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How to Cook Ground Beef in Your Slow Cooker

Last Updated on October 14, 2022 by Allison Lancaster

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are my own.

Slow Cooker meals are not just for cold weather, in fact, we use our slow cooker almost daily which means I’ve developed some slow cooker hacks that help me get in and out of the kitchen quickly. Today I’m sharing my favorite and that’s how to cook ground beef in the slow cooker.

cooked ground beef from the slow cooker

Crockpot Dinner Ideas

By now, you all know that I love a quick and easy dinner. When it comes to dinner prep, anything that makes my life easier…I am all in!

While I have heard of cooking ground beef in my crock pot, I was always a little scared to try it. I was afraid it would be too mushy or to burn. Finally, yesterday I decided to try it and I am so excited to share–it is my new favorite cooking tip!

Cooking ground beef in the crockpot is going to open up so many crockpot dinner ideas for me! Why not cook a large batch on Sunday to use throughout the week or freeze in family sized portions?

Then when it’s time to prep dinner, you can just add the already cooked meat right in too. One pot, toss it in and come home to a delicious, stress-free dinner. I love it!

Ground Beef Crockpot Meals

Here are just a few ground beef meal ideas to get you started on how to use your cooked ground beef in crockpot meals:

  • Taco Tuesday Crockpot Beef Tacos – This is one of our favorite meals that we have all year round. We just add the ground beef to our favorite slow cooker taco seasoning, cook until it’s done, then toss it with your favorite toppings for a delicious and easy meal!
  • Crockpot Chili – A classic slow cooker dinner idea ! I love this recipe because you can make it as mild or spicy as you like. With the ground hamburger already cooked, you just have to throw everything in the slow cooker in the morning.
  • Cheeseburger Casserole – This is a fun, kid-friendly meal that the whole family will love! Just cook up your ground beef with some onions and diced pickles, then top with shredded cheese and bake until hot and bubbly. So good!
  • Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meat Sauce – This is such an easy dinner idea and it’s always a hit! Just cook up your ground beef and add it with your favorite Italian spices to your slow cooker with some marinara sauce. Let it all simmer together until the flavors are combined, then serve over some cooked spaghetti squash or zucchini

How to Cook Ground Beef in the Slow Cooker

  1. Spray your crock pot with non stick spray
  2. Add 1 lb. of ground beef (we use venison, you can use any ‘ground meat’ that you like!). I added mine completely frozen and had no issues.
  3. Add 1 cup of beef broth
  4. Add any seasonings (for example-I added garlic salt, pepper and oregano because I was using the meat in spaghetti sauce)
  5. Cover and cook on low for 3.5 hours. Check your crock pot periodically, stirring and breaking the meat apart as it cooks. 
  6. Add your meat to any recipe, or freeze.
crockpot ground beef

How easy was that? This isn’t really a crock pot recipe that you can put in and leave while you are gone for 8 hours, but it’s a great idea to throw it in on a Sunday afternoon to use the rest of the week

cooked ground beef
Cooking Ground Beef in the Crockpot

Cooking Ground Beef in the Crockpot

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes

Grab your slow cooker and make it work for you with these easy instructions for cooking ground beef in your crockpot!

Ingredients

  • Ground Beef

Instructions

    1. Spray your crock pot with non stick spray
    2. Add 1 lb. of ground beef (we use venison, you can use any 'ground meat' that you like!). I added mine completely frozen and had no issues.
    3. Add 1 cup of beef broth
    4. Add any seasonings (for example-I added garlic salt, pepper and oregano because I was using the meat in spaghetti sauce)
    5. Cover and cook on low for 3.5 hours. Check your crock pot periodically, stirring and breaking the meat apart as it cooks. 
    6. Add your meat to any recipe, or freeze.

    Flossie McCowald | SuperMomHacks

    Wednesday 16th of August 2017

    What an awesome hack! Thx SO much for sharing - will pin and post to my FB page too!

    Allison Lancaster

    Wednesday 16th of August 2017

    Thanks for stopping by!

    Amanda

    Wednesday 26th of October 2016

    This is awesome! Love that you can cook it directly from frozen! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Loving Living Lancaster

    Thursday 27th of October 2016

    Absolutely! I love how easy it is!

    Kathy Kenny Ngo

    Friday 5th of August 2016

    I love beef so much but I am not a good chef. This is definitely a great help. Thanks for the info

    Loving Living Lancaster

    Thursday 11th of August 2016

    Absolutely! I hope you can use it to make your life easier!

    Milena

    Wednesday 3rd of August 2016

    I swear every recipe I find you need to cook the beef before you put it in the crockpot. Now- this is what I needed! Thanks!

    Loving Living Lancaster

    Thursday 4th of August 2016

    Absolutely! I love making things quick and easy!

    Yona Williams

    Tuesday 2nd of August 2016

    I would have never thought to cook ground beef in a crock pot. I already know that I am seriously underusing the one I have in the cabinet.

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