Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes for Busy Nights

We’ve all found ourselves in the conundrum of having a super busy day, coming home, and realizing that we don’t have the time or energy to prepare dinner. That usually means we either splurge on too-expensive takeout, or we end up eating some sort of Franken-meal comprised of a handful of trail mix and a freezer-burned Hot Pocket served with a side of almost-black banana.

Thankfully, having a slow cooker solves this problem. You can add your ingredients in the morning before work and set them to low heat so they cook while you’re away (and no, your Crock-Pot probably won’t set your house on fire, but thanks This is Us for the new phobia). If you don’t have time in the morning, just throw your ingredients in as soon as you get home and let them cook on high for a few hours.

Even better? These three-ingredient slow cooker recipes require almost no thought to put together. Just dump into your slow cooker and start cooking, and you’ve got dinner on the table.

Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Peach Dump Cake

Image Credit: Family Freezer

For those with a sweet tooth who don’t like to bake, this three-ingredient peach dump cake is the answer.

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Two-Ingredient Salsa Chicken

Image Credit: SheKnows.

OK, this is technically less than three ingredients but that just saves you even more time. What’s in this recipe? The name says it all and it can feed your family for an entire week!

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Three-Ingredient Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Image Credit: Hip 2 Save

You can serve sweet and sour meatballs as an appetizer or as an entree, but either way, this is one versatile three-ingredient recipe you’ll want to memorize.

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Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

Image Credit: Dinner Then Dessert

Slow cook this three-ingredient buffalo chicken, then use it to make anything from Buffalo chicken sandwiches to tacos or even mac and cheese.

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Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Image Credit: Lord Byron's Kitchen

Make a rich, tender pot roast with only three ingredients, including one surprise: pasta salad seasoning mix.

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Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Bourbon BBQ Chicken

Image Credit: The Shabby Creek Cottage

There’s no need to fire up the grill when you can easily make some bourbon barbecue chicken in your slow cooker while you sit back and relax.

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Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

Image Credit: Skinny Ms

If you’re getting tired of your classic salsa chicken, add a generous dose of balsamic vinegar to add a tangy-sweet new dimension to the recipe.

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Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Root Beer Honey BBQ Wings

Image Credit: The Frugal Girls

Making wings in your slow cooker is a convenient way to plan for a party, so you can let your cooker do the work while you spend time with guests or do some dreaded last-minute cleaning.

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Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Lasagna

Image Credit: Slow Cooker Gourmet

No-boil noodles are the secret to making this simple, cheesy lasagna in your slow cooker.

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Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken

Image Credit: Get the recipe from Creme de la Crumb

We would never have though to combine cranberry sauce and French dressing to make this juicy chicken dish, but the combination works surprisingly well.

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Three-Ingredient Slow Cooker Caramel Fondue

Image Credit: Creme de la Crumb

We’re always looking for new hands-off dessert recipes, so a three-ingredient slow cooker caramel fondue is right up our alley.

Get the recipe from Creme de la Crumb