Holidays & Occasions Thanksgiving Thanksgiving Recipes Count On These Slow Cooker Recipes The Week Of Thanksgiving By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on September 26, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas Hosting Thanksgiving is no easy to-do. It's more than just a feast for the family: The house needs to look its best; the table must be set beautifully; and the food should be cooked to perfection. No pressure. During those busy weeks leading up to Turkey Day, there's nothing like a slow-cooker recipe to keep you fed and collected. To help your planning and cooking schedules this November, we've got the best slow-cooker Thanksgiving recipes for you all in one place. These will save you time and oven space so that you can get everything finished before your guests arrive. From classic slow-cooker vegetables for Thanksgiving like green beans and squash to slow-cooker sides like sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and yams, you won't be missing out on anything this Thanksgiving. And don't even think about worrying about dessert—there's something for everyone, Cranberry Upside-Down Cake included. Hosting Thanksgiving is stressful, so make it easier on yourself with these delicious slow-cooker recipes. 01 of 22 Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole Caitlin Bensel/Southern Living Recipe: Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole This classic holiday recipe is just as delicious but so much easier when made in your slow cooker. An essential recipe for a Thanksgiving, green bean casserole holds a special place in our hearts, and permanent residence in our slow cookers. 02 of 22 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole Southern Living Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole It wouldn't be Thanksgiving in the South without sweet potato casserole, and it has never—we mean NEVER—been this easy to make. Just peel and cube your sweet potatoes and throw them in your slow cooker with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and a few other yummy ingredients. 03 of 22 Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks You can get old-fashioned collards that taste just like Mama's with the help of your slow cooker and smokey ham hocks. This classic Southern side is a must-have on the Thanksgiving table, hassle-free thanks to this recipe. 04 of 22 Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese Hector Sanchez Recipe: Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese Make the kids' favorite holiday side in the slow cooker, and save the oven for the turkey and dressing. Keep this recipe close, because comforting mac and cheese is always a good choice, especially when it's made hands-free in the slow cooker. 05 of 22 Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon Alison Miksch Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon A little salty, a little sweet, and oh-so-delicious, this might be your new favorite way to eat sweet potatoes. 06 of 22 Slow-Cooker Green Beans Iain Bagwell Recipe: Slow-Cooker Green Beans Whether in a casserole or on their own, green beans deserve a spot at the Thanksgiving table. And, these have bacon. Serve with sprigs of fresh thyme for a vegetable side that looks and tastes gourmet, but was easy as pie. 07 of 22 Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing Beth Dreiling Hontzas Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing Combine your ingredients in a bowl, pour them in the slow cooker, press "start," and you've got homemade cornbread dressing just like Mama's. Thanks to this wonderful appliance, classic cornbread dressing is as easy as 1, 2, 3. 08 of 22 Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole Victor Protasio Recipe: Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole Got extra sweet potatoes and holiday company? Say hello to your day-after-Thanksgiving brunch casserole. 09 of 22 Slow-Cooker Cranberry Sauce Iain Bagwell Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cranberry Sauce Cranberry sauce is the ultimate supporting actor on Thanksgiving Day: It's not the main character, but the meal wouldn't be complete without it. Instead of standing captive at the stovetop to make it, leave it to the slow cooker. 10 of 22 Turkey Breast and Herb-Cornbread Stuffing Photo: Oxmoor House Recipe: Turkey Breast and Herb-Cornbread Stuffing Cooking Thanksgiving dinner's biggest stars in one slow cooker is what we call winning. As far as your guests need to know, this turkey and stuffing were labors of love, when in reality, Thanksgiving dinner came together virtually effort-free (only 20 minutes of prep time!). 11 of 22 Squash and Green Chile Casserole Greg Dupree Recipe: Squash and Green Chile Casserole Add a touch of Southwest flavor to your go-to squash casserole this holiday season with this version that includes green chiles and tomatillos. Use green zucchini and yellow squash to make Tex-Mex casserole as pleasingly colorful as it is scrumptious. 12 of 22 Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Sarah Elizabeth Cleveland Recipe: Slow-Cooker Grape Jelly Meatballs Keep rumbling tummies satisfied before the meal with this retro appetizer that only takes a few store-bought ingredients. Combined with chili and barbecue flavors, the not-so-secret ingredient, grape jelly, builds the perfect touch of sweetness that your guests will love but won't quite be able to put their finger on. 13 of 22 Turkey with Shallot-Mustard Sauce and Roasted Potatoes Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Turkey with Shallot-Mustard Sauce and Roasted Potatoes If you're serving a smaller crowd, this is the easy turkey recipe you should make this Thanksgiving. With a classic herb blend and savory mustard sauce, this turkey is anything but bland. 14 of 22 Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Collard Greens Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Collard Greens You can make this veggie side dish a week or two in advance and freeze it in air-tight bags, or make it a day or two in advance and refrigerate in the slow cooker insert (if you have room!). Let the insert stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then return it to the slow cooker to reheat. 15 of 22 Cranberry Upside-Down Cake Oxmoor House Recipe: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake Leave off the cranberry salad—this cranberry upside-down cake is how we'll be eating our cranberries this Thanksgiving. Or keep both. There's never too many tart and sweet cranberry confections on the holiday table. 16 of 22 Chocolate-Cinnamon Latte Cake Recipe: Chocolate-Cinnamon Latte Cake We bet that even after the biggest Thanksgiving dinner, you'll still manage to find room for this chocolaty cake. This decadent and slightly spicy dessert goes great with a cup of coffee to end the night. 17 of 22 Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili While you're cleaning up from the Thanksgiving feast, let the slow cooker do all the work making this day-after Turkey Chili. The days leading up to the Thanksgiving feast may be for cooking, but this recipe ensures that the days following are for well-fed rest. 18 of 22 Slow-Cooker Apple Butter Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow-Cooker Apple Butter Homemade biscuits deserve a seasonal companion. Skip the stirring that traditional Apple Butter recipes call for and opt for this hands-off method instead. 19 of 22 Slow-Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cranberry-Pear Butter Accidentally grab too many cranberries at the store? Make this Cranberry-Pear Butter and bottle it in jars as a take-away present for your Thanksgiving dinner guests. This will crown you as the ultimate Thanksgiving host as far as we're concerned. 20 of 22 Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder We can't get enough corn on the Thanksgiving table. This creamy soup is the perfect not-too-heavy starter that will satisfy taste buds eager for fall flavor without filling up appetites before the turkey is even served. 21 of 22 Apple and Pear Crisp Jennifer Davick; Food Styling: Vanessa Rocchio; Prop Styling: Missie Crawford Recipe: Apple and Pear Crisp Granny Smith and McIntosh apples combined with pears add up to a delicious and occasion-worthy take on a go-to apple crisp. Scoop this slow cooker dessert into bowls and top each serving off with a hardy scoop of vanilla ice cream. 22 of 22 Loaded Potato Soup Photo: Johnny Autry Recipe: Loaded Potato Soup There's few foods more comforting than a loaded baked potato, but this soup rendition takes the cake. Put your slow cooker to work then rejoice in this soup as a Thanksgiving appetizer or side that's soothing enough to warm your holiday crowds' hearts and stomachs. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit