The easiest crockpot Thanksgiving sides are green beans (2 hours 10 minutes), sausage stuffing (2 hours 30) and broccoli casserole (2 hours 50), according to Taste of Home’s total times. Longer ones, such as glazed carrots at 6 hours 10, go in first thing. Here’s a start-time plan for twelve of them, so the slow cooker does the work while the turkey keeps the oven.
We haven’t cooked these. The times and notes come from Taste of Home’s slow cooker list, and the start times are our own arithmetic. If you only have one slow cooker, pick one or two!
When should you start each crockpot Thanksgiving side?
Work back from dinner. Subtract the total time from your serving time, and add a cushion if you want the dish ready and waiting. The table below assumes dinner at 3:00 pm and uses Taste of Home‘s listed total times.
| Side | Total time | Start for a 3:00 pm dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Slow-cooker green beans | 2 h 10 min | 12:50 pm |
| Savory sausage stuffing | 2 h 30 min | 12:30 pm |
| Slow-cooker broccoli casserole | 2 h 50 min | 12:10 pm |
| Scalloped taters | 3 h 10 min | 11:50 am |
| Slow-cooker spinach and rice | 3 h 20 min | 11:40 am |
| Garlic green beans with Gorgonzola | 3 h 20 min | 11:40 am |
| Slow-cooker creamed corn with bacon | 4 h 10 min | 10:50 am |
| Butternut squash with whole grains | 4 h 15 min | 10:45 am |
| Cheesy spinach | 5 h 10 min | 9:50 am |
| Maple-walnut sweet potatoes | 5 h 15 min | 9:45 am |
| Glazed spiced carrots | 6 h 10 min | 8:50 am |
| Green beans and potatoes | 6 h 15 min | 8:45 am |
Those start times are simple subtraction
, and they don’t include any holding time. Taste of Home’s page doesn’t say how long each dish can sit warm, so don’t treat the totals as a hold window.
Which crockpot Thanksgiving sides are ready in under 3½ hours?
Six of the twelve finish quickly, which makes them good if you’re starting late. The sausage stuffing is the one that most replaces an oven dish. Its recipe creator says she jazzed up her usual Thanksgiving dressing with pork sausage, and now everyone requests it for holiday meals.
- Scalloped taters: made with frozen hash browns. The creator calls it a good way to make potatoes when your oven is busy with other dishes.
- Broccoli casserole: the creator says that because it simmers in a slow cooker, it frees up the oven for other things when prepping a big meal.
- Spinach and rice: the creator started making it in the slow cooker to save oven space during the holidays.
- Green beans with Gorgonzola: an update on a holiday green bean dish with white wine, fresh thyme and green onions.
- Slow-cooker green beans: the quickest on the list, at just over 2 hours.
Want more of the same? Our vegetable sides sorted by oven space shows what stays in the oven and what doesn’t.
What can cook while you do everything else?
The four- to five-hour sides fit a late-morning start. The creamed corn with bacon comes with a bold claim from its creator, who says she leaves holiday potlucks and work parties with an empty slow cooker. That’s one cook’s report, but it suggests the dish travels well.
- Creamed corn with bacon: described as rich and decadent.
- Butternut squash with whole grains: thyme, a whole grain pilaf and baby spinach.
- Cheesy spinach: the creator says even people who don’t usually eat spinach like it.
- Maple-walnut sweet potatoes: topped with dried cherries and walnuts, and the creator says even people who aren’t into sweet potatoes will grab a second scoop.
Which sides go in first thing in the morning?
Glazed spiced carrots take 6 hours 10 minutes. Taste of Home’s Test Kitchen says the recipe leaves your oven and stovetop free for other cooking. Green beans and potatoes with bacon take 6 hours 15. Its creator says you can start the side dish in the slow cooker and keep preparing the rest of dinner, or visit with your guests.
Those two suit a big dinner, because they’re the least hands-on. If you’re making the turkey too, our turkey calculator works out the oven side of the day.
Can you make stuffing in a crockpot?
Yes, and several sites do. Live Love Texas lists three slow cooker stuffings in its roundup of 25 crockpot Thanksgiving recipes: one with wild rice, cranberries and almonds, one with caramelized apple, and a sausage version. A commenter on r/thanksgiving describes doing it with a regular recipe:
“I made it for a potluck at the university where I worked and every one thought it was the bomb. The recipe is to use those boxed dressing mixes but I just made my regular dressing and put it in the crock pot and it was very tasty.”
– r/thanksgiving (25 upvotes)
That’s one person’s potluck, not a tested method. Stick with a slow cooker recipe if you want reliable times.
What about mashed potatoes?
I Heart Frugal’s roundup includes crock pot mashed potatoes, with the note that they save room on the stove and stay warm for guests. Live Love Texas lists three more slow cooker mashed potato recipes, plus a garlic herb mashed cauliflower. If your stove is already full, that’s the easiest swap!
For the full menu, see our cranberry sauce recipe, our Thanksgiving salad ideas and our Thanksgiving side dishes ranked, and if the slow cooker earns its keep, the Christmas side dishes matched to your main course may help in December.
Crockpot Thanksgiving side questions people ask
What are the best sides to make in a slow cooker?
Casseroles, potatoes, green beans, corn and stuffing show up most across the lists we read. Taste of Home and Live Love Texas both feature scalloped potatoes and creamed corn.
How many slow cookers do you need?
One per dish. Plan on one or two sides, unless you have extras. One roundup author says she has three slow cookers and plans to use them for Thanksgiving.