50 Healthy and Low Calorie Crock Pot Recipes for 2024 (2024)

by Noom Team | Aug 9, 2019 | Last updated Mar 14, 2023

Crock pots are a great option for quick, easy, low calorie meals to help make healthy living easier! Traditionally crock pots are known for making soups, stews, chilis, curries, and other one pot meals. Crock pots can also be used to prepare meats, beans, legumes, veggies, oatmeal, rice, quinoa, and other grains. While most crock pot recipes take a few hours to cook, the prep and clean up times are usually minimal.

Low Calorie Crock Pot Meals

Here are our top 8 picks that delicious and nutritious, coming it at under 300 calories per serving:

  1. Crock pot maple cinnamon steel cut oatmeal: This delicious recipe is sweetened with maple syrup and is perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast to keep you full until lunch!
  2. Slow cooker mediterranean frittata: Breakfast just got a whole lot simpler with this flavorful frittata recipe. Prep it at night and it’ll be ready to eat in the morning.
  3. Crock pot chicken noodle soup: Don’t wait to be sick to make this delicious chicken noodle soup recipe! At 245 calories per serving, this hearty soup is a light and satisfying lunch.
  4. Slow cooker turkey chili: Your favorite superbowl dish got a healthy makeover. We promise it doesn’t taste healthy!
  5. Mexican stuffed peppers: Take a trip across the border with this delicious, nutritious dish. Top it with sour cream and avocado and you’ve got yourself the perfect meal.
  6. Crock pot low-fat beef stew: Enjoy this veggie-packed, lightened up crock pot classic.
  7. Slow cooker jambalaya: This crock pot jambalaya recipe packs on the flavor without the calories.
  8. Triple berry crisp: Slow cooker dessert? Yes, please. Add a scoop of low-fat vanilla ice cream and it still comes in at under 300 calories!

What’s the difference between a crock pot and a slow cooker?

A “crock pot” is a type of slow cooker which is most often made of ceramic or porcelain, while slow cookers traditionally have a metal pot. “Crock pot” describes a brand of slow cooker that has come to dominate the market.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Crock pots and slow cookers are both used to make easy lunches and dinners for the week, or serve a big family or dinner party, hassle-free! While crock pots and slow cookers take several hours to produce a finished dish, very little effort is required on your end — but, you could probably trick your family into thinking you spent hours slaving away in the kitchen, though. When choosing healthy recipes, look for recipes that are low in calories, low in fat, high in protein and fiber, and contain few ingredients but lots of herbs and spices.

High Protein Crock Pot Recipes

If weight loss is your goal, opt for high protein crock pot recipes featuring chicken, beef, seafood, or your favorite vegetarian protein. These high protein recipes will keep you full and satisfied while helping you reach your healthy goals.

Chicken Crock Pot Recipes

Beef Crock Pot Recipes

Seafood Crock Pot Recipes

Vegetarian Crock Pot Recipes

50 Healthy and Low Calorie Crock Pot Recipes for 2024 (1)

Low-fat Slow Cooker Recipes

Let’s face it — fat adds flavor. Since slow cookers cook food throughout the day or overnight, over several hours, this allows the natural flavors of foods to come out, as well as the flavors from herbs and spices to amplify. These slow cooker staples are low-fat and high protein, but don’t skimp out on flavor:

Diet Crock Pot Recipes

No matter what your taste preferences or dietary restrictions, you can find a crock pot recipe to suit any diet. From gluten-free to paleo to keto, here are the best diet-friendly crock pot recipes out there:

Gluten-free Crock Pot Recipes

People who follow a gluten-free diet avoid foods that contain gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, and barley. What these crock pot recipes lack in gluten, they make up for in flavor!

Paleo Crock Pot Recipes

No grains? No sugar? No dairy? No problem! With these delicious paleo crock pot recipes, you’ll never miss out!

Keto Crock Pot Recipes

Keto followers eat foods that are low carb, high fat, and moderate protein. These crock pot recipes make giving up carbs simple!

50 Healthy and Low Calorie Crock Pot Recipes for 2024 (2)

Weight Loss Crock Pot Recipes

Crock pots are a great option to help you make healthy meals with less effort, and a great option to batch cook and meal prep for the week. Double, triple, or quadruple your favorite recipe, and have nutritious, delicious meals ready to grab-and-go throughout the week. Talk about fast food!

The perfect recipe for weight loss

When it comes to reaching your health goals, getting started with a crock pot or a slow cooker, or any other appliance that can make healthy eating more convenient and tastier is a great place to start. When it comes to making healthy eating a habit, it’s important to have the psychological tools to break your old habits and replace them with new ones, and the support you need to stay accountable. Noom’s psychology-based weight loss program is the perfect recipe for reaching your health goals. See for yourself with Noom’s 14-day trial.

50 Healthy and Low Calorie Crock Pot Recipes for 2024 (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.

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.

What cooks better in a crock pot? ›

Fattier meats and dark meat chicken are better options, as leaner cuts may dry out during the cooking process. Fattier meats are good, but trim the fat away before placing in the Crockpot slow cooker.

Can I just throw a bunch of ingredients in the crockpot? ›

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.

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.

Which slow cooker is healthier? ›

Stainless steel is always the best option for slow cookers and kitchenware. It's durable, doesn't react with food, and doesn't release any harmful chemicals when heated.

What is difference between crockpot and slow cooker? ›

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.

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 is the #1 crock pot? ›

Best Overall: All-Clad Gourmet Slow Cooker with All-in-One Browning, 7-Quart. This is so much more than a slow cooker. The All-Clad Gourmet Slow Cooker can saute, brown meat, simmer stews and cook rice!

What does the 4 6 8 10 mean on a crock pot? ›

Cook time options include 4 or 6 hours on HIGH, or 8 or 10 hours on LOW. The corresponding light illuminates, the slow cooker heats, and the internal timer starts counting down the time. NOTE: WARM is ONLY for keeping already cooked food at the perfect serving temperature until you are ready to eat.

What is the best meat to slow cook? ›

Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.

Can you put raw hamburger in crockpot? ›

You certainly can add raw ground beef to the crockpot. As a matter of fact, many (if not most) slow-cooker chili recipes ask for the meat to be added raw.

Can you put raw steak in a slow cooker? ›

Yes, you can add raw steak to a slow cooker to cook it to your desired doneness level. Slow cooking steak is a convenient way to cook steak over several hours, tenderizing it and adding exceptional flavor along the way.

Is it safe to leave a slow cooker on overnight? ›

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.

What are the benefits of a slow cooker? ›

In most cases, you'll only have to wash the slow cooker and maybe a few prep utensils. Slow cookers use less energy than a standard electric oven. The slow cooker won't heat the kitchen up the way a large oven will, a real plus on a hot summer day. A slow cooker travels well.

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 slow cooking melt fat? ›

The fat should melt into the sauce and give the meat a lovely soft texture. Long and slow is the way to go with it.

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