30 Easy Crockpot Recipes With 5 Ingredients or Less
Some days I’m quite happy to spend a bit of time cooking, but other days I just want to get dinner sorted with as little effort as possible. Those are definitely the days when the Crockpot earns its place in my kitchen. Throw everything in earlier in the day and there’s one less thing to think about later.
And honestly, the fewer ingredients the better! I’m all for trying new recipes, but when I see a huge list of ingredients I usually lose interest pretty quickly. Every recipe in this list uses 5 ingredients or less, so there’s no massive shopping list and hardly any prep involved.
I’ve pulled together 30 easy Crockpot recipes here, with everything from chicken and pork to beef, pasta and plenty of proper comfort food. They’re ideal for busy weeknights, lazy weekends or those days when you really just need dinner to be easy.
Why You’ll Love These Recipes
- Just 5 ingredients or less – Because sometimes I really don’t want a recipe that needs half the grocery store just to get dinner on the table.
- Really easy to make – Most of these are the kind of recipes where you can throw everything into the Crockpot, switch it on and get on with your day.
- Perfect for busy days – These are great for those days when you know dinner time is going to be chaotic and you’ll be glad you sorted it earlier.
- Plenty of family favorites – There’s a good mix here, from chicken and pork to meatballs, pasta and proper comfort food.
- Budget-friendly too – Using fewer ingredients generally means a cheaper grocery list, which is always a bonus!
1. Crockpot Mexican Chicken
This is such an easy one for busy days and there’s hardly any prep involved. The chicken comes out really tender and full of flavor, and it’s lovely served with rice, wrapped in tortillas or loaded up with your favorite toppings.
GET THE RECIPE2. Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
If you’re craving something warm and comforting without loads of work, this is a good one to try. The pork chops cook until lovely and tender, with plenty of creamy ranch flavor, and they’re perfect with mashed potatoes or some simple veggies on the side.
GET THE RECIPE3. Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
This is the sort of dinner my family would happily eat again and again. The chicken cooks until beautifully tender in a sweet and savory sauce, and all you really need is some rice on the side to turn it into a really easy meal.
GET THE RECIPE4. Crockpot Chicken and Gravy
You really can’t beat a simple comfort food dinner when you’ve had a long day. The chicken cooks until it’s lovely and tender with plenty of rich gravy, and it’s especially good spooned over a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes.
GET THE RECIPE5. Crockpot Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper
This is a really good one when you just want something easy and filling that you know everyone will eat. It’s cheesy, comforting and has loads of that cheeseburger flavor, without you having to spend ages in the kitchen.
GET THE RECIPE6. Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Pork Chops
Pork chops can sometimes be a bit boring, but definitely not here! They cook in a creamy garlic Parmesan sauce until they’re lovely and tender, and there’s plenty of sauce for spooning over mashed potatoes or veggies.
GET THE RECIPE7. Crockpot Enchilada Meatballs
This is such a simple way to make a bag of meatballs a bit more interesting! There’s hardly any prep involved and they’re lovely served with rice and a bit of cheese on top for a really easy dinner.
GET THE RECIPE8. Crockpot Brown Gravy Smothered Pork Chops
This is one of those really simple dinners that doesn’t need anything fancy. The pork chops turn out lovely and tender with plenty of gravy, and I’d definitely serve them with a big pile of mashed potatoes.
GET THE RECIPE9. Crockpot Cherry Cola Little Smokies
If you need something ridiculously easy for a party or game day, these are perfect. You only need a few ingredients and the cherry cola gives the sauce a lovely sweet and sticky flavor that works so well with the little smokies.
GET THE RECIPE10. Crockpot Mississippi Pork Roast
You really don’t need loads of ingredients to make a good roast dinner. The pork cooks low and slow until it’s really tender and practically falls apart, with loads of flavor from just a handful of simple ingredients.
11. 4-Ingredient Maple Balsamic Chicken
Image credit: Fit as a Mama Bear
I know I’m much more likely to actually make a recipe when I look at the ingredients list and there are only four things on it! I love the sweet and tangy combination of maple and balsamic here, and it’s exactly the sort of easy dinner I need on a busy day.
GET THE RECIPE12. Slow Cooker Chicken with Sweet Peach Barbecue Glaze
Image credit: Modern Honey
Peach and barbecue sauce isn’t a combination I would have thought of myself, but it sounds so good! You get that lovely mix of sweet and smoky flavors, and it’s another one where the Crockpot does pretty much all the work for you.
GET THE RECIPE13. Crockpot Mississippi Chicken
Image credit: Yep Recipes
This is exactly the kind of dinner I love when I know I’ve got a busy day ahead. You can get everything into the Crockpot earlier on, then come back to really tender, flavorful chicken that’s ready to serve however you fancy.
GET THE RECIPE14. 3-Ingredient Grape Jelly Meatballs
Image credit: Chew Out Loud
I’ll admit, grape jelly with meatballs sounds a little strange at first, but it really does work! They turn out sweet, sticky and full of flavor, and with just three ingredients you really can’t get much easier.
GET THE RECIPE15. Crockpot Salsa Chicken
Image credit: Semi Homemade Kitchen
On those days when I really can’t be bothered with much prep, this is the sort of dinner I want. Just a few simple ingredients go into the Crockpot and you end up with tender chicken that’s great in tacos, wraps or served with rice.
GET THE RECIPE16. Crockpot Kalua Pork
Image credit: Chew Out Loud
It still amazes me how much flavor you can get from such a short list of ingredients. The pork cooks for hours until it’s really tender and easy to pull apart, and there’s hardly any work involved at all.
GET THE RECIPE17. Crockpot Sausage and Potatoes
Image credit: Stef’s Eats and Sweets
Sausage and potatoes is one of those combinations that always goes down well in our house. It’s filling, really easy to throw together and exactly the sort of dinner I like when I don’t want to think too hard about what I’m cooking.
GET THE RECIPE18. Crockpot Pepperoncini Chicken
Image credit: Moderately Messy RD
If you like your dinners with a little bit of a kick, this is a really easy one to try. The chicken turns out lovely and tender and the pepperoncini adds loads of flavor without needing a long list of ingredients.
GET THE RECIPE19. Crockpot Whole Chicken
Image credit: Feels Like Home
I don’t cook a whole chicken nearly as often as I probably should, especially when it can be this easy. It comes out lovely and tender with hardly any effort, and any leftovers are really handy for sandwiches or another dinner the next day.
GET THE RECIPE20. Crockpot Sausage and Peppers
Image credit: Kalyn’s Kitchen
There are some dinners you just know are going to be easy, and this is definitely one of them. The sausages cook with the peppers until everything is full of flavor, and I love that you can just throw it all in and leave it to get on with it.
GET THE RECIPE21. Crockpot BBQ Kielbasa Bites
Image credit: Baking Beauty
These would be so easy to put together if you’ve got people coming over and don’t want to spend ages making food. They’re sweet, sticky and full of barbecue flavor, and you can just leave them warming in the Crockpot for everyone to help themselves.
GET THE RECIPE22. Crockpot Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
Image credit: The Default Cook
Chicken thighs are always handy when you want something cheap and easy for dinner. The lemon pepper gives them loads of flavor without needing loads of ingredients, and they come out lovely and tender after cooking in the Crockpot.
GET THE RECIPE23. Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken
Image credit: Begin with Balance
I love dinners like this because you can use the chicken in so many different ways. Once it’s cooked and lovely and tender, you can pile it into tacos, add it to rice bowls or just serve it with whatever you’ve already got in the fridge.
GET THE RECIPE24. Crockpot Pulled Chicken
Image credit: Corrie Cooks
Sometimes the simplest dinners are the ones that end up being the most useful. Once the chicken is cooked and pulled apart, you can use it in sandwiches, wraps, tacos or just serve it with a couple of easy sides.
GET THE RECIPE25. Crockpot BBQ Chicken Thighs
Image credit: Totally the Dream
This would be a good one for those nights when you want something everyone will eat without making dinner complicated. The chicken comes out really tender with plenty of barbecue flavor, and you only need a few simple ingredients to make it.
GET THE RECIPE26. Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Image credit: Killing Thyme
Taco night is always a good idea in our house, especially when most of the work is done for me! The chicken cooks until it’s really tender and easy to shred, then everyone can just add their own favorite toppings.
GET THE RECIPE27. Crockpot Balsamic Pork Roast
Image credit: Kalyn’s Kitchen
A roast can feel like quite a lot of effort sometimes, which is why I love an easy Crockpot version. The pork cooks away until it’s really tender and the balsamic adds loads of flavor without needing a huge list of ingredients.
GET THE RECIPE28. Crockpot Little Smokies
Image credit: Baking Beauty
Whenever I’m putting food out for a party, I always want a few things that take hardly any effort. These are really easy to throw together, and you can leave them in the Crockpot so everyone can just help themselves.
GET THE RECIPE29. Crockpot Pinto Beans
Image credit: Corrie Cooks
Beans are one of those really cheap ingredients that I probably don’t use often enough. This is such an easy way to cook them, and they’re great for adding to tacos and burritos or just serving alongside whatever else you’re making.
GET THE RECIPE30. Crockpot Mac and Cheese
Image credit: Yellow Bliss Road
You really can’t go wrong with a big bowl of cheesy pasta, especially when it’s this easy to make. It’s creamy, comforting and perfect for those days when you just fancy something simple that everyone will happily eat.
GET THE RECIPEHopefully you’ve found a few new dinners here to add to your meal plan. I’m always a fan of anything that makes dinner a bit easier, and knowing I only need a handful of ingredients makes me much more likely to actually make it!
I’ll definitely be coming back to this list on those busy days when I just want to throw something in the Crockpot and forget about it until dinner time.
