You know what your next game day, fall party, or heck, even a long day at work needs? CROCKPOT BRATS (aka slow cooker brats)! This simple meal is the perfect way to take a summer meal into the fall and winter and with this easy recipe, it takes just 10 minutes to prep and a few hours in the slow cooker. It’s also a great way to prep ahead for a party. Serve the beer brats in buns with plenty of mustard and onions for a traditional Midwest meal or with potatoes and sauerkraut for a more traditional German meal. Short on time? Try air fryer brats.
If you love cozy, slow cooker meals (is there anything better on a cool fall day?!) be sure to try my crockpot shredded beef, crockpot beef stew, or crock pot buffalo chicken sliders next time.
If Wisconsin had a themed meal, cooking beer brats in crock pot would be it. Because in the land of cheese and beer and brats AND easy slow cooker meals…beer brats in a slow cooker just make sense.
And while I may not live in Wisconsin anymore, it’s definitely a part of the culture I grew up in. My local meat market has no less than 22 varieties of brats. We take it very seriously and from the moment it’s warm enough to step outside to grill (and let’s be real – even when it’s not for some) the aroma of brats is essential to spring/summer/fall nights in the midwest.
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
What You’ll Love About Slow Cooker Brats
- Easy recipe
- Perfect for game day
- Easy to make ahead
- Just 10 minutes to prep in a few simple steps
- Made with simple ingredients
- Makes a big batch of food (for a crowd or leftovers)
Ingredients
- Onion – Use a medium onion, I prefer white, but you could also use yellow.
- Garlic – Use whole garlic cloves as you’re just going to smash them, not mince them. You could use garlic powder if you don’t have any garlic.
- Brats – You’ll want raw, German-style bratwurst. Johnsonville brats are our favorite, and you can get them at just about any grocery store. You could also use your favorite variety from your local meat market.
- Beer – Use your favorite beer, lagers or lighter beers like Miller Lite, Bud Light, or your favorite N/A lager-style beer work well.
- Grainy mustard – Grainy mustard adds great flavor and texture, but you can also use dijon mustard.
- Caraway seeds – These add great flavor to slow cooker brat recipes, don’t skip it.
How to Make Crockpot Brats
This is an overview on how to make beer brats, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
FAQs
Can you cook brats in a slow cooker?
Yes! You can absolutely cook brats in a slow cooker. And it’s ridiculously easy, too. Typically, brats are a warm-weather meal, but this slow cooker brats recipes takes it into fall and winter – it’s a hot tub for brats!
You do want to be careful to not overcook the sausage – just like any slow cooked meat, the texture of the brats can get mushy if it’s cooked too long.
How long do you cook brats in a crockpot?
The cooking time for slow cooker brats depends on whether you’re cooking them on high or low heat. These crock pot brats cook in about 6 hours on low heat, but if you wanted them done faster, you could cook them for 4 hours on high. Be sure to make sure they are cooked through!
How to keep brats warm in slow cooker without beer?
If you’d prefer to make your brats without beer, simply swap the beer for a veggie chicken broth. None of the beer, but you’ll still get flavor.
What is the best beer for brats?
I prefer using a light lager beer without a ton of flavor – think Miller Lite, Bud Light, etc. Now that I don’t drink alcohol, I tend to use an N/A lager-style beer instead.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover crockpot beer brats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
How to reheat
Reheat the brats in a hot skillet or in the microwave until heated through.
Can you freeze cooked brats?
Yes, you can freeze cooked brats in an airtight freezer container for 2-3 months. Let thaw before reheating.
What to Serve with Crockpot Beer Brats
All these slow cooker beer brats need is a few serving sides – buns, condiments, and sides! Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Bun of your choice – Use hoagie buns, brat buns, or hot dog buns.
- Favorite condiments – Put out a variety of mustard, ketchup, relish, minced onion, etc.
- Sides – Serve with sides like cheesy potato casserole, haricot verts, air fryer broccoli, napa cabbage slaw, sauerkraut, baked beans, potato chips, and fruit or these 47 side ideas that are perfect with brats.
How to Feed Brats to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following the Division of Responsibility and knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
I would recommend serving a small piece of brat in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter if they don’t do buns.
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
If you like this crockpot beer brat recipe, you might also like some of these other easy crockpot recipes:
- Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
- Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes
Slow Cooker Beer Brats (Crockpot Brats)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Midwest
Description
You won’t believe how easy these crockpot brats are. Slow cooker beer brats are made with just 6 ingredients and are flavorful and juicy!
Ingredients
- 1 onion, sliced into half moons
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 10 brats
- 1 cup beer of choice
- 2 Tbsp. grainy mustard
- 1 tsp. caraway seeds
Instructions
-
Prep ingredients:
Slice onions.
Smash garlic.
Layer onion and garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker. -
Heat oil in large skillet. Brown brats for about 1-2 minutes per side, just until browned. (They don’t need to be cooked through!) Nestle brats on top of the onions and garlic.
-
Combine beer, mustard and caraway seeds in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and pour over brats and veggies.
-
Cook on high for 2 hours, or low for about 4 hours, or until brats are cooked through.
Equipment
Notes
- Use a light pilsner or lager or your favorite NA beer.
- Dijon mustard can also be used in place of grainy mustard.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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Allie @ Sweet Potato Bites
mmm this sounds like the perfect hearty fall meal! I’m always looking for new slow cooker recipes.
The Newseum was one of my favorites in DC too! Such a great place.
Emily
I really want to go back, we only had about two hours there.
Rachel @ The Avid Appetite
I LOVE brats! I know I’d fit right in in Wisconsin since I love brats and cheese 😉 I just bought some kielbasa yesterday so I will definitely give those a try in the slow cooker!
Emily
You would definitely fit right in, Rachel! 🙂
Catherine Hausmann
Was good Catherine
designsondinner
Right up my alley. I love sauerkraut! I just bought some to make veggie reubens, and my husband is going to try fermenting his own sauerkraut this fall.
Emily Dingmann (@nutritionisteat)
Oooh, I’ve always wanted to do that! It sounds pretty straightforward, I just don’t know where I would keep it!
Danielle
I think I will try this recipe with a tofu twist! Thanks for the idea!!
nourishnature.blogspot.ca
Emily
I love this idea! You have to let me know how it goes.
Sarah
i LOVE brats! this sounds awesome. my grandpa is from elkhart lake, WI and as you can imagine, summertime at my grandparents’ cottage=brat time. this sounds wonderful.
Kara Merrill
Emily this recipe is fantastic! Brought me right back to my German roots! We all loved it. Thank you for sharing.
Anna Johnson
Ok we need to do this like stat. yum.
erin
Love me a good brat! And, sauerkraut… obsessed. I could eat it on anything 🙂
Carol
I made this last night and it was wonderful. I did not have time to slow cook it so I used a pressure cooker.
Emily
So glad to hear, Carol! Thank you! It’s still 90 degrees in LA where I live, but the next chance it dips down, I’m making it!
Roshelle Kelley
This recipe is a favorite! Easy and tasty. Made it for my guy, who grew up on mostly Mexican food and had never had brats and sauerkraut. Was unsure if he’d dig the German flavor but he went CRAZY for it! Now I make it for him on the regular. My mom used to make this dish…this recipe nailed the flavor from childhood I was trying to replicate…and improved it a little, I think. Thanks for sharing!
Emily
Oh that’s amazing Roshelle! Thank you! I’m glad he liked it – who can resist brats?! 🙂
Roshelle
This recipe is a favorite! Easy and tasty. Made it for my guy, who grew up on mostly Mexican food and had never had brats and sauerkraut. Was unsure if he’d dig the German flavor but he went CRAZY for it! Now I make it for him on the regular. My mom used to make this dish…this recipe nailed the flavor from childhood I was trying to replicate…and improved it a little, I think. Thanks for sharing!
Linda
Can you use Yukon Gold potatoes with this recipe?
Emily
Hi Linda! Absolutely, any potato should work fine.
Amy
Did you browned them on the stove top before you put them in the crockpot to get the black in lines
Emily
Hi Amy, you don’t need to brown them before cooking, but you certainly can! It will add great flavor. This dark one was touching the slow cooker directly so it got a little browned. You could also quickly sear on the grill or a pan if you wanted some grill marks.
Kate
I make this every year, it’s a favorite at our house.
Andy Allen
Can the potatoes and kraut be cooked in the crockpot with the brats?
Emily
Hi Andy! Yes, the original recipe called for them to be cooked together. Layer the kraut and onions down first, nestle the brats over top, and top with potatoes. Drizzle with sauce and cook, making sure that the brats are cooked through and potatoes are tender.
Kimberly Hastings
This is a really great recipe! But my Husband and I LOVED the original version of it (the one with the sauerkraut and potatoes and rest of the ingredients in your updated recipe cooked all together) Could you please repost the original version? Pretty Please 🙂
Bob D
Some foods just are not intended for the clow cooker process. Bratwurst is one of them. I followed the recipe and ended up with mush. Terrible idea.
Emily
Sorry to hear that Bob, I’m not sure why that would happen as I’ve made it without any issues many times. Maybe it’s a difference in slow cookers as I’m sure they vary in temperature, etc.
Paige
These are outrageously good! I made them for an Oktoberfest party last month and then just did a half batch last night for my family. I don’t think I have ever had a brat before like this. It melts in your mouth.