11 Easter dinner side dishes you can make in a slow cooker

Erin McDowellMar 28, 2024, 16:56 IST

Scalloped potatoes, cheesy rolls, and ham can all be made in a slow cooker.Joe Gough/Shutterstock

Easter dinner can be a perfect opportunity to try out new recipes in your Crock-Pot or slow cooker.
Side dishes like carrots, scalloped potatoes, and green-bean casserole can be made in a slow cooker.

Easter is right around the corner, making it the perfect time to start planning your menu.

Easter meals typically include dishes like ham, lamb, potatoes, and fresh seasonal vegetables.

While often associated with winter stews and game-day dips, Crock-Pots and slow cookers are actually on the rise as a helpful cooking tool year-round. According to a Google Trends analysis over the last five years, searches for "slow cooker" typically rise in November and December, decrease at the start of the year, and then rise again along with the Easter holiday in March or April.

Business Insider consulted slow-cooker recipes and Leigh Anne Wilkes, the author of "Holiday Slow Cooker: 100 Incredible and Festive Recipes for Every Celebration," to determine the best slow-cooker recipes to make this Easter.

Here are 11 Easter dinner side dishes you can make in a slow cooker.

Mac and cheese is a crowd-pleasing side dish.

Slow cooker macaroni and cheese.Leigh Anne Wilkes

You can also make creamy mashed potatoes in a slow cooker.

Mashed potatoes.Robynmac/Getty Images

Another option is a warm German potato salad with ingredients like mustard, crispy bacon, and softened celery.

The finished potato salad with bacon.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Buffalo-chicken dip is another quick and easy favorite for a holiday gathering.

Buffalo-chicken dip.AS Food studio/Shutterstock

Green-bean casserole can also be made in a slow cooker.

Green-bean casserole.Elizaveta Korobkova/Shutterstock

Slow-cooked glazed carrots are delicious and easy to make in a slow cooker.

Slow-cooker cinnamon and honey carrots.Leigh Anne Wilkes

Balsamic Brussels sprouts make for a perfect side dish at Easter.

Brussels sprouts.Jayme Burrows/Shutterstock

Scalloped potatoes, or potatoes au gratin, are the perfect cheesy, creamy addition to any Easter meal, but you don't need to take up precious oven space to prepare them.

Scalloped potatoes.Joe Gough/Shutterstock

Scalloped potatoes, or potatoes au gratin, are the perfect cheesy, creamy addition to any Easter meal, but you don't need to take up precious oven space to prepare them.

Dinner rolls can also be made in a slow cooker or Crock-Pot.

Dinner rolls.AnnSal/Shutterstock

You can also kick your rolls up a notch with these cheesy slow-cooker rolls.

Slow-cooker rolls.Leigh Anne Wilkes

If you want to cook more than one kind of meat, you can use a slow cooker to prepare an Easter ham.

Slow cooker ham.Leigh Anne Wilkes

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11 Easter dinner side dishes you can make in a slow cooker

Mac and cheese is a crowd-pleasing side dish.

You can also make creamy mashed potatoes in a slow cooker.

Another option is a warm German potato salad with ingredients like mustard, crispy bacon, and softened celery.

Buffalo-chicken dip is another quick and easy favorite for a holiday gathering.

Green-bean casserole can also be made in a slow cooker.

Slow-cooked glazed carrots are delicious and easy to make in a slow cooker.

Balsamic Brussels sprouts make for a perfect side dish at Easter.

Scalloped potatoes, or potatoes au gratin, are the perfect cheesy, creamy addition to any Easter meal, but you don't need to take up precious oven space to prepare them.

Dinner rolls can also be made in a slow cooker or Crock-Pot.

You can also kick your rolls up a notch with these cheesy slow-cooker rolls.

If you want to cook more than one kind of meat, you can use a slow cooker to prepare an Easter ham.