Food and Recipes Slow Cooker Recipes 5-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Recipes That Make Cooking a Breeze By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and assigns content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 14, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Caitlin Bensel What's better than an easy slow-cooker recipe? The answer is a slow-cooker recipe that also has a short ingredient list. Plenty of our favorite slow-cooker recipes call for just 5 ingredients—but that doesn't mean they skimp on flavor. Our Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken, for example, uses a jar of salsa to supercharge chicken with big flavor. We've rounded up our best five-ingredient slow-cooker recipes that will make getting dinner on the table easier than ever before. Aside from pantry staples and spices, these slow-cooker recipes call for just five ingredients—or less! These easy recipes will make weeknight dinners and weekend entertaining quick, effortless, and delicious. From appetizers to mains, sides, and desserts, you can make any type of dish with just 5 ingredients in your slow cooker. Other than requiring a short ingredient list, we also love these recipes for their short hands-on times. Simply get everything into the slow cooker quickly and go on with the rest of your busy day. Before you know it, dinner will be on the table. 01 of 11 Four-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pot Roast Melina Hammer Recipe: Four-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pot Roast You're just four inexpensive ingredients away from a comforting, homemade meal. Prep this pot roast in the morning and it'll be fall-apart tender by dinnertime. 02 of 11 Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese Hector Sanchez Recipe: Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese Whether you need a side to bring to your next potluck, or a dinner the whole family will love, you can never go wrong with mac and cheese. Just like Grandma used to make, this comfort food uses evaporated milk and cheddar to create cheesy goodness. 03 of 11 Slow-Cooker Carnitas Tacos Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Carnitas Tacos The Mexican version of pulled pork, these carnitas make for a tender and tasty dinner. In addition to tacos, slow-cooked pork shoulder can be used for enchiladas, sliders, quesadillas, and more. 04 of 11 Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs Jennifer Davick Recipe: Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs Even though this easy party appetizer is only five ingredients, it's not short on flavor. Bottled sauce and cherry preserves are the key to unlocking big flavor in so few steps. 05 of 11 Easy Apple Butter Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Easy Apple Butter Use this spread to top biscuits, toast, and sandwiches to jazz up your favorite sides and snacks. Once you make this easy recipe, you'll wish you had made it sooner. Plus, it makes a great hostess gift. 06 of 11 Slow-Cooker Buttermilk Grits Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Buttermilk Grits Whether you want to get a head start on weekday breakfasts or will be hosting a weekend brunch, these tangy buttermilk grits are an easy, no-fuss meal. Try one of our three tasty topping combinations for a few extra ingredients you won't regret. 07 of 11 Slow-Cooked Cowboy Brisket and Beans Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Slow-Cooked Cowboy Brisket and Beans After 7 to 8 hours in your slow cooker, this brisket will be fork-tender and mouth-watering. Serve with Texas toast and a green salad, then tip your hat to yourself for a meal well done. 08 of 11 Easy Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Easy Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork This pulled pork is great as a main dish, or can be used for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, and more. The best part? This delicious dinner needs only 10 minutes of hands-on time. 09 of 11 Slow-Cooker Green Beans Iain Bagwell Recipe: Slow-Cooker Green Beans Cooking green beans low and slow will ensure they are tender and filled with flavor. Crispy bits of bacon make everything better, but especially this Southern comfort food classic. 10 of 11 Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Jennifer Davick Recipe: Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork This super easy pork barbecue can be paired with coleslaw, cheese grits, or cornbread for a delicious dinner that makes even better leftovers. A can of cola is the secret ingredient in this flavorful and juicy meat recipe. 11 of 11 Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Perhaps our easiest slow-cooker recipe of all time, this dish is versatile and delicious. We recommend serving salsa chicken over rice for your first taste, but it also shines in potato dishes and topping off a taco salad. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit