Lifestyle

20 Crock-Pot Christmas Dinner Ideas for a Stress-Free Holiday

LifestylePublished Dec 5, 2018
By Maressa Brown
I Heart Recipes spiral hamIHeartRecipes/YouTube

Hosting any dinner, let alone a holiday dinner, is a major undertaking. At the bare minimum, a host knows she or he is signing up for shopping for all the ingredients, finalizing a guest list, cleaning the house, prepping the main dishes, coordinating any other dishes with guests, setting the stage for a beautiful meal, cooking and presenting that beautiful meal, entertaining guests, then cleaning up and somehow juggling all of her or his other every day to-dos at the same time as all of the holiday dinner tasks. Whew! It's enough to make plenty of people seriously consider taking a hard pass on hosting responsibilities. Or at least think about catering options! 

Sure there's something to be said for spending time in the kitchen with loved ones, chatting over coffee or wine while chopping, sautéing, mixing, and pre-heating. But there are also undoubtedly a bevy of benefits to being able to set up a recipe in the trusty ol' slow cooker, or Crock-Pot, and then walking away for hours -- literally, hours --  to spend time on other activities, from wrapping gifts to baking cookies, trimming the tree or simply getting that well-deserved mani-pedi before the guests start arriving. 

When it comes to the Super Bowl or Sunday night dinners, busting out the Crock-Pot is a time-honored shortcut. So, why shouldn't the same be true on Christmas? It may be even more useful during the holiday season, which has the tendency to run to just about anyone -- especially harried moms -- ragged. Bonus: Traditional recipes like ham, as well as festive turkey and chicken, plus side dishes (think sweet potato casserole and green beans) come together beautifully in a slow cooker. Here are 20 Christmas dinner Crock-Pot recipes that will take the stress out of preparing the big holiday meal.

1/20
Turkey Breast-placeholder
Turkey Breast
ChelseasMessyApron/Pinterest

Turkey Breast

This Crock-Pot turkey breast from Chelsea's Messy Apron is a tender and comforting dish for a small holiday party.

2/20
Maple Brown Sugar Ham-placeholder
Maple Brown Sugar Ham
Life-in-the-Lofthouse.com/Pinterest

Maple Brown Sugar Ham

Brown sugar, maple syrup, and pineapple juice are the key ingredients for this holiday ham recipe from Life in the Lofthouse.

3/20
Sweet Corn Spoon Bread-placeholder
Sweet Corn Spoon Bread
SweetLittleBlueBird.com/Pinterest

Sweet Corn Spoon Bread

This Crock-Pot sweet corn spoon bread from The Country Cook makes a delectable side dish.

4/20
Cranberry Pork-placeholder
Cranberry Pork
TheSoutherLadyCooks.com/Pinterest

Cranberry Pork

The Southern Lady Cooks suggests serving her Crock-Pot cranberry pork over mashed potatoes.

5/20
Stuffing-placeholder
Stuffing
TammileeTips/Pinterest

Stuffing

This rich, delicious Crock-Pot stuffing works for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

6/20
No-Boil Mashed Potatoes-placeholder
No-Boil Mashed Potatoes
RecipesThatCrock/Pinterest

No-Boil Mashed Potatoes

Red potatoes, sour cream and cream cheese make for creamy, savory mashed potatoes in the Crock-Pot -- no boiling required.

7/20
Chicken Parmesan-placeholder
Chicken Parmesan
eatingonadime.com/Pinterest

Chicken Parmesan

This chicken Parmesan recipe from Eating on a Dime is the perfect pick for a Christmas dinner with Italian comfort food flair.

8/20
Creamy Herbed Chicken-placeholder
Creamy Herbed Chicken
BrittanyCannonBurton/Pinterest

Creamy Herbed Chicken

This Crock-Pot creamy herbed chicken from Farm Wife Cooks is a creamy comfort dish that will be right at home on the Christmas dinner table.

9/20
Brussels Sprouts With Cranberries-placeholder
Brussels Sprouts With Cranberries
MyFussyEater/YouTube

Brussels Sprouts With Cranberries

This festive Brussels sprouts dish from My Fussy Eater is simple and healthy.

10/20
Ritz Chicken-placeholder
Ritz Chicken
SixSistersStuff/Pinterest

Ritz Chicken

This slow-cooker Ritz chicken from Six Sisters' Stuff has a buttery Ritz cracker coating that's perfect for an indulgent Christmas dinner.

11/20
Sweet Potato Casserole-placeholder
Sweet Potato Casserole
ChelseasMessyApron/Pinterest

Sweet Potato Casserole

This Crock-Pot sweet potato casserole from Chelsea's Messy Apron is packed with sweet, spicy flavor.

12/20
Slow-Cooker Rosemary Christmas Beef With Salsa Verde-placeholder
Slow-Cooker Rosemary Christmas Beef With Salsa Verde
RachaelRayShow/YouTube

Slow-Cooker Rosemary Christmas Beef With Salsa Verde

This Christmas beef recipe from The Rachel Ray Show has a delicious kick thanks to its salsa verde.

13/20
Jalapeno Pineapple Ham-placeholder
Jalapeno Pineapple Ham
TheMagicalSlowCooker/Pinterest

Jalapeno Pineapple Ham

This slow cooker jalapeno pineapple ham recipe from The Magical Slow Cooker is equal parts sweet and spicy.

14/20
Sweet Glazed Carrots-placeholder
Sweet Glazed Carrots
TogetherasFamilyBlog/Pinterest

Sweet Glazed Carrots

Just five ingredients make up this candy-like slow cooker sweet carrots side dish from Together as Family.

15/20
Spiral Ham-placeholder
Spiral Ham
IHeartRecipes/YouTube

Spiral Ham

This spiral ham from I Heart Recipes gets its sweet and savory kick from a combo of pineapple juice and yellow mustard.

16/20
Green Beans-placeholder
Green Beans
TogetherasFamilyBlog/Pinterest

Green Beans

Making a tasty, comforting green beans side dish has never been easier, thanks to the Together as Family blog.

17/20
Cranberry Chicken-placeholder
Cranberry Chicken
GardenandTable.net/Pinterest

Cranberry Chicken

This festive cranberry-flavored take on barbecue chicken from Garden & Table is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

18/20
Cranberry Orange Pork Tenderloin-placeholder
Cranberry Orange Pork Tenderloin
LetsDishRecipes/Pinterest

Cranberry Orange Pork Tenderloin

What could be more perfect for Christmas than this pork tenderloin, slow cooked in a cranberry and orange sauce with golden raisins from Let's Dish Recipes?

19/20
Cornish Hens-placeholder
Cornish Hens
HousewifeHowTos/Pinterest

Cornish Hens

Individually sized Cornish hens are easily prepped in the slow cooker with this House Wife How-Tos recipe. It's an indulgent option for Christmas dinner.

20/20
Wild Rice With Pecans & Cranberries-placeholder
Wild Rice With Pecans & Cranberries
WhataGirlEats/Pinterest

Wild Rice With Pecans & Cranberries

This cranberry- and pecan-laced wild rice from What a Girl Eats is sure to look as good as it tastes.

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