26 Easy Crockpot Appetizers

These Delicious Crockpot Appetizers make your life so much easier.

Whether you love hosting gatherings or want to make your weeknight meals more special, appetizers are surely the way to go. An appetizer is typically a smaller-portioned dish with enticing ingredients and flavors, temporarily soothing your hunger but simultaneously making your appetite grow for the main course.

You don’t want them to be too filling. Otherwise, you won’t be able to enjoy the entrée. Therefore, lighter and snacky foods work wonderfully as appetizers, such as bite-sized finger foods, light soups, or delicious dips into which you can dunk bread.

You can make tons of different starters in your crockpot to save time and energy. Crockpots make it easy for you because the machine can work on the appetizer while you work on the main course!

Our list here contains delicious and healthy crockpot appetizers for you to try. From Crockpot Kielbasa Bites to Slow Cooker Ham and Cheese Sliders, these starts will certainly have you wanting more.

Not to mention, we’ve got recipes for wings, and since they’re cooked in a crockpot, you don’t have to worry about starting your meal with a ton of fried food. Without further ado, let’s look at these tasty appetizers.

If you are looking for even more crockpot recipes, be sure to check out our slow cooker chicken breast recipe collection.

1. Crockpot Sweet Spicy Bites

These bite-sized chicken tenders are the perfect way to kickstart your appetite. The brown sugar chili powder seasoning ensures they aren’t too spicy. The hard part is done once you wrap the bacon around each piece, and the crockpot does the rest of the work. We recommend you pair them with honey mustard or ranch dressing since they are the ideal size for dipping!

2. Slow Cooker Peach Habanero Glazed Pineapple Chicken Skewers

Here is another chicken appetizer, except this one includes habaneros, pineapple, and chicken on a skewer. You might not think you can make skewer food in a crockpot, but you can. The fruit and meat are assembled on the skewer before you place them in the crockpot and cover it with a zesty sauce made from soy sauce, peach preserves, minced habanero, and more. Since you cook it low and slow, the chicken remains incredibly juicy.

3. Crockpot Pizza Dip

This family-friendly appetizer from Real Housemoms contains delicious ingredients, such as cream cheese, parmesan, pizza sauce, and pepperoni. Instead of assembling a whole pizza, you can simply make this pizza dip which you can pair with fresh bread, crackers, or even veggies like carrots if you want a healthy accompaniment. When the dip is ready to be served, sprinkle on fresh basil and other herbs to brighten the flavor and make it fresh.

4. Slow Cooker Ranch Party Mix

If you want to try a lighter appetizer, we recommend making this recipe by Inquiring Chef, which has nuts, Cheez-Its, pretzels, and Chex cereal. Homemade Chex mix is as delicious as store-bought, especially since you can adjust the seasonings to your preferences. The recipe calls for ranch seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and butter. Don’t worry; the party mix doesn’t get soggy in the crockpot. It perfectly crisps up and has a beautiful toasty flavor.

5. Golden Chickpea and Cauliflower Soup

Light soups are always fantastic appetizers because they don’t fill you up so much that you’re not hungry for the main course. Our vegetarian Golden Chickpea and Cauliflower Soup recipe is perfect whether you eat meat or not because you can always follow it with a hearty, meaty meal if you wish. It is extremely healthy, with vegetable broth and plenty of cauliflower. We love it because it cooks all day to be ready in time for dinner.

6. Crockpot Beef Cheddar Sliders

For an excellent party starter, make these sliders because they’re already portioned to the size you need. The fact you can create sliders in the crockpot is terrific, and it’s even better that they taste as great as they look. Recipes That Crock shared this appetizer that includes cheddar cheese, deli roast beef, minced onions, Dijon mustard, and more; it’s certainly not lacking in flavor. The crockpot ensures that all components of the sandwiches are warm and the cheese is gooey!

7. Crockpot Buffalo Bacon Cauliflower

These buffalo bacon cauliflower bites will be a hit at your next get-together. You coat the cauliflower with buffalo sauce, ranch, garlic, and cream cheese, so they’re super saucy after they cook in the crockpot. Although this recipe requires bacon bits, you can easily omit the bacon to make the appetizer plant-based or healthier. We suggest you sprinkle on chives or fresh parsley to give it a pop of color!

8. Slow Cooker Jalapeno Popper Dip

Here is another appetizer dip that your family will enjoy! You’ll also love it because instead of making individual jalapeno poppers that take time, you can transform the ingredients into a much easier crockpot dip. Tasty Oven’s recipe has cream cheese, cheddar, and sour cream, which tones down the spiciness of the fresh jalapeno pieces. You can keep it in the crockpot as you serve it, as long as you adjust the setting to “warm.”

9. Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes

Who said potatoes couldn’t be an appetizer? These cheesy, meaty potato bites are the perfect way to awaken your appetite. With hints of ranch seasoning, chopped chives, cheese, and bacon, they taste similar to a loaded baked potato! Adults and kiddos alike will appreciate the comforting flavors, and you’ll love how easy it is to throw together. Don’t forget to garnish it with the chives at the last minute so the herb stays fresh!

10. Crockpot Kielbasa Bites

These kielbasa bites from Happy Homeschool Nest make any gathering easy since you can serve them with little toothpicks. The sausages have a gorgeous, shiny glaze that catches the eye. Flavor-wise, the brown sugar and chili powder are sweet and spicy. The secret ingredient in this dish is Coca-Cola, but you don’t need much of it. Of course, we recommend you serve these immediately after they’re done cooking since they taste best when the glaze is thick.

11. Slow Cooker Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

If you’re looking for a vegetarian appetizer, look no further. This stuffed mushroom recipe is effortless and has a great flavor profile. Specifically, you stuff the mushroom with cheese, garlic, parsley, and chili powder. The filling also has fresh lemon zest, which gives it a citrusy undertone. The crockpot ensures the mushrooms come out perfectly tender and the cheese is melted on top.

12. Crockpot Garlic Pepper Shrimp

This seafood starter is tasty as ever and only requires a handful of ingredients. You coat the shrimp in a heavenly sauce made from seasonings, garlic, wine, lemon juice, and oil when you make the recipe. Although it’s a crockpot recipe, we all know that shrimp doesn’t take long at all to cook, so the whole process, from start to finish, takes less than an hour! Therefore, it’s an excellent recipe for when you want a quicker option.

13. Crockpot Sticky Chicken Wings

We couldn’t make an appetizer list without including some BBQ chicken wings! Whether you host a game day party or just want a casual weeknight appetizer, these Asian-style BBQ wings are the way to go. The sauce has sriracha and honey, which perfectly balance each other, and the chicken wings are the ultimate finger food. We recommend you serve these wings with a creamy sauce contrasting the sweet and spicy glaze on the meat.

14. Slow Cooker Nachos

Nachos are a top-tier appetizer option for picky eaters since they have a simple yet delicious flavor. For the crockpot nachos, you can cook them on low or high, depending on how quickly you need them done. Some ingredients, like the beef, beans, and tomato paste, cook in the slow cooker before you add them to the crispy chips. Then, of course, you can’t forget the fresh toppings, such as lettuce and tomatoes.

15. Crockpot Corn Dip

Here is a scrumptious appetizer dip you can serve before various types of entrees. The recipe from The Cookie Rookie is trouble-free because all you need to do is mix everything and let the crockpot cook it to perfection. With hints of corn, green chiles, red onions, and cream cheese, it’s hard to take just one bite! We suggest you experiment and dip various foods in the corn dip, such as pita bread, chips, or pretzels.

16. Crockpot Pizza Pull-Apart Bread

We included a pizza dip, but how about this pizza-inspired pull-apart bread? This appetizer is packed with flavorful ingredients such as Italian seasoning, butter, cheese, meat, and the bread component, which is made with refrigerated biscuits. The crockpot makes the bread’s exterior nice and crispy, but the inside is perfectly soft. Don’t forget to serve it with dipping sauces or sprinkle on some red pepper flakes when done.

17. Crockpot Ham and Cheese Sliders

These ham and cheese sliders are made with Hawaiian rolls, which makes them incredibly irresistible. Although the recipe by Slow Cooker Meals requires Swiss cheese, you can always switch it up and try other kinds, like pepper jack or cheddar. Meanwhile, the spices, deli ham, and Dijon butter mixture are to die for. This recipe makes 12 individual sliders, so you can make it when serving a small crowd!

18. Crockpot Cheesy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread

We can’t get enough of these pull-apart bread recipes; this one has butter, garlic, and mozzarella, so it’s different from the pizza one! The crockpot makes the biscuits fluffy; since they come from a can, the recipe is a breeze. Serve this appetizer before you enjoy something hearty, like a chicken dinner. If you line the slow cooker with parchment, it is easy to pull the whole loaf of bread out and serve it immediately.

19. Italian Style Chicken Meatball Stew

Here is a healthy stew that’s a perfect appetizer for rainy days! It has homemade ground chicken meatballs and a variety of fresh veggies. Not to mention, we use an onion soup mix to help season the broth and give it a deeper flavor. The crockpot makes the meatballs nice and tender. Serve this stew in small appetizer bowls and top it with fresh parsley to give it a nice presentation.

20. Crockpot Chicken Wings

Who knew you could make such delicious buffalo wings in the slow cooker? This recipe has the ideal level of spiciness since you add brown sugar to the buffalo sauce. The great thing about this recipe is that you can cook fresh or frozen wings. The crockpot just needs to be on high if you choose to use frozen meat. Serve the fiery wings with dressing and veggies for the ultimate party starter.

21. Crockpot Cheesy Sausage Rotel Dip

Sausage and cheese? Count us in! This recipe by The Chunky Chef combines diced tomatoes, green chiles, pork sausage, and more to make a flavorsome dip. The crockpot makes all of the flavors combine, and you can put the cheese on towards the end of cooking so it becomes ooey-gooey and doesn’t turn too stringy. Serve this dip to your guests while it is still hot for the best results!

22. Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

These zesty meatballs will be your new favorite appetizer since the recipe is so effortless, and you can serve them on skewers or toothpicks. The meat doesn’t turn dry because it’s drenched in honey, sriracha, ketchup, and more while slowly cooking. You’ll have plenty to go around since the recipe makes enough for 60 meatballs! Of course, you can always adjust the recipe to make less if needed.

23. Crockpot Butternut Squash And Pumpkin Soup

Our Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Soup is the perfect option if you’re looking for a light yet comforting starter. It has broth, pumpkin puree, veggies, and autumnal spices. Since you use a blender to puree the soup after you cook it in the crockpot, it comes out smooth. Not to mention, the final addition of coconut milk makes it creamy.

24. Crockpot Caramelized Onion Dip

If you like French onion soup, this caramelized onion dip will likely impress you with its similar flavor. The base for the dip is made with onions, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. You can opt for the low-fat version of those creamy ingredients to make it healthier! The recipe has plenty of seasonings to satisfy your tastebuds. The crockpot softens the components, which makes the mixture dippable!

25. Crockpot Honey Garlic Little Smokies

Who doesn’t love some slow-cooked little smokies? This recipe by Family Fresh Meals makes the most of your crockpot and its abilities. For the appetizer, combine the tiny sausages with all the sauce ingredients and allow them to simmer in the crockpot. When it’s done, you have tangy glazed smokies that impress anyone who has the honor of trying it.

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26. Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Wings

While we already included an Asian-style BBQ wing recipe on this list, we couldn’t help but include these too. For this starter, you can add tons of seasonings in addition to the BBQ sauce so the chicken is bursting with flavors. For example, sweet paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne are just a few of the seasonings. Serve the juicy wings with extra BBQ sauce if you wish!