It’s great to have appetizers when you’re entertaining guests. Heavy appetizers can even replace a meal when served with cocktails or as an afternoon or late evening snack. We love being able to use the slow cooker for appetizers because it’s easier, and we don’t have to heat up the house
Best of all, crockpot party food is absolutely delicious and filled with a slow-cooked flavor you just can’t beat!
Appetizers are an essential part of any gathering, and using a crock pot for making these delightful starters can save you time and effort while still impressing your guests. Slow cookers provide the perfect method for creating delicious and flavorful appetizers without the need for constant supervision. As you dive into the world of crock pot appetizers, you’ll find they can range from savory dips to bite-sized delicacies, all to satisfy a variety of taste buds.
When planning the menu for your next event, consider incorporating a few crock pot appetizers to simplify your life and keep your guests happy. These slow-cooked dishes are easy to prepare – all you need to do is to gather your ingredients, place them in the crock pot, and let the magic happen during the cooking process. The result is a warm, flavorful appetizer your guests will relish as they enjoy the festivities.
As you explore the many recipe options for crock pot appetizers, you’ll undoubtedly find a few that complement your event’s theme or please even the pickiest eaters. Whether it’s a decadent cheese dip, mouthwatering meatballs, or a spicy and aromatic chili, utilizing your crock pot allows you to focus on hosting and enjoying the celebration while effortlessly providing delicious bites for everyone to share.
And there are tons of delicious crockpot potluck ideas to choose from, like slow-cooked meatballs, chicken wings, and savory dips.
Slow cooker appetizers often need very little preparation.
One of the keys to preparing crockpot appetizer recipes is to prep ahead of time, preferably the day before. This way, you can whip up your favorite crock pot game day recipes in less time, allowing you to enjoy the big game.
But don’t worry, these easy crock pot appetizers don’t require hours of prep work. Most can be prepared ahead of time in less than 20 minutes.
Below we’ve collected 24 of the most savory crock pot party recipes around.
One of the sweetest crockpot ideas for party events is this recipe for crockpot caramel dip.
This recipe’s super simple to make and is perfect for dipping your favorite fruits and pastries, like cookies, strawberries, apple slices, bananas, and donuts.
Plus, you can use it as a topping when hosting ice cream socials.
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe include brown and white sugar, light corn syrup, vanilla extract, salt, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and butter.
Plus, you can make a salted caramel sauce by adding a bit more salt.
After six hours, you’ll have a large batch of creamy, sweet, delicious caramel sauce you can store for future occasions.
When it comes to crockpot snacks for parties, you can’t go wrong with this slow cooker Chex party mix recipe.
This is a great snack for parties and get-togethers that’s super simple to make. It’s really one of the easiest “dump-and-go” recipes you can prepare in your crockpot.
The recipe calls for using corn Chex cereal, Wheat Chex cereal, Rice Chex cereal, bite-sized pretzels, chees-flavored crackers, bagel chips, party peanuts, unsalted butter, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder,
To avoid a soggy mix, use an oval slow cooker with more heating surface area. Put a double layer of paper towels under your lid to catch condensation that can drip into your mix.
Also, don’t overcook your mix. When it’s ready, it may look dry, not wet or greasy, and watch your Wheat Chex and pretzels closely. Those usually show the first signs of burning, telling you if you’re about to overcook your mix.
Another fun and tasty crockpot appetizer is lemon chicken tenders.
This recipe also has a hint of Italian seasoning that gives it that little something extra.
The author also pan-fries her chicken first to provide it with a nice brown coating with this recipe. This is necessary with many crockpot meat recipes if you want that crispier outer texture.
Ingredients for this recipe include all-purpose flower, large boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 3rds (or chicken tenders), butter, dry Italian dressing or seasoning mix, fresh lemon juice, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
Fall is pumpkin season, and when we enjoy all things “pumpkin-spice,” including our Chex mix.
This recipe for Crockpot Maple Pumpkin Spice Chex Mix delivers the pumpkin flavor we all know and love, along with a sweet maple flavor that makes this snack irresistible!
Ingredients for this mix include Chex cereal (rice, wheat, corn), dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries, assorted nuts, pretzels, gram crackers, unsalted butter, light brown sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin spice, salt, and vanilla extract.
One key to giving this mix the perfect flavor is allowing the mixture to dry for at least two hours. Overnight is the best.
Who doesn’t love saucy, savory, delicious chicken wings? This recipe for flavorful slow cooker sticky chicken wings tastes better than anything you’ve had at a restaurant.
And these tender, fall-off-the-bone wings are very easy to make.
Now, many of us have tried deep-frying, grilling, pan-frying, and baking chicken wings. But, I must say, no other form of cooking comes close to delivering the same tender and flavorful chicken that only a crockpot can make!
The ingredients you need to make sticky chicken wings include chicken wings, corn starch sesame seeds, freshly chopped cilantro leaves, reduced-sodium soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, honey, minced garlic, sriracha, ginger powder, ground pepper, and onion powder.
One of our favorite slow cooker party recipes is this ultimate taco dip.
This dip is loaded with fantastic tacho flavors that make it the ultimate party dip for any occasion.
Seriously, folks, this dip has just about everything you can imagine cramming into a taco shell. Ingredients include ground beef, beef broth, yellow onion, poblano pepper, taco seasoning, jalapeno, cornstarch, diced tomatoes and green chilies, and Mexican shredded cheese.
You can garnish your dish with ingredients like diced tomatoes, black olives, fresh mince cilantro, and sour cream.
This appetizer can make any night feel like Taco Tuesday!
If there’s one thing we love when we watch a live baseball game, it is hot and fresh boiled peanuts. There’s just something so satisfying about the taste of those salty, hot peanuts that makes them unique.
And now, you can make your own boiled peanuts using your crockpot and this fantastic recipe.
The ingredients you’ll need include green peanuts, water, and kosher salt. That’s it.
We can’t stress enough how important it is to use “green” peanuts and not the roasted variety. Green peanuts are freshly picked, and you can usually find them in stores between the months of May and November. Check your local farmer’s market, and you should be able to grab some.
If you’re looking for one of the most unique and tastiest crockpot potluck recipes, you’ve got to try slow cooker firecracker chicken meatballs.
As the name suggests, this appetizer is bursting with fantastic flavor. Best of all, it’s a much healthier option than traditional beef and pork-based meatballs.
Ingredients for this dish include nutritional yeast, blanched almond flour, flax meal, coconut milk, ground chicken, egg, dried parsley, Italian seasoning blend, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper.
For the firecracker sauce, you’ll need coconut oil, ground fresh chili paste, natural ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, granulated garlic, sea salt, coconut palm sugar, and coconut aminos.
Garnish using fresh minced parsley and a dash of red pepper flakes.
If you’re looking for a loaded dip that eats like a meal, this recipe for pizza dip is just the ticket.
It’s more or less a pizza that uses dipping bread or chips instead of crust, and the taste is out of this world!
Ingredients in this recipe include cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, Italian dressing mix, spicy Italian sausage, pizza sauce, and mini pepperoni.
They also suggest using garlic bread for the best dipping.
And just like a pizza, you can mix and switch any of the meats in this dish with your own veggies and meats like black olives, mushrooms, shredded chicken, steak, and more.
Now, let’s be honest. Not all party dips are created equal. Sometimes you have parties in which hardly anyone touches a particular party dip, leaving plenty left at the end of the night.
However, Queso wouldn’t know anything about that as its bowl is always left nearly spotless at the end of every party! And that holds doubly true for this delicious recipe for Slow Cooker Queso Verde.
This recipe only has five ingredients: your favorite Verde salsa, sour cream, cheddar jack cheese (or Mexican blend), cream cheese, and garlic cloves.
For a little tropical flavor, try this recipe for crockpot Hawaiian meatballs.
These meaty morsels are smothered in a sweet and tangy sauce made with fresh ginger and pineapple, cooked low and slow to bring out their maximum flavor!
These succulent little meatballs are indeed an example of why so many people love their crackpots and can be served as a party appetizer or even a main course with pasta.
Ingredients for this dish include homemade or frozen meatballs, canned pineapple chunks, your choice of BBQ sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and fresh ginger.
By now, we know how slow cooker wings are so tender and juicy they barely stay on the bone when you pick them up. And this recipe introduced a different flavor for those who want to turn up the heat.
Ingredients for this dish include honey, light brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, chili pepper paste, minced garlic, kosher salt, and fresh chicken wing drumettes.
The recipe author recommends using “stir-in” chili pepper paste. It’s in a tube, and you can usually find it in the produce section next to the herbs.
Corn Dip is a creamy, slightly sweet, slightly spicy appetizer that folks at parties just gobble up with reckless abandon.
It’s not hard to understand why after you’ve taken a bite of your first chipful of golden wonder.
This recipe uses the following ingredients: frozen sweet corn, diced jalapeno, onion, and chive flavored cream cheese, shredded Parmesan cheese, shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, and garlic powder.
Now, if you have trouble finding garlic and chive cream cheese at your local grocery store, then you can just substitute plain along with some garlic and chive seasoning mix.
This dish is good in your fridge for up to three days.
Are you looking for something to shake up those boring weeknight dinners? Or maybe you need a sock-blasting appetizer that leaves your guests snacking nirvana? Well, this recipe for slow-cooker Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins has it all!
Best of all, you can use this savory, spicy, and flavorful chicken for other recipes such as sandwiches and nachos!
The ingredients for this appetizer include chicken breasts (boneless or bone-in), buffalo wing sauce, dry ranch dressing mix, blue cheese crumbles, baking potatoes, sliced bacon, green onions, and blue cheese or ranch dressing in a bottle.
Folks, I’ve got to be honest. When a friend first introduced me to slow-cooker grape jelly meatballs, my reaction was probably a lot like yours – “Uhm….no thanks.”
But after some arm twisting, I finally tried one, and 15 meatballs later, I decided they were pretty okay after all. This recipe for grape jelly meatballs uses the following ingredients: grape jelly, Heinz chili sauce, sriracha (optional), and frozen meatballs.
It’s another dump-and-go appetizer that’s beyond simple to make, and when it’s finished cooking, you’re left with some of the sweetest, most flavorful little meat morsels you’ve ever tasted!
Spinach and artichoke dip is one of those dips people who swear they “don’t like vegetables” can never seem to get enough of. The creamy, seasoned veggies have a way of fooling your senses until you don’t realize you’re eating vegetables.
Now, of course, this dip isn’t strictly “health food,” but hey, it counts as part of your daily recommended portion of veggies.
The ingredients you’ll need are shredded mozzarella cheese, light cream cheese or Neufchatel, fresh grated Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, artichoke hearts, fresh trimmed spinach leaves, and freshly ground black pepper.
Another dip your guests won’t be able to stop harassing is this recipe for fiesta dip.
This dip is loaded to the max with savory ingredients such as petite diced tomatoes, vegan chive cream cheese, vegan sour cream, vegan pepper jack shreds, vegan bacon bits, and frozen corn.
Spices include onion powder, garlic salt, dried parsley, dried dill, black pepper, and garnish with green onion.
Okay, many folks wouldn’t consider “lettuce wraps,’ a legit appetizer, but it’s obvious they’ve never tried PF Chang’s world-famous lettuce wraps.
Ingredients for this copy-cat recipe include olive oil, ground chicken, garlic, white onion, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, freshly grated ginger, sriracha, sliced water chestnuts, green onions, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and butter lettuce.
There’s nothing quite as filling or satisfying as the perfect bean dip. Now, as tempting as it may seem to grab a can of precooked bean dip at the store, we guarantee you’ll forget that stuff exists once you make this recipe for crockpot bean dip.
Ingredients include water, diced onion, slow cooker mixed beans (bacon flavored), taco seasoning, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese. You can also add some onion for extra flavor.
If you’ve got guests who are serious mushroom lovers, this recipe for marinated mushrooms will have them lifting you on their shoulders before the end of the night!
Ingredients for this appetizer include chicken bouillon, beef bouillon, water, dry red wine, dill weed, Worchestershire sauce, garlic powder, fresh mushrooms, and butter.
