How to Cook Ground Beef in Your Slow Cooker

Last Updated on October 14, 2022 by Allison Lancaster

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.

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.

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