Slow-Cooker Appetizers

By Southern Living
Jennifer Davick

Nothing compares to the convenience of a slow cooker when you’re feeding a crowd. Not only are these slow-cooker appetizer recipes a breeze to pull together, they’re also utterly delicious.

Fire up the slow cooker for your next tailgate, cocktail party, or casual get-together. Our Crock Pot recipes run the gamut from classics like cocktail meatballs, to new standby’s like Artichoke and Crab Meat Dip. We love the convenience of being able to fire up the slow cooker the night before the big game and then toting it to the tailgate the next day. Keep it simple, but don’t forget the fresh toppings to elevate these slow-cooker appetizers to the next level. Crunchy celery sticks are the perfect accompaniment for Buffalo Chicken-Cheese Dip, while our Candied Jalapenos and fresh guacamole can’t be missed atop oh-so-decadent Pulled Pork Nachos. If you’re looking for even more ways to use your slow cooker, check out our Best Slow-Cooker Recipes and our Chicken Slow-Cooker Recipes.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Lettuce Cups

Alison Miksch

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chicken Lettuce Cups

This genius appetizer pairs the convenience of the slow cooker with fresh ingredients to make a riff on a taco that guests will love. For toppings, we chose green onion slices, sweet mini pepper slices, spicy pickles, and a sprinkling of dried crushed red pepper; but you can feel free to use whatever ingredients you like.

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Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce

Hector M Sanchez

Recipe: Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce

This meatball recipe couldn’t be easier. As the sauce simmers in the slow cooker, prepare the meatballs and refrigerate them on a baking sheet until ready to use. When you’re ready, add them to the slow cooker but make sure they’re completely submerged in the sauce. 

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Artichoke and Crabmeat Dip

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Artichoke and Crabmeat Dip

This dip is a winner. Pick through the crabmeat to remove the fine cartilage, if you like, but take care to leave the prized chunks of lump crabmeat as intact as possible. A topping of coarsely crushed bagel chips gives a crunchy finish to this slow-cooker appetizer.

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Crawfish Dip

Greg DuPree

Recipe: Crawfish Dip

We guarantee you won’t have to worry about being the third person to bring this dip to the party. Step aside salsa and guacamole, there’s a new favorite dip in town. Our recipe yields 10 appetizer-size servings, so feel free to double (or triple) if you’ll be feeding a crowd.

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Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos

Laurey W. Glenn

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos

If you have leftover beef (it’s unlikely once friends and family start to dig into this delicious appetizer) reheat and use in tacos for a quick weeknight meal. We topped our nachos with cilantro, avocado, and sour cream but feel free to use whatever flourishes you like.

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Asian-Ginger Wings

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Asian-Ginger Wings

Brown wings in the oven to give them a crisp and colorful skin before slow cooking for 4 hours. A sauce made with honey and teriyaki create the perfect salty-sweet combination. Kick up the heat by topping these flavorful wings with sliced red chile peppers.

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Slow-Cooker Beef Sliders with Pickled Peppers

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Slow-Cooker Beef Sliders with Pickled Peppers

This is one of our favorite recipes to tote to the tailgate. Fire up your slow cooker the night before the big game, and the next day, pack it up, plug it in, and let your crowd build their own sliders.

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Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs

A favorite slow-cooker party appetizer has received a sweet and spicy makeover that everyone will love. The best part of this recipe is how easy and convenient it is to pull together in a snap. An ingredient list consisting of frozen meatballs, bottled barbecue sauce, and cherry preserves make prep a breeze.

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Buffalo Chicken-Cheese Dip

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken-Cheese Dip

This appetizer recipe is as close to dumping all the ingredients in a slow cooker as you can possibly get. The only additional work you’ll need to do is sauté an onion for 4 minutes before adding it, along with the rest of the ingredients, to the slow cooker. Top with cheese for the last 30 minutes of cooking. We like serving this with celery sticks, but tortilla chips are also a great dipper.

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Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip

Leave it to us to find another way to serve up this Southern staple. Serve this straight from your slow cooker if you’re entertaining casually. For a slightly elevated affair, serve in a chafing dish. Pair with crackers.

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Corn and Jalapeño Dip

Photo: Hector M. Sanchez

Recipe: Corn and Jalapeño Dip

This creamy and cheesy dip only includes eight ingredients and minimal prep time.

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Pork Carnitas Nachos

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lydia DeGaris Pursell

Recipe: Pork Carnitas Nachos

These slow-cooker nachos were made for game day entertaining.

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Spicy White Cheese Dip

Southern Living

Recipe: Spicy White Cheese Dip

You can make this easy entertaining staple ahead of time and freeze it for up to one month.

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Tomato and Feta Dip

Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Tomato and Feta Dip

If you prefer a creamier texture, you can substitue goat cheese for the feta.

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