Slow cooker ↔ Dutch oven
Slow cooker to Dutch oven conversion
Enter the slow cooker time and the liquid in the recipe. You get the Dutch oven time, in the oven or on the stovetop, and how much liquid to use. The second tab goes the other way.
8 h on Low is about
Lid on, 325°F (160°C) oven
2 h
usually 1 h 40 min – 2 h 20 min
Or the same time at a bare simmer on the stovetop
Liquid to use
2¾ cups
About 650 ml: a third more than the recipe
Heat scale: slow cooker Low is about 200°F, a pressure cooker about 240°F, slow cooker High about 300°F, oven 325°F.
- Sear in the same pot. Brown the meat in the Dutch oven, soften the onions, deglaze, then add the liquid. That is the flavor a slow cooker never gets.
- Oven or stovetop: the oven heats from every side and needs no stirring. On the stovetop keep the burner at its lowest, stir every 20–30 minutes and top up if the liquid drops below a third of the way up.
- Check early. Start at the low end of the range. Meat is done when a fork twists in without resistance.
Slow cooker times in a Dutch oven
Read across: each Dutch oven time equals the Low and High settings next to it. These are lid-on times in a 325°F oven, and close enough for a bare simmer on the stovetop.
| Dutch oven | Slow cooker on Low | Slow cooker on High |
|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 4 h | 2 h |
| 1 h 30 min | 6 h | 3 h |
| 2 h | 8 h | 4 h |
| 2 h 30 min | 10 h | 5 h |
| 3 h | 12 h | 6 h |
How much liquid to use
The one adjustment people skip. A slow cooker recipe is written for a lid that loses almost no steam, so it goes into a Dutch oven with about a third more liquid. A Dutch oven recipe goes into a slow cooker with about a third less, or it comes out watery. Soups keep the full amount in both directions.
| Recipe says | Slow cooker → Dutch oven | Dutch oven → slow cooker |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 1¼ cups | ¾ cup |
| 1½ cups | 2 cups | 1 cup |
| 2 cups | 2¾ cups | 1¼ cups |
| 3 cups | 4 cups | 2 cups |
| 4 cups | 5¼ cups | 2¾ cups |
Cooking a slow cooker recipe in a Dutch oven
- Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C), or skip this step if you are cooking on the stovetop.
- Brown the meat in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat, in batches so it sears rather than steams. Lift it out.
- Soften the onions and garlic in the fat, then pour in a splash of the liquid and scrape up the browned bits.
- Return the meat, add the vegetables and the adjusted amount of liquid. It should reach a third to halfway up, not cover everything.
- Bring it to a simmer on the burner, put the lid on, and move the pot to the oven (or turn the burner to its lowest setting).
- Check at the low end of the converted time. On the stovetop, stir every 20–30 minutes and add a splash of water if it runs low.
- Sauce too thin? Lid off for the last 15–20 minutes.
The browning is the real gain. A slow cooker can't sear, so most slow cooker recipes either skip it or send you to a separate pan. In a Dutch oven it happens in the pot the stew cooks in, and the browned bits end up in the sauce.
Going the other way
A Dutch oven recipe converts to the slow cooker the same way any oven recipe does: about twice the time on High, four times on Low, never less than about 1½ hours on High. Brown in the Dutch oven first, then tip everything into the slow cooker insert; don't put the insert on a burner. A recipe written for a 5½- to 7-quart Dutch oven fits a 6-quart slow cooker, which works best between half and three-quarters full. For timings without the liquid step, the oven to slow cooker calculator and the slow cooker to oven calculator run the same rules, and every conversion is on one page in the printable chart.
Slow cooker to Dutch oven: common questions
▸How do I convert slow cooker time to Dutch oven time?
Count 15 minutes for every hour on Low and 30 minutes for every hour on High, with the lid on in a 325°F (160°C) oven. 8 hours on Low and 4 hours on High both come to about 2 hours. A bare simmer on the stovetop takes about the same time. Add roughly a third more liquid than the slow cooker recipe calls for.
▸Can I use a Dutch oven as a slow cooker?
Yes, and it is the closest substitute there is: a heavy pot with a lid holds the food at the same gentle simmer. The difference is speed. In a 325°F oven the job takes a quarter of the Low time, not the full eight hours. Some cooks drop the oven to 200–250°F to keep the slow cooker's schedule, but USDA advises an oven of at least 325°F for cooking meat, and the low setting gains you nothing except a longer wait.
▸Do I need more liquid in a Dutch oven than in a slow cooker?
Yes, about a third more. A slow cooker lid traps almost all the steam; a Dutch oven lid lets some escape, and the stovetop loses more than the oven because the bottom runs hotter. The liquid should come a third to halfway up the meat, not cover it. If the sauce is thin at the end, take the lid off for the last 15–20 minutes.
▸Is it better to use the oven or the stovetop?
The oven for braises, roasts and anything with a long cook: heat comes from every side, nothing sticks, and you don't have to stir. The stovetop for soups, chili and beans, which you want to taste and stir anyway. On the stovetop use the smallest burner on its lowest setting and look for a bubble every second or two, not a rolling boil.
▸What temperature should the oven be for a Dutch oven braise?
325°F (160°C) with the lid on. That is the standard substitute for both slow cooker settings, and the temperature every time on this page assumes. 350°F works if you want the top to brown; take about 15% off the time. Much hotter and the liquid boils instead of simmering, which tightens the meat.
▸How do I convert a Dutch oven recipe to the slow cooker?
Multiply the Dutch oven time by 2 for High and by 4 for Low, with a floor of about 1.5 hours on High because a slow cooker needs an hour to heat up. A 2-hour braise becomes about 4 hours on High or 8 on Low. Cut the liquid by a third, except for soups. Do the browning in the Dutch oven first, then move everything across.
▸Does enameled or bare cast iron make a difference?
Not to the time. It matters for acidic recipes: hours of simmering tomatoes or wine can strip the seasoning off bare cast iron and leave a metallic taste, so use an enameled pot for those. Either kind works for stock-based stews, beans and pot roast.