If you entertain a lot, you probably know that having some finger foods with dips or some dishes that were cooked earlier but kept warm for the party is the way to go. If you have the best small crock pot for dips and sauces, everyone can eat whenever they want and can keep coming back for seconds. The pot is always plugged in and the heat is low enough that it won’t thicken or dry out after a while. These can also be used as fondue pots.
This way, instead of spending all your time in the kitchen when you should be mingling, you can do everything beforehand and keep things warming on a kitchen counter or dining table and ready to serve when the guests are ready. With a large enough group, some guests might eat later or they may come back for more snacks after the first round. With these small slow cookers, your dips and sauces don’t have to be rewarmed in the microwave every time. In fact, since they’re pretty inexpensive, you can buy several to be used at the same time for various dishes. There is even a model that allows you to plug and play several crock pots together!
These can also be used as fondue pots if you already have fondue prongs, but you should also take a look at some top rated electric fondue pot and prong sets. Looking for a way to keep entire dishes warm for the party? We have a few recommendations for a combination buffet server and warming tray or just a warming tray.
We have chosen a select few of these small crock pots for dips to review below. These also make great hostess gifts!
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Top Picks for Small Slow Cooker for Dips
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What Are Mini Crock Pots Good For?
A mini crock pot is great for cooking small portions of food at once. This is especially useful when you want to cook a large meal for one person, but don’t want to spend too much time preparing it. A mini slow cooker is great for small meals such as casseroles, stews, chili, and soups. They also work well for making sauces and gravies.
It is also perfect for reheating leftovers. It warms food evenly and don’t require constant attention. You don’t need to worry about burning your food either.
Mini slow cookers are also perfect for keeping food warm on camping trips, tailgating parties, and picnics, since they are portable and easy to pack and find a space for to set up and use.
Do Small Crock Pots Cook Faster?
Yes and no. Small crock pots heat up quickly because of the smaller surface area that needs to reach the selected setting, but less of the food comes in direct with the hot surface, especially if the crock pot is quite full. This is not so much of a problem if you’re cooking a dish with a lot of liquid, like sauces and stews.
If you use a large slow cooker to cook a small batch of food, then it will cook the food too fast. A slow cooker is supposed to cook food on a simmer or bubble on a slow boil.
Therefore, the key is to select a crockpot size that is right for the quantity of food you usually cook at a time. A crockpot should ideally be filled at least half but no more than three-quarters full for it to cook properly.
What Size Crock Pot for Dips?
A small crock pot with a capacity of 1.5 to 2 quarts is best for heating up and keeping dips and sauces warm. Whichever size you choose, make sure to fill it up no less than half full and no more than 3/4th full.
Mini Slow Cooker for Dips
Courant Mini Slow Cooker Crock
The Courant Mini Slow Cooker Crock is a great product for cooking small tasty meals for 2 without spending a fortune in the process. It has a 1.5 quart capacity, which is perfect for making most sauces and dips. The capacity is even great if you are short on space and its oval insert makes it a little more versatile for cooking.
The slow cooker comes with three settings, including high, low, and keep warm. The low and high settings are designed for cooking your food, whereas the keep warm setting keeps your food warm until you’re ready to serve it. If you use the high temperature, you don’t have to worry about burning your hands because of the cool touch handles.
Better yet, the Courant Mini Slow Cooker Crock has a ceramic insert that is removable, non-stick, and dishwasher-friendly. These three features make the slow cooker very easy to clean, even when you are cooking cheese-based dips.
The power cord is just under 2.5 feet long and its power rating is 120 watts. All the while, this product is highly affordable. Its affordability makes it great for all families. It also means that you won’t feel guilty buying this product if you only intend to use it at the occasional party or event.
Whether you need a small dip crock pot for everyday dinners or appetizers for parties, this model will satisfy your needs. Likewise, it is a good product if you have a tight budget but still want a great mini slow cooker that can make you oatmeal every day that’s ready for you to eat when you wake up in the morning.
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Elite Gourmet MST-250XS Electric Slow Cooker Ceramic Pot
If you’d like an even less expensive, round, and conventional looking party crock, the Elite Gourmet Electric Slow Cooker might suit your needs. Although this little crock isn’t going to cook a meal for a family, for fondues, dips, sauces and oatmeal though, it really shines.
The 3 heat settings, high, low and warm, give you a temperature that should suit the range that you need for any party favorite. It even comes with a removable inner stoneware pot that you can conveniently take right to the table with you. The outer heating case has a nice stainless steel finish and the lid is tempered clear glass, so you can see its contents bubbling away inside.
Its power cord is 1.9 feet, which you may find to be frustratingly short. It’s powered at 120 watts.
For entertaining at home, or making a cheese dip for those movie nights with the kids, this slow cooker is hard to beat.
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KOOC Small Slow Cooker
The KOOC Small Slow Cooker is a great product if you want a slightly larger capacity mini dip warmer that is a breeze to clean up. The model is round and has a 2 quart capacity, making it one of the larger mini products on this list, but the size isn’t the most impressive feature of this purchase.
What allows this product to stand out is that it can be incredibly easy to clean if you don’t have time to wash the ceramic insert and wipe down the exterior. When you purchase this slow cooker, you get 5 slow cooker liners included. The liners make it easier to clean up the crock pot after every use. The liners are BPA-free and food safe. Even when you run out of liners, the ceramic insert is easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher, and the stainless steel body is easy to wipe down.
Cooking with this slow cooker is easy as well. It has a classic knob design with three temperature adjustments, including low, high, and warm. These temperature gauges allow you to cook healthy and delicious meals, sauces and dips every time. Its maximum power wattage is 150 and its power cord is 2 feet long.
Plus, this slow cooker is highly attractive. It comes in three color options, including black, pink, and red. All color options are affordable.
If you aren’t happy with your purchase, you don’t have to worry about wasting your money either. The product comes with a one year warranty and a 30 day return or exchange policy.
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Brentwood Slow Cooker, 1.5 Quart
The Brentwood Slow Cooker is a staple for families with two or three members. With its 1.5 quart capacity, it is perfect for making small family meals or dips and sauces for large get-togethers and parties.
This slow cooker has 3 different temperature settings to adjust your cooking – low, high, and warm. Warm is the heat setting to use when you want to keep the food warm after initial cooking.
This round 115 watt slow cooker comes with a removable ceramic bowl and glass lid. Both of these products are very easy to clean since they are dishwasher safe. Users report that the exterior of the product is easy to clean as well.
It’s important to read the fine print before purchasing this product. It is recommended that you should use this cooker continuously only for a period of six hours, which means you should not expect it to cook your food all day or be able to turn it on for oatmeal the night before if you plan to sleep for more than 6 hours! Additionally, its cord has been shortened since manufacturers last updated their site. It is only 23 inches long.
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STAR WARS and Marvel 2-Quart Slow Cookers
If you are a fan of Star Wars, check out the STAR WARS 2-Quart Slow Cooker. It offers all of the benefits of traditional mini slow cookers, but it has a much more fun and exciting appearance.
The slow cooker itself has a 2 quart capacity and variable click settings that include low, high, and warm. Its power rating is 110 watts. You can easily remove the lid and stoneware insert, which are both dishwasher washable for convenience.
Users report that this slow cooker definitely has the force on its side. It offers fantastic cooking results and an easy-to-use knob for convenient cooking.
For those who aren’t major fans of Star Wars but love Marvel and DC Comics, you can check out the Marvel Characters 2-Quart Slow Cookers instead. This slow cooker has all of the same features as the Star Wars one, but you can choose between a Captain America and Batman design.
If you opt for the DC and Marvel products, be careful when touching the slow cooker during use. Many users report that it gets hot on the outside and can even burn plastic that is touching the exterior.
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Chefman Slow Cooker, Compact Personal Size
The Chefman Compact Slow Cooker is a great product for personal use. It has a 1.5 quart capacity and is perfect for making lunches and dinners for one or two people. Many users note that this is the perfect size for singles and couples.
This 120 watts slow cooker is easy to clean. Both the removable stoneware and lid are dishwasher safe. Another benefit is that the product itself is energy efficient so that you don’t have to feel guilty about utilizing too much energy in the process.
In addition to cooking food deliciously and easily, the Chefman Slow Cooker has a very sleek appearance. It is almost entirely black in a matt finish. The only parts of the model that are not black include the temperature markings, a stainless steel rim around the top, and the glass lid. This design makes the product look high end.
Despite being expensive looking, the product is still affordable, much like most of the other mini crock pots on our list. Users note that this is a great product for its price range because it delivers perfect sizing and food for singles while looking sleek and classy.
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Nesco 1.5-Quart Slow Cooker
If you like Nesco roasters, you’ll love the 1.5 quart slow cooker from Nesco. It’s available in 2 vibrant color choices, metallic red and metallic plum. The removable crock can be taken to a table for convenience, and it has 3 heat settings, high, low, and one of which is called “auto” in the manual. This is nothing fancy, just another name for the warming function.
Although this may not matter much, the Nesco has the best and most even heating on this list. That makes it, overall, the best actual food cooker, as opposed to just being a party crock. Not that it doesn’t excel at either of them, but if you need the best even heating unit for a meal that’s cooking, this is the one to get.
The crock can also go in the oven if your recipe calls for it. It has a 2 foot power cord and works on 120 watts.
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Mini Crockpot for Dips
If you are a fan of name brand products, you certainly have to consider Crock Pots when in need of a slow cooker. The Crock-Pot brand has been so popular for slow cookers that many people use the brand name “Crock-Pot” to describe any slow cooker. We rate the following 3 as the best small crock pots for dips.
Crock-Pot 1-Quart Hook Up Double Oval Connectable Entertaining System (SCCPMD1-GR)
By far the most versatile party crock on this list is the Crock Pot Brand Double Oval Connectible Entertaining System. This description here is for the dual 1 quart set up, but it is really only a piece in a much larger system. You can get 2 quart or 3 quart crock systems if you prefer. Each pot is oval in shape.
The two crock units mean that you can serve two different types of party treats. Put an onion dip in one and a cheese fondue in another. Or mix and match any combination of sauce and dip. You’ll be able to offer far more variety to your guests.
You can use a crock system by itself or else hook it into the other connectibles to make several different heated crocks to serve a multiple of hot party treats. For example, you can buy two 3 quart single crocks and one dual system holding two 1 quart crocks, and plug all three systems together for 4 different dishes or dips ready on the table! The system is designed to connect up to 6 units together.
Each crock base comes with a special cord that plugs directly into an outlet and a connecting outlet that plugs into another crock base. If a base is used as a second or third one, then its cord can be wound up and hidden underneath. It is available in several color combinations. Each base is stackable on another for easy storage. The stoneware crock inserts are removable from the base and are dishwasher-safe along with their glass lids.
Although it has 3 heat settings, like every other unit on this list, they really are made more for warming food than cooking it. It is a perfect system if you like to do buffet-style meals for your parties, as you can choose to buy different sizes of crocks to mix and match depending on the size of your get-togethers.
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Crock-Pot 1-1/2-Quart Round Manual Slow Cooker
Since Crock-Pot is synonymous with slow cookers, the Crock-Pot 1.5 Quart Round Manual Slow Cooker is a fantastic product for those wanting the Crock-Pot brand generally and the simplest operation specifically. It has a 1.5 quart capacity, is powered at 80 watts, has integrated side handles, and a dishwasher safe lid and stoneware.
This product is ideal for dipping sauces because all it does is heat the contents at a steady low temperature. All you have to do is plug the device in and it starts heating up the food automatically. This easy design is perfect for dips and sauces that you need hot for hours, but it might be annoying if you want maximum control over the temperature.
If you need something a bit larger and with a temperature dial, you can check out the Crock-Pot 2-QT Round Manual Slow Cooker instead. It is almost the same as the 1.5 quart Crock-Pot but slightly larger and you can control the temperature.
Either way, both of these products are fantastic for dips and sauces since they are the perfect size, easy to use, and belong to the Crock-Pot brand.
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Crock-Pot Lunch Crock Food Warmer
What is smallest size crock pot? The answer is the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock Food Warmer. This product is unique because it only has a 20 ounce capacity, which is perfect for personal use or for a dip for a small party. It also has other features that make it perfect for lunch and on the go use. So you can use this dip size crock pot for your day to day lunches at work and then use it for a weekend party as a miniature crock pot!
For example, it has a cool touch exterior, easy carry handle, and an outer lid. All of these features make it easy to travel with this product without spilling any of your food in the process. The device even comes with an integrated cord storage system so that you don’t have to worry about tucking in the cord every time you leave the office.
Even though the design of this Crock-Pot is very different from the traditional models, it is still tasty and easy to use. The interior container is completely removable and dishwasher safe.
Because of its small capacity, this is not a great product if you want something that will cook meals for you and your family. It simply is too small because of its personal use design. If you want a Crock-Pot that you can also cook meals in, you should get something a bit larger. This will help in avoiding a watery slow cooker stew because of overcrowding of the ingredients.
That being said, this tiny crock pot is the perfect option for the most enjoyable lunch possible. Its small capacity and numerous safety features make it the perfect choice for healthy, tasty, and easy lunches.
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Things to Consider When Buying Small Crock Pots and Slow Cookers
When it comes time to pick out the best small crock pots and slow cookers, there are some things you need to consider. By considering the following factors, you can trust that the product you select is perfect for your home and needs.
Size, Style and Design
Always select a product that is convenient and easy to use. The features most associated with convenience are size, style, and design.
Most people recommend that the best size crock pot for dips is 1.5 quarts, but you could also select other products that range between 0.5 and 2 quarts. Select capacity based on your needs and available kitchen space. The larger the capacity, the more food you can make at once, but the more space you will need for storage and use.
In addition to the size, slow cookers can come in various shapes and designs, though most at this small size are circular. You want the shape to be convenient and easy to use in your kitchen and home. For most kitchens, the circular shape will be ideal because it is convenient for making sauces or oatmeal and the most affordable.
Material of the Insert
Slow cookers can have inserts made of one of the following materials: ceramic, aluminum, and stainless steel. All three of these materials are dishwasher safe and good for cooking a variety of food.
That being said, ceramic is often the best because it helps to prevent food from sticking to the bottom or burning after extended use and is PFOA and PTFE-free. Stainless steel is also food-safe and is light and affordable but food does tend to stick if it’s a more dry dish. Aluminum is usually non-stick coated but you will need to take care of the coating by not using metal utensils in it and preferably handwashing it with a soft scrubber.
Features and Settings
Slow cookers should come with various features and settings to make cooking your food a breeze. The most notable features to look out for include temperature control, a keep-warm setting, and a timer. These settings are almost required for all mid to large size programmable slow cookers but mini cookers often lack a timer and most will come with just a high and low setting.
You can look for other features as well, but expect the price to increase if the product has many advanced settings.
Safety Features
Even though slow cookers are not as dangerous as an open flame, they still can be dangerous if not equipped with the right safety features. Some of the most important safety features to look for include stay-cool handles and auto-shutoff. Consider the length of the power cord as well.
Stay-cool handles ensure you don’t burn yourself when carrying the slow cooker, while auto-shutoff ensures that the product doesn’t stay on for too long and lead to a fire. Meanwhile, the length of the power cord should be long enough that it can reach outlets easily without being so long that it can be pulled out by accident.