Best Slow Cookers for 2021
Don’t you just love the scent of a meal cooking all day?
Slow cookers take your home cooking to another level.
Any home cook knows that slow cookers are the #1 kitchen necessity. Whether you are cooking for a large family, a party, batch cooking, or want to cook ahead.
These days, there are many different types of slow cookers on the market. But what’s the best slow cooker?
Well, there are not only slow cookers. There are multi-cookers, smart cookers, and the beloved Instant Pot. From steaming, to sauté, browning, rice cooking, and more, there is a cooker for you.
Even if you would like to purchase a stand-alone slow cooker… There is something for you on our best slow cookers for the 2021 list. Let’s get going!
Best Slow Cookers for 2020 You’ll See Later
- Best Slow Cooker: Calphalon Digital Sauté Slow Cooker
- Best Budget Slow Cooker: Hamilton Beach Portable 6-Quart Slow Cooker
- Runner Up: All-Clad Slow Cooker
- Best Small Slow Cooker: Elite Gourmet Electric Slow Cooker
- Best Portable Slow Cooker: Crock-Pot Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker
- Best Multi-Use Cooker: Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
- Best Manual Slow Cooker: Crock-Pot 8-quart Manual Slow Cooker with 16 oz Little Dipper Food Warmer
- Best Slow Cooker for Parties: Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System
- Best Smart Slow Cooker: CHEF iQ World’s Smartest Pressure Cooker
- Honorable Mention: Cuisinart 3-In-1 Cook Central 6-Quart Multi-Cooker
The Best Slow Cookers to Buy in 2020
Best Slow Cooker
Calphalon Digital Sauté Slow Cooker
First on our list of best slow cookers for 2020 is the Calphalon slow cooker. We picked this slow cooker because it goes above and beyond. This best slow cooker is beloved by those who own their Calphalon slow cooker.
Features & Specifications
- Sear, brown, sauté, and slow cook all in one.
- This digital sauté slow cooker lets you remove the inner pot to sauté or brown on electric, gas, or induction cooktops. This is never before seen.
- The cooking surface is ceramic and 11x more durable with 20% more even heat than the standard nonstick surfaces.
- Control cooking with digital programmable controls.
- Includes 2 heat settings and keep-warm mode.
- Easy to clean.
- Fast food release.
- 5.3-quart large capacity.
What Customers Say
Customers like you bought the Calphalon Digital Sauté Slow Cooker because of the raving reviews you see on amazon. You’ll be able to enjoy this best slow cooker’s temperature accuracy along with ease of use and cleaning.
Plus, how wonderful is it that you can use the inner cooking vessel to brown and sauté on your cooktop. You don’t get that with any other slow cooker. You won’t regret this purchase!
Buy It Now: Calphalon Digital Sauté Slow Cooker
Best Budget Slow Cooker
Hamilton Beach Portable 6-Quart Digital Programmable Slow Cooker
This Hamilton Beach portable slow cooker is next on our best slow cookers for 2020 list because it truly takes the guesswork out of meal prepping for a low price.
You get your bang for a buck with this best slow cooker. You get all the traditional benefits of slow cooking AND the benefit of preparing and keeping food at a specific temperature for up to 24 hours.
Features & Specifications
- Comes with an integrated temperature lobe to ensure your food is perfectly cooked. No overcooking and your beef, pork, and poultry is safe to eat.
- Different cooking functions include low, medium, high, and with or without the pribe.
- Keep warm function keeps your food at the selected temperature.
- Sous vide, make yogurt, simmer, braise, poach, and even make fondue and more with the hold temperature function.
- The digital display has a countdown timer that shows you remaining cooking time as well as food temperature and current internal temperature when the probe is on.
- The 6-quart version holds a 6-pound chicken or 4-pound roast.
What Customers Say
Customers like you love this best slow cooker because it’s so easy to use and comes with so much! Press one button, and your food starts cooking. When it’s done cooking your meal, you automatically have the keep warm function, so the food doesn’t spoil.
Good cooking doesn’t have to come at a price – that’s why we chose the Hamilton Beach portable slow cooker for our best slow cookers list.
Buy It Now: Hamilton Beach Portable 6-Quart Digital Programmable Slow Cooker
Runner Up
All-Clad Slow Cooker
Our runner up best slow cooker for 2020 is the All-Clad slow cooker. One of the top-rated slow cookers on Amazon, this slow cooker gives your professional results at home.
Features & Specifications
- Programmable cooking and automatic 6 hours keep warm function. You get precise time control without having to monitor your food.
- Comes with 2 temperature settings.
- Dishwasher safe pot for easy cleanup.
- The 6.5-quart slow cooker is oval-shaped and stainless-steel.
- Comes with a removable black ceramic insert so you can cook for crowds, bringing the food right up to the table.
- Cook times range from 4 to 20 hours.
- Complete cycle times of up to 26 hours so you can set it and forget it.
- The digital display is easy to read and includes large push-button controls for easy use.
- The integrated handles make for an easy grip.
- The glass lid keeps heat and moisture locked in.
What Customers Say
Customers like you love this best slow cooker for 2020 because it cooks perfectly and cleans up easily. This All-Clad slow cooker is easy to operate and is made of quality material to last.
Buy It Now: All-Clad Slow Cooker
Best Small Slow Cooker
Elite Gourmet Electric Slow Cooker
Talk about a bargain! The Elite Gourmet slow cooker is small and mighty, and super affordable. That’s why we chose this to be the best small slow cooker on our list of best slow cookers of 2020.
Whether kicking off for football or enjoying fondue, this mini slow cooker is perfect for small meals. Make appetizers, soups, stews, dips, sauces, and share them without taking up much space with this 1.5-quart mini slow cooker.
Features & Specifications
- Low and high-temperature settings.
- Keep warm function keeps your food hot and fresh for serving.
- Stainless steel finish for easy cleanup.
- Tempered clear glass lid.
- Cool-touch handles for proper handling.
- Dishwasher safe stoneware pot and glass lid.
- 1.5-quart removable inner pot.
What Customers Say
Customers love this Elite Gourmet slow cooker because it is so affordable and works so well. You will not regret purchasing this small and mighty best slow cooker. The cooker even looks stylish with the stainless-steel exterior and glass lid.
For the same cost as a drive-thru meal, you get a cooking vessel that spreads across many meals!
Buy It Now: Elite Gourmet Electric Slow Cooker
Best Portable Slow Cooker
Crock-Pot Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker
For portability and amazing results, there’s nothing like a classic. That’s why we chose the Crock-Pot Cook and Carry as our best portable slow cooker.
Take this portable best slow cooker along with you to potlucks, parties, and family gatherings.
Features & Specifications
- Made for portability, the slow cooker comes with a secure locking lid and rubber gasket for an airtight seal for on the go, without any spills.
- Features a digital panel for you to customize your cooking time between 30 minutes and 20 hours.
- Set temperature to low, high, and keep warm.
- Shifts to keep warm after cooking, up to 6 hours.
- Comes with dishwasher safe components.
- 6-quarts – serves over 7 people.
- The removable stone inserts (without the lid) can be used in the microwave and your conventional oven at up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Works with 240 Watts at 120 V A.C. and 60 Hz.
What Customers Say
Customers like you love this Crock-Pot Cook & Carry best slow cooker because it is so easy to use and move around. If you’re on the go, you’ll find this slow cooker a big help since it locks in and doesn’t mess up your food when you’re bringing it to parties and other events.
Buy It Now: Crock-Pot Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker
Best Multi-Use Cooker
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker
This next best slow cooker for 2021 isn’t only a slow cooker. That’s why we have our best multi-use cooker. Whether you want to cook fast or slow, the Instant Pot duo does everything. Sauté, simmer, cook rice, pressure cook, slow cook, and more.
Features & Specifications
- Instant Pot Duo is the best-selling model in their line of pressure cookers.
- This cooker is built with the latest technology, a microprocessor to monitor pressure, temperature, time, and heating intensity.
- Seven appliances in one: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sauté pan, yogurt maker, steamer, and more.
- Cooks 70% faster than other appliances.
- Includes 14 one-touch smart programs to cook, soups, beans, rice, poultry, chili, and more without the guesswork.
- Easy cleanup: the appliance is stainless-steel and fingerprint resistant.
- Inner pot, lid, and other components are dishwasher safe.
- 10+ built-in safety features make the advanced safety protection unparalleled.
What Customers Say
Customers like you love the Instant Pot Duo for making life so much easier! Whether it’s cooking fast or slow, making soups or roasts, this best multi-use cooker really does it all and feeds your whole family.
Best Manual Slow Cooker
Crock-Pot 8-quart Manual Slow Cooker with 16 oz Little Dipper Food Warmer
Our best manual slow cooker is more than just a slow cooker! This Crock-Pot manual slow cooker also comes with a little dipper food warmer, so you can cook for large crowds and have enough for appetizers.
Prepare a meal early and then let your slow cooker work for you all day! Then, warm up dips or sauces in your Little Dipper.
Features & Specifications
- Extra-large 8-quart capacity. Perfect for large families and entertaining.
- Manual settings including, high, low, and warm to keep your dish at just the right temperature.
- Bonus stainless-steel 16-Oz Little Dipper food warmer. Perfect for game day dips and sauces on your meals.
- Serves over 10 people.
- Removable and dishwasher safe oval stoneware and glass lid.
What Customers Say
If you’re a batch cooker or love cooking for large gatherings, this best slow cooker is for you. As a bonus, you get to add to your menu with the Little Dipper. Customers like you love the quality of both the appliances and how well it does the job of being a manual cooker.
Buy It Now: Crock-Pot Manual Slow Cooker with Little Dipper
Best Cooker for Parties
Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System
The best cooker for parties is the Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System. This best slow cooker system is designed to work for you, so you can build your own system based on your preferences.
Even others can connect their own Crock-Pot Hook Up unit, up to 6 crocks in one system. From appetizers to dips, to finger foods, you can have the ultimate party with this best slow cooker system.
Features & Specifications
- Plugin up to 6 units using the one outlet for what you need.
- Comes with 2 1-quart oval crocks.
- High, low, and warm setting cooking options.
- Comes with removable and dishwasher-safe stoneware and glass lids.
- Stack units for storage.
- Comes with a special cord that pulls out for use on standard outlets.
- The cord can be stored inside the base to connect multiple units.
What Customers Say
Customers love entertaining with this set. You have met your match with this best slow cooker for parties. Whether you are a large family or love to entertain, you can make enough food for everyone with all tastes. You can lay out the slow cookers buffet style for parties or dinners. Let everyone serve themselves.
Buy It Now: Crock-Pot Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System
Best Smart Slow Cooker
CHEF iQ Smart Pressure Cooker
Our pick for the best smart slow cooker for 2021 is the CHEF iQ smart pressure cooker. This slow cooker and pressure cooker multi-cooker is seamless. Combined with the hardware of a smart cooker and software connected with an app, you get a supreme culinary experience.
Features & Specifications
- Connect your cooker with the CHEF iQ app and WiFi and Bluetooth.
- Gain access to over 100 guided cooking recipes and cooking videos.
- Monitor your smart cooker on the app with the cooking calculator to get the most precise cooking parameters.
- Comes with a built-in scale to measure ingredients and cook by weight.
- You can ditch the measuring cups since smart sensors tell you how much liquid you need and when to stop pouring.
- Auto pressure release safely releases steam at the end of pressure cooking automatically.
- 3 pressure release methods including quick, pulse, and natural.
- Over 300 cooking presets stored in the smart cooker built into the cooking calculator in the app.
- Wireless updates: continuously updates firmware so you get additional features and improved cooking algorithms.
What Customers Say
Customers like you love this best slow cooker for 2021 because it does it all. Slow cook, pressure cook, steam vegetables to perfection. You will not miss a beat because this cooker is so smart, that it knows exactly what you need. You’ll love the easy-to-use app that makes recipes and cooking with your smart cooker a breeze. You simply need this cooker if you are in the market for the best smart cooker.
Buy It Now: CHEF iQ World’s Smartest Pressure Cooker
Honorable Mention
Cuisinart 3-In-1 Cook Central 6-Quart Multi-Cooker
Our final best slow cooker for 2020 is the Cuisinart Cook Central Multi-Cooker. This Cusinart multi-cooker is stylish in any kitchen and makes cooking for large gatherings, events, or the family simple and easy.
Features & Specifications
- Includes three preset functions: sauté, steam, and slow cook.
- Has a keep warm function so your food will not go cold.
- The cooking pot is removable, non-stick, and dishwasher safe for easy and effortless cleanup.
- Sauté veggies, brown meats, and slow cook comfort foods in one.
- Steam function allows for steamed veggies like stuffed artichokes.
- You can even make dessert!
- Made of brushed stainless steel.
- The nonstick cooking pot is 6-quarts.
- The glass top is also dishwasher safe.
What Customers Say
Customers like you love this best slow cooker for 2020 because they enjoy making large meals like roasts so you can brown in the same pan before slow cooking. You’ll love having everything from cooking to storing all in one.
Buy It Now: Cuisinart 3-In-1 Cook Central 6-Quart Multi-Cooker
How We Rank Each Slow Cooker
We researched all the best slow cooker brands on the market to come up with this list. Now, we also looked at the top-rated and best-sellers on Amazon.
We also looked at the reviews from each appliance to give you the most honest view of these slow cookers.
From the classic Crock-Pot to Cuisinart. To All-Clad to Instant Pot. These brands make up the best of the best slow cookers available.
When you see a slow cooker or multi-cooker you like, you can simply click on any of its links in the category. Check out our best slow cookers to buy in 2021 to get going.
How Does a Slow Cooker Work?
Have you ever been curious to learn how slow cookers work? Well, you start with the slow cooker base. The base works to conduct heat via its metal liner.
Next, the heat moves to the cooking pot and up the sides of the pot to evenly cook your food. You have a lid you keep on your slow cooker to make sure all the heat stays inside and cooks your meal evenly.
Why Use a Slow Cooker?
Most people love to use slow cookers to set it and forget it. This is especially true for those long days at work. Simply add all your ingredients, set the timer or temperature, and come back later in the day to a home-cooked meal.
Similarly, slow cooking is great for batch cooking and cooking for large families because of their capacity. Want to meal prep chicken? Simply let a large amount of chicken cook all day, and prep later.
If you love cooking for potlucks and parties, a slow cooker can be your best friend. In fact, we have some portable best slow cookers on our list. All you need later is a slow cooker carrier to transport.
Whether its meat, veggies or anything in between. Your slow cooker will tenderize meat. The cooker will make sure everything is tender on the inside out. The quality of food from slow cooking is unlike any other with this best slow cooker for 2021.
Looking for More Appliances?
We’re glad you liked these best slow cookers for 2020!
Check out our favorite appliances in our reviews and guides section. And when you’re ready to get cooking, take a look at all the recipes so you can make a great home-cooked meal.
We found these best products by researching the best selling and best-reviewed products on Amazon.
