Tenderize Cheaper Meat Cuts
Why pay top dollar for tenderloins when your Crockpot can work wonders on the underdog cuts? Throw in your inexpensive chuck roast, pork shoulder, or beef stew meat, and watch as hours of slow simmering turn even the toughest cuts into fall-apart, flavorful masterpieces.
Cook Dried Beans From Scratch
Canned beans? Pfft. Dried beans are pennies on the dollar, and your Crockpot will make cooking them from scratch absolutely effortless. Just dump, cover, and let the magic happen. You’ll get better texture, better flavor, and no metallic aftertaste.
"Take-Out Fake Out" Meals
Your $40 takeout habit should be obsolete if you have a crockpot. You can literally make those expensive restaurant dishes like Beef and Broccoli, Chicken Tikka Masala, or Pulled Pork Tacos at home for a fraction of the cost!
Why stop at ditching takeout when your crockpot can stretch groceries even further?
Why stop at ditching takeout when your crockpot can stretch groceries even further?
Embrace Lentils and Split Peas
Lentils and split peas were practically made for the Crockpot. They’re cheap, hearty, and soak up every bit of flavor you throw their way. Toss in some broth, spices, and veggies, and you’ve got a rich, filling dinner that costs next to nothing and is enough to feed a small army.
Buy a Whole Chicken
A whole chicken might be the smartest Crockpot move you can make. It costs less than buying separate cuts, cooks itself into perfection, and leaves you with enough leftovers for any future meals you might have planned. Plus, you can turn the bones into homemade broth!
Use Ground Meat as an Accent
The meat doesn’t necessarily need to be the star of your dish. Instead, you can use a smaller amount of inexpensive ground beef or turkey to flavor a huge pot of beans, vegetables, or pasta.
Your crockpot can give those sad herbs a second life…
Your crockpot can give those sad herbs a second life…
Preserve Leftover Herbs
Those wilting herbs in your fridge don't have to die a sad, slimy death. Your crockpot can dry them out low and slow, preserving their flavor for months. You can also crumble them into jars to get free seasoning!
DIY "Cream Of" Soups
Those canned "cream of" soups are convenient, yes, but they’re also unnecessarily expensive. Instead, make a big batch of homemade cream of mushroom or chicken soup base in your Crockpot and freeze it in 1-cup portions. Certainly more satisfying than opening a can.
Incorporate "Clean 15" Produce
You don’t always have to buy organic to eat well. The “Clean 15” list (onions, sweet potatoes, cabbage, corn, avocados) is perfect for Crockpot meals. They’ll cook down beautifully, save you significant dollars off your grocery bill, and still keep dinner wholesome and fresh.
Time to tackle those overpriced grocery store snacks!
Time to tackle those overpriced grocery store snacks!
DIY Snack Mixes
Why pay premium prices for seasoned nuts and party mix when your crockpot can toast and season everything perfectly? Just toss in every kind of nut, pretzel, cereal, and spice you can find and let them get all toasty. The only problem you’ll have with this is stopping yourself from eating the entire batch in one sitting.
Homemade Nut Milks
Making nut or oat milk at home is not only cheaper than store-bought milk but also surprisingly easy to make in a Crockpot. Soak your nuts overnight, blend them with water, and then gently warm the mixture in your crockpot for creamier results.
Bulk-Buy & Cook Meats
If you use a crockpot but aren’t buying meat in bulk, are you really using your crockpot? Cook your large portions at once, then divide them up and freeze them for future meals. Not only will you save precious dollars off your grocery bill, but you’ll also cut down on your cooking time.
Want to turn cheap ingredients into fancy pantry staples?
Want to turn cheap ingredients into fancy pantry staples?
Infuse Oils and Vinegars
Ever notice how a tiny bottle of infused olive oil costs more than actual groceries? Instead, you can use your crockpot to gently warm the oils or vinegars with herbs, garlic, or chili peppers until they're bursting with flavor.
Replace Expensive Dairy
Your Crockpot won’t mind if you skip the fancy dairy. Swap heavy cream for evaporated milk, or pricey cheese for a sprinkle of shredded cheddar. This will give you that luscious texture that we all love without breaking the bank.
Use Cheap Starches as Fillers
Rice, potatoes, pasta, and oats might just be your best friends when it comes to turning a modest crockpot meal into something hearty and filling. They can stretch sauces, soups, and stews into full meals, are inexpensive, and will absorb all the delicious flavors from your slow-cooked masterpiece.
Speaking of stretching meals...
Speaking of stretching meals...
Batch Cook and Freeze Pulled Meats
Imagine coming home to pre-cooked pulled pork or shredded chicken, ready for tacos, sandwiches, or quesadillas. Sounds like foodie heaven! All you have to do is slow cook a massive batch once, freeze the portions, and you’re all set for the week.
Utilize Inexpensive Chicken Parts
Do you really need those pricey boneless, skinless chicken breasts? Bone-in chicken thighs, leg quarters, or drumsticks are significantly cheaper per pound and are practically designed for the slow cooker. Once you start, you’ll wonder why you ever paid more for less taste!
Make Homemade Broth/Stock
Stop tossing those bones and veggie scraps! Instead, save all of them (onion skins, carrot tops, celery ends), pop them in your crockpot with water and some fresh herbs on a slow heat, and you’ll have homemade broth that beats store-bought every single time.
Your crockpot has plans for those vegetables you almost tossed…
Your crockpot has plans for those vegetables you almost tossed…
Revive Limp or Bruised Produce
Those sad, wilted veggies might look like they’ve reached the end of the road, but don’t toss ‘em just yet. The Crockpot offers the perfect environment to transform that produce into deliciously integrated parts of soups, stews, or even vegetable purées.
Maximize the Yield of Whole Cuts
If you’re buying whole cuts of meat but not using every bit, what's the point? You see, when you slow cook a whole chicken or a roast, you're not just getting dinner. You're getting the meat, the bones for broth, and sometimes even delicious rendered fat for future cooking.
Large-Batch Pasta Sauce
Making pasta sauce in bulk is like the ultimate Crockpot dream. Even a small amount of ground meat can form a delicious base for a flavorful Bolognese or marinara. It’ll give you enough to freeze it in containers and save it for multiple future meals. Take that, expensive jarred sauce!
You’re seriously underestimating your crockpot's potential…
You’re seriously underestimating your crockpot's potential…
Cook Large-Volume Casseroles
If you’re looking to feed a crowd without overspending, casseroles are the perfect candidates! All you need to do is layer cheap proteins, grains, and veggies on top of one another and let them cook low and slow.
Homemade Baby Food
Not something you’d expect to see on this list, but crockpots really are that good. Your crockpot can steam sweet potatoes, carrots, or even apples until they're perfectly soft. And then all you have to do is blend them up to get fresh, wholesome baby food!
Homemade Yogurt
Your crockpot could double as a yogurt production factory if you wanted. All you have to do is heat some milk, add a spoonful of starter yogurt, and let it work its magic overnight while you sleep.
Dairy isn't the only thing your crockpot can turn fancy…
Dairy isn't the only thing your crockpot can turn fancy…
Inexpensive Fruit Sauces
Got a bunch of slightly sad-looking apples or peaches? Your crockpot can transform them into liquid gold. Toss in those fruits with a bit of sugar, let them simmer, and watch them turn into gorgeous sauces you can drizzle over pancakes, yogurt, or ice cream.
DIY Breakfast Oatmeal
Make a huge batch of steel-cut oats in your slow cooker overnight and wake up to some breakfast magic. All you need is oats, milk, and your favorite mix-ins chilling in the crockpot overnight, and you'll have creamy, perfectly cooked oatmeal waiting for you in the morning.
Cooked Rice or Grains
There’s no shame in using your crockpot as a rice cooker. In fact, many would call it borderline genius. Just get some rice, quinoa, or barley with water, set it, and walk away. You'll get perfectly fluffy grains every single time without babysitting the stove or scraping burnt bits off the bottom.
If you thought this was magical, wait until you see what dried beans turn into…
If you thought this was magical, wait until you see what dried beans turn into…
Refried Beans From Scratch
Store-bought refried beans are essentially mashed legumes, and your crockpot can easily make them from dried beans. Just toss them in with some seasoning, let them cook until tender, then mash them up. Perfect for super cheap burritos, tacos, or an amazing dip.
DIY Condiment/Sauce Base
Why would you want store-bought sauces with mystery ingredients when you can produce large batches of homemade condiments yourself? Let your crockpot simmer tomatoes, peppers, or aromatics into rich bases for marinara, BBQ sauce, or salsa, which you can use for weeks on end.
Inexpensive Appetizers
You know you’re in trouble when your party appetizers cost more than the party itself. Fortunately for you, your crockpot is more than capable of handling everything from meatballs to dips and wings. Everyone’ll assume you're a culinary genius!
3-Ingredient Meals
When your pantry's looking sad and your budget's looking sadder, three ingredients are all you need (like pork roast, a bottle of BBQ sauce, or chicken, and a jar of salsa). Fewer ingredients mean you get to keep more of your money in your pocket while making simple dishes that taste divine.
The less you do, the more money you save…
The less you do, the more money you save…
Use Frozen Vegetables for "Dump Meals"
If there is one thing that crockpots love, it’s vegetables. You don’t need to worry about them wilting or chopping them. Just get ‘em together with some proteins, grains, and sauce, and let them cook. It’ll help you save a few crucial dollars while ensuring you don’t have to make a lot of effort for weeknight dinners.
Cook Whole Fish Economically
Most people avoid whole fish since they look a little intimidating. But what most people don’t realize is that crockpots handle fish beautifully. You just need to season it and let it steam gently. You’ll get the most moist and flaky fish that falls off the bone beautifully.
Transform Stale Bread
Thinking of tossing that stale loaf of bread in your fridge? Your crockpot can bring it back to life. A little custard, cheese, or herbs can transform those scraps into comforting bread pudding, a savory strata, or crunchy croutons with ease.
Minimize Required Liquids
Crockpots trap moisture like a champ, so you don't need nearly as much liquid as stovetop recipes demand. The ingredients do all the heavy lifting as they release their own juices while cooking, meaning you can reduce the recipe liquids by about half.
