What size slow cooker do you need?
How do you determine the best slow cooker size for your kitchen? A standard slow cooker size is 6 to 7-quarts and most slow cooker recipes are geared towards this common pot size. But sizes range from the smallest slow cooker, a 20-ounce mini crock pot, to the largest slow cooker on the market, a 10-quart extra large pot.
A general guideline is to allow one quart per person then round up a bit—keep in mind slow cookers should be one-half to two-thirds full for optimal cooking. So when choosing a slow cooker, you’ll want to consider two things: (1) the type of food you plan to cook and (2) how many people you need to serve.
Remember, all sizes offer the flexibility to scale recipes up or down to some degree. But, with the exception of one electric Dutch oven, models smaller than 4-quarts do not offer the ability to sear or brown in the unit.
Sizing Considerations
1. Type of Food You Plan to Cook
Most recipes are easily adapted to fit the size of any crock pot, but the size and/or shape of your pot can limit certain foods. As a general rule, slow cookers should be one-half to two-thirds full for optimal cooking. When under-filled, food will cook faster and can burn. And when over-filled, food takes longer to cook which can pose a food safety issue.
Large slow cookers (see our picks) with their oblong-shape can accommodate large roasts or allow you to cook a whole chicken in a slow cooker. And if making recipes calling for a smaller container to be placed inside of a slow cooker—such as egg bites—you’ll need a larger pot.
Note, we recommend using a regular oven (versus a slow cooker) for baking cakes and pies, but when using the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook you’ll find dessert recipes calling for a springform pan which requires a larger cooker.
Small slow cookers (see our picks) with round pots can't accommodate large cuts of meat, but they are useful for small batches of soup, stews, steel cut oats or slow cooker rice pudding.
More Reading: Our article What is a Slow Cooker? covers various reasons people use slow cookers.
2. Number of People Serving
The number of people you plan to serve should also guide your decision. Again, a general rule is to plan for 1+ quart pot size per person.
Most families will enjoy an average slow cooker size of 6 to 7-quarts. Even smaller families with big eaters (for example, one parent and two teens) will prefer this standard size slow cooker.
If you’re cooking for 1 to 2 people, then a 3 to 5-quart small slow cooker may be preferred. Keep in mind, your need for leftovers (or not) can determine if you choose something on the smaller or larger side. This also applies to batch-cooking and meal prep. When cooking for 1 to 2 people, our approach is to use a 4-quart cooker and freeze any leftovers in individual servings with stackable silicone trays.
What size is your slow cooker?
How big is your pot? To determine the capacity of a slow cooker—or any pot—simply measure how much water it holds: 4 cups = 1 quart
New to slow cooking?
We have a library of slow cooker resources to help you get started.
