Welcome to my collection of 25 of the best recipes for small 3 to 4-quart and mini 2-quart crock pots. It's time to show your smaller slow cookers some love and add variety. These are my top recipe choices, all of which are easy to make in either small or mini crock pots—I love and believe you will, too.
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A crock pot will make your life easier, but larger six to seven-quart crock pots are too big for everyday use in a smaller household. You have limited freezer space; they are heavy and harder to store. So, let's make smaller crock pots more useful with some delicious, easy recipes.
Recipes by crock pot size
Micro crock pots are less than 2 quarts—I do not address this size of crock pots. You may be able to adapt the mini crock pot recipes. Remember that a crock pot should be no more than 75% full to cook properly.
37 Mini 2-qt Crock Pot Recipes—This category includes all the 2-quart crock pot recipes. The instructions for these cookers are usually in the recipe post, not always in the recipe card.
46 Small Crock Pot Recipes—This category includes recipes for 3-4 quart crock pots. Many are also included in the mini crock pot category. However, they can also be cooked in full-size crock pots.
60 Crock Pot Recipes—All the recipes for any size crock pot—full size, small, or mini.
All of these recipes have instructions in the recipe post for both small (3-4 qt.) and mini 2-quart crock pots.
🌶️Chili Recipes
I love chili, and it's cold outside, so I'm starting with chili recipes.
🥣Soup and Stew Recipes
Like Chili recipes, soup is just fantastic in a crock pot.
🍽️Italian Recipes
You can make easy Italian dishes in your mini or small crock pots. These are three of my favorite recipes.
🇲🇽Mexican Recipes
Here are a few of my best Mexican recipes that I cook in a smaller crock pot.
🇨🇳Chinese Recipes
Yes, Chinese food is perfect for a crock pot.
🍫Candy and Dessert Recipes
Something sweet is a great way to end the day. And the candy recipes are all gift-giving worth.
🤔Crock pot notes—my opinions and a suggestion
A crock pot cooks best for efficient cooking between ⅓ and ⅔ full. And 75% full is the practical limit for good function. Under 25% may cook a little faster due to the lack of mass.
Many micro and mini crock pots may have more temperature and quality control issues than their bigger cousins. So, when using a 2-quart or smaller crock pot, closely monitor the temperatures and endpoints.
Cooking recipes in small crock pots will result in more wasted ingredients when you can only use part of a standard-sized unit.
With smaller crock pots, you are doing the same amount of work for fewer results—your choice.
Lastly, my suggestion for crock pot size: If you have a smaller household, the sweet spot for getting the most out of a crock pot is a three to four-quart size. It is small enough for most people to handle and make recipes with leftovers without wasting many ingredients.
Thanks for stopping by.
DrDan, Wifo, Molly, and Lilly
Cary says
Good idea...2 quart mini recipes, especially for people who don't like leftovers or don't freeze! Thanks
Cammie Hendricks says
Making a dish designed for a 1-2 quart crockpot or smaller crockpot in a 4 quart crockpot, what are the pitfalls?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Cammie,
Welcome to the blog.
Cooking a small recipe is a bigger crock pot can cook a little faster. So just watch closer.
Some smaller recipes won't even cover the bottom of some large crock pots which might lead to unpredictable results (due to locations of heating elements and thermostats. So a really small recipe, I wouldn't do in a large crock pot.
Finally. Cooking is just applying heat in a controlled manor. You can get away with a lot if you just watch closely.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Carol says
You need to up date your information. I use a 1.5 crock pot all the time. It has, low, high and warm settings. I've made Swiss steak for 3 people.. It is great for one person and I've never made a dip in it. A 2 - 3 quart is way too much for a one person household.