50+ Cozy December Crockpot Recipes for a Crowd
These cozy December crockpot recipes feature hearty soups and stews, comforting main dish recipes, cranberry recipes and desserts, and warm drinks. Each recipe is perfect for winter meals or Christmas Day!
Need some December recipes for your crockpot?
We’ve got you covered with the ultimate list of cozy winter meals and winter comfort food that’s perfect for feeding a crowd.
Find Christmas morning breakfast ideas, holiday party appetizers, main dish recipes for weeknight dinners or your Christmas main dish, plus dump-and go crockpot side dishes, December treats and Christmas-themed desserts!
Cozy December Crockpot Recipes
Ashcroft Family Table Recipes
1. White Chicken Chili Recipe With Cream Cheese
Just dump seven ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook — no browning meat, no babysitting. The cream cheese melts in for a rich, creamy chili that gets even better as leftovers.
2. Easy Crockpot Creamy Chicken Stew
Tender chicken and red potatoes simmer in a savory Italian dressing sauce, then get folded into a creamy broccoli-cream cheese mixture. It’s the ultimate hands-off comfort food for a chilly night.
3. Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken
Just five pantry-staple ingredients turn into a rich, zesty shredded chicken you can spoon over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes. It’s a true dump-and-go dinner the whole family will ask for again.
4. Crock Pot Italian Pot Roast
A classic pot roast gets an Italian twist with mushrooms, onion, and a savory tomato sauce that thickens into a rich gravy. Serve it over egg noodles for the ultimate comfort meal.
5. Crock Pot Rosemary Pork Chops
Seared pork chops and red potatoes slow-cook in a creamy mushroom-rosemary sauce for a meal that tastes like a Sunday dinner. It comes together with pantry spices — no fresh herbs required.
6. Easy Crock Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Only nine ingredients turn into a fall-apart tender roast with vegetables and a savory homemade gravy. It’s a foolproof classic that’s perfect for a big family dinner.
7. The Best 3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Chops
Just pork chops, cream of chicken soup, and seasoning create a rich gravy that’s perfect spooned over egg noodles or rice. It doesn’t get much easier — or more comforting — than this.
8. Simple Crock Pot Hamburger Stew
This hearty stew is basically the soup version of a classic Hobo Dinner, packed with browned beef, potatoes, carrots, and peas. It’s a cozy, budget-friendly meal the whole family will love.
9. Crockpot Brown Sugar Cinnamon Carrots
These tender baby carrots are coated in a sweet brown sugar, honey, and cinnamon glaze. They’re an easy Crockpot side dish.
Breakfast
1. Crockpot Gingerbread French Toast
Wake up to gingerbread-spiced French toast that cooks overnight in the slow cooker. It’s a cozy breakfast that’s ready when you are.
Stone-ground grits slowly cook with butter, salt, pepper, and cream until incredibly creamy. They’re just as welcome at dinner as breakfast.
Pieces of biscuit dough bake with cinnamon, sugar, and butter until gooey and golden. It’s a fun breakfast treat everyone can pull apart.
RELATED: These Butterscotch Overnight Sticky Buns are also a great holiday breakfast or brunch recipe!
4. Crockpot Bagel French Toast
Have some bagels that need using? Turn them into a warm, custardy French toast casserole with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a sweet glaze.
Appetizers
Little smokies simmer in a sweet and tangy cranberry sauce for an easy party appetizer. They’re bite-sized, saucy, and made for sharing.
These meatballs get a festive makeover with a sweet-tart cranberry sauce. They’re an easy appetizer to keep warm throughout your gathering.
Main Dishes
1. Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Tender chicken cooks in a rich, flavorful broth before fluffy homemade dumplings are added. It’s old-fashioned comfort food made easier in the Crockpot.
Chicken, pearl barley, potatoes, green beans, carrots, celery, and onions fill every spoonful. The barley helps make this stew thick, hearty, and satisfying.
Chuck roast needs less than five minutes of prep before slow-cooking in balsamic vinegar, beef broth, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. The beef is shredded before returning to that flavorful sauce.
Beef short ribs slowly braise in a rich red wine sauce until they’re fall-apart tender. It’s the kind of dinner that feels special without requiring constant attention
Cubed lamb cooks with garlic, onion, rosemary, thyme, tomato, mustard, and broth until fork-tender. A quick cornstarch slurry thickens the creamy sauce at the end.
Seasoned ground beef patties slowly cook beneath a rich mushroom gravy. This gluten-free version turns classic Salisbury steak into an easy slow cooker dinner.
Spicy chorizo, kale, tomatoes, hominy, carrots, celery, and shallots create a hearty slow cooker soup. Ham bones or hocks add even more richness to the broth.
Bacon and Italian sausage team up with potatoes, kale, chicken broth, and cream in this Olive Garden-inspired soup. Romano or Parmesan finishes each hearty bowl.
Dry navy beans simmer with ham, carrots, celery, onion, and broth until tender. It’s a wonderfully hearty way to turn leftover ham into another meal.
RELATED: Here are 31 more Leftover Ham Recipes for after Christmas!
10. Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Bacon, seared beef, carrots, onions, red wine, and beef broth create a deeply savory slow cooker stew. The finished sauce gets thickened before serving.
Chuck roast cooks alongside potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, ranch seasoning, and dill pickle juice. The reserved cooking liquid becomes a savory gravy for the tender beef.
A whole chicken slowly roasts in the Crockpot for tender, flavorful meat with minimal hands-on work. It’s a simple way to turn a whole bird into dinner.
Cornish hens cook with orange, soy sauce, garlic, honey, brown sugar, sage, and thyme. The cooking juices become a glossy Grand Marnier butter sauce.
This whole chicken cooks low and slow until the meat is tender and juicy. It’s a straightforward roast chicken method when you want the slow cooker to do the work.
15. Crockpot Scalloped Ham and Potatoes
Thinly sliced potatoes and ham cook together in a creamy, cheesy sauce. It’s a comforting combination that turns simple ingredients into a hearty dish.
A spiral ham gets slow-cooked until warm and tender with a flavorful glaze. The Crockpot keeps the ham moist while freeing up oven space.
17. Crockpot Cranberry Chicken
Chicken breasts cook in a four-ingredient sauce made with cranberry sauce, Catalina dressing, and onion soup mix. The result is sweet, tangy, and wonderfully seasonal.
18. Crockpot Cranberry BBQ Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder gets a smoky dry rub before slow-cooking with root beer and liquid smoke. Cranberry sauce and honey BBQ sauce turn the shredded pork into something seriously festive.
Side Dishes
Creamy hash browns, sour cream, cheddar, and cream of chicken soup cook together until wonderfully cheesy. The buttery cornflake topping adds an irresistible crunch.
Fresh green beans cook with bacon, butter, broth, onion, and garlic for a savory side. Everything goes straight into the Crockpot, so there’s hardly any fuss.
Baby potatoes slowly cook with herbs and seasonings until tender and golden. It’s a simple side when you want roasted-potato flavor without using the oven.
4. Crockpot Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts cook until tender before getting drizzled with a homemade balsamic reduction. The sweet-tangy glaze gives this simple vegetable side a flavorful finish.
RELATED: Here’s a similar recipe that you can make from frozen in your air fryer: Air Fryer Frozen Brussels Sprouts!
Tender potatoes and plenty of cheese make this Crockpot side rich, creamy, and comforting. It’s an easy choice when you’re craving cheesy potato goodness.
Collard greens slowly cook with smoked turkey and seasonings for a savory Southern-style side. The slow cooker gives them plenty of time to become tender.
Velveeta makes this slow cooker mac and cheese extra creamy and cheesy. It’s a simple comfort-food side when you want something everyone recognizes.
Potatoes cook right in the slow cooker before being mashed into a creamy side dish. You won’t need to babysit a pot on the stove.
9. Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
Fresh cranberries slowly cook with orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, and warm spices. It’s a bright, homemade alternative to canned cranberry sauce.
10. Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing
Italian sausage adds savory flavor to this slow cooker stuffing alongside celery, onion, herbs, and bread. It frees up valuable oven space during the holidays.
11. Crockpot Green Bean Casserole
Classic green bean casserole gets an easy slow cooker makeover with green beans, creamy mushroom soup, and crispy fried onions. It’s a holiday favorite made even simpler.
Desserts
Devil’s food cake, cherry pie filling, chocolate sauce, and mini chocolate chips make this dessert seriously decadent. Cool Whip and cherries finish the chocolate-cherry treat.
Chocolate and coconut come together with almonds for an easy slow cooker candy inspired by Almond Joy. It’s a simple homemade treat with plenty of texture.
RELATED: You may also like these 3-ingredient Chocolate Almond Balls!
3. Crockpot Malt Chocolate Pudding Cake
Chocolate cake and pudding come together with malted chocolate flavor in this rich slow cooker dessert. It’s gooey, chocolatey, and wonderfully indulgent.
4. Hot Fudge Crockpot Brownies
These slow cooker brownies are rich and fudgy with hot fudge baked right into the dessert. It’s an easy way to satisfy a serious chocolate craving.
Peanuts and chocolate melt together in the Crockpot to make easy homemade clusters. They’re a simple candy treat when you don’t want a complicated recipe.
A creamy cheesecake cooks gently in the slow cooker for an impressive dessert. You’ll get that classic cheesecake texture without turning on the oven.
Let the slow cooker handle the melting for this easy homemade candy. It’s a simple recipe to keep on hand when you need a chocolatey treat.
Chocolate melts slowly in the Crockpot into a warm, dippable dessert. Keep it ready for dipping fruit, marshmallows, or other favorite treats.
Gingerbread spices meet creamy fudge in this festive slow cooker treat. It’s a fun holiday candy that brings those classic Christmas flavors to dessert.
10. White Chocolate Cranberry Clusters
Creamy white chocolate surrounds tart cranberries in these easy candy clusters. They’re festive enough for the holidays but simple enough for everyday snacking.
White chocolate, peanut butter, crispy rice cereal, and mini marshmallows make these cookies wonderfully crunchy and chewy. The slow cooker makes melting the chocolate easy.
Drinks
This festive green hot chocolate puts a playful Grinch-inspired spin on a cozy winter drink. It’s made in the slow cooker for easy serving.
Cranberry juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, and spices come together in this warm holiday punch. It’s an easy drink to keep simmering while guests gather.
3. Slow Cooker Andes Mint Hot Chocolate
Rich hot chocolate gets a refreshing Andes mint twist in the slow cooker. It’s warm, creamy, and perfect for anyone who loves chocolate and mint together.
Peppermint and chocolate come together in this festive slow cooker drink. It’s a fun way to turn classic hot chocolate into a candy-cane-inspired treat.
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If you liked these December crockpot recipes, be sure to check out these other seasonal slow cooker favorites!
