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.

Advertisement

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.

More like this

We've spotted several offers on 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 – 100s of savings across home and electricals
  • Currys – guaranteed rewards of up to £2,500 when you buy selected energy-efficient appliances
  • Appliances Direct – save up to £100 on Ninja multi-cookers
  • John Lewis and Partners – save on home, cookware and electricals
  • Boots Kitchen Appliances – 1000s of savings across large appliances, TVs and more
  • Robert Dyas – discounts on Ninja, Daewoo, Russell Hobbs and more
  • Argos – up to 20% on AEG and Zanussi appliances, plus 15% off selected Tefal products
  • JD Williams – save on Ninja, Morphy Richards and Tefal slow cookers
  • AO.com – deals on large appliances, including fridge-freezers and ovens

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 2024

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.

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:

Lakeland 6.5L searing slow cooker

Best slow cooker for families

Lakeland-6.5-litre-searing-slow-cooker

Star rating: 5/5

This ultra versatile slow cooker from Lakeland comes with a useful hob-safe cooking pot, meaning you can sear meat or cook the base of your dish in the cooking pot itself. Not only saving you on excess washing up, but it also means that flavours are kept in.

With a 6.5L capacity, there's plenty of space if you've got lots of mouths to feed or if you like to prep. Our test recipe cooked brilliantly in this model and we particularly liked the fact that the exterior only got lukewarm.

Available from:

Crock Pot Lift & Serve digital slow cooker

Best small slow cooker

Crock-Pot-3.5-digital-slow-cooker

Star rating: 4.5/5

A great pick for those with limited kitchen space, this 3.5-litre slow cooker is compact and relatively easy to store. Its interface is simple and intuitive, and among the controls are the traditional high and low settings, plus a keep-warm function that switches on when the timer has ended.

We used the Lift & Serve to make a beef stew, and the results were generally positive: tender meat and a thick, rich sauce. Our veg was a little too soft, so we'd suggest cutting it into larger chunks to get a firmer bite.

This model hasn't shifted in price at all over the last six months, so while the savings on it are relatively small, they are genuine. We'll be continuing to track these deals, but if you want to buy now, these are currently the best on offer.

Wattage: 300W

Available from:

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:

Daewoo stainless steel slow cooker

Best budget slow cooker

Daewoo slow cooker

Star rating: 4.5/5

This budget-friendly model has a practical capacity for cooking upwards of four portions at a time and created deliciously tender beef stew during our tests. Both the inner pot and lid are also both dishwasher-friendly.

Read our full Daewoo stainless steel slow cooker review.

Wattage: 160W

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.

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 Good Food experts. Each slow cooker was put to the test using 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.

More deals

Air-fryer deals
Coffee machine deals
Microwave deals
Fridge-freezer deals
Dishwasher deals
Stand mixer deals
Pizza oven deals
BBQ deals
Breadmaker deals

Advertisement

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

Comments, questions and tips

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement