7 Must-Try Summer Slow Cooker Recipes

You might not get summers off as an adult, but they should still be a time to relax. Fetch has seven essential summer slow cooker recipes that will feed the family, keep the kitchen cool and let you enjoy your time as the cooker does the work for you. 

Loading your meal plan up with summer slow cooker dinners and other easy recipes is just one way to give yourself back a bit of summer joy. Try another way to take back your summer: download the Fetch app and start earning rewards for your everyday shopping (including the groceries for those recipes).

Why slow cooker meals are a summer staple

Whether you’re making one of our summer slow cooker recipes in an Instant Pot, a Crock-Pot or a cooker that’s been in the family for years, these kitchen workhorses are designed to make your life easier:

• Prepare your ingredients, let the cooker do the rest.
• Cook longer at lower temperatures, keeping the kitchen and house cooler.
• Make extra-large portions with ease for meal prep.
• Easy to take on the go and reheat at a cookout or BBQ.
• The Fetch app turns your slow cooker ingredient shopping into rewards.

7 easy summer slow cooker recipes

These seven easy summer slow cooker meals will all have some pretty similar steps: prepare your ingredients, load them up into the slow cooker and cook for a certain amount of time. That’s another thing that makes slow cooker recipes so great for summer: they’re simple to prepare without tasting basic or bland.

Slow cooker BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches

This sweet and tangy summer cookout staple puts a smile on everyone’s face without breaking a sweat. A beloved favorite of kids and adults, slow cooker BBQ chicken will take you no time at all:

1. Gather ingredients: 3 pounds boneless / skinless chicken breast, BBQ sauce, half an onion (grated), olive oil, worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. 
2. Put all of your ingredients except the chicken into your slow cooker and mix together.
3. Trim the fat from the chicken, then place it into your slow cooker and coat with the sauce. 
4. Cover and cook: 2-3 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low heat.
5. Check on your chicken early, as thinner breasts will cook faster.
6. Check your temperature (it should be 167˚F) and attempt to shred your chicken.
7. Once it’s easy to shred, it’s ready to serve on your favorite buns or rolls.

Slow cooker summer chowder

If your slow cooker only comes out in the colder months, you’ll miss out on delicious dishes that take advantage of seasonal foods, like this slow cooker summer chowder made with summer corn. Get ready for some delicious leftovers, as this summer chowder recipe will use your whole slow cooker.

1. In a slow cooker, combine 4 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups fresh corn, 2 cups of cubed potato, 2 large carrots (diced), 1 sweet onion (diced), salt and thyme.
2. Set the cooker to low heat and cook for 6-8 hours.
3. Stir in a cup of sour cream and blend with an immersion blender.
4. Heat a pan to cook up 8 slices of bacon, then let it dry on a paper towel.
5. Drain the skillet of most of the grease and cook up 4 small zucchini that have been halved and sliced.
6. Stir the zucchini into the slow cooker, then serve topped with diced tomato, bacon and basil.

Hawaiian pineapple chicken

Hawaiian pineapple chicken is a great dish to serve alongside your BBQ pulled chicken at a potluck or to pair with it on your meal plan if you found a great deal on chicken in the Fetch app. This classic sweet and savory combination is the perfect summer entree when served on a bed of rice (and the leftovers make a perfect lunch the next day).

1. Brown 4 chicken thighs for 3-5 minutes on both sides. While browning, prepare the sauce.
2. Add 2 cups of pineapple and 1 yellow onion (both cut into 1-inch chunks) to your slow cooker. 
3. Mix 3 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon grated ginger and 2 cloves of minced garlic into the slow cooker.
4. Add your browned chicken thighs to the slow cooker.
5. Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours.
6. Add a tablespoon of cornstarch to a tablespoon of water, then add a diced red bell pepper to the slow cooker and cook for another 30 minutes as you prepare rice and sides.

Chicken taco lettuce wraps

Get ready for the lighter side of summer with these chicken taco lettuce wraps, trading traditional taco shells for a sturdy romaine lettuce leaf. Using pre-made taco seasoning and salsa, this easy summer slow cooker meal is about as simple as it gets:

1. Trim the fat off 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast.
2. Put the trimmed chicken into your slow cooker.
3. Add a taco seasoning packet, 2 cups of salsa and juice from 2 limes.
4. Cook on low 6-8 hours (or high on 4 hours).
5. Remove your chicken and shred it in a bowl.
6. Mix with about a cup of the sauce left in the slow cooker.
7. Have everyone self-serve on top of fresh romaine lettuce wraps.

Slow cooker ratatouille

The classic French vegetable stew joins our chowder as another staple summer slow cooker dinner, because the summer vegetables that make it a favorite are perfect for the slow cooker. Zucchini, eggplant and bell pepper can all be slow cooked until they practically melt in your mouth, enhancing the sweetness and delivering a stew that’s as simple to make as it is delicious.

1. Heat 2 medium-sized yellow onions (diced) with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and seasoned with salt in a large frying pan until golden brown (about 30 minutes).
2. Take a large eggplant and a large zucchini, trim them, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Trim and dice 2 large bell peppers into 1-inch pieces. Core and dice a pound of tomatoes. Finely chop 4 cloves of garlic. 
3. Add all of these ingredients from step 2 to your slow cooker.
4. Add two tablespoons of tomato paste to the onions once they’ve browned, stirring to coat. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and add 2 tablespoons oil and ½ a teaspoon of salt.
5. Stir to coat all of your vegetables, then cook 4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low heat.

Lemon garlic chicken thighs

These lemon garlic chicken thighs offer a light yet flavorful summer dinner with a buttery sauce that’s perfect for rice and vegetables. Lemon and garlic is a perfect flavor combination to give a meal an Italian feel without going into a heavy cream sauce or a hearty marinara, and because there’s no sauteeing required, you’re looking at about 10 minutes of prep for this summer crock pot recipe.

1. In your slow cooker, combine 4 cloves of minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ½ of a lemon’s zest, ½ cup chicken stock, 1 teaspoon of chicken stock concentrate and 2 tablespoons of white wine.
2. Stir the mixture in your slow cooker, then add 1 ½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, ensuring an even coating.
3. Cut 2 tablespoons of butter into small cubes and scatter over the chicken.
4. Cook for 4 hours on low setting.
5. Stir in the juice of half a lemon before serving, garnish with lemon slices and parsley.

Summer crock pot Sloppy Joe sliders

An all-ages staple, these crock pot Sloppy Joe sliders will bring back memories of Little League games and family cookouts. With just 15 minutes of prep, you’ll have plenty of time to get everything done and have a tasty lunch or dinner ready for the whole family. This summer slow cooker recipe is about as simple as it gets for cooking:

1. Combine the ingredients into your slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 4 hours.
3. Spoon a hefty helping onto a bun.
4. Enjoy.

The ingredient list gets a bit long, though, so be sure to bookmark this blog or copy/paste it into your notes app: 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef; 2 cloves minced garlic; 1 stalk of finely chopped celery; 1 red bell pepper (finely chopped); ½ an onion (finely chopped); a 14.5 oz can of tomato sauce; ½ cup ketchup; 1 tablespoon each of chili powder, dry mustard, onion powder, sugar, Worcestershire sauce; salt and pepper to taste.

Earn rewards on your summer crock pot recipe ingredients

The time you save with these summer slow cooker recipes might feel like reward enough, but shopping for all of your summer slow cooker ingredients can earn real rewards in the Fetch app. Fetch has offers from family favorite brands like Hidden Valley, Kraft and Barilla to help you rack up the points even faster, and all you’ll need to do is snap your receipt to earn your points. 

Build up your points balance even faster by doing your online shopping through Fetch Shop, earning you points on nearly every dollar. Fetch Shop is the perfect place to find a great, dependable and affordable new slow cooker and earn the most points you can on it. Don’t forget to connect your available eReceipts to retailers like Jewel-Osco and Amazon to max out your possible points.

Make your summer slow cooker dinner plans with Fetch

Your recipe for a successful and relaxing summer should start with Fetch, followed by a healthy rotation of the summer slow cooker recipes above. Download the Fetch app, check out your personalized offers and craft next week’s meal plan using the ingredients that will earn you the most points. You’ll have enough for a gift card in no time, which you can use to restock those summer meal staples (or treat yourself!).