10 Best low wattage Slow Cookers for campers and motorhomes

Looking for the best low wattage slow cooker to use in your motorhome, campervan, caravan, boat or anywhere else with limited power? Here are some of the best slow cookers on the market, for solo use, vanlife and families. I hope you cook something delicious!

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Why Use a Slow Cooker?

Slow cookers are magic. You put stuff into a pot, leave it on all day (while it emits delicious smells) and then you have a lovely succulent meal to enjoy with ridiculously little effort. Even better, if you get a low-wattage slow cooker, it won’t cost a lot in electricity either- much cheaper than using a conventional oven.

One of my favourite things to do in winter is pop a casserole on before taking my dog Mac for a long walk, and by the time we come back to the van everything is ready to go. You can also use slow cookers for roasts, soups and many other things. They’re the perfect vanlife one-pot oven- with very little to clean up!

If you have the space, it’s a great way to batch cook for the week or even further if you have a freezer. Obviously, if you live in your motorhome or campervan, storage space for food is limited but slow cookers are so easy to use that you can use it every other day if you wanted to.

Things to look for when buying a slow cooker

When choosing the best slow cooker for you, please remember to look at these things:

• Wattage/ power constraints (unless using it in a house)
• Capacity Size
• Digital or Manual timer
• Does it have other features or modes (like an Instant Pot which has many!)
• Physical size & Storage- where you’ll keep it when not in use
• Weight- especially when full. Some can be heavy!
• Keep warm function – this is so useful
• Easy to clean

Storing a Slow Cooker

This is when I get jealous of anyone living in a house. Even in my boat, I had plenty of space for a slow cooker. But in the motorhome, space is much more limited. The one good cupboard is taken up with my low-wattage air fryer (which I LOVE!) so the slow cooker has to live in another area, which is a bit trickier to get to.

As I use the slow cooker most in the winter, I tend to leave it out on the side when I’m not driving (don’t drive with the slow cooker going!)- I find leaving it out makes it more likely to get used.

What size slow cooker should you get?

Obviously, this depends on how many people you cook for. I only need a small slow cooker as it’s mostly just me in the motorhome. Somewhere around 2-3 litres is perfect.

Of course, if there are more than two of you, you’ll need a larger size slow cooker, which could stop it being so low-wattage. But there are some larger low-wattage slow cookers available, as you’ll see below.

Low Wattage Slow Cookers

If you’re in a place with limited power, like a motorhome, caravan or boat, we all know that some appliances can be difficult- like a good low-wattage hair dryer!

Thankfully, low wattage slow cookers aren’t difficult to find- and they work great on just a little bit of power.

How many watts does a slow cooker use?

The wattage range for the below slow cookers are from 100 – 163 watts. Generally speaking the lower the wattage (power required for usage) the smaller the appliance – so with these low wattage cookers, you’ll find that they are more suited for 1-2 people but the Morphy Richards 460012 Slow Cooker is a 3.5 litre capacity, that would definitely cook for 3 hungry or 4 less-hungry people 🙂

• The Geepas 1.5L Slow Cooker draws 120w
• The Crockpot 1.8L Slow Cooker uses just 100w
• The Morphy Richards 3.5L 460012 slow cooker draws 163 watts
• The Swan 1.5L slow cooker uses 120watts

Can you run a slow cooker off your leisure battery?

Great question and the answer is- it depends!

It depends on the size of the slow cooker and the size of your leisure battery. A 100w slow cooker uses about .5amps/h on a 230v hookup (see blue box below to understand ampage if you dont.)

If you have a 100amp/h battery, and only want to use it to 50%, that will give you about 10 hours, which should be ample- assuming you’re drawing nothing else on your leisure battery and it’s at 100%! If not, you need to be careful not to overdo it!

Will an inverter run a slow cooker?

Again, it depends on the size of both the cooker and the inverter. The important thing is to make sure you have an slow cooker which is lower wattage than your powerbank/ inverter can run. (ie- don’t try to run a 500w slow cooker on a 300w inverter!) And again, make sure you don’t draw too much- see example above.

If you need a bigger capacity slow cooker, you might struggle finding one with such low wattage, but there are a couple available.

Can you get a 12v slow cooker?

Yes, there are a couple of 12v cookers available. Please note I haven’t tested any but this RoadPro 12v slow cooker gets good reviews.

Are there slow cookers which don’t need electricity?

Absolutely! These are called thermal cookers or wonderbags.

They work by using the heat energy from a heated pot to continue cooking the food.

If you have very low power constraints, these are a great option- but do note that food may take longer to cook than electric slow cookers- you’ll need time and patience!

Non-Electric Thermal Slow Cookers

Slow Cookers for Families

Slow cookers are the perfect way to feed a family as they’re so easy to set and leave until you’re ready. They’re also perfect for families who eat at different times as they usually have a keep warm function.

The size capacity for the below slow cookers ranges from 3.5 – 8 litres, so these will definitely feed most families. Keep in mind, that a bigger capacity usually has a higher power requirement – ranging from 300 – 3800 watts! The Premium Black Slow Cooker 8.0L is the largest wattage cooker coming in at 3800 watts, and if you try to use that on a campsite with lots of other people, you may trip the power!

Best Slow Cookers for One Person or couples

Being a couple or on your own, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy cooking with a slow cooker. Here are some great little low wattage slow cookers perfect for home and your motorhome, campervan, boat or caravan.

As mentioned above, smaller capacity appliances require smaller power usage – so the power requirements for these slow cookers range from 100-220 watts- very low wattage.

My slow cooker recommendation

If you want something in the middle- perfect for 1-3 meals without any extra cooking, the Morphy Richards 460012 Slow Cooker is a great option.

I love this one because you can cook (sear) the meat in the same pot first- so there really is only one pot to wash up! It’s non-stick, really easy to clean and very easy to use- no complicated buttons or settings to figure out. I’ve had one on my boat and in my motorhome, and my friend above has the exact same one. We’re both big fans.

Slow Cooker Recipe Books

Even though cooking with a slow cooker is super easy, sometimes it can be difficult to know what to throw in for a great meal. Here are some great slow cooker recipe books to give you some delicious meals, wherever you are.

Final thoughts

I hope that’s given you some ideas for the best low-wattage slow cooker for you. Let me know which one you get and what delicious food you cook first!

Last update on 2024-03-07 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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