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Best slow cookers for soups, stews and easy meals
Matt has been putting products through the mill for more than a decade, from complex heating systems, to his true passion, bikes and bike accessories
We tested the most popular slow cookers from brands such as Ninja, Crock-Pot, Greenpan, Lakeland and Morphy Richards to find out which produce succulent stews with minimum fuss and running costs.
We found that slow cookers can cost anywhere between 4p and 33p an hour on their most energy-guzzling settings. There's also a big difference in how easy each slow cooker is to use, and many have casings that get too hot to touch.
Our testing revealed an impressive five Best Buys and two Great Value options if you're looking to spend a little less.
How we test to find you the best
We’ve tested 22 slow cookers
We assess slow cookers from the big brands and across a range of prices to ensure you get the best value and performance.
We've made more than 100 litres of stew
So you can buy a slow cooker that will leave you smacking your lips with enjoyment rather than being met with a watery disappointment.
Energy use
We measure the energy use on each slow cooker's low and high settings so you can cook all day without worrying about your electricity bill.
We also test
Ease of use, build quality, versatility, the length of the power cable, durability and more.
The slow cookers we tested
The biggest brands and the most popular slow cookers are listed below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the slow cooker test results below.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
| Slow cookers | Price | Score | Cost per hour on low setting | Quality of stew | Ease of use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign up to reveal Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations Unlock tableDigital first month £5, then £8.99 per month, cancel at any time. Already a member? Log in | 95% | 2p | |||
| 91% | 2p | ||||
| 90% | 2p | ||||
| 87% | 6p | ||||
| 87% | 2p | ||||
| 87% | 5p | ||||
| 84% | 4p | ||||
| 83% | 3p | ||||
| 82% | 4p | ||||
| 81% | 4p |
Sign up to reveal
Get instant access to this and all our scores and recommendations
Unlock tableDigital first month £5, then £8.99 per month, cancel at any time.
Already a member? Log in
Dates tested: July 2025 and November 2023. Pricing and availability last checked: August 2025. We're not able to show every retailer, and cheaper prices may be available.
A selection of the 22 slow cookers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best slow cookers from our tests.
Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.
Daewoo 6.5L Stainless Steel Slow Cooker
Most recently tested November 2023
Features Removable ceramic bowl; slow cook on low, or high; keep-warm function
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 21 x 45 x 30cm (HxWxD); cable length 84cm
Greenpan Slow Cooker 5.6L
Most recently tested November 2023
Features Removable bowl with non-stick coating; slow cook on high or low; brown, steam, keep-warm, simmer and reheat
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 23 x 37 x 54cm (HxWxD); cable length 70cm
Greenpan Slow Cooker Black 6 Litre
Most recently tested June 2025
Features Slow cook on high, low and keep-warm settings; steam, brown, saute, timer function included
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 31 x 31 x 55cm (HxWxD); cable length 80cm
Find out how the Greenpan frying pan fared in our reviews of the best frying pans
Lakeland 3.5L Slow Cooker
Most recently tested November 2023
Features Removable ceramic bowl; slow cook on low or high; auto (keep-warm) setting
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 19 x 35 x 26cm (HxWxD); cable length 86cm
Looking for a quicker cook? See our round-up of the best pressure cookers
Lakeland 6.5L Searing Slow Cooker
Most recently tested November 2023
Features Removable non-stick cooking pot; slow cook on low or high; steam, yoghurt maker, sauté, keep warm
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 22 x 45 x 30cm (HxWxD); cable length 102cm
Morphy Richards 6.5L Easy Time Slow Cooker
Most recently tested November 2023
Features Removable non-stick bowl, easy time selection, slow cook on low, medium or high, keep warm
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 22 x 37 x 22cm (HxWxD); cable length 90cm
Morphy Richards Evoke 3.5L Sear and Stew Slow Cooker
Most recently tested November 2023
Features Removable ceramic bowl; slow cook on low, medium, or high
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 19 x 35 x 26cm (HxWxD); cable length 86cm
Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker 8-in-1 Slow Cooker
Most recently tested June 2025
Features Removable non-stick cooking pot; slow cook on low or high; steam, prove, sear/sauté, braise, bake, simmer, keep warm
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 33 x 48 x 33cm (HxWxD); cable length 80cm
Salter Cosmos EK6249 Slow Cooker
Most recently tested June 2025
Features slow cook on low, or high; keep-warm setting
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 20 x 36 x 25cm (HxWxD); cable length 86cm
Tower Cavaletto 6.5L T16043BLK Slow Cooker
Most recently tested November 2023
Features Removable ceramic bowl; slow cook on low or high; keep-warm setting
Cost to run Log in or join Which? to instantly reveal
Need to know Size 22 x 45 x 30cm (HxWxD); cable length 68cm
More slow cookers from our tests
Here’s how the rest of the slow cookers from our tests performed, listed in alphabetical order.
| Slow cookers | Price | Score | Cost per hour on low setting | Quality of stew | Ease of use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black & Decker BXSC16045GB Slow Cooker | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50021646 | ||||
| Cookworks 3.5L Slow Cooker | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50010254 | ||||
| Cookworks 6.5L Slow Cooker | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50021602 | ||||
| Crock Pot TimeSelect 5.6L Digital Slow Cooker | SQUIRREL_TEXT_12878757 | ||||
| Crock-Pot Digital Slow Cooker 3.5L Black | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50021603 | ||||
Crock-Pot 4.7L Hinged Lid Digital Slow Cooker | SQUIRREL_TEXT_12877605 | ||||
Instant Superior Slow Cooker and Multi Cooker 7.1L | SQUIRREL_TEXT_50021604 |
Dates tested: July 2025 and November 2023. Pricing and availability last checked: August 2025. We're not able to show every retailer, and cheaper prices may be available.
How we test slow cookers
We select the UK's bestselling slow cookers and put them through our rigorous test programme to determine our Best Buys.
We pay for every slow cooker we test and we regularly revisit the slow cookers on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing, and when we find them we do.
- Energy use We'll tell you how much it costs to run your slow cooker on both its lowest and highest settings. The best only cost 2p an hour to cook a stew on the lowest setting. The worst costs 33p an hour on the highest setting.
- Cooking The best slow cookers produce a beautiful stew on their lowest setting. The worst stews will still have hard potatoes and undercooked veg.
- Ease of use We assess each cooker for how easy it is to use and program.
- Versatility Some slow cookers have extra features, such as searing, yoghurt making, baking, proving and simmering. We rewarded slow cookers that include these types of useful extra features.
- Casing temperature The temperature of the casing on some of the cookers we've tested gets hot enough to scald you. The best have effective insulation to keep the casing temperature at safe levels.
- Durability We use our laboratory scratch pen to try and scratch the cooking bowls on each slow cooker. Some are almost impossible to scratch, whereas others have non-stick coatings that we found peeled off easily with just a light scratch
Why you can trust us: at Which? we're free from manufacturer and retailer influence. Find out more about our impartiality and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.
3 things we learned testing slow cookers
- Despite what some other review sites claim, there's a big difference in the quality of stew produced by the slow cookers we've tested. Many we've tested make watery stew with tough meat. But the best produce a nice thick gravy and meat that falls apart when you touch it with a fork.
- There's also big difference in the electricity usage between slow cookers. They cost between 2p and 7p per hour on their lowest setting, and between 3p and 39p on the highest.
- Some slow cookers get incredibly hot on the outside - hot enough to scald you if you touch them. The best have effective insulation that keeps the temperature of any surface you can touch down to a comfortable temperature.
How to use a slow cooker
Cooking in a slow cooker couldn't be simpler - it's part of their charm.
Simply prepare all of the ingredients, add them to the cooking pot, and select either the low or high setting, depending on how much time you have to cook. The low setting will typically take six hours to cook your food, whereas the highest setting might get the job done in four.
Remember not to lift the lid of your slow cooker too frequently while cooking, as this will increase the cooking time. You may want to check it occasionally, though, to see whether you need to add more liquid to the pot.
Once your food is ready, you can use the stay-warm setting to keep it heated to the correct temperature until it's time to serve.
What temperature is 'low' on a slow cooker?
Based on our testing, the 'low' temperature on a slow cooker will typically keep your stew at around 80-90°C while cooking. The 'high' setting can reach temperatures above 100°C.
The low setting will take around six hours to cook a stew, whereas the high setting can be done in four.
On nearly all UK slow cookers, you turn the dial to the left for the low setting, and to the right for the high setting.
Are slow cookers energy efficient?
Slow cookers are an efficient way to batch-cook large quantities of food, such as a stew, soup or curry.
The most efficient slow cookers only cost 2p an hour to run, which means that one stew will cost you about 16p to cook over eight hours. The least energy efficient will cost about 40p to cook the same stew.
By contrast, it costs about 30p an hour to keep your oven on.
For more ways to lower your energy bills look at the best and worst energy companies
What size slow cooker do I need?
A good rule of thumb is that every litre of capacity in the slow cooker equates to one serving.
So a four-litre slow cooker is good for four servings, a five-litre model is good for five servings, and so on.
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How to cook gammon in a slow cooker
Cooking gammon in a slow cooker is a popular recipe. It will take approximately two hours per 450g in a slow cooker. See our step-by-step guide on how to cook a gammon joint.