14 Slow Cooker Desserts That Make Your House Smell Amazing While You Do Nothing

Most people use their slow cooker for chili and pot roast, then put it back in the cabinet. That is a big mistake! Slow cooker desserts are some of the easiest sweets you will ever make. You stir a few things together, put the lid on, and walk away while your kitchen fills with the smell of warm chocolate, cinnamon and caramel. They also free up your oven during busy holidays. Grab your crockpot and let us get cozy..

Chocolate Pudding Cake, the Queen of Slow Cooker Desserts

This is the recipe that turns people into fans of slow cooker desserts. You spread a simple chocolate batter in the crock, sprinkle sugar and cocoa on top, then pour hot water over everything. It looks wrong, but trust the process. As it cooks, the cake rises to the top and a thick, glossy fudge sauce forms underneath. Scoop it warm into bowls with vanilla ice cream. Would you share the pot, or keep the spoon?

You will need: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tbsp cocoa, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, topping of 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa, 1 1/2 cups hot water.

How to make it: 1. Grease the slow cooker. 2. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, milk, butter and vanilla and spread in the crock. 3. Sprinkle brown sugar and cocoa on top. 4. Pour hot water over it without stirring. 5. Cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours and serve warm.

Apple Crisp, Easy Slow Cooker Desserts for Fall

Apple crisp is one of the best slow cooker desserts for fall because the apples turn so soft and jammy. Pile sliced apples with cinnamon and a little sugar in the crock, then cover them with a buttery oat topping. Here is a trick: lay a clean kitchen towel under the lid to catch steam so the topping stays crunchy. Serve warm with ice cream. Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, which team are you?

You will need: 6 apples sliced, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 cup oats, 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup cold butter.

How to make it: 1. Toss apples with sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice in the crock. 2. Rub oats, flour, brown sugar and butter into crumbs. 3. Scatter the crumbs over the apples. 4. Lay a towel under the lid. 5. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours or high 2 hours.

Bread Pudding

Have some stale bread or leftover croissants? Turn them into bread pudding. Cubes of bread soak in a sweet vanilla custard, then cook low and slow until puffy and set, with golden edges. It is the kind of dessert grandmas made to waste nothing. Add raisins, chocolate chips or chopped pecans, and drizzle with a warm caramel or bourbon free vanilla sauce. Have you ever tried it with croissants?

You will need: 8 cups day old bread cubes, 4 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 cup cream, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisins or chocolate chips, 2 tbsp butter.

How to make it: 1. Grease the crock and add bread cubes and raisins. 2. Whisk eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. 3. Pour over the bread and press down. 4. Dot with butter. 5. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours until set.

Stuffed Baked Apples

Whole apples filled with oats, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon become soft and tender in the slow cooker, and they hold their shape beautifully. A little apple cider in the bottom makes a sweet sauce you can spoon over the top. They feel fancy but take about 10 minutes to prep. Serve them warm with yogurt for a lighter dessert, or with ice cream for a treat. A, yogurt or B, ice cream?

You will need: 6 baking apples, 1/2 cup oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1 tsp cinnamon, 3 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup apple cider.

How to make it: 1. Core the apples, leaving the bottoms intact. 2. Mix oats, sugar, nuts, cinnamon and butter. 3. Stuff each apple. 4. Stand them in the crock and pour cider around them. 5. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours until tender.

Cherry Dump Cake

Dump cake is famous for a reason: you dump in a can of cherry pie filling, sprinkle dry cake mix on top, and add butter. That is it. In the slow cooker, the fruit bubbles up and the top becomes a buttery, cobbler like crust. It is one of those slow cooker desserts that people always ask about at potlucks. Want more shortcut ideas? Pin this one for your next party.

You will need: 2 cans cherry pie filling, 1 box yellow or white cake mix, 3/4 cup melted butter, optional 1/2 cup sliced almonds.

How to make it: 1. Spread the pie filling in a greased crock. 2. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly on top. 3. Drizzle the melted butter over the mix. 4. Add almonds. 5. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.

Blueberry Cobbler

Blueberry cobbler in the slow cooker comes out with juicy, purple berries under soft, cake like biscuit clouds. Frozen blueberries work perfectly, so this is a great winter dessert. A little lemon zest makes the berries taste brighter. It is lovely with a pour of cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Which fruit is your favorite in a cobbler: A, blueberry, B, peach, C, cherry, or D, blackberry?

You will need: 5 cups blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, zest of 1 lemon, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 3/4 cup milk, 1/3 cup melted butter.

How to make it: 1. Toss berries with sugar, cornstarch and zest in the crock. 2. Mix flour, sugar and baking powder. 3. Stir in milk and butter. 4. Drop spoonfuls of batter over the berries. 5. Cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Lemon Pudding Cake, Bright Slow Cooker Desserts

Like the chocolate pudding cake, this one makes its own sauce. A light lemon batter separates as it cooks into a fluffy sponge on top and a silky lemon custard underneath. It is bright, tangy and refreshing after a heavy dinner. It is also one of the more surprising slow cooker desserts, because people cannot believe it did not come from the oven. Lemon lovers, this one is for you.

You will need: 3 eggs separated, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/3 cup lemon juice, zest of 2 lemons, 3 tbsp melted butter, pinch of salt.

How to make it: 1. Beat egg whites until stiff. 2. Whisk yolks, sugar, flour, milk, lemon juice, zest, butter and salt. 3. Fold in the whites. 4. Pour into a greased crock. 5. Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours until the top is set.

Cinnamon Roll Casserole

This is a holiday morning hero. Cut a couple of cans of cinnamon rolls into pieces, soak them in a quick custard, and let the slow cooker do the rest while you open presents. Drizzle the icing on top at the end. It is soft, gooey and feeds a crowd with almost no effort. Do you eat it for breakfast or dessert, or both?

You will need: 2 cans refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup cream, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla.

How to make it: 1. Cut each roll into 4 pieces and add to a greased crock. 2. Whisk eggs, cream, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla. 3. Pour over the rolls. 4. Cook on low for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. 5. Warm the icing and drizzle over the top.

Crockpot Fudge, Sweet Slow Cooker Desserts to Gift

You do not need a candy thermometer for this fudge. Chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and butter melt together slowly in the crock, with no risk of scorching. Stir in vanilla and nuts, pour into a pan and chill. It is creamy, rich and perfect for holiday gift boxes. Making slow cooker desserts for neighbors this year? Start here.

You will need: 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, 1 cup chopped walnuts.

How to make it: 1. Add chips, condensed milk and butter to the crock. 2. Cook on low for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. 3. Stir in vanilla, salt and nuts. 4. Spread in a lined 8 inch pan. 5. Chill 3 hours and cut into squares.

Crockpot Candy Clusters

Crockpot candy is a holiday classic in many Southern homes. Peanuts, chocolate and white chocolate or almond bark melt together in the slow cooker, then get spooned into little clusters on parchment. One batch makes dozens, so it is perfect for cookie swaps and teacher gifts. You can swap peanuts for pecans or add pretzels. Salty or sweet, which side are you on?

You will need: 16 oz dry roasted peanuts, 16 oz salted peanuts, 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips, 4 oz German sweet chocolate, 1 1/2 lb white almond bark.

How to make it: 1. Add peanuts to the bottom of the crock. 2. Layer the chocolate and almond bark on top. 3. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours without stirring. 4. Stir until smooth. 5. Drop spoonfuls onto parchment and let them set.

Candied Pecans

Cinnamon sugar candied pecans are dangerously easy in the slow cooker. The nuts get coated in a little egg white, cinnamon and sugar, then cook slowly with a few stirs until they turn crunchy and fragrant. They make great salad toppers, snacks and gifts in little jars. Your house will smell like a holiday market. Fun fact: these are often gone before they cool down.

You will need: 1 lb pecan halves, 1 egg white, 1 tsp vanilla, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cup water.

How to make it: 1. Whisk egg white and vanilla until frothy and toss with pecans. 2. Mix the sugars, cinnamon and salt and toss with the nuts. 3. Cook on low for 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. 4. Add water in the last 20 minutes and stir. 5. Spread on parchment to cool.

Dulce de Leche in Jars

Dulce de leche is a thick, creamy milk caramel loved all over Latin America. The slow cooker makes it with almost no effort. Pour sweetened condensed milk into small canning jars, close them, and let them sit in water on low for about 8 hours. Never heat an unopened can, it is not safe. Spoon it over ice cream, spread it on toast or sandwich it in cookies. What would you drizzle it on first?

You will need: 2 cans sweetened condensed milk, 2 or 3 clean half pint canning jars with lids, water.

How to make it: 1. Pour the condensed milk into the jars, leaving space at the top. 2. Close the lids finger tight. 3. Stand jars in the slow cooker and add water to cover by 1 inch. 4. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours. 5. Lift out carefully and cool completely.

Spiced Poached Pears, Elegant Slow Cooker Desserts

Poached pears look like something from a fancy restaurant, but they are so simple in the slow cooker. Whole peeled pears simmer gently in red grape juice or cranberry juice with cinnamon, orange peel and star anise until they turn a beautiful ruby red. Serve them with a spoon of the reduced syrup and whipped cream. These elegant slow cooker desserts are perfect for a holiday dinner. Pretty enough for guests, right?

You will need: 6 firm pears peeled, 4 cups red grape or cranberry juice, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 star anise, strip of orange peel, whipped cream.

How to make it: 1. Stand the pears in the crock. 2. Stir juice and sugar together and pour over. 3. Add cinnamon, star anise and orange peel. 4. Cook on low 4 hours, turning the pears once. 5. Simmer some of the liquid on the stove into a syrup and serve.

Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate

This is the drink to make for a holiday party, game night or a snowy day. Milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips melt together in the slow cooker into the creamiest hot chocolate ever. Keep it on warm and let everyone add toppings like marshmallows, whipped cream and crushed candy canes. Love cozy slow cooker meals too? See our slow cooker dinners.

You will need: 6 cups milk, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 2 cups chocolate chips, 1 tsp vanilla, pinch of salt, marshmallows to serve.

How to make it: 1. Add everything except vanilla to the crock. 2. Cook on low for 2 hours, whisking every 30 minutes. 3. Stir in vanilla. 4. Switch to warm. 5. Ladle into mugs and add toppings.