With these healthy holiday slow cooker recipes, you can indulge in foods of the season without scrapping your healthy eating goals. These healthy Christmas recipes take you from appetizers to desserts, with plenty of great side-dish options in between for proof that the holidays and healthy eating can go hand in hand.
Orange-Glazed Carrots and Parsnips
Jason Donnelly
Orange juice and orange marmalade join forces in a sweet citrus glaze for this healthy Christmas side dish. Anchored by tender carrots and nutty parsnips, the colorful recipe is high in fiber and loaded with vitamin A. Beginner’s tip: Find out how to prepare carrots for cooking.
Vegetable Casserole
Andy Lyons
No one will complain about eating their vegetables when served this vegetable casserole. Cook a mixture of beans, veggies, cheese, and polenta in your slow cooker for 4 hours. Drizzle the casserole with pesto and dish up for dinner.
Ham and Sweet Potato Soup
Andy Lyons
For many families, a soup or stew anchors the Christmas Eve dinner. And for most families, Christmas Eve is one of the busiest days of the season! Thankfully, 20 minutes of hands-on prep are all you need to make a batch of bubbling sweet potato soup. Flavored with thyme and chock-full of fiber-rich beans, it’s a hearty and healthy recipe you can feel good about serving everyone around your table.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Jason Donnelly
Oooey-gooey slow cooker dips might not come top of mind when you’re dreaming up healthy holiday recipes, but thanks to reduced-fat and reduced-calorie ingredients, this luscious dip can fit in with your aim to eat well. Serve with veggies for extra nutrition.
Bourbon-Citrus Sipper
Andy Lyons
A hot beverage should be high on anyone’s list of slow cooker Christmas dinner recipes—serving the drink right from the cooker is just so handy! PS: While we love the way the bourbon meshes with apple cider, lemon, orange, cinnamon, cloves, and anise, you can leave out the bourbon if you like—it will still be a tasty party drink to serve your crowd.
Cider-Poached Pears
Jacob Fox
This fall-esque dessert can be made in either the slow cooker or pressure cooker. Cooked pears topped with a cider and spice syrup is the perfect dessert to finish off a holiday meal. Serve with vanilla ice cream or yogurt for a healthier option.
Orange-Sage Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
Jason Donnelly
Bacon in a healthy Christmas side dish? Sure thing! You can feel good about doling out bowls of this sage-seasoned sweet potato recipe, thanks to the vitamin powerhouse status of the main ingredient. Salty bites of bacon make those sweet potatoes even more scrumptious.
Smoky Green Bean Casserole
Andy Lyons
You can add green bean casserole to your list of healthy holiday recipes if you lighten it up with bold but low-calorie ingredients like whole grain mustard and sweet peppers. A little Gouda cheese goes a long way to add plenty of melty goodness and a hint of smoke to the slow cooker Christmas dinner favorite.
Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Jason Donnelly
Sweet potatoes (in any form) are a holiday staple. Make a batch of these healthy, slower-cooker sweet potatoes using only six ingredients. Let the sweet potatoes cook for eight hours, and add buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Sprinkle with pecans before serving at your holiday gathering.
Peppermint Pretzel Candies
Blaine Moats
Attention, avid slow cooker fans (you know who you are): We know you love using your slow cooker for anything and everything. That’s why we came up with this healthy Christmas candy you can make in your favorite appliance. Simply mix salty pretzels with sweet white chocolate and peppermint for a just-right flavor combo you don’t have to resist!
Hoisin-Garlic Mushrooms
Scott Little
One secret to putting the “healthy” in healthy holiday recipes is to nix the meat when possible. That’s easy to do when mushrooms star as the main ingredient! Flavored with hoisin sauce, garlic, and red pepper, these bites are easier to make than homemade meatballs or stuffed mushrooms (though we love those, too—especially when we have a little extra time to spend in the kitchen!).
Slow Cooker Pickled Beets
Karla Conrad
This healthy recipe is not only fat-free and full of color, but it also makes a wonderfully earthy-sweet side to the kinds of roasted meats traditionally served on the holiday table. If you don’t think you’re a fan of beets, the bright pomegranate juice and zippy ginger in this slow cooker Christmas dinner recipe might just make you change your mind.
Rustic Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Scott Little
This recipe fills the healthy mashed potatoes bill, thanks chicken broth as a replacement for some of the dairy products. Even better, the ultimate Christmas side dish can be made in your slow cooker, then kept warm for up to 2 hours. In fact, this might be one of the easiest components of your Christmas dinner menu.
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Andy Lyons
Our turkey shepherd’s pie has healthy Christmas main dish written all over it. First, we swap in turkey for the red meat traditionally called for in the classic, then we add a windfall of vitamin-packed frozen vegetables. The medley becomes a comfort food masterpiece that’s perfect for a holiday family gathering.
Holiday Slow Cooker Ribollita
Jason Donnelly
Ribollita, a Tuscan bread soup, is traditionally made from leftovers. This year make this leftover-friendly dish as a main course! Prepare the dish 6 hours before your gathering, and serve alongside fresh fruit and a salad for a meal that hits all major food groups.
Slow Cooker Bouillabaisse
Jacob Fox
Make this tradition, French stew at home in your slow cooker. Combine a mixture of potatoes, seasonings, and veggies in a slow cooker, and let it cook for three hours. Add in seafood of your choice (we recommend shrimp or scallops), and top with homemade cracked black pepper croutons.
Beef and Black Bean Chili
Andy Lyons
Hearty beens and beef plus a blend of spices (including coca powder) make for a delicious and filling holiday meal. Heat on low for up to 10 hours or use a higher heat setting for 5 hours. Serve with toasted baguettes and green onion.
Mango Chicken Tinga
Karla Conrad
Serve up this unexpected take on chicken tinga at your next holiday meal. Chicken cooked with mango nectar over a bed of rice will not disappoint. Serve with pineapple and lime wedges and Mexican crema for a holiday meal you won’t forget.
Red Bean, Chicken, and Sweet Potato Stew
Jason Donnelly
This protein-packed soup is both delicious and good for your health, which means you can have seconds! With surprise ingredients like cajun seasoning and peanut butter, this nutritious dish is more than just your average chicken and potato soup. Let it cook for 10 hours on low heat or 5 hours on high heat before serving.
Mediterranean Chicken and Wheat Berry Salad
Jason Donnelly
This chicken and wheat berry dish is not your average salad. This protein and fiber-packed salad will keep you full for only 300 calories. Choose to make the salad in a pressure cooker for 35 minutes or in the slow cooker for 8 hours. Serve with a lemon juice, oil, cumin, and garlic salt dressing.
Pumpkin Farrotto
Jacob Fox
Combine farro, an ancient wheat grain, with canned pumpkin to make a warm, seasonal dish. Add parmesan cheese, peas, and walnuts for added flavor and your daily dose of veggies and fats. Serve the dish after 3 hours in the slow cooker.