Slow Cooker Time Converter
Convert a recipe between the oven, a slow cooker on low or high, and a pressure cooker without guessing.
Your details
This calculator runs entirely on your device. Nothing you enter is uploaded, stored, or sold. How this works
Slow cooker on low
6 hr 35 min – 9 hr 55 min
Converted from 1 hr 30 min in the oven
Includes your inputs, the full breakdown, and every row of the table.
Slow cooker on low
6 hr 35 min – 9 hr 55 min
Slow cooker on high
3 hr 20 min – 4 hr 55 min
Pressure cooker
24 min – 36 min
- Oven or stovetop
- 1 hr 10 min – 1 hr 50 min
- Slow cooker on low
- 6 hr 35 min – 9 hr 55 min
- Slow cooker on high
- 3 hr 20 min – 4 hr 55 min
- Pressure cooker
- 24 min – 36 min
| Oven or stovetop | Slow cooker on low | Slow cooker on high |
|---|---|---|
| 15 – 30 min | 4 – 6 hrs | 1½ – 2 hrs |
| 35 – 45 min | 6 – 8 hrs | 3 – 4 hrs |
| 50 min – 3 hrs | 8 – 10 hrs | 4 – 6 hrs |
What this means
- Low and high on a slow cooker reach roughly the same temperature — high just gets there faster. As a rule, one hour on high is about two on low, and either setting eventually holds a gentle simmer.
- The stretch factor is not constant. A 20 minute recipe becomes about 5 hours on low, a multiple of roughly 15, while a 2 hour braise becomes about 9 hours, a multiple of under 5. Long recipes are already close to the slow cooker's own pace, so they need proportionally less extra time.
- Slow cookers barely evaporate, because the lid traps steam and returns it. Reduce the liquid in an oven or stovetop recipe by about a third when moving it to a slow cooker, or you will end up with a thin, watery sauce.
- Pressure cooking is roughly a third of the stovetop time, but that excludes the time to come up to pressure and release, which can add 20 minutes or more. Timings under 5 minutes are unreliable, so very quick recipes are not worth converting.
- Dairy, delicate vegetables, seafood, and fresh herbs do not survive a long cook. Add them in the last 20 to 30 minutes rather than at the start.
- These are planning estimates. Braises and stews are forgiving over a wide window; lean cuts and anything with a target internal temperature are not, so use a thermometer for those.
How the slow cooker time converter calculation works
Slow cookers work by holding food at a gentle simmer for hours, which is a completely different proposition from an oven. Both low and high settings climb to roughly the same final temperature, a little under boiling — the difference is how quickly they get there. That is why the usual rule of thumb, that an hour on high equals two on low, holds up reasonably well in practice.
Converting from an oven or stovetop recipe means stretching the time by a large multiple: somewhere around ten times for low and five times for high. The ranges here are deliberately wide because the real answer depends on the cut, how full the pot is, and how much liquid surrounds the food. Braises and stews tolerate that imprecision easily, which is exactly why they are the recipes people convert.
The one adjustment that catches everyone is liquid. An oven braise loses a lot of water to evaporation over three hours, and the recipe accounts for that. A sealed slow cooker loses almost none, and it also draws moisture out of the meat and vegetables, so a recipe transferred straight across finishes swimming. Cutting the liquid by around a third is the standard correction.
Frequently asked questions
How long is 1 hour in the oven in a slow cooker?
Roughly 8 to 10 hours on low, or 4 to 6 hours on high. The multiple is large because a slow cooker sits just below boiling while an oven runs at three or four times that temperature. Wide ranges are normal here, and the recipes people convert are usually forgiving.
Is slow cooker low or high better?
Both reach about the same temperature, so it is a question of schedule rather than results. Low takes longer to get there, which gives collagen more time to break down and generally suits tough cuts better. High is fine when you are short of time. Low is the safer default for anything you are leaving unattended all day.
Do I need to reduce the liquid?
Yes, by about a third. Slow cookers lose almost no moisture because the lid condenses steam and returns it, and the food itself releases liquid as it cooks. A recipe written for an oven assumes hours of evaporation that will not happen.
How do I convert a slow cooker recipe to an Instant Pot?
Take the equivalent stovetop time and use about a third of it under pressure — an 8 hour low recipe is roughly 50 minutes of stovetop time, so around 15 to 20 minutes at pressure. Add 10 to 20 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure and release, and keep at least a cup of thin liquid in the pot or it will not pressurise.
Related calculators
Meat Cooking Time Calculator
Estimate roasting time by weight, and see the temperature to pull at so carryover lands the meat exactly where you want it.
CookingOven Temperature Converter
Convert between Fahrenheit, Celsius, and gas mark, and adjust for a fan oven that runs hotter than the dial says.
CookingRecipe Scaler
Scale any recipe up or down and get the new amounts in measurements you can actually use, not awkward decimals.
CookingBrine Calculator
Work out the salt for a wet or dry brine by weight, in grams and in cups of the specific salt sitting in your cupboard.
CookingSpotted a problem, or want this calculator to do more?Corrections are fixed first, and the most-requested features get built next.Tell us →
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Results are estimates based on the inputs you provide and the assumptions described above. Confirm any figure with a qualified professional before acting on it.