The Market Is Exploding With Unprecedented Growth
The slow cooker and sous vide market is experiencing significant growth, with various industry reports projecting substantial expansion over the coming decade.
North America is expected to be among the fastest-growing regions, with the United States representing a significant portion of the global slow cookers market. This growth reflects a fundamental shift in how Americans approach cooking. North America currently leads the market due to high disposable incomes, busy lifestyles, and a strong trend towards healthy eating.
The numbers tell an undeniable story of surging consumer interest. Industry reports indicate the global slow cooker market is experiencing steady growth with projected expansion through 2034, with lifestyle changes among consumers and the shift toward convenience and healthy cooking as primary drivers.
Smart Technology Is Revolutionizing Traditional Slow Cooking
One of the prominent trends in the slow cookers market is the integration of smart technologies, with consumers increasingly expecting appliances that offer convenience and connectivity, leading to the launch of slow cookers with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities.
These smart devices allow users to control cooking times and temperatures remotely via smartphone applications, enabling a fully automated cooking experience. The modern slow cooker has evolved far beyond the simple plug-in models of decades past. Product innovations such as smart slow cookers that can be controlled via mobile apps are enhancing consumer appeal and driving market expansion.
Another trend is the demand for multifunctional cookers that combine slow cooking with other cooking methods such as pressure cooking, air frying, or steaming, which appeals to consumers looking for versatile kitchen appliances. These innovations address the modern kitchen’s space constraints while maximizing functionality.
Health Experts Are Championing Scientific Benefits
If you cook foods in a liquid at low heat – such as in slow cooking – you can help significantly reduce the number of cell-damaging compounds known as AGEs (advanced glycation end products) that are produced in certain foods, compared with broiling or grilling, with AGEs typically found in charred and grilled meats being linked with inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
The only way you can reduce your intake of AGEs is by steaming or boiling foods or by making stews – the key is to cook at low heat and to maintain the water content of food, with animal studies showing that cutting AGEs intake in half without changing the content of the diet increased the lifespan of the animals.
Numerous studies have challenged the mindset that “fresh is best” with revealing findings that suggest cooking some fruits and vegetables may actually increase the bioavailability of certain nutrients because cooking may disrupt the cell walls in the plant matrix, releasing the nutrients into the dish, with slow cooking using a tight-fitting lid to capture nutrients lost to evaporation being a good method of accessing these benefits.
Studies have shown that the process of steaming is a more effective method of retaining nutrients during cooking compared to boiling or stir-frying. The slow cooker’s unique sealed environment creates ideal conditions for nutrient preservation.
Meal Prep Culture Is Driving Massive Adoption
Because home cooks are spending so much time in the kitchen, we’re seeing a big preference for ease and efficiency, with one pot meals, slow cooker recipes, and meals with five ingredients or less being exactly what people are looking for in 2025.
Trying to eat healthy during a busy work week can sometimes feel impossible, with the slow cooker being the solution that lets you simply dump in ingredients, set it, and forget it. These dump-and-go slow cooker recipes are the best way to get ready for the work week, with most of these dinners being freezer-friendly and perfect for meal prep.
As a Dietitian and a Mom maintaining a 55lb postpartum weight loss, I steer toward meals that have enough protein to keep me full. These high-protein crockpot meals cover every meal from breakfast to dinner and meal prep, packed with up to 49 grams of protein in every serving.
Comfort Food Revival Is Meeting Health Consciousness
Traditional barbecue got a major makeover in 2024, with slow-cooked barbecue taking center stage using wood, oak, and charcoal – paired with low-and-slow cooking techniques infused with international flavors. Industry experts identified globally inspired soups and stews as one of the standout culinary trends of 2024, a movement that continues to influence menus well into 2025.
The 90s are making a gourmet comeback, not about mere nostalgia but about reimagining classics with a modern twist, with comfort foods layered with new-age ingredients and techniques, offering a unique blend of familiarity and novelty.
This resurgence reflects a deeper cultural shift toward embracing traditional cooking methods with contemporary health awareness. Recipes passed down from one generation to the next become culinary treasures and often re-emerge as new trends, with family legacy recipes being revived as new classics for 2025.
Economic Pressures Are Making Slow Cooking Essential
It’s no secret that money is tight for the average family in 2025, with food being one of the biggest household expenses, so home chefs are turning to budget-friendly recipes to save on costs. Because of the long, low-temperature cooking, slow cookers help tenderize less-expensive cuts of meat.
They use less electricity than an oven and can be used year-round, usually allowing for one-step preparation; putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker saves time and reduces cleanup. Consumers are increasingly focusing on home-cooked meals as opposed to dining out, which is driving demand for kitchen appliances such as slow cookers.
Slow cookers require only a few minutes of prep for healthy meals, making them ideal for working individuals and families who can’t afford to spend hours in the kitchen, with the ability to make heavy homemade foods with just a follow-up hands-on approach being the biggest driver of demand in families with working parents or with tighter schedules.
Professional Nutritionists Are Recommending Strategic Approaches
According to registered dietitian and nutritionist Kristina Hallberg, meal prep doesn’t have to be complicated or boring, and it really can help you eat better while spending less time and money on food, noting that “We all know we’re going to get hungry and need to eat, and most of us know what we should be eating to manage our weight and health. It’s lack of planning that causes us to make poor choices.”
One example of produce that benefits from cooking is tomatoes, with slow-cooking tomatoes offering even more nutritional perks than its fresh counterpart, as when tomatoes are heated, the powerful antioxidant and carotenoid lycopene – linked to heart protection, cancer prevention, and even improved mood – becomes more available to your body.
Similarly, the antioxidants most well-known to protect your eyes against disease, such as the carotenoid lutein found in corn and spinach, also respond to heat during cooking, with a study comparing carotenoid content of fresh, canned, and frozen corn finding that frozen and canned varieties, both processed with heat, contained more lutein than the fresh version.
Bulk Cooking Strategies Are Changing Home Economics
The slow cooker is more than a convenient, easy way to cook – it’s the ultimate cheat code for high-protein meal prep that keeps your freezer stocked with nutritious meals, with a new cookbook built from the series that reached over half a billion views on social media featuring 80+ slow cooker recipes built for indulgent, bulk quantity meal prepping.
While many view it as just a “set it and forget it” tool, it’s specifically a strategic tool for bulk meal prep, not just great for making an easy dinner but ideal for creating a stockpile of high-protein meals that you can store in your freezer. Most of these recipes make 10 servings or more, and many can be scaled up even further to create even bigger batches, so you’re not just meal prepping for the week – you’re filling your freezer with a ready-to-go stash of homemade, high-protein meals that will last you for weeks.
This approach transforms the slow cooker from a simple cooking device into a comprehensive meal planning system. Hands-off cooking means just set it and forget it, with the slow cooker doing all the work while you go about your day.
Global Flavor Fusion Is Expanding Recipe Repertoires
The entire world is at your fingertips in the grocery store nowadays, allowing you to learn to make cuisines from across the globe with just one trip to the supermarket, with international flavors and ingredients being so easy to find that fusion cooking is a huge trend in 2025, combining recipes from multiple countries or regions to embrace a complex, layered landscape that should be at the heart of American food culture.
The key to the Korean-inspired flavors in this dish is a mixture of garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and the secret ingredient: gochujang, with this sweet and a little spicy Korean chili paste lending body and richness to both the beef and broth. This bowl-style take on a Vietnamese street food favorite turns the flavors of a traditional Banh Mi sandwich into a new recipe that still features all of those delicious savory-sweet, crispy-tender flavors and textures, with cooking the pork in the slow cooker making this recipe so easy and resulting in fall-apart tender pork pieces.
The slow cooker has become the perfect vessel for exploring international cuisines without intimidating preparation requirements.
Energy Efficiency Appeals to Environmentally Conscious Consumers
There is also a growing preference for eco-friendly and energy-efficient slow cookers that help reduce electricity consumption. Energy-effective cuisine results are in demand due to rising ménage energy costs.
Sustainability remained at the core of food and beverage industry trends in 2024, encompassing not only responsible ingredient sourcing but also a focus on biodegradable packaging, food waste reduction, and a smaller carbon footprint – priorities that continue to shape the industry in 2025.
This environmental consciousness aligns perfectly with slow cooking’s inherent efficiency. The appliance’s low energy consumption compared to conventional ovens makes it an attractive choice for eco-minded consumers. Many slow cooker enthusiasts also appreciate how the method helps reduce food waste by transforming less-expensive cuts of meat and aging vegetables into delicious, nutritious meals.
The Perfect Storm of Convenience and Wellness
Because our readers are in the kitchen night after night, it’s no surprise that when asked about their 2024 cooking vibe, 54% pointed to “quick/time-saving,” and 52% identified “low-effort/high-reward” as their focus that year. The largest portion of home cooks (43%) considered a “quick and easy” recipe to be one that takes 30 minutes or less – insights that continue to reflect how people cook today.
Planning is key if you’re trying to eat healthier, and it doesn’t get any easier than these set-it-and-forget-it recipes, with meal prep not requiring a kitchen sink full of pots and pans thanks to your handy slow cooker, which makes making big batches of things you can eat all week SO simple.
The convergence of health consciousness, economic necessity, and lifestyle demands has created ideal conditions for slow cooking’s resurgence. Modern consumers want nutritious food that fits their budgets and schedules, and slow cooking delivers on all fronts.
What started as a simple convenience has evolved into a sophisticated approach to healthy living. The slow cooker comeback represents more than nostalgia – it’s a practical response to contemporary challenges that promises to reshape how we think about home cooking for years to come.
