October is officially Crocktober, and honestly, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate fall than letting the slow cooker make dinner for us!

We’ve rounded up 31 of our favorite Crocktober recipes—one for every day of October. You’ll find easy weeknight dinners, hearty soups and stews, party dips, snacks and even a few sweet surprises along the way.

So dust off that crockpot, pick tonight’s recipe and let dinner basically cook itself. 31 days. 31 recipes. Let’s do Crocktober!

What Is Crocktober?

Crocktober is exactly what it sounds like: October + crockpot! We’re making one crockpot recipe every day this month, and you’re invited. Start at October 1 or jump in wherever you are!

31 Crocktober Recipes to Make This October

Week 1: October 1–7

This five minute Peppermint Bark is smooth, sweet chocolate layered with cool peppermint, and my boys can’t get enough of it. Make a batch for a party, or package it up as a gift for a friend.

Similar to the Christmas batches of peppermint marshmallow fudge that I like gifting to friends, peppermint bark is a cinch to make and requires just a few ingredients you may already have in your pantry. It’s perfect for packing into pretty tins or bags, or for serving on dessert trays at holiday parties. Once you see how easy this is to make this peppermint bark recipe, you’ll likely never be tempted to buy it again.

Peppermint Bark

I’ve been making this recipe as a holiday treat for friends and family for many, many years now. It’s even been a requested stocking stuffer for my boys over the years, and I’m looking forward to making it again this fall.

Sometimes, you’ll see a recipe for peppermint bark call for a full layer of white chocolate on top of milk or dark chocolate. But, I choose to swirl the chocolates together for a couple of reasons.

First, the two different colored chocolates all swirled and spiraled together simply looks prettier. And more practically, that swirl helps hold the dark and white chocolate together. There’s less chance of the two chocolates separating when you slice the chocolate into individual pieces. This way you get all three main flavors–white chocolate, dark chocolate, and peppermint–in each and every bite of peppermint bark.

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Spice blends are all over the aisle at the grocery store to save us time. But, did you know you can make your own? This Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix is a cozy blend of all the classic fall spices. I love, love, love using it in baked goods and sweet treats!

It feels like the old TV public service announcement, but this time it’s for the cooks. “Do you know what’s in your spice mix?” When you make it yourself, you can. And, bonus, when you make it yourself, you can make it exactly how you want it to be!

This recipe for pumpkin pie spice mix captures the warmth of the classic spices in a balance that I adore. The first thing I made with it was this layered pumpkin coffee cake. Just swap a tablespoon for the spices in the pumpkin filling.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix

I like to sneak in just a pinch of cardamom to my spice mix. I first fell in love with cardamom when my sister showed me how she adds it to her daily coffee. It has become a treat that I treasure.

I will warn you that once you learn how to make this at home, there’s no going back. You’ll feel the achievement any time you put the finished label on a jar. And, then it’s yours to play with year-round. Just opening the jar reminds me of pumpkin pies and warm apple crisps.

Ingredients and Substitutions

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This chocolate pumpkin bread is unbelievably moist and fudgy with real pumpkin, rich cocoa and melty chocolate chips, then covered in a silky chocolate ganache. It’s part pumpkin bread, part chocolate cake, and absolutely a dessert.

I had wondered about making a chocolate pumpkin bread for years, but I was always worried the cocoa powder would make it dry. So I finally started testing recipes last spring, and you guys, this is one of the best chocolate loaf recipes I’ve ever had.

The pumpkin is the secret. It adds so much moisture that you get a tender, almost brownie-like loaf without losing that classic pumpkin bread texture. And then we add chocolate chips AND pour ganache over the top because apparently we don’t know when to stop. 😂

Ingredients For Cho

With just a hint of honey to sweeten the deal, this Honey Mustard Dressing is the perfect balance. Mustard hasn’t always been my favorite, but I’ve been pouring this on just about everything from chicken nuggets, salads, and even used it to dip roasted vegetables!

My friends, I’ve made a LOT of salad dressings over the years, but honey mustard is special (I liked the combination so much I even made a honey Dijon vinaigrette). It really does nail the balance between the sweet honey and bold mustard. If you’ve found it too sweet or spicy before, give this a try. And, since I’m making recommendations, you’re going to want to put it on this crunchy spinach salad too. It’s quite literally the salad I made to go with this dressing.

Honey Mustard Dressing

Around my house, we are unapologetically enthusiastic when it comes to homemade dips, dressings, and sauces. I put my love of whisks to work, and my boys are happy to give me their feedback.

Sometimes, that feedback is expressed with words. Others, it’s simply the speed at which they devour it (or sometimes the speed at which they don’t. Not every recipe can be a winner!). I first shared this dressing in 2012, and I’m thrilled to finally be re-shooting the photos and sharing it again with you.

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