Best Slow cookers 2026: 13 Compared (15 Sources)

What are the best slow cookers in 2026?

Summary

The testers do not agree on one best slow cooker. Reviewed's favorites are the Cuisinart MSC-600, its best multicooker overall, and the West Bend Versatility, its best among models that only slow-cook [src1]; Food Network's is the All-Clad Gourmet Plus 7-Quart [src2]; Wirecutter's is the Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6-Quart [src15]; CNN Underscored's and TechGearLab's is the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker PRO [src3, src9]; Yahoo's is the Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry [src8]; HGTV's is a Black+Decker 7-quart digital cooker [src7]; and America's Test Kitchen names three winners by type: the Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker (traditional), the Cuisinart MSC-600 (hot plate–style) and an All-Clad Dutch-oven cooker [src4]. We put the Ninja on top because the two outlets that tested it beside the Cuisinart MSC-600 both ranked the Ninja higher: TechGearLab scored it 90 to the Cuisinart's 85, and CNN Underscored made the Ninja its best slow cooker [src9, src3]. The Cuisinart wins more awards across the outlets we read — it is a pick at Reviewed, America's Test Kitchen, TechGearLab, Yahoo and Your Best Digs [src1, src4, src9, src8, src5] — but its first places are Reviewed's and a 2021 test at Your Best Digs [src1, src5], and it is not sold new: Cuisinart's US site lists the MSC-600 as discontinued [src11], and Amazon had only used offers for it when we checked on 2026-10-14. It stays on the card as an alternative.

For less money, the Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6-Quart is the value pick: Wirecutter's top pick, which made the most succulent pot roast in its tests, CNN Underscored's and Yahoo's best budget slow cooker and Food Network's other favorite, for a probe that switches the cooker to warm when the meat is done and a lid that latches for travel [src15, src3, src8, src2]. Your Best Digs, testing a Set 'n Forget (model 33969) in 2021, found it ran too hot [src5]. The cheapest pick is the Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual, Food Network's and Taste of Home's best budget slow cooker: a dial, a big crock and nothing to program, but no automatic shut-off, so someone has to be home to turn it down [src2, src6].

The rest are specialists. The All-Clad Gourmet Plus 7-Quart is the premium choice, Food Network's best overall and Reviewed's pick for large families, but its pot is hand-wash only [src2, src1]. The Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker is America's Test Kitchen's favorite traditional cooker [src4]; the Crock-Pot Cook & Carry is the one to take to a potluck [src2, src8]; and the Instant Precision Dutch Oven slow-cooks in an enameled cast-iron pot you can use on its own [src7, src1, src4].

Top 13 Models Compared

Capacities, weights and measurements are the testers' figures. Prices come from our daily US price check of the Amazon listing we link and change with it; the table at the top says whether each was in stock. A dash means our check has no current price to show, or has not yet checked a link new to this card.

Best for Each Use Case

Top Pick: Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker PRO 8.5-Quart (MC1001) — Check price

TechGearLab's best overall slow cooker, with 90, the highest score of the eight it ranked: it slow-cooks, sears and sautés, steams, braises, bakes, proofs and cooks sous vide; its nonstick aluminum pot can go in an oven up to 500 degrees; a spoon-ladle attaches to the lid; and testers found their pot roast and vegetables "moist and tasty". Its steam hole is too large, though: it evaporated four cups of water in five hours of TechGearLab's temperature test, and the lid does not lock [src9]. CNN Underscored's best slow cooker: an intuitive touchscreen, a roomy 8.5-quart pot, and barbecue chicken that stayed saucy after six hours; CNN Underscored too notes that it lacks a locking lid for transport [src3]. Why it is first: both outlets tested it beside the Cuisinart 3-in-1 Cook Central (MSC-600) and ranked the Ninja higher. TechGearLab gave the two the same cooking-performance score (8.0) and put the Ninja ahead on ease of use, features and cleaning, 90 to 85 [src9]; CNN Underscored made the Ninja its best slow cooker, and the Cuisinart, which it found heated meals to perfection, was among the models it also tested [src3]. The Cuisinart is also not sold new: Cuisinart lists it as discontinued [src11], and Amazon had only used offers for it when we checked on 2026-10-14.

Best Value: Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6-Quart — Check price

Wirecutter's top pick of the nine slow cookers it tested: "It made the most succulent pot roast, and unlike other cookers, which got too hot, it didn't overcook beans." It has a 12-hour timer that switches to warm, a probe mode that cooks meat to a target of 140 to 180°F, and a lid that locks and seals; Wirecutter's caveats are a probe that may be too short for smaller pieces of meat and small crock handles [src15]. CNN Underscored's best budget slow cooker: "For $70, it cooked all kinds of meals just as well as far more expensive models." It has three modes (program, manual and probe); the probe reads the meat's temperature through a small port in the lid and the cooker switches settings when it is done; latches and a gasket kept the lid sealed; and the lid and pot are dishwasher-safe [src3]. Yahoo's best budget pick, which Yahoo calls the Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Slow Cooker with Temperature Probe and links to the same Amazon listing we do, for an intuitive panel, an automatic switch to warm and a lid that clips to the base, though the probe cannot be used on the low setting and the outside gets very hot [src8]. Food Network's other favorite: the probe can be set to switch the cooker to warm once the meat reaches your temperature, though it can be hard to insert accurately [src2]. Your Best Digs tested a Set 'n Forget (model 33969) in 2021 and was less impressed: it ran too hot on high and low, and its program could not be changed once started [src5]. Hamilton Beach's own page lists it as model 33969AG [src13]. Availability: Hamilton Beach's store showed it out of stock, at $69.99, when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src13].

Best Budget: Crock-Pot 7-Quart Manual — Check price

Food Network's best budget slow cooker: a stainless-steel cooker with one dial for low, high and warm and a large insert, which made super-tender beef paprikash. There is no automatic shut-off, so Food Network suggests it for someone who is home while it cooks [src2]. Taste of Home's best budget option: big enough for a whole chicken or a very large cut of beef, and "as far as the controls go, it doesn't get much easier to use than this Crock-Pot" [src6]. TechGearLab ranked it last of its eight, at 56: its power cord is short and it is too large for many everyday meals [src9].

Best Premium: All-Clad Gourmet Plus 7-Quart — Check price

Food Network's best overall of the 13 slow cookers it tested: it never got overly hot outside, produced the most tender meat, came up to a simmer fastest and held a steady temperature, and it also sautés, browns, simmers and cooks rice. It is expensive and takes a lot of counter space (21.25 by 15.75 inches) [src2]. HGTV's best multi-cooker, with a steamer insert, a light aluminum pot and an interface it liked, though you need a mitt for the hot lid handle [src7]. Reviewed calls it "the Rolls-Royce of slow cookers and the best one for large families" and its best premium model, but its many settings and small buttons make it confusing to program, and its nonstick cast-aluminum pot must be hand-washed and cannot go on the stove or in the oven [src1]. It weighs about 21 pounds [src1, src2]. Availability: our last three daily price checks, through 2026-10-13, found no purchasable offer on the Amazon listing we link.

Best Traditional: Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker 6-Quart (33866) — Check price

America's Test Kitchen's best traditional slow cooker: "Every dish we made in this slow cooker emerged deeply flavorful and perfectly cooked." Its temperature climbed slowly and cooked more gently than the other models; the probe goes through one of three gasketed ports in the lid and stores on the handle; latches and a gasket seal the lid for travel; and a hold-temperature setting turns it into a fondue pot, yogurt maker or reheater (ATK does not recommend it for sous vide). ATK measured 3.5 quarts of actual capacity, though a large pot roast with potatoes and carrots fit, and the painted labels wore off two buttons [src4]. TechGearLab's "High Value Cooking Performance" award, with an overall 80 and the top cooking-performance score it gave, but rattly handles and a heavy build [src9]. Wirecutter's also-great pick, for a 24-hour timer, four preset heat settings, three probe slots in the lid and a target temperature anywhere from 100 to 200°F, though it cooked Wirecutter's beans too hot on low, finishing them in five hours of an eight-hour program [src15]. Reviewed is less kind: on low, its pot roast fell apart and its chicken overcooked, and its warm setting kept cooking; Reviewed rates it best for meal prepping, using the probe [src1]. Availability: Hamilton Beach's store showed it out of stock, at $79.99, when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src12]. The Amazon listing we link is the 33866 bundled with Hamilton Beach's Travel Case & Carrier insulated bag (33002), so the price in the table includes the bag; we have not found a confirmed Amazon listing of the cooker alone.

Best for Potlucks: Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry — Check price

Food Network's best portable slow cooker and its runner-up overall for tender meat and safety: the locking lid has a gasket and an extra seal, and the outside never got above 87 degrees, though Food Network found the basic interface confusing to program [src2]. Yahoo's best overall: a timer up to 20 hours that switches to warm, a stew that held 194°F and was "rich and velvety" after eight hours on low, and a stoneware crock that is oven-safe to 400°F; Yahoo found the outside got very hot [src8]. TechGearLab's best on a tight budget, at 69: an easy timer and a locking lid, but hot sidewalls and heavy when full [src9]. HGTV's easiest to use, and its favorite of the three Crock-Pots it tested, though the insert is hard to remove [src7].

Best with a Cast-Iron Pot: Instant Precision Dutch Oven 6-Quart — Check price

HGTV's best for small kitchens: a round cooker, more compact than the oval 6- and 7-quart models, that sears, sautés and braises in an enameled cast-iron pot [src1], with silicone handle covers and an easy digital interface. It has one slow-cook temperature, which seemed low to HGTV, the heavy pot is hard to wash, and the cooker weighs 20 lbs 10 oz [src7]. Reviewed found it simmers at an ideal temperature on the slow-cook setting, so food comes out fork-tender, with a manual mode that sets an exact temperature and a braise program; the pot alone weighs over 9 pounds, and its round shape won't take a rack of ribs or a corned beef whole [src1]. America's Test Kitchen says it performed well as a slow cooker and that its pot works on its own as a Dutch oven [src4].

Reviewed's Best Multicooker, Not Sold New (checked 2026-10-14): Cuisinart 3-in-1 Cook Central (MSC-600) — Check price

Not sold new: Cuisinart's US site lists the MSC-600 as discontinued [src11], and the Amazon listing we link had only used offers when we checked on 2026-10-14. The testers rate it highly. Reviewed's best multicooker overall, which "aced our performance and ease-of-use tests": its pot roast "came closest to tasting like it was cooked on the stove", it browns, sautés, roasts and steams as well as slow-cooking, it was one of the few programmable models Reviewed could set without the manual, and Reviewed found no cons. The 6-quart pot is nonstick aluminum and dishwasher-safe; the cooker weighs 16 lbs [src1]. America's Test Kitchen's best hot plate–style slow cooker: it cooked evenly in every test and its sensors keep the contents from boiling, but it "cooks faster and hotter" than cookers with ceramic crocks, so check food early; ATK measured 4.5 quarts of actual capacity, and a few testers found its control panel busy [src4]. TechGearLab gives it its best-for-one-pot-meals award, with a score of 85 to the Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker PRO's 90 [src9]; Yahoo calls it its best upgraded pick, with browning to 400°F and a steamer insert but a large footprint [src8]; Your Best Digs' 2021 test made it the best overall, holding 199 to 210°F [src5]. CNN Underscored, which made the Ninja its best slow cooker, found the Cuisinart heated meals to perfection and notes that, unlike its budget pick, it has no locking lid [src3].

Reviewed's Best Upgrade: GreenPan Elite 8-in-1 6-Quart — Check price

Reviewed's best upgrade, which Reviewed calls the GreenPan Ceramic Nonstick 6-Qt Slow Cooker and links to the Elite 8-in-1: "Yes, it's expensive, but the GreenPan's excellent cooking performance, versatility, and good looks are worth the price." Its pot roast "emerged perfectly", its butter chicken was exceptionally tender, and its aluminum pot with a ceramic nonstick coating browns and sautés and can go on the stovetop or in the oven; the glass lid needs a potholder [src1]. PureWow scored the GreenPan Elite 6-Quart Slow Cooker, which it links to the same Elite 8-in-1 listing we do, 90 of 100: intuitive, easy to handle at just under 14 pounds, with a PFAS-free Thermolon Volt ceramic coating, though the handles got too hot to touch while sautéing and a 5.5-pound roast took about 15 hours on low [src10]. America's Test Kitchen's results with the Elite 8-in-1 were uneven: its first pot roast came out shriveled and rubbery [src4]. Yahoo's best nontoxic pick is GreenPan's newer Elite 14-in-1, recommended after testing "the previous version" [src8]; GreenPan's US store lists the Elite 14-in-1 at $239.99 (checked 2026-10-14) [src14]. Availability: the Amazon listing we link, for the Elite 8-in-1, was out of stock when we checked on 2026-10-14.

Reviewed's Best Slow-Cook-Only Model: West Bend Versatility 5-Quart — Check price

Reviewed's best slow cooker overall among models that only slow-cook: a no-frills 5-quart cooker with adjustable temperature, a removable, dishwasher-safe pot that is oven-safe, and a base that doubles as a griddle. Most dishes came out delicious and evenly cooked, but its pot-roast vegetables were still hard after eight hours, it has no built-in timer, and Reviewed lists its results as variable [src1].

Food Network's Best Dual-Sided: Crock-Pot MultiMeal — Check price

Food Network's best dual-sided slow cooker: two 3.7-quart nonstick pots, each programmable to slow cook, bake, rice/steam, sear/sauté or keep warm, and a SyncFinish setting that staggers them to finish together. There is no single large pot, and the pots are not stoneware [src2]. Yahoo tested it and left it off its list because its slow-cook setting runs four hours, not the traditional eight [src8].

Reviewed Also Recommends: Ninja Foodi Everyday PossibleCooker Pro (MC1101) — Check price

A 6.5-quart, 10-pound multi-cooker that Reviewed found excels at slow cooking, searing and keeping food warm, with ultra-tender butter chicken and pot roast in one dishwasher-safe pot and grain functions that worked well; only its oats function fell short [src1].

Taste of Home's Best Splurge: Calphalon Digital Sauté 5.3-Quart — Check price

Taste of Home's Test Kitchen raved about its performance: the ceramic-coated nonstick insert goes from oven or stovetop to the cooker, so you can sear without a second pan, and the digital controls set cooking time in hours and minutes [src6].

Key Market Trends (2026)

• Some picks are already being replaced: Cuisinart lists the MSC-600 as discontinued [src11], and Yahoo recommends GreenPan's Elite 14-in-1 having tested the previous version [src8, src14].
• Searing in the cooking pot: the Cuisinart MSC-600, All-Clad Gourmet Plus, GreenPan Elite, Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker PRO and Instant Precision Dutch Oven all brown or sear in their own pots [src1, src2, src9, src7]. America's Test Kitchen's caution is that cookers with metal pots cook faster than ceramic ones, so recipes need checking early [src4].
• Probes and latching lids: both Hamilton Beach picks carry a temperature probe and a latching lid [src4, src3], and the Crock-Pot Cook & Carry has a gasketed locking lid [src2].
• Nonstick worries: CNN Underscored flags the Cuisinart's nonstick coating for readers wary of that class of chemicals [src3], TechGearLab suggests stoneware models for anyone with reservations about nonstick [src9], and GreenPan's Elite uses a PFAS-free ceramic coating [src10].

Important Caveats

• Prices in the comparison table come from our daily US price check of the listing we link; prices quoted in the sections are the outlets' or the makers' and say whose they are. Check the live price before you buy.
• Some tests here are old: Your Best Digs last updated its guide in January 2021, Taste of Home in April 2024, PureWow reviewed the GreenPan in January 2025, and TechGearLab's ranking dates from June 2025 [src5, src6, src10, src9].
• Stated capacity is the vessel's size, not what it holds: America's Test Kitchen measured 3.5 quarts in the 6-quart Temp Tracker and 4.5 quarts in the 6-quart Cuisinart [src4].
• Food safety: CNN Underscored checked that food never dropped below 140°F, the temperature below which the FDA says food can be unsafe [src3].
• Function counts are the makers' own: Your Best Digs calls the Cuisinart's "three-in-one" multi-cooker label an overstatement, since it is a slow cooker that also steams and browns [src5]. Judge a multi-cooker on the jobs you will use.
• The testers disagree on several models: Food Network found the Cook & Carry's outside never got above 87 degrees while Yahoo and TechGearLab found its sides got very hot [src2, src8, src9], Your Best Digs found the Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget ran too hot where CNN Underscored found it cooked evenly [src5, src3], and America's Test Kitchen found the Temp Tracker cooked more gently than other models where Wirecutter found it cooked beans too hot on low [src4, src15].