Here are 10 quick and easy crockpot recipes you can make for under $5! Crockpot recipes are great because you can just toss the ingredients into the crockpot in the morning and then, when it’s dinner time, your meal will be done!
Summer is the perfect time to break out the crockpots because most of us are busy running around and it’s not only convenient, but won’t heat up the house!
Most of these are in our Dining On A Dime Cookbook but if you want more ideas check out our Easy Crockpot Recipes and Menus E-book with 187 Recipes and 61 Menus!
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10 Crockpot Recipes Under $5
Here are 10 quick and easy crockpot recipes you can make for under $5! Just toss the ingredients into the crockpot in the morning for an easy meal at dinner time!
3 Ingredient Chicken Tacos
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
taco seasoning to taste (homemade or 1 packet)
1 can Rotel tomatoes*
Place all of the ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred and use in tacos, burritos, enchiladas or in a salad. You can also serve it hot or cold so it would be great as leftovers to take in a lunch.
*Rotel tomatoes are canned tomatoes with chopped green peppers or jalapenos. Any brand that is labeled “tomatoes and green chilies” should be OK or just used canned tomatoes and add the kind of peppers you would like.
This quick and easy crockpot bean goulash recipe is tasty, will get you in and out of the kitchen fast and is ideal for when you’re having a rough day!
Crockpot Bean Goulash Recipe
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. bacon
1 stalk celery
1 small onion
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans or 2 cups cooked beans
1 (15 oz.) can butter beans
1 (15 oz.) can pork and beans
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce or ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Brown ground beef, bacon, celery and onion. If using canned beans, drain them. Mix the remaining ingredients together with the beef mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or put in the crockpot on low for 1-2 hours. Serves 8-10.
Garlic Roasted Chicken Recipe
3-5 lb. chicken
salt
pepper
paprika
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
about 1/4 lb. butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika. Rub the bird inside and out with garlic. Place in the crockpot. Lay a couple of pats of butter on top of the breast and pour in broth. Cook on Low 6-8 hours. Serve with the garlic butter sauce.
Barbecue Beef Stew Recipe
1-2 lbs. stew meat
1 cup onion, sliced
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups beef stock
1 can (8 oz.) tomatoes
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
Saute onion, pepper and garlic in oil. Add salt, pepper, beef stock,tomatoes, mushrooms and barbecue sauce. Cook meat and all of the other ingredients in a crockpot on low heat for 8-10 hours. To thicken, mix 2 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water and add to stew before serving.
Crockpot Stuffed Peppers Recipe
6 Large Bell Peppers
1/2 pound lean ground beef (cooked or uncooked – leftover works great)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 – 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup rice, cooked (any kind of rice will work)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup water
shredded cheese
Combine ground beef, onion, diced tomatoes, rice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper. Cut off each top of the peppers and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Stuff each bell pepper with mixture. Pour water on bottom of crock pot. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours until peppers are tender and ground beef is cooked throughout. About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle cheese and let it melt.
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Sour Cream Chili Bake Recipe
1 lb. ground beef, cooked, drained
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained
1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 cup American cheese, grated
1 Tbsp. instant minced onion
1 cup water
3 cups corn chips, crushed
Place all of the ingredients in a crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Serve with sour cream, cheese and chips in summer or cornbread in the winter.
Crockpot Cajun Pork And Beans
5 (15 oz.) cans Pork-n-Beans
2 (6oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 onions (chopped)
6 hot links or 8 hot dogs (sliced)
1/4 bottle barbecue sauce (about 1/2 -1 cup)
Add in extras to taste:
Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce
Cajun seasonings
Liquid smoke
Mustard
Brown sugar
Mix all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low 4-8 hours.
If you are a chili connoisseur this recipe may not be for you but if you have picky eaters or children this chili recipe may be be a life saver. You can adjust the amounts of the ingredients to the size of your family without doing much harm. This is also a perfect recipe to make the day before and just warm up when you need it.
Quick and Easy Chili Recipe
3 small cans tomato soup*
3 soup cans of water
1/2 to 1 lb. cooked hamburger
Chili powder to taste
Garlic powder and onion powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
I usually use at least 2 teaspoons each of chili powder and garlic powder. You can also use onions. Put everything in a large pan and simmer at least 2 hours. It’s better to let it simmer all day if possible. You can add almost anything you want to this basic recipe. Beans work well or I like to crumble in some fried sausage for extra flavor.
*I have also replaced the soup with a large can (32-36 oz.) of tomato juice and it is good, too!
Potato Bacon Chowder Soup Recipe
8 slices bacon, cut
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup water
1 can cream of soup base (regular small can)
1 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
2 Tbsp. parsley, optional
In a kettle, fry bacon until crisp. Add onion and saute 2-3 minutes. Drain. Add potatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add soup and sour cream. Gradually add milk. Add salt, pepper and parsley. Heat until warm. Do not boil. Makes 4 servings.
Easy Baked Potatoes
Virtually everyone loves baked potatoes. With toppings, baked potatoes can be a meal all by themselves. Prepare your toppings the night or morning before and you can have a quick and easy dinner.
Check out these easy ways to bake potatoes:
- When slowly cooked, baked potatoes have a much better flavor than when cooked quickly in the microwave.
- Here’s a tip from one of our readers on perfect baked potatoes: Bake your potatoes in a crockpot. Scrub, pierce with a fork, rub some butter on the potatoes and cook on low all day. You will have perfectly baked potatoes when it’s time for dinner.
- If you like the taste of oven baked potatoes but forgot to put them in the oven in time, nuke them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Then finish them in the oven. The centers will be cooked and they won’t take nearly as long to bake in the oven.
- To prevent a dry hard skin, rub your potato in butter or margarine, sprinkle with salt and wrap in foil.
- It is usually best to prick a potato with a fork when cooking it in the microwave because at times potatoes have been known to explode. Big Mess. 🙂
Baked Potato Toppings:
Tomatoes, chopped
Broccoli, chopped
Peppers, chopped
Cheese, grated
Bacon, crumbled
Ham, cubed
Chili
Onion
Olives
Mushrooms
Ranch dressing
Sour cream
Yogurt
Taco themed baked potato: everything you would put on a taco including hamburger with taco seasoning
Pizza themed baked potato: pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, sausage
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Chris W says
Im going to keep these recipes on hand for reference; I’m headed into a month long period without a paycheck & the ideas will definitely come in handy
Betty Morton says
These can be cheaper still if you soak your own beans and cook in a crockpot the day before you prepare the meal.
Evelyn Mayfield says
On the baked potatoes, do you know if any liquid should be added at the bottom of the pot, and if so, how much?
Jill says
No you don’t need to add any liquid. These are pretty easy to make. So wrap them in foil but you don’t have to.
Kimberley Hunter says
I don’t add any liquid to the potatoes that I slow cook. All I do is wash them, prick them with a fork, rub bacon fat on them, and put them in my slow cooker and leave it for eight hours, sometimes a little more. I don’t even wrap them in tin foil. I find that it doesn’t make enough of a difference, and it scratches the finish of the crock anyways.
Linda says
I am wondering if the potato bacon chowder soup is not cooked in a crock pot. There is no mention of using one and everything seems to be cooked on the stove. Whatever way it is cooked, it looks yummy.
Jill says
You can do most of these either way. When you do some things in a crock pot you may want to add the sour cream during the last 30 mins. of cooking because sometimes dairy products can curdle. I used a crock pot for many years but haven’t had one for a while and did the same recipes on the stove top. I’m like you. Anything with bacon sour cream and many of those ingredients would be yummy no matter how you cooked them.
Sharon says
Thanks for the crock pot recipes! I’m always looking for good frugal recipes for the crock pot.
Margaret Fischer says
I am not sure how you figure these are less than $5 because where I live bacon is 6.99 a lb and ground beef is 3.59 a lb, whole chickens are way over a dollar a pound. Nonetheless thank you for sharing these because they do look good and I am always looking for crock pot recipes.
Jill says
Margaret we usually take the average for most people. Of course prices are going to be different in different areas. The thing you need to take into consideration is that bacon may be higher but something else may be much less where you live than where I live. Also in most areas the average income matches the higher prices. In other words in places where prices are higher then usually incomes are higher. We take the average.
frogcooke says
I was going to say the same. Beef here is like 3.79 (cheapest 75% lean if on sale) to like 5.99/lb for ground beef. This is why i havent bought ground beef in forever. So expensive. Bacon you can sometimes get for under $5 for a pound. You are lucky to find boned chicken at $1/lb if on sale. Pork is usually cheapest at about 2.50-2.75/lb for boneless rib meat etc.
Shredded cheese is $4-5/lb. Green peppers here are usually 1.99/lb less if in season. Colored peppers normally 2.99-3.99/lb
Im also assuming these recipes are if you have most items on hand already. Otherwise i cant really see any of these coming in at under $5, not including spices in the mix. I live in central massachusetts.
Jill says
Things are more expensive back East then here but most of the time the wages are a little higher too. We really can’t give an exact price for each state so we give an average. You need to look at the over all picture. For example Tawra lives in Colorado and prices on homes are insane compared to here in Kansas but at the same time their utilities are way cheaper then here in Kansas. Part of what a person needs to do is to use these recipes as a guideline and adapt it for your area and use things that are less expensive there.
Pat says
I got Wrights Bacon really cheap by using a coupon and a rebate on the ibotta app. Now Hamburger I get at Edwards by buying 5 meats for $18.98. I usually get the biggest packages since they will lower the price at the register after they ring up the 5th one.
Hillary says
I am just trying to figure out where on earth you buy your groceries and can get all these ingredients in each recipe for 5 DOLLARS AND UNDER?!? A but far fetched in my opinion. Your title is averaging around 5 DOLLARS, it is FOR UNDER FIVE DOLLARS. I am going to go out on a limb here and say this is not realistic.
Tawra says
I get them on sale. Most of my groceries are bought at Walmart or smaller natural food stores here that are like Whole Foods. If you are in New York City you may not be able to get those prices but I do do it everyday.
Jill says
I am in Kansas and I had things like hamburger on sale for $1.99 today. I also get a 10 lb. bag of potatoes for $2.00 and quite often get chicken for $.79 on sale. I just got bananas today for $.29 a lb. today too so these really aren’t unrealistic prices for our area. That is part of why I live where I do.
Patricia says
Most of these recipes ARE doable as long as you plan ahead and watch the sales circulars and cycles closely.
I live in NW Alabama. I refuse to pay over $1.99/lb for ground beef. When that item goes on sale locally, I stock up and freeze. Our local Aldi helps with produce prices tremendously, even organic produce! Whole chickens are on sale for .99/lb here frequently. Buy the smaller 3-4 lb bird, and any other needed ingredients on sale.
Our area doesn’t have the least expensive cost of living expenses, food stuffs included, but not the most expensive either. Our incomes are DEFINITELY not the top either…
Basically, plan ahead and waste nothing.
Always keep your eyes open for great prices/loss leaders and utilize your freezer.
Jared says
Same here. The four boneless skinless chicken breasts alone cost more than $5– and they were on sale! Bit deceptive and unrealistic.
Tawra says
No it’s not at all deceptive or unrealistic. We have chosen to live in a place where there are lower food prices. If you choose to live in a place that has higher prices then you just need to accept that as a choice you’ve made. I can say that I know people in many different states and this is VERY realist for all of them so it’s not just a price that you can get in Kansas or Colorado where we live.
Pat says
I get my groceries at Kroger but I follow KrogerKrazy and match coupons to sales. I get a lot of food free after coupons, catalina’s, or money off at the register and then there is always the rebate sites like Ibotta and Checkout 51 or Savingstar. Some of them are organic and some of them are processed foods but when you are supporting 8 people on one salary you have to do what you have to do. If it is free and we will eat it I am ashamed to say I buy it even if it isn’t healthy. I do make homemade stuff a lot but if it is free after coupons I don’t. If my daughter finds a job and moves out I can eat healthier again.
CJ says
For those who are complaining that $5 is not doable – I’m in Canada and food is insanely expensive compared to the US. That being said, most of these I could do for around $6-7 if I buy the expensive ingredients on sale, such as ground beef or bacon, or even peppers (I can get these bags of “seconds” for peppers – odd shapes and sizes but otherwise perfect – for around $1.50/lb. A lb of peppers is like 2-3 peppers usually). The only one I don’t think I could do is ones with chicken breasts, but if I used thighs I probably could.
Otherwise it’s a matter of planning, buying ahead on sale (or better yet – loss leader!) and doing the work yourself.
Heather says
I live in New York State (not city) and, yes, our prices here are higher. I have lived in several states, and grocery prices do vary a lot (and they vary even at national chains like Wal-Mart). Aldi is one good place to check prices.
However, these recipes provide helpful ideas, and people can/should adjust for what they find on sale and what their own budget it. If ground beef is expensive, use ground turkey or chop up chicken. If you have a large family, adjust the recipe. I have several teenagers and I would need to double some of these recipes to feed everyone and have some leftovers. However, even if I had to pay twice as much for the ingredients and then double the recipe, it would still be a $20 recipe for dinner plus probably some lunches from leftovers. In this area and for my family size, that’s a good deal. It’s much cheaper than going out and even the drive-thru or pizza is usually more expensive. A drive-thru meal in this area can cost $6-$7 per person.
I understand why people are drawn to the $5 concept, and frustrated when they can’t reach that target amount, but that isn’t realistic for every family in every area. The idea is to do the best to fit your own situation. Tawra is right – in most areas of the country, higher wages do match up to higher cost of living. Do the best you can with what you have.
Jill says
That is one of my pet peeves which is people need to really get away from exact prices and use the tips and ideas more. I try desperately to explain that each area is different and each family is different – for example if a person says they feed their family of 4 on $50 a week that sounds so great but what they don’t mention is they have a nursing baby, toddler and a husband that sits in an office all day and they live in Kansas. Well there is a poor woman who is trying to copy you and she lives in New York, has 2 strapping teenage boys and a husband that does manual labor, and she tries to feed her family for $50. It just isn’t going to happen.
We are so bad about always comparing ourselves to others and we need to stop doing that. Use the tips and ideas and do the very best you can in wisely spending our money. I hate that people always want to see numbers but that is what they want so we have to use them too I’m afraid.
pajama mama says
I totally agree Jill. We live in central PA, and the prices you describe are similar to where we are, but we moved to a low cost area, but we travel a long way for work. However, we only shop at ALDI, DT, and a grocery outlet, and stock up on each item when prices are low. If I were to make the potato soup, and bacon cost a lot, I would leave it out, or only use a slice or two for flavor. I think these are great ideas, and thank you for sharing them.
Marilyn Vernon says
Jill,
I did learn that if you go to Gordon’s Food Service there are tubes of ground beef 80/20 (I believe). I pay; most of the time, $21.00 roughly for 10#s. Some don’t take into consideration is the amount of each you are telling us to use in the recipe. We wouldn’t normally use a 10# bag entirely on the soup, you are saying to use ” 2 cups cubed potatoes”, (10# bag = 2.00, 20 potatoes in a bag, that is .10 a potatoes). To get the recipe down to $5.00 requires some math and sale prices. I won’t make some recipes unless either I have on hand the items or buy some items for ‘on sale” prices. I live in Ohio and boy the prices aren’t bad but certainly aren’t cheap, and I can make this for roughly $5. Delicious. Thank you so much for all your ideas and recipes.
Jill says
Thank you Marilyn for your comment. We appreciate it because we don’t always have the time or space to explain all of the details of how we get to our numbers. That is why I tell people to take the time and put pen to paper and do the figuring. (Which I can tell you have 🙂 ) I think often people do do that because they won’t have an excuse any more not to change things. Thanks again for some good old common sense. 🙂
Rhonda Waldron says
My inlaws live in NY state about 1 & 1/2 hours from Niagra Falls and they have Aldi and the prices are certainly doable in the range of around $5 per meal. They had ground beef for 1.99/lb last week and chicken on sale this week.
Pat says
Great. I can make two of them for my clan. LOL The baked potatoes and the garlic roasted chicken is the only one that my gang will or can eat (not counting the kids or me who will eat anything). I might be able to tweak some of them. One brother won’t eat any pork (nobody knows why and he doesn’t either if you ask him), neither of them will eat tomatoes, one will eat tomato sauce or tomato paste, and neither one of them will eat soup.
Maria says
Hi, I’m a single mom,and I feel so inspired by you and your mom. Can you please tell me the servings of each of these meals?There are only 2 of us but I still need to stretch my money . Thank you
Jill says
Most of the recipes are for 4 people. You can easily tell how much a recipe is for but the amount of meat used in them. For example 4 pieces of chicken means this will serve four. 1/2-1 lb. of hamburger usually serves 4 with some leftovers. It also depends on how big of eaters you are. For example it will make a difference if it is you and a teenage boy you are feeding or you and a toddler.
You can easily adjust the recipes then by cutting everything in half.
Tracy says
I know I’m late to the party, and I have never commented on a Pinterest post/article, but I’m kind of upset with the way so many people have jumped all over the authors of this article. These are easy, cheap and hopefully yummy recipes that may or may not be under $5 for everyone. It is a Pinterest blog article, not a fiscal guarantee. I appreciate new ideas for easy dinners that won’t break the bank, so THANK YOU!!!
And, for the record we just moved from southern New Hampshire to southern California and with my shopping habits, the weekly ads and digital coupons, I could purchase the ingredients for these meals for under $5 in both states and I probably don’t have to tell you how expensive SoCal is!!!
Jill says
Thank you Tracy for this really really nice comment. We appreciate it. You are the perfect example of what we try to explain to people – it doesn’t matter where you live do the best you can in stretching your money and being careful of it. We have lived all over the country and I have stayed out of debt and lived on my little bit no matter where I live.
Connie says
You say on your website that using your crockpot doesnt heat up your kitchen. But you said in youtube vedio it does. Which is it?
Jill says
The article was written about 15 yrs ago and since then we have found out that it does heat up your kitchen. We try to change as many of those things on the website as we can but since we thousands of tips on there it is sometimes hard to keep up with all of them. Thanks for letting us know
Phyllis Boling says
I find it easier to figure price per serving than using the price per pound. If hamburger is $6.00 a pound and I use 1/2 pound, that would be only $3. per meal. If serving 3 people, that equates to $1.00 per person.
Also, to reduce the price per entrée, cut back a bit on the meat product and add a bit more potato, rice, etc. This will help reduce the cost, but not the flavor.
New England Flybaby says
Hi –
RE: The stuffed peppers recipe – I’m guessing that you add both the juice from the canned tomatoes and the 1/4 cup of water to the crockpot so a sauce is created (?) Sorry to be stupid, but I’ve never made stuffed peppers in a crockpot, and would like to try it. Thanks.
Jill says
Yes you are right it wasn’t you it was the way the recipe was written. Thanks for letting me know. I went in and corrected it.
Aaron says
How old is this? I ask because of the stuffed pepper recipe, right now peppers alone are around $4 for 2 so there is no way to make this for $5. Don’t get me wrong love the recipes and will make several of them I was just curious on thoughts about this. I will be making these recipes in a dutch oven, I love mine and cook all kinds of stuff in it like chili or pot pie filling without the crust and the stuff last me for several days.
Jill says
Aaron prices are different of course if you live in different places and often people go to just one store to buy things. You may have to try different stores and go bargain hunting or hit the ads. To be honest I paid $.99 for 4 very large (almost double the size) of colored peppers. That price was for all of them. Also you know you may have to learn to do some things seasonally. The main point of these recipes is to learn to make stuffed peppers because they are much cheaper no matter where you are than say round steak and fixings or going out to eat.
AJ says
Just another tip for those trying to save on groceries: check the Markdown places in your local stores. Many grocery stores have designated places where they’ll stock marked down produce or bakery or meat items. These items are usually closer to the expiration date than the normal stock, so they’re trying to make a quick sale before they expire (and have to throw them away at a total loss). Sometimes, like with produce, it is more bruised or might have “bad” fruits or parts that need to be cut out, but there is still much that is salvageable if you use it right away. We regularly get foods at 20%-50% off regular price–or even more–by checking these areas. These areas are often on the end of an aisle or cold case or in an out-of-the-way spot in the store, and different stores keep them in different places. If you don’t know if your store has these particular areas, just ask an employee. They are usually happy to show you!
Tamera Tergerson says
I bought a rotisserie chicken last night that was on sale for $5.99. I can make chicken salad out of it plus an appetizer that eats like a meal, so it will work out to two meals using ingredients I already have on hand. 🙂
Kathy says
Thank you so much for sharing these. We are at a point in our family’s life where we are covered up in medical bills. This can be a little worrisome at times. These recipes look great and I think my family will enjoy them. Thanks again.
Amanda says
Y’ll are so silly arguing about price differences. What difference does it make as long as you can feed you and your family for cheaper and less than a headache when going out to eat. That being said, I cannot wait to try the ham, potatoes, and green beans. I’m gonna throw it all in the crockpot then add cheese when I get home. Yum yum. Also, I have been craving baked potato and it looks as though I will be making me one very soon! Thank you for the ideas and I’ll keep checking back for more recipes!