5 Best (and Easiest!) Crockpot Appetizers

We’ve all had the party panic moment – our perfect menu is planned (the one where you have to spend all day slaving over a hot stove!) but your oven doesn’t have one more inch of space to make delicious appetizers that will be ready when your guests arrive. I say, bring on the crockpot! These appetizers are crowd pleasers and you can just set everything up early and forget about it until party time. YUM!

Serve this delicious creamy dip with everything from crusty French bread to crisp, yummy veggie sticks.

10 oz. frozen cut leaf spinach

1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped

1/2 cup Alfredo sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. granulated garlic

1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

1. Thaw spinach and drain well, making sure you squeeze it to release excess water.

2. Combine all ingredients in a 2-quart slow cooker.

3. Cover and cook on low setting for 2-3 hours.

These are a staple at all of my family get-togethers. Once the toothpicks come out, everyone is crowding around to snap up all of these sweet, tangy treats. Whenever I tell new guests what the simple ingredients are, they can’t believe it!

1 1/2 cup chili sauce
1 cup grape jelly

About 30 frozen, prepared meatballs

1.     Combine chili sauce and grape jelly in the crockpot. Cover and set to high temperature.

2.     While the sauce is heating up, brown the meatballs according to package directions.

3.     Add meatballs to crockpot and put temperature down to low, cooking until meatballs are heated through, but as long as 8-10 hours.

This dip is easy, but not the healthiest thing you could eat so check this out in moderation. A perfect complement to a hearty tortilla chip, this dip is perfect for a Super Bowl party during the winter!

1 can of prepared chili (I’m a Texas girl so I do no beans, but feel free to use the kind with beans)

1 cup of cubed Velveeta

1/2 cup of cubed cream cheese

1. Put cubed cheeses at the bottom of your crockpot and cover with chili.

2. Cover and cook on low for about 30-45 minutes, or until the cheeses are completely melted.

There are probably a million variations to this delicious crockpot appetizer – sweet and tangy to hot and spicy to Asian inspired. Experiment with different flavors and you’ll be sure to find a party hit!

20 - 30 chicken wings

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 cup hot sauce

2 tsp prepared mustard or spicy mustard

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp granulated garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Broil chicken wings until they are browned.

2. Combine chicken wings with all other ingredients into the crockpot and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Feel free to substitute the meat in this recipe for your favorite pizza topping: Canadian bacon, pepperoni, Italian sausage, etc. I typically use cheese cubes and bread as dippers, but feel free to put your favorite cheese right in the sauce.

8 ounces lean ground beef

I small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 cups prepared pizza sauce

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

Optional add-ins: mushrooms, green peppers, black or green olives

1. Brown ground beef well; drain off fat.

2. Combine ground beef with all other ingredients in the crockpot.

3. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours.

4. Stir in any additional, optional ingredients and cook on low for another 15-20 minutes.