Slow cookers are an easy way to cook flavour-packed, hearty meals like stews, soups and curries, without any of the hands-on tending required from having a pot on the hob. Once the ingredients are assembled, this low-wattage appliance quietly works its magic, leaving you free to focus on other things.

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It's also an underrated gadget – slow cookers are surprisingly versatile, able to create puddings, dhal and yogurt. But perhaps most celebrated is the ability to achieve tender, flavoursome results when cooking meat.

With most of us experiencing a squeeze on budgets at the moment, making more considered choices when it comes to appliances can help. Depending on the size, you can batch-cook for filling the freezer – and we're not just looking for a great deal, but also an energy-efficient gadget that helps us keep costs low in the long run. Read more about how to make the most of your gadget with our 10 top tips for using a slow cooker.

Models can greatly vary in capacity, budget, and sophistication, but most are very straightforward and can be used straight out of the box. Some high-tech models also come with additional features, like sous vide settings, automatic timers, and presets for specific ingredients like meat, poultry, vegetables and soup. You'll also often find slow cooking as a function on multi-cookers and high-spec air-fryers.

Slow cooking has also been touted as a way to cook meals more efficiently and at a lower cost versus using an oven. You can find further advice in our guide to energy-efficient cooking.

Black Friday is over, but we're still seeing offers on several top-rated models from a range of retailers. We'll been keeping an eye out for the biggest deals on our best slow cookers and keeping track of prices, to help you get the best and biggest savings.

For recipes, resources and ideas for how to eat well on a budget, discover our Cook Smart campaign and our complete guide to energy-efficient cooking. Or visit our reviews section and discover more than 600 practical buyer’s guides offering unbiased advice on what equipment is worth investing in. Find everything from the best food processors to other energy efficient kit such as best air fryers and best microwaves.

Slow cooker deals at a glance

  • Amazon – thousands of deals are live
  • Very – deals across slow cookers, air-fryers and coffee machines
  • John Lewis and Partners – save on home, cookware and electricals
  • Boots Appliances – 1000s of savings across large appliances, TVs and more
  • Appliances Direct – up to 25% off small appliances, with new deals added
  • Currys – up to 40% off thousands of products site-wide
  • Robert Dyas – savings across kitchenware, accessories, appliances and more
  • Argos – deals across all product categories
  • JD Williams – up to 30% off kitchen electricals
  • AO.com – 'mega deals' on slow cookers, coffee machines, air-fryers and more

Don't forget that all of these retailers will be competing for your attention, so will be keeping track of other brands' slow cooker deals as well as their own. We've also seen Currys, AO, and John Lewis and Partners offer a price-match promise on slow cookers. When you find a price that you're happy with, check for added extras like free delivery.

Slow cooker deals 2023

Ninja 9-in-1 multicooker OP350UK

Best blowout multi-tasking slow cooker

Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 multicooker 6-litre OP350UK

Star rating: 5/5

This slick Ninja multi-cooker is a convenient all-in-one gadget that offers great credentials for healthier eating, thanks to its zero-oil air-crisping. Functions include slow cooking, air-crisping, grilling, dehydrating, searing and sautéing, baking and roasting, steaming, making yogurt, and pressure cooking. Its user-friendly design, robust build, and anti-slip feet also impressed us.

It's a versatile piece of kit so already offers great value for money, but now is an excellent time to snap one up for a fraction of the original price.

Read our full Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 6-litre multicooker review.

Wattage: 1460W

Available from:

Morphy Richards EasyTime slow cooker

Best simple slow cooker with timer

Morphy Richards Easy Time slow cooker

Star rating: 5/5

If you're after a simplistic slow cooker with a timer, this slow cooker is a brilliant choice. It impressed us in test with its easy to use controls and the perfect stew it produced. It features welcome additions like a 12-hour countdown timer, a two-hour keep-warm setting and lightweight aluminium pot.

The cooking pot is also hob-safe, meaning you can cook in it and savour every flavour. For ease both the lid and the pot are dishwasher safe.

Read the full Morphy Richards EasyTime Slow Cooker review.

Available from:

GreenPan Elite 8-in-1 slow cooker

Best slow cooker for entertaining

GreenPan 8-in-1 slow cooker

Star rating: 4.5/5

The first of its kind for GreenPan, this slow cooker has a range of settings and produced excellent cooking results, too. There are high and low heat levels, plus simmer/buffet, steam and reheat. We also liked the brown/sauté setting, which is built in so you don't need to use separate pans.

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We tested this model by making a beef stew, and while the sauce was a little thin at the end of the cooking time, our meat was perfectly tender and our veg had the soft but slight bite we were looking for.

Wattage: 1350W

Available from:

Crock Pot TimeSelect CSC066

Best slow cooker for automatic functions

Crockpot TimeSelect Digital Slow Cooker

Star rating: 4.5/5

We found this high-tech model to be great value for a number of reasons – the first being its generous 5.6L capacity, which is ideal for large families or entertaining.

It has a sleek, attractive appearance and a surprisingly modest footprint for its size, and its main ceramic bowl feels weighty and robust. It scored highly on versatility too, as the pot can go inside the oven up to 250C.

The four automatic settings, which include meat, poultry, soup and vegetables, are very easy to set up. The only thing lacking for us was the number of recipes inside the manual. Regardless, this is an excellent slow cooker that produces great results.

Read the full Crock Pot Time Select review.

Wattage: 240W

Available from:

Tower 3.5L Cavaletto Slow Cooker

Best no-nonsense slow cooker

Tower Cavletto slow cooker

Star rating: 4/5

Compact and fuss-free, this Tower slow cooker doesn't have all the bells and whistles of other larger models, but it handles the basics brilliantly. There are three settings – low, high, and keep warm – and you can put the pot in the dishwasher. Using the slow cooker was easy, too, and our beef stew had tender meat and soft veggies with a slight bite.

Cost-wise, it was available for a similar price for most of last year, with a slight increase in the summer before dipping again in early November. We're not expecting the price to drop much further, so if you're thinking about buying this model, it may be worth doing so sooner rather than later.

Read our full Tower 3.5L Cavaletto slow cooker review.

Wattage: 210W

Available from:

How to calculate your kWh cost

Slow cookers can be very cost-effective as they typically have a low wattage, which means they're much cheaper to run than a conventional oven. That said, they do vary in energy efficiency and the cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) can depend on your energy tariff and where you live.

To calculate your slow cooker's daily cost, take the wattage and multiply that number by the hours of use per day. Then, divide the total by 1000 to get the appliance's estimated daily kilowatt-hour (kWh). Don't forget that this number will vary depending on where you live and who your energy supplier is. If you have a smart meter, you'll be able to see the cost while your slow cooker is in use.

How to shop safely online

Deals events are competitive, with brands and retailers alike vying for your attention and purchasing power. Scams are unfortunately a result of this landscape. So, we recommend only buying from retailers and brands you trust. If a deal feels too good to be true, it probably is.

Don't give out personal information similar to security questions, as they could be used to predict passwords. And we also recommend avoiding sites and private sellers that you don't recognise. Find out more in our guide on how to avoid online scams when shopping over Christmas.

How do we find slow cooker deals?

When we look for slow cooker deals, we check a huge variety of retailer sites to see which deals are available. As brands try to compete with each other, prices tend to change a few times a day, so we track all the prices to ensure you're getting the best deal and update this list accordingly.

We also don't just look at the larger retailers – we look at the smaller ones, too, as they may be offering prices that bigger brands can't. Our ultimate aim is to ensure you're getting the best deals and biggest savings possible, whatever the retailer.

How do we select slow cooker deals?

While there are lots of slow cooker deals around, those included in our list are the best performers of those shortlisted, tested and reviewed by BBC Good Food experts. Each slow cooker was put to the test using BBC Good Food's triple-tested recipes, which allow us to assess how they perform and challenge any extra functions.

We take note of what the appliance does well, but we also check for any weaknesses. Read our guide to the best slow cookers to discover our top-rated picks and find out which models achieved the highest star-ratings.

Are slow cookers energy efficient?

Appliances like slow cookers tend to run for a few hours, so they typically have a lower wattage. A lower wattage results in lower energy consumption, which means slow cookers can be classed as energy efficient versus other higher-wattage appliances. Read our guide to energy-efficient cooking and check out our pick of the best energy-efficient appliances.

How to find a good slow cooker deal

  • Stick to a budget: now is a great opportunity to save money on a range of products, so to ensure you make the most of these savings, set a budget and stick to it.
  • Read reviews: it's easy to get pulled in by a good-looking deal, but there's also a chance the model you have your eye on is a dud. Our expert reviewers have tested a wide variety of slow cookers, so you can rest assured their recommendations are solid. Each test and review is impartial, and we always include the most up-to-date advice on the products actually worth spending money on.
  • Use tools that alert you to good deals: for instance, CamelCamelCamel will show you the price history of Amazon products.
  • When you see a price you're happy with, buy it: many deals are only available for a short period.

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All savings percentages have been rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.

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