Kitchen · Australia

Best Slow Cookers Australia 2026

Updated 2026-09-035 products reviewedCurated by Bikram Nath

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Quick answer

The Russell Hobbs 6L Searing Slow Cooker at around A$89 is the best slow cooker in Australia for most households: its removable pot goes straight onto the stove, so you brown the meat and slow cook in the same dish. The Sunbeam HP5520 at A$49 is the value pick, and the GreenPan 6L at A$248 is the one to buy if you want a PFAS-free ceramic non-stick pot.

Editor's choice

Russell Hobbs

Russell Hobbs 6L Searing Slow Cooker RHSC650BLK

The one to buy. Searing in the same pot is the single biggest practical upgrade in slow cooking — it saves washing a second pan and puts the browned fond into the dish — and here it costs A$89 rather than the A$248 the premium pick asks.

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Slow cookers are simple machines, and the differences that matter are not the ones on the box. Capacity decides how many people you feed; pot material decides how easy it is to clean and whether you can sear in it; and the footprint decides whether it lives on the bench or in a cupboard. Everything below was confirmed listed, in stock and shipping within Australia at the time of writing, with capacity, pot material and external dimensions taken from each manufacturer's own listing. Prices run from about A$48 to A$248 — and the single most useful feature here, a pot you can sear in on the stovetop, costs A$89 rather than the top of that range.

At a glance

#ProductStandoutBest for
1Russell Hobbs 6L Searing Slow Cooker RHSC650BLKRussell HobbsRemovable pot heats directly on the stovetop, so you sear and slow cook in one dishView ↗
2Sunbeam HP5520 Slow Cooker 5.5LSunbeamWrap-around element heats the pot from the sides as well as the base, which reduces stickingView ↗
3Russell Hobbs 7L Slow Cooker RHSC7Russell Hobbs7 litres for A$48.50 — the most capacity per dollar hereView ↗
4GreenPan 6L Slow CookerGreenPanThermolon Volt ceramic non-stick is free of PFAS, unlike conventional coatingsBest premiumView ↗
5Russell Hobbs 3.5L Slow Cooker 4443BSSRussell HobbsSmallest footprint here at 35cm wide and only 21cm tallView ↗

How to choose the best slow cookers in Australia

  1. 1Buy for the number of people, not the biggest number. Russell Hobbs rates its 3.5L at 4 servings and its 7L at 8; Sunbeam rates the 5.5L for 6-8 people. A half-empty slow cooker cooks less evenly than a full one, so oversizing is not free.
  2. 2A searing pot is the upgrade worth paying for. The Russell Hobbs RHSC650BLK has a removable non-stick pot you can heat directly on the stove, so browning happens in the same dish — that is one less pan to wash and noticeably better flavour, for A$89.
  3. 3Check the footprint before the capacity. The Russell Hobbs 7L measures 52.4cm wide and 37.2cm tall — deeper than most benchtops are comfortable with — while the 3.5L is 35cm wide and 21cm tall. Litres and bench space do not scale together.
  4. 4Ceramic pots are heavier but hold heat and go to the table; aluminium pots are lighter and are what allows stovetop searing. Every pick here has a removable, dishwasher-safe pot, which is the feature that decides whether you actually use the thing twice a week.
  5. 5PFAS-free coatings are the reason to spend up. The GreenPan's Thermolon Volt ceramic non-stick is the differentiator at A$248 — it does not cook better than the A$89 Russell Hobbs, it just avoids conventional non-stick chemistry.

Top 5 kitchen picks for Australia

#1Top pick

Russell Hobbs

Russell Hobbs 6L Searing Slow Cooker RHSC650BLK

Best overall

The one to buy. Searing in the same pot is the single biggest practical upgrade in slow cooking — it saves washing a second pan and puts the browned fond into the dish — and here it costs A$89 rather than the A$248 the premium pick asks.

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Capacity6 litres
PotRemovable aluminium, dishwasher safe
ControlsDigital, 3 heat settings, timer
Servings (stated)Up to 8
Dimensions25D x 35.5W x 35.5H cm

Pros

  • Removable pot heats directly on the stovetop, so you sear and slow cook in one dish
  • Digital controls with a timer rather than a bare low/high dial
  • 6L feeds up to 8 by Russell Hobbs' own rating, at well under A$100

Cons

  • Aluminium pot does not hold heat at the table like ceramic
  • Taller than the compact models at 35.5cm
#2

Sunbeam

Sunbeam HP5520 Slow Cooker 5.5L

Best value

The value pick and a genuinely good machine. The wrap-around element is the part that matters — heating from the sides rather than only underneath is what stops the bottom catching on a long cook.

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Capacity5.5 litres
PotRemovable easy-clean ceramic
BodyStainless steel
Rated for6-8 people
ElementWrap-around
Dimensions26.2D x 39.5W x 40H cm

Pros

  • Wrap-around element heats the pot from the sides as well as the base, which reduces sticking
  • Ceramic pot lifts out and goes straight to the table
  • Sunbeam rates it for 6-8 people at A$49

Cons

  • No timer or digital control
  • 40cm tall, so it will not slide under a wall cabinet
#3

Russell Hobbs

Russell Hobbs 7L Slow Cooker RHSC7

Biggest for the money

Buy this if you batch cook. Seven litres at under fifty dollars is remarkable value, but check the measurements before you order: this is the largest footprint in the guide by a clear margin.

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Capacity7 litres
PotRemovable ceramic, dishwasher safe
Heat settingsLow, High, Keep Warm
Servings (stated)8
Dimensions45.8D x 52.4W x 37.2H cm

Pros

  • 7 litres for A$48.50 — the most capacity per dollar here
  • Ceramic bowl is removable, dishwasher safe and presentable at the table
  • Keep Warm setting as well as low and high

Cons

  • 52.4cm wide and 45.8cm deep — measure your bench first
  • Simple dial control, no timer
#4

GreenPan

GreenPan 6L Slow Cooker

Best premium
Best premium

Worth it only if the coating chemistry matters to you. It is beautifully made and the presets are pleasant, but it cooks no better than the A$89 Russell Hobbs and cannot do the searing trick that machine can.

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Capacity6 litres
PotRemovable hard-anodised, Thermolon Volt ceramic non-stick, PFAS-free
DisplayLCD with one-touch presets
MaterialCeramic
Dimensions46D x 31.3W x 28.1H cm

Pros

  • Thermolon Volt ceramic non-stick is free of PFAS, unlike conventional coatings
  • Hard-anodised pot is dishwasher safe and tough
  • LCD display with one-touch presets rather than a dial

Cons

  • Five times the price of the Sunbeam for the same job
  • Does not sear on the stovetop despite the price
#5

Russell Hobbs

Russell Hobbs 3.5L Slow Cooker 4443BSS

Best compact

The pick for a small kitchen or a two-person household. At 21cm tall it is the only model here that will sit under a standard wall cabinet, and four servings is the honest limit.

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Capacity3.5 litres
PotRemovable ceramic, dishwasher safe
Heat settingsLow, High, Auto
Servings (stated)4
Dimensions27D x 35W x 21H cm

Pros

  • Smallest footprint here at 35cm wide and only 21cm tall
  • Auto setting as well as low and high
  • Ceramic bowl for four servings, which suits a couple with leftovers

Cons

  • 3.5L is too small for batch cooking
  • No timer

Editor's note

Two things separate these machines, and neither is wattage. The first is whether the pot can be seared in: browning meat before a long cook is what gives a casserole depth, and only the Russell Hobbs RHSC650BLK lets you do it in the same dish rather than dirtying a frypan. The second is footprint, which does not scale with litres — the 7L Russell Hobbs is 52.4cm wide, while the 6L GreenPan is 31.3cm, because one is a wide oval and the other a tall round. Measure the bench before you choose on capacity.

Our take

Most Australian households should buy the Russell Hobbs 6L Searing at around A$89 and stop there — the stovetop-searing pot is the only feature in this category that changes how the food tastes. Take the Sunbeam HP5520 if you want to spend half that, the 7L Russell Hobbs if you batch cook and have the bench, and the GreenPan only if a PFAS-free coating is something you specifically want. All five were confirmed in stock and shipping within Australia at the time of writing.

Honourable mentions

Healthy Choice Large 8L Non-Stick Slow Cooker

A$69.95 and the largest capacity here at 8 litres, with a ceramic bowl and glass lid, listed at 300W — worth a look if you cook for a crowd.

View on Amazon AU

Frequently asked questions

What size slow cooker should I buy?

Match it to servings rather than buying the largest. Russell Hobbs rates its 3.5L at 4 servings and its 7L at 8; Sunbeam rates the 5.5L for 6-8 people. A slow cooker works best between about half and three-quarters full, so an oversized one cooks less evenly for small meals.

Can you sear meat in a slow cooker?

Only in models designed for it. The Russell Hobbs RHSC650BLK has a removable non-stick pot rated to go directly on the stovetop, so you brown the meat and then slow cook in the same dish. Ceramic-pot models — including the dearer GreenPan — cannot do this, and you need a separate frypan.

Is a ceramic or metal slow cooker pot better?

Ceramic holds heat well and goes from the machine to the table, but it is heavy and cannot be used on a stovetop. Aluminium and hard-anodised pots are lighter and are what makes stovetop searing possible. Both are removable and dishwasher safe across every pick here, which matters more day to day than the material.

Do slow cookers use a lot of electricity?

No — they draw far less than an oven for the same meal. The Healthy Choice 8L here lists 300W, roughly the draw of a couple of light globes, held for several hours rather than the 2,000W-plus an electric oven pulls. That is the practical argument for using one through an Australian summer.

Further reading

Researched, not paid

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Aussie availability

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Affiliate disclosure: AUPicks may earn a commission from links on this page at no extra cost to you. This never influences our rankings. Curated by Bikram Nath · Last updated 2026-09-03.

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Top pick

Russell Hobbs 6L Searing Slow Cooker RHSC650BLK

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