Commit to using fresh seasonal vegetables for a year of slow cooking and you’ll keep family dinner interesting and raise healthy eaters. If you don’t find what you need listed here, you can search the site or reach out with questions. Bon appétit!
Vegetables to add at the last minute
When you add vegetables to an already hot dish they require a shorter cooking or heating time versus when started in a cold slow cooker. Some of the best vegetables for slow cookers are ones that get added at the last minute to easy one-pot dinners. These vegetables can help long-cooking dishes finish on a fresh note and give your meals texture.
Fold these veggies into the slow cooker 5-10 minutes before dinner time. Cook on HIGH until everything is heated through.
Artichoke Hearts — Rinse, drain, and halve or quarter before adding to the slow cooker.
Bok Choy / Baby Bok Choy — Bok choy is quick cooking, healthy, and crunchy. Add bok choy or baby bok choy leaves to almost any Asian-inspired crock pot dish.
Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken with Bok Choy
Corn — Use fresh or frozen corn kernels for a burst of sweet flavor and color.
Greens — Fold tender baby spinach or other greens into slow cooker soups, curries, or pasta sauces at the last minute to up the nutritional value. Some will require a few more minutes of cooking.
Baby spinach
Escarole
Kale
Swiss chard
Collard greens
Green Peas — Add fresh or frozen green peas to slow cooker curry dishes.
Hominy — Add to Slow Cooker Pozole or other soups near the end of cooking.
Mushrooms (sautéed) — If mushrooms cook too long in the slow cooker, the texture becomes rubbery. The best method is to sauté sliced mushrooms ahead of time and add them at the end of cooking. If a dish needs to cook with mushrooms for flavor, then use dried and rehydrated porcini mushrooms.
Snow Peas & Sugar Snap Peas — Miso Chicken Soup
Tomatoes — Fresh or canned diced tomatoes work to give your dishes a burst of flavor.
Vegetables that take just a little longer
These veggies offer a fresh texture when added to hot slow cooker dishes about 15-30 minutes prior to eating. The longer they cook the softer they will be.
Asparagus
Slow Cooker Asparagus Recipes
Slow Cooker Asparagus Soup
Broccoli Florets
Cauliflower Florets — Slow Cooker Buffalo Dip
Okra — Okra and Tomato Soup
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Vegetables that can cook for 2-3 hours
Bell Peppers — Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers
Cabbage
Braised Red Cabbage with Apples
Cabbage Rolls or Cabbage Casserole
Slow Cooker Cabbage Recipes
Cauliflower — Slow Cooker Whole Cauliflower
Collard Greens — Some greens can hold up to longer cooking times.
Southern-style Collard Greens
Eggplant — To cook a whole eggplant in the slow cooker, just prick it a few times and cook on HIGH for at least 3 hours. Scoop the flesh and puree it for baba ganoush.
Ratatouille
Green Beans — Note, if you blanch green beans they only need 1-2 hours to warm.
Slow Cooker Green Beans (3 recipes)
Lebanese Green Bean Stew
Vegetables that Need to cook for Hours
This is a typical list of slow cooker vegetables for a reason — hard root vegetables and dried beans hold up to longer cooking times. They retain their shape and flavor even when cooked for hours.
Dried Beans — Beans are the best long-cooking vegetable for the slow cooker. Why? Because they actually need a longer cooking time. Learn how to cook beans to maximize texture and flavor. Also see our heirloom bean list for bean recipes.
Beets — Borscht
Carrots — Depending on how large the carrots are cut, they can also cook much more quickly, but they retain their shape if cooked for hours.
Onions — Caramelized Onions
Parsnips
Potatoes — Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Turnips
Other Slow Cooker Vegetables
These easy vegetables can be prepared in a slow cooker while you focus on other things in the kitchen.
Artichokes — Slow cooker whole artichokes are easy and kids love to eat this fun vegetable.
Spaghetti Squash — If your oven is occupied with other dishes or you just don’t want to have to keep an eye on it, you can cook a spaghetti squash in the slow cooker.
Vegetable Cookbooks
See our favorite vegetable cookbooks or click on a cover below to read more on Amazon:
