowl

So maybe it’s not a ‘traditional’ dinner option, but I have been obsessed with banana oatmeal lately (you may have seen me post a few photos on Instagram recently). I’ve been making it on the stovetop, but I was excited to find this new recipe for slow-cooker banana oatmeal. I can’t wait to try it out – it’s got great reviews. It uses steel cut oats – which work better than rolled oats in the slow cookers since they absorb liquid differently and have a different texture – along with spices, banana, and nuts to add flavor.

Tip: If you find overnight crockpot oatmeal sticks to the sides of your crockpot or browns too much, consider placing all the ingredients in a glass dish, and then putting that in a water bath in the crockpot.

3) Pear and apple crockpot pork from Whole Foods, New Body

I’ve made this pear and apple crockpot pork a few times, and love it. It is a perfect fall dish, and I love utilizing some fresh picked local apples to make it. Plus, the apples and pears make the house smell so delicious while it’s cooking!

4) Black bean and rice soup from Kayln’s Kitchen

I’m a big fan of making at least a few vegetarian dinners a week, since it can save money on your grocery bill. This black bean soup is a great vegetarian recipe to start with – beans are an incredibly versatile and nutrient-rich choice, and are so inexpensive! At the end of this recipe when you add in the rice, I like to use instant brown rice rather than white rice for an even better nutrition profile.

5) White bean chili from Knead to Cook

Another great bean-based vegetarian recipe! This bean chili one uses white beans, and combines that with healthy vegetables like sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and onion. It’s another very simple recipe with few steps and easy-to-find ingredients that make it easy for even a beginner cook to make.

6) Slow cooker lemon garlic chicken from Number 2 Pencil

This slow cooker lemon garlic chicken is another tried and true recipe for me. It requires very little prep work, and the lemon, garlic, and fresh rosemary make the chicken taste fantastic.

I typically also add a little white wine to the crockpot. When I get home, I’ll make some whole wheat pasta and a quick-cooking veggie like asparagus or zucchini. Then I toss the chicken plus the liquid from the chicken, lemon, and wine with the pasta and veggies for a complete dish.

One thing to consider – food safety recommendations will tell you not to cook a whole chicken in a crock pot, because the internal temperature may not rise quickly enough to kill bacteria. I’ve made this with a small whole chicken several times without any problems.  But, if you’re nervous about it, just break down the chicken into a few smaller pieces before putting it in the crock pot, or use bone in chicken breasts/thighs!

7) Slow Cooker Butternut Squash, Beet, and Chicken Soup from Snacking in Sneakers

This butternut squash, chicken, and beet soup is a warm, comforting recipe – perfect for fall and winter! It might be a less traditional soup with butternut squash, since we’re not blending it but leaving it in chunks – but it tastes great. This is a nice high-protein soup option that’s packs in nutritious ingredients, ideal for those looking to fuel their fitness.

8) Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Skinny Taste

I chose these buffalo chicken lettuce wraps for my top 15 because it’s a) extremely easy to make, and b) a very guy friendly dish. I see this as an awesome crock pot dish for football season – pop the chicken in the slow cooker on Sunday morning, and by game time in the afternoon it’s ready to eat.

9) Chicken tortilla soup from The Skinny Fork

I love that this chicken tortilla soup recipe is as simple as dumping all the ingredients in the crockpot and letting it cook. And aside from chopping a few vegetables, and toasting some tortillas before serving, no prep work is needed. One tip – I find (in my crock pot at least) that chicken breast can dry out a bit if cubed, so I’d suggest just throwing it in whole and then shredding it with two forks right before serving.

10) Slow cooker jerk pork with Caribbean salsa from Skinny Taste

Obviously I look at the Skinny Taste website a lot, since they have two recipes that made the cut. There are just so many great dishes to choose from there. The jerk seasoning and OJ marinade makes this slow cooker jerk pork tastes great, and the avocado/mango salsa really adds a pop of flavor. You can serve it over rice, quinoa, tortillas, or just on a bed of lettuce.

Plus, I really love that this dish cooks on low for 9 hours. Some recipes end up being done after 6 or 7 hours, which can be hard for people working the traditional 9-5 (unless your slow cooker has the timer and warm setting, which some unfortunately don’t).

11) Sweet potato and turkey chili from Iowa Girl Eats

We’re big on different ethnic foods in our house, so I like that this slow cooker chicken tikka masala utilizes Indian flavors. The ingredients are also simple and should be found at most grocery stores. You can serve over rice, or with some Naan. I make a super simple homemade flatbread that works wonderfully with this.

12) Spicy crockpot chicken with pineapple and sweet potato from Dairy Free for Baby

Turn up the heat with this spicy recipe! This chicken recipe is seasoned with Caribbean jerk seasoning, then cooked with a mixture of pineapples, sweet potatoes, and golden raisins. This meal screams tropical vacation to me! Quick tip: take the few minutes to par-cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave first; I know it takes a couple minutes but it will help everything cook evenly. (No one likes hard potatoes!).

13) Vegetarian quinoa chili from Smells Like Home

I’ve got to admit – part of me was initially attracted to this vegetarian quinoa chili recipe simply because there is a photo of shipyard pumpkin ale next to the bowl of chili, haha! (PS – I am seriously missing those at this time of year being pregnant). I love that this vegetarian chili recipe uses quinoa, which helps to bulk up the dish and make it heartier for the meat lovers. Of course, if you want to make it meaty, feel free to add ground turkey or chicken breasts to the crockpot.

14) Ham and potato soup from Spend with Pennies

Potatoes get a bad rep. Yes, they are starchy. But they are also loaded with potassium and Vitamin C. For athletes, they’re a nice carb-rich choice. For others, there’s nothing wrong with occasionally having some regular potatoes. I wanted to add this slow cooker ham and potato soup to the list because it’s definitely a healthier version of traditional comfort food. Even though it’s a creamy soup, it doesn’t use a canned cream of something – instead, you’ll use milk and a little sour cream.

15) Crockpot spaghetti squash and meatballs from yours truly!

To round out the 14 dishes, I’ll toot my own horn and add in the crockpot spaghetti squash and meatballs dish that I posted about the other day as number 15. It uses nutritious ingredients and becomes a lighter meal by incorporating spaghetti squash. Plus, who doesn’t love “spaghetti” and meatballs?!

*Thank you so much to all the bloggers who agreed to share their recipes/photos and be part of this post!*

Share with me:  What crock pot dish are you most excited to try?  Have any other healthy favorites that you would add to our list?

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Chrissy Carroll

Chrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian, RRCA Running Coach, and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing training tips, sports nutrition information, and healthy recipes for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer.

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