25 Vegan Crockpot Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What cannot be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

Most people associate their slow cooker with meaty mains, like pulled pork or braised short ribs. However, this handy gadget is just as useful when cooking up vegetarian recipes, too. It can whip up everything from veggie soups to meatless lasagnas with ease. And you can even use your slow cooker to make dessert.

How much liquid do I add? Water or liquid is necessary to create steam. When cooking meat or poultry, the water or liquid level should cover the ingredients to ensure effective heat transfer throughout the crock. Some manufacturers of slow cookers recommend adding liquid to fill the stoneware 1/2 to 3/4 full.

However, Crockpots generally have ceramic or porcelain pots, while most slow cookers have a metal pot. As with a lot of cooking appliances, the biggest difference comes from the distribution of heat.

Raw meat

A crockpot's gentle heat means meat will never get a chance to brown, but it's the golden colour from frying that gives it depth of flavour. If you don't want your stew to taste bland, brown the meat first, then put it in the slow cooker.

Slow cookers are often thought of as just for tenderising meat by cooking meat low 'n' slow, but there's a world of possibility for those following vegetarian and vegan diets too! If you're unsure about which size or slow cooker features would suit you best, take a look at our guide to the best slow cookers to buy.

The nutrients of concern in the diet of vegetarians include vitamin B(12), vitamin D, ω-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, and zinc. Although a vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients, the use of supplements and fortified foods provides a useful shield against deficiency.

Tender vegetables

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

You will get better results with Pyrex and metal cooking containers in a lot of situations. Can you put a Pyrex dish in a slow cooker? Yes, of course.

Can you put glass in a crockpot? ›

Instead of buying a separate mini slow cooker, you can place a 2-cup heat-resistant glass measuring cup inside your regular slow cooker! This trick is great for small batches of slow-cooked foods, like dips, toppings, or cooking for one.

If you're working with a big slow cooker and prefer not to scale a recipe up, an oven-safe baking dish provides an easy work-around. Add the recipe ingredients to the baking dish, sized so it's two-third to three-quarters full, then place the dish inside the bowl of the slow cooker.

The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.

On some occasions, you'll want to leave food in the slow cooker to keep warm, during Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner, for example, or any other event or holiday. While it's perfectly ok to use your crock pot in this way, try to avoid leaving food on the warming setting for more than four hours.

One of the main attractions for many people is the ease of a slow cooker, so when you're looking for recipes, avoid those that suggest a lot of pre-preparation. For many dishes, particularly soups and stews, you really can just throw all the ingredients in.

What are the disadvantages of a slow cooker? Slow cookers only apply heat to the bottom of the crock, which cuts down on their ability to reduce liquids and brown foods, and develop flavor the same way a Dutch oven or pressure cooker can.

Absolutely, which is why you should always adjust times and amounts as needed. Smaller amounts of slow cooker hamburger only need a few hours before they are done.

A safe slow cooker, cooks slow enough for unattended cooking, yet fast enough to keep food out of the bacterial danger zone. In the danger zone (above 40°F to below 140°F), bacteria grows very rapidly.