Slow Cooker Beer and Garlic Brats

By Sarah Olson

67 Comments

Oct 04, 2017Updated Jun 24, 2025

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Slow Cooker Beer and Garlic Brats are great for game day or for a fall dinner.

cooked brats in a slow cooker in a buttery sauce.

Hi again! It’s definitely fall here in Oregon! Crisp mornings but warm afternoons, my favorite time of year. This recipe for Slow Cooker Beer and Garlic Brats is one of those recipes that smell SO good while it cooks. I kept putting my nose up to the edge of the slow cooker all day.

raw brats, coors beer, butter, onion and garlic in front of a slow cooker

I have another brat recipe on my blog, it doesn’t have near as much garlic and doesn’t have butter in it either. I’ve been often redoing recipes after I try them again, there is always room for improvement I think.

brats, onion, garlic, beer and butter on a wooden table.

I also decided to try the raw version of the brats. As I was on Johsnonville’s website today, I saw they make brat patties! What the what!?

raw brats, onion, garlic and butter in a slow cooker not yet cooked.

Yes, I used 10 garlic cloves for this recipe. It may seem like a lot, but keeping them whole helps not overpower the recipe. Garlic goes SO well with beer and butter.

brats, garlic and onion in a slow cooker with chips on the side
beer brat on a bun with barbecue chips on the side.

Such an easy peasy recipe! Serve with chips and dinner is served. Have a great week.

Bratwurst cooked with beer, onions, and garlic in a crockpot.

Slow Cooker Beer and Garlic Brats

4.31 from 13 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 10
By: Sarah Olson
Easy recipe for beer brats in the slow cooker. Great for game day or for any night of the week.
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How to Video

Equipment

Ingredients 
 

  • 38 oz. brats, (two 19 oz. packages) I find these in the meat section, raw
  • 1 large white onion, sliced and divided
  • 10 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 12 oz. bottle beer, (I used Coors banquet)

Instructions 

  • Add half of the onion in the slow cooker, add the brats in 2 layers.
  • Add the rest of the onions, garlic, pepper and place the butter on top.
  • Pour the beer into the slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook on low for 6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
  • Serve the brats, garlic and onions on buns topped with desired toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 954mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 148IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

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67 Comments

  1. Lisa says:

    5 stars
    I put the brats on the grill for about 5 minutes just to get some grill marks. Doing that also added additional flavor to the liquid.

    Reply
  2. Lisa says:

    5 stars
    This is so good. Even the kids loved it.

    Reply
  3. Sher Scott says:

    4 stars
    Used dried garlic and fresh onion, PLUS the 10 year old bottle of Alaska Brewing Smoked Porter for 6 hours on low in my old crockpot.

    AMAZING!!!!!!

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says:

    1 star
    My very not picky house hates it. It tasted like ground dirt. And we used beer everyone drinks I would not recommend

    Reply
    1. April Jones says:

      Sounds legit — *eyeroll*

      Reply
  5. Maureen says:

    Csn you cook it on high for shorter time?

    Reply
    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Yes, that will work great.

      Reply
      1. Anonymous says:

        High for?? Or just watch and check temp?TIA

      2. Sarah Olson says:

        I would do 3.5 hours on high. Then check for doneness.

  6. Booker says:

    If you pre-cut to make bite-size pieces do you adjust the cooking time?

    Reply
    1. Sarah Olson says:

      You can probably get away with 5 hours if the onions look done. The onions actually take the longest to cook.

      Reply
  7. Alissa says:

    5 stars
    Amazing. I add make sure the beer covers the brats. And I use extra butter and garlic.
    Melts in your mouth!

    Reply