Use the charts below to cook your favorite recipes in a slow cooker. First a couple of tips:
- When cooking a recipe in a slow cooker for the first time, check the food for doneness at the lowest time setting in a range.
- When converting from stovetop recipes you may be able to reduce the liquid slightly because it will not evaporate in the slow cooker as it does on the stovetop.
- Remember that you might need to change the order in which you add ingredients. Vegetables, for instance, do not take as long to cook in a slow cooker as do meats. See the tips for slow cooking for more information.
- Double check the suggested cooking time for your ingredients using the slow cooker cooking charts as well as the suggested time on your recipe to determine the right amount of slow cooking time.
Converting from Traditional Oven or Stovetop Recipes
| Oven or Stovetop | Slow Cooker on LOW | Slow Cooker on HIGH |
| 15 to 30 minutes | 4 to 6 hours | 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours |
| 35 to 40 minutes | 5 to 7 hours | 2 to 3 hours |
| 1 to 2 hours | 6 to 8 hours | 3 to 4 hours |
| 2 to 3 hours | 8 to 10 hours | 4 to 5 hours |
| 4 hours | 12 hours | 6 hours |
Converting from Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Recipes
| Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot® on HIGH | Slow Cooker on LOW | Slow Cooker on HIGH |
| 60 minutes | 9 to 10 hours | 4 to 5 hours |
| 45 minutes | 7 to 8 hours | 3 ½ to 4 hours |
| 30 minutes | 6 to 7 hours | 3 to 4 hours |
| 25 minutes | 5 to 6 hours | 2 ½ to 3 hours |
| 15 minutes | 4 to 5 hours | 2 to 3 hours |
| 10 minutes | 2 to 3 hours | 1 to 1 ½ hours |
I love the convenience of the pressure cooker when time is too short, but compared to slow cooker or stovetop the depth of flavor is not there. It’s not “watery” just not as rich What am I doing wrong?
Hi Jeanne. The one factor that you have to get right in the pressure cooker is the liquid content. You need liquid in the cooker to create the steam needed to build pressure, but there is very little evaporation in a pressure cooker. So, getting just the right amount of liquid can be tricky. The other difference between stovetop and pressure cooking is that you can’t add thickeners to the pressure cooker before cooking. For instance, on the stovetop, we often dredge with flour and then brown meat and that flour helps to thicken the sauce as it cooks. In the pressure cooker, we need the liquid to stay liquid-y so that it creates the steam we need. The trick there is to thicken sauce AFTER pressure cooking. You can do this by adding a beurre manié (equal parts soft butter and flour mixed together), potato flakes, or a slurry (cornstarch and water). Just whisk it into the hot liquid and you’ll thicken the sauce in no time.