How to Cook Ground Beef in a Crock Pot

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Learn How to Cook Ground Beef in a Crock Pot with these simple steps. The perfect way to meal prep ground beef for the week without the mess.

Ground beef in the slow cooker with a serving on a wooden spoon

There are many cooking methods to brown ground beef but cooking in the crockpot is now my go-to method. As a busy mom of 8, this easy slow cooker recipe makes planning meals for the week so much easier.

Making this ground beef in a crockpot is perfect to use to make Ground Beef Teriyaki for an easy weeknight meal.

Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients
Variations Ideas
Step by Step Instructions
Recipe Tips
What to Make With Ground Beef?
Frequently Asked Questions
More Cooking Tips for Beginners
How to Cook Ground Beef in a Crock Pot Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

Slow Cooking ground beef in the crock pot allows you to walk away and let the crockpot do all the work. It prevents grease splatter and makes cleanup a breeze.

This cooking tip is a great way to meal prep all your ground beef recipes for the week to save time. The ground beef comes our full of flavors and taste of amazing.

Ingredients

Raw Ground Beef
Water
Salt
Black Pepper

Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.

Variations Ideas

Ground Turkey – You can add in ground turkey with the ground beef if you prefer.
Seasoning – Feel free to change the spices to what you prefer. We have even added in taco seasoning if we are making this ground beef for Mexican Recipes.
Veggies – Add in chopped onions, bell peppers or diced tomatoes to add flavor.

Step by Step Instructions

Placing the raw ground beef in the slow cooker with the seasoning

Step 1 – Add the 3 pounds of ground beef, water, salt and pepper to a crock pot.

Chopping up ground beef in the slow cooker

Step 2 – Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. Break up the browning meat in the crock pot every 30-60 minutes. Stir and cook until the beef is no longer pink and cooked through.

Step 3 – Then carefully drain off any excess grease and liquid from the crock pot and ground meat.
Step 4 – Then the browned ground beef is ready to use in your favorite recipe or refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Recipe Tips

Cooking Ground Beef – Add the ground beef is cooking in the crock pot, continually break up the beef with a spatula. This ensures that the meet cooks thoroughly. Cooking time will vary.
Draining Ground beef – Drain the fully cooked ground beef after cooking. We recommend using colander or a slotted spoon to ensure that all the liquid has been drained.

Ground Beef in a white bowl with a wooden spoon

What to Make With Ground Beef?

There are many recipes to use with this prepared ground beef. I like to prepare my menu based on this cooked ground beef or it is easy to store in the freezer to use throughout the month.

These are some of our favorite recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Size of Crockpot Do I Use?

I used a 6 quart crock pot for this recipe. But you can use an 8 quart crockpot if you prefer.

How to Store

We recommend dividing the ground beef in 1 pound airtight containers to store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Can I Freeze Ground Beef?

You can freeze the browned ground beef in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months.

Can I Put Frozen Meat in the Slow Cooker?

If your lean ground beef is frozen, we recommend allowing it to thaw first in the fridge. Then place in the crockpot to make slow cooker ground beef recipe.

More Cooking Tips for Beginners

We love hearing from you. If you Brown Ground Beef in your Slow Cooker, please leave us a comment.

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