Oven → Slow cooker
Oven to slow cooker conversion
Enter the oven time, temperature and what you're cooking. The calculator gives hours on High and Low with the liquid and browning adjustments that make the conversion actually work.
45 min at 350°F in the oven is about
On High
1 h 30 min
usually 1 h – 2 h
On Low
3 h
usually 2 h – 4 h
Heat scale: slow cooker Low is about 200°F, a pressure cooker about 240°F, slow cooker High about 300°F, oven 325°F.
- Liquid: Cut the liquid by about a third. A slow cooker lid traps steam, so a recipe written for the oven will come out watery if you use the full amount.
- Heat: Standard 350°F oven heat converts well. High runs close to a 300°F oven; Low sits near 200°F, which is why it takes twice as long.
- This dish: Tough cuts love the long Low setting. Sear first for color; the slow cooker won't brown anything.
Oven minutes to slow cooker hours
For a standard beef or pork braise at 350°F, with the range to start checking in brackets. Chicken, casseroles and desserts convert shorter: see the next table. Nothing converts to less than 1 h 30 min on High, because a slow cooker spends its first hour heating up.
| Oven or stovetop | On High | On Low |
|---|---|---|
| 15 min | 1 h 30 min (1 h – 2 h) | 3 h (2 h – 4 h) |
| 20 min | 1 h 30 min (1 h – 2 h) | 3 h (2 h – 4 h) |
| 25 min | 1 h 30 min (1 h – 2 h) | 3 h (2 h – 4 h) |
| 30 min | 1 h 30 min (1 h – 2 h) | 3 h (2 h – 4 h) |
| 40 min | 1 h 30 min (1 h – 2 h) | 3 h (2 h – 4 h) |
| 45 min | 1 h 30 min (1 h – 2 h) | 3 h (2 h – 4 h) |
| 1 h | 2 h (1 h 30 min – 2 h 30 min) | 4 h (3 h – 5 h) |
| 1 h 30 min | 3 h (2 h 30 min – 3 h 30 min) | 6 h (5 h – 7 h) |
| 2 h | 4 h (3 h 30 min – 4 h 30 min) | 8 h (7 h – 9 h) |
| 3 h | 6 h (5 h 30 min – 6 h 30 min) | 12 h (11 h – 13 h) |
The same times by dish type
High · Low, at a 350°F oven. Each dish type has its own factor and a cap, so long oven times stop growing.
| Oven | Beef, pork or lamb | Chicken or turkey | Casserole, pasta bake or beans | Soup or chili | Dessert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 min | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h |
| 20 min | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h |
| 25 min | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h |
| 30 min | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h |
| 40 min | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h |
| 45 min | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h |
| 1 h | 2 h · 4 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h | 1 h 45 min · 3 h 30 min | 2 h · 4 h | 1 h 30 min · 3 h |
| 1 h 30 min | 3 h · 6 h | 2 h 30 min · 5 h | 2 h 45 min · 5 h 30 min | 3 h · 6 h | 2 h · 4 h |
| 2 h | 4 h · 8 h | 3 h 15 min · 6 h 30 min | 3 h 30 min · 7 h | 4 h · 8 h | 2 h 30 min · 5 h |
| 3 h | 6 h · 12 h | 4 h · 7 h | 3 h 30 min · 7 h | 5 h · 10 h | 3 h · 5 h |
Converting a recipe, step by step
- Brown the meat and soften the onions, garlic and spices in a pan. Deglaze with a little of the recipe's liquid.
- Cut the total liquid by about a third (not for soups). It should come about halfway up the solids.
- Put root vegetables at the bottom, meat on top; they cook slower than the meat does.
- Set High or Low for the converted time. Do not lift the lid: every peek costs 15–20 minutes.
- Add pasta, rice, dairy, delicate vegetables and fresh herbs in the last 30 minutes.
- Too thin at the end? Lid ajar for 20 minutes on High, or stir in a cornstarch slurry.
Common questions
▸What is the oven to crockpot conversion?
Oven minutes × 2 gives you hours on High, and × 4 gives you hours on Low, with a floor of about 1.5 hours on High because the pot spends its first hour just heating up. A 45-minute oven recipe is roughly 1 hour 30 minutes on High or 3 hours on Low. Crockpot and slow cooker mean the same appliance here, so the ratio is identical whatever brand is printed on the lid.
▸Can any oven recipe be made in a slow cooker?
Most braises, stews, soups, chilis, pulled meats, casseroles and beans convert well. Things that need dry heat do not: roast chicken with crisp skin, anything breaded or crusted, quick-cooking fish, and most baking beyond cobblers and dense cakes. If the point of the recipe is browning or crunch, the slow cooker will disappoint.
▸Why do I have to reduce the liquid?
A slow cooker lid traps almost all the steam, so nothing reduces. An oven recipe assumes evaporation. Cut the liquid by about a third for braises and casseroles. Soups are the exception; keep the full amount.
▸Should I convert to Low or High?
Low for tough cuts (chuck, pork shoulder, short ribs, lamb shoulder) and dried beans: the longer time breaks down collagen more evenly. High for chicken, dairy-based dishes, desserts and anything you want done in under four hours. The two settings end at the same temperature; High just reaches it faster.
▸Do I need to brown the meat first?
You don't need to, but you'll taste the difference. A slow cooker never gets hot enough for browning, so a five-minute sear in a pan is the only way to get it. Deglaze the pan with a splash of the recipe liquid and pour it in.
▸What about pasta, rice and dairy?
Add them late. Pasta and rice go in for the last 30–45 minutes on High; cream, cheese, yogurt and coconut milk in the last 15–30 minutes, or they curdle or turn grainy over a long cook.