30 Healthy Crock Pot Recipes for Weight Loss That Lasts (2024)

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight, why not consider something other than going to the gym more often? Did you know that a kitchen appliance can actually help you lose weight? That’s right – we’re talking all things crock pot in this post, along with 30 crock pot recipes for weight loss! These skinny crock pot recipes are easy, peasy to whip up and they’re so delicious you won’t be able to tell they’re low calorie recipes!

What is a Crock Pot?

A crock pot is an electric kitchen appliance that cooks food at a lower temperature over a longer period of time. It’s used to cook dishes like stews, casseroles, and pot roasts slowly, so you can go to work and come home to a home-cooked meal. Crock pots feature a lid, pot and heating elements all along the side and bottom, with the heat surrounding the food and bringing it up to a high temperature safely.

How Can Cooking With a Crock Pot Help Me Lose Weight?

Weight loss can be a tricky thing, and many people think the key to losing weight is going to the gym every day and eating less food. Sure, in an ideal world that might work, but most people have crazy busy schedules that don’t always allow them to get to the gym. And the thought of taking the time to prepare and cook a healthy meal just isn’t in the cards.

Pssst. Are you lazy about weight loss like me?
Click HERE to get keto-approved meals plans sent straight to your inbox.

That’s where the crock pot comes in. This handy appliance does all the work for you, allowing you to make incredible food with almost no effort or cooking experience. All you have to do is throw a bunch of healthy ingredients into the crock pot, let it cook while you go about your day, and come home to healthy and delicious meals that will help you lose weight! Weight loss crock pot meals are one of the most efficient ways to trim down your waist line!

Are Crock Pots and Slow Cookers the Same Thing?

Not exactly. Crock pots and slow cookers aren’t quite the same thing, although they’re often used interchangeably. They’re very similar, but you can think of it like this: A crock pot is a type of slow cooker. All crock pots are slow cookers, but not all slow cookers are crock pots. They both use moist heat to cook food over a lengthy period of time, and are used to cook the same types of foods, but they’re not exactly the same.

Take a look at some of the differences between crock pots and slow cookers

1. Heat Settings: Crock pots have two heat settings (Low and High) with some of them having a “warming” option. Slow cookers, on the other hand, often have a range of five heat settings.

2. How They Cook: Crock pots cook continuously while slow cookers can work in cycles, powering on and off during cooking. Some crock pots and slow cookers have the option to cook for a specific amount of time.

3. Position of the Pot: All crock pots feature a ceramic or porcelain pot that sits inside the heating unit, so they’re heated from the bottom and all around the pot. Some slow cookers also have the pot sit inside the heating unit, but others feature a pot that sits on top of a heating unit. These types of slow cookers make it more likely that the food on the bottom will scorch, and it will also cook more slowly this way.

5 Things to Consider When Buying a Crock Pot

1. Shape
Crock pots come in round and oval shapes. The shape of your crock pot won’t affect the way it cooks, so it’s really up to you, your cooking needs and what fits best in your kitchen. Your cooking needs are the most important out of the three, so think about what you’ll be cooking with your crock pot and let that lead your decision. If you’ll be cooking things like a whole chicken or ribs, you’ll want to go with the oval shape, but meals like stews and soups can be made in either.

2. Lid Material
Go for glass when it comes to the lid material of your crock pot. Plastic lids or lids that are more opaque make it more difficult to see how your food is cooking. Since you want to avoid opening the lid because it lets heat out, being able to see what’s going on inside is key.

3. Size
The size you choose for your crock pot will depend on your household needs. They come in a range of sizes, however most recipes are meant for the average size crock pot, which is six quarts. If you’re going to be making smaller meals and don’t want leftovers, you can opt for a smaller one. If you’re going to be cooking for a larger group on a regular basis, go bigger!

4. Timer
If there’s one function you want in a crockpot, it’s a built-in timer! This allows you to set a cook time for your meal so it turns off at just the right time. Otherwise, you always have to be home to turn it off.

5. Warming Function
The warming function is key to a good crock pot! All crock pots have high and low temperature cooking settings, but only some have the warming function. This keeps your food warm at a lower temperature once it’s done cooking, so it will be warm and ready when you are!

15 Keto Approved Healthy Crock Pot Recipes

1. Gluten Free Beef Bourguignon | One Clever Chef
2. Keto Chili Chicken | Fit to Serve Group
3. Chinese Beef Short Ribs | Eat Beautiful
4. Green Curry Chicken | Two Sleevers
5. Pork Chops with Apples and Onions | A Clean Bake
6. Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs | All Day I Dream About Food
7. Paleo Mississippi Pot Roast | The Rising Spoon
8. Crock Pot Chicken Marsala | Sugar Free Mom
9. Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole | All Day I Dream About Food
10. Paleo Beef Stew | Peace, Love and Low Carb
11. Butter Chicken | Becomingness
12. Cuban Style Pork | Fit to Serve Group
13. Low Carb Lasagna | Well Plated
14. Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks | Mashup Mom
15. Beef and Broccoli | Low Carb Yum

15 Weight Watcher Crock Pot Recipes (With Points)

1. Balsamic Pork Roast (5 Points) | Skinny Taste
2. Sweet and Sour Chicken (7 Points) | Kitch Me
3. Cauliflower Fried Rice (3 Points) | Skinny Ms
4. Balsamic Pork Tenderloin (5 Points) | Skinny Kitchen
5. Artichoke Chicken (1 Point) | Simple Nourished Living
6. Turkey Chili (7 Points) | Carrie Elle
7. Chicken Stroganoff (7 Points) | Kitch Me
8. Honey Balsamic Pork (5 Points) | If You Have an Egg
9. 3-Ingredient Italian Beef (2 Points) | Simple Nourished Living
10. Tomato Beef Macaroni Stew (6 Points) | Skinny Kitchen
11. Beef, Tomato and Acini Di Pepe Soup (5 Points) | Skinny Taste
12. Pineapple Pork (4 Points) | Simple Nourished Living
13. Chicken Tortilla Soup (5 Points) | Simple Nourished Living
14. Chicken Chili (5 Points) | Kitch Me
15. Vegetable Crock Pot Pizza (6 Points) | Simple Nourished Living

Try these low calorie crock pot recipes to get your weight loss back on track! It’s the easiest way to weight loss that lasts!

This post contains affiliate links.

If you loved this post on crock pot recipes for weight loss, please share this pin on Pinterest!

30 Healthy Crock Pot Recipes for Weight Loss That Lasts (1)

And if you want more weight loss recipes, make sure to follow our Health Board on Pinterest!

30 Healthy Crock Pot Recipes for Weight Loss That Lasts (2024)

FAQs

Is a slow cooker good for weight loss? ›

We're talking about the trusty slow cooker. It's a kitchen companion that can simplify your meal preparation in a way that can speed up your weight loss goals. Effortless Meal Preparation: One of the key challenges when it comes to eating a healthy diet is the time and effort required for meal preparation.

What is a healthy alternative to a crock pot? ›

Oven-Baked Magic: Another option for slow cooking without a slow cooker is to utilise your oven. Choose an oven-safe dish with a lid or tightly cover a regular baking dish with foil. This method is excellent for roasts, casseroles, and baked dishes.

Is cooking in a crock pot healthy? ›

The low heat helps less expensive, leaner cuts of meat become tender and shrink less. The direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking and steam created within the tightly-covered container combine to destroy bacteria and make the slow cooker a safe process for cooking foods.

Are slow cookers healthier? ›

A slow cooker can help with eating healthily, as this way of cooking doesn't need much (if any) fat, which can help to lower the calorie content. It also intensifies flavours – which is helpful when cutting down on salt.

What happens to fat in a slow cooker? ›

Normally when you fry meat, a lot of the fat drains away, but this won't happen in a slow cooker so trim it off – otherwise you might find you have pools of oil in your stew. Removing the fat will give you a healthier result, and it'll still be tasty.

Should you eat slow or fast to lose weight? ›

The researchers found that slow eaters were significantly skinnier than the faster eaters. In fact, they found that slow eaters were 42 percent less likely to suffer from obesity than fast eaters. Similarly, regular speed eaters were 29 percent less likely to be overweight.

What is better than a crock pot? ›

An Instant Pot does have more functionality (like sautéing, pressure cooking, slow cooking, and acts as a rice cooker, steamer, and warmer!) than a slow cooker, but if you don't plan to use all of its extra functions and just prefer the simplicity of a slow-cooker, then you might prefer a Crock-Pot.

What is the difference between a slow cooker and a crock pot? ›

A slow cooker and a Crockpot are the same thing, essentially. A slow cooker is an appliance of which there are lots of brands. Crockpot is one brand of slow cooker. Crockpot popularized slow cookers when they launched their version in the 1970s.

What is the difference between a slow cooker and a crock pot slow cooker? ›

The pot of the slow cooker usually sits on a base that houses the heating element on the bottom, while Crockpots have their pots inside of a container (or crock) and get heating from all sides. Therefore, slow cookers heat up slower than crockpots, with the heat level higher on the bottom of the pot.

What cannot be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

10 Foods You Should Never Make in a Slow Cooker
  1. Raw Meat.
  2. Seafood.
  3. Pasta.
  4. Rice.
  5. Delicate Vegetables.
  6. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts.
  7. Dairy.
  8. Wine and Other Liquor.
Jan 19, 2024

Is it OK to put raw chicken in slow cooker? ›

Yes, you can put raw chicken in a slow cooker! Slow cookers and Crock-Pots are designed to cook raw meats. The direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking time and steam created from the tightly covered container destroys bacteria, making slow cooking safe. You can put frozen chicken in a slow cooker, too!

What vegetables should not be added to a slow cooker? ›

Tender vegetables

Vegetables such as peas, asparagus and peppers can become a flavorless, mushy mess in a slow cooker.

Are vegetables still healthy when slow cooked? ›

Slow cookers cook food at a low temperature (usually around 93c) for anywhere between 4-8 hours. Because of the lower temperature, the nutrients in the food remain more stable than other methods of cooking.

Do crock pots leach chemicals? ›

Some ceramic glazes are non-toxic, but some pose a risk of leaching heavy metals like lead and cadmium into your food. Older ceramic or stoneware cookware with a glaze likely won't have been leach tested and even newer cookware can vary considerably from batch to batch and may leach more as it ages.

Are crock pots safe to leave on while at work? ›

Are slow cookers safe to leave on? Yes, it's safe to leave a slow cooker on when you leave the house. The purpose of a slow cooker is to allow you to cook while you aren't home. Slow cookers simmer food slowly, killing bacteria and raising meat to the perfect internal temperature.

Does fat melt in slow cooker? ›

Once your slow cooker is just about full of beef fat, turn it on low. It will slowly start to melt, don't be tempted to rush this process by turning it up. Allow to cook for about 6-8 hours on low and stir it roughly every hour or so to prevent it from burning.

What are the two main benefits of a slow cooker? ›

The Benefits of Using a Slow Cooker
  • Saves you money – slow cookers are an energy efficient way to cook food.
  • Saves you time – minimal food preparation and hands-off-cooking allows you to get on with other things.
  • Great for batch cooking, so you'll always have something delicious to eat at the end of a long day.

Does eating slow burn calories? ›

Some preliminary research has found that chewing until “no lumps remain” increases the number of calories the body burns during digestion: about 10 extra calories for a 300-calorie meal. (Eating fast, on the other hand, barely burns any calories.)

What are the benefits of slow cooker meals? ›

Slow cooker benefits.

They use less electricity than an oven and can be used year-round. Because of the long, low-temperature cooking, slow cookers help tenderize less-expensive cuts of meat. They usually allow for one-step preparation; putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker saves time and reduces cleanup.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Patricia Veum II

Last Updated:

Views: 5567

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (44 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Patricia Veum II

Birthday: 1994-12-16

Address: 2064 Little Summit, Goldieton, MS 97651-0862

Phone: +6873952696715

Job: Principal Officer

Hobby: Rafting, Cabaret, Candle making, Jigsaw puzzles, Inline skating, Magic, Graffiti

Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.