When Do I Add the Vegetables to My Slow Cooker (Helpful Tips)

Do you know when to add vegetables to the slow cooker? What are the most helpful tips when cooking with a slow cooker? These are the questions our readers ask a lot. Well, we´ve got you covered.

Chefs differ on the question of when the best time is to add vegetables to a crock pot roast. Some prefer to put everything under the meat, while others add vegetables around the warm edges of the slow cooker.

So, when do I add the vegetables to my slow cooker? In general, many chefs recommend you add vegetables during the last 45 minutes of cooking. However, Aromatic vegetables, such as onions and garlic, should be sauteed and then added on top of browned meat (if using). Add chunky root vegetables like carrots and potatoes around the edge of the slow cooker at the beginning of cooking. Frozen vegetables such as peas should be added at the end when the meat is tender. 

Read on for the easiest and most delicious way we have found to add veggies to your slow cooker. 

Saute Aromatic Vegetables in Meat Drippings

Cooking meat and veggies for long hours can result in loss of flavor. In order to adjust for that, it’s a great idea to add aromatic vegetables to your roast or stew. 

The first thing you will do with any meat is to brown it on all sides in a heavy-bottom skillet with a little vegetable oil. When it is browned, you can add it directly to your slow cooker. 

You can then saute your onions and garlic in that same skillet, scraping up all the browned bits from the meat. Some chefs add wine, tomato paste, or stewed tomatoes at this point, but it’s up to you. 

Your sauteed veggies will go directly on top of your meat waiting in the crock. 

In addition to onions and garlic, you can add peppers, celery, leeks, mushrooms, or chopped (not chunked) carrots to your recipe in the same way. 

Read also: How Long Do I Cook a 2lb Roast in a Slow Cooker? (New FACTS)

Carrots and Potatoes 

Root veggies add so much feel-good flavor to a stew, and warm you up on a cold night.

Here’s a tip for cooking potatoes in the slow cooker: leave them whole for the duration of cooking and cut them up at the end.

This will ensure that they cook fully without turning into mush, and it keeps you from having to open the pot to add them later. (Opening your slow cooker will add cooking time.)

Don’t worry, the potatoes will still absorb all the delicious flavors of your stew after they are cut and added back in!

This method works best with potatoes around 2-3 inches in diameter. Larger potatoes will work too but may need to be cooked longer. 

Carrots should be cut into 1-inch chunks. Add these chunky veggies along the outside of your meat.

If you are cooking on low heat, try to add them along the edge of your slow cooker so they benefit from the extra heat along the wall (where the heating apparatus is).

When your meat is tender, remove the potatoes, let them cool enough to handle them, and cut into your desired size. Then stir them back into the stew. 

Read also: How Many Watts Does a Crock Pot Use? (Instant Pot® vs. Crock-Pot®)

Add Frozen or Cooked Vegetables at the End of Cooking

If you are adding any vegetables other than sauteed aromatics or chunky root vegetables, you will want to do so at the end of cooking since they will not need a lot of time to cook (even from frozen).

For example, if you want to add frozen peas to your beef stew, you can do so along with the cut up potatoes. The stew will be hot enough to cook your peas thoroughly without cooking away all their flavor, nutrients, and crisp green color. 

Some excellent Mexican slow cooker recipes call for corn. Like with the peas, add at the very end so that the flavor and color of the corn stays vibrant and stands out from the rest of the stew.

If you are using segments of corn on the cob instead of frozen corn or cut corn, add these around the edge of your slow cooker in the last hour of cooking so the corn will retain its crunch and flavor. 

If you are adding already-cooked vegetables to your recipe, such as roasted red peppers, these should be added at the end as well, so the flavor doesn’t cook away.

You will just need to give them enough time to heat through and blend in flavor, which shouldn’t take long. 

Spices, Seasonings, and Citrus

Many dried seasonings, such as Bay Leaves and Thyme, can be added along with the vegetables at the beginning of cooking (you will remove the Bay Leaves before serving).

However, the flavor of subtle fresh herbs (such as parsley or cilantro) or fresh citrus (like lime juice in chili) will be lost during the long cooking time.

Make sure you add these more delicate herbs for the very end of cooking

Can I Prepare Slow Cooker Vegetables a Day Ahead?

If you don’t have time during the day to prep all the meat and vegetables for your slow cooker recipe, you can prepare the meat and veggies a day or two ahead and refrigerate them until you are ready to slow cook. 

You will need to keep the vegetables and any broth you have prepared in a separate container from the browned meat, however, and add everything at once to the slow cooker when you are ready to start. 

Keep in mind your cooking time may be longer since the ingredients will be cold, but you don’t need to heat everything beforehand–the slow cooker will do that for you. 

Read also: Does Trader Joe’s Sell Meat (Crab, Balls, Halal, Deli, Lump Crab, Meatball)

Conclusion

Knowing when to add vegetables to your slow cooker will greatly improve the flavor and texture of your finished product.

Don’t miss out on any of those delicious flavors by overcooking, but don’t make more work for yourself by having to add ingredients throughout the cooking process. 

References

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/10463-slow-cooker-classic-pot-roast-with-carrots-and-potatoes

https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/154-simple-pot-roast