Slow Cooker Beer and Garlic Brats
69 CommentsUpdated May 06, 2026
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Slow Cooker Beer and Garlic Brats are great for game day or for a fall dinner. The brats are slow cooked with plenty of flavors that all meld together.
Featured Comment
These are DELICIOUS! I have made these over 20 times and we still can’t get enough of them! They are in my regular rotation and have been for a couple of years now.
– Rhonda
Don’t settle for boring hot dogs and make my flavorful slow cooker brats! These are always a hit at parties and they smell AMAZING while cooking. The slow cooker keeps them warm during the gameday festivities, and great for potlucks. We love Summer Crockpot Recipes, and this one is definitely a hit.
Key Ingredients
- Bratwurst – These are raw sausages – Look for raw brats in the meat section of your grocery store.
- Beer – Use your favorite beer, we prefer a light beer.
- Garlic – I use 10 whole cloves, leaving them whole will keep the flavor mild.
- Onion – These will soften up and go great with the brats
- Butter – Butter isn’t a usual ingredient, but it pairs perfectly with the onions and garlic.
How to make Slow Cooker Beer Brats
- Add the brats, butter, onions and other ingredients to the crockpot.
- Add the beer to cover.
- Cook until the brats are melt in your mouth tender.
Tips & Variations
No Beer: You can leave out the beer – if you do so, use chicken broth for the liquid.
Peppers: Some of my readers like to add green bell pepper and/or jalapenos.
Other Sausages: You can use pre-cooked brats, hot dogs or even kielbasa in this crockpot brats recipe.
Try different beers: A light lager like Coors works great, but you can experiment with amber ales or even a stout for deeper flavor.
Do Brats get browned in the slow cooker?
Not really, though they do get a little toasty on the edges and that adds some flavor. You can put them under the broiler in the oven (on a sheet pan) if you want toasty brats.
How to Serve Brats
Pile the brats onto toasted buns and spoon some of the tender garlic and onions right on top.
Add classic toppings like mustard, sauerkraut, or pickles for a deli-style feel (and of course ketchup).
Pair with potato salad, coleslaw, or baked beans for a summer style meal.
Serve them on pretzel rolls and topped with beer cheese for a game day twist.
Try the leftover beer brats over mashed potatoes, tastes similar to bangers and mash!
Slow Cooker Beer and Garlic Brats Recipe
How to Video
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
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Other hot dog and brat recipes to try
Slow Cooker Hot Dogs and Hot Tub Beer Brats are easy crowd-pleasers that work great for cookouts or game day.
Bourbon Hot Dogs and my Lil Smokies Recipe make the perfect sweet-and-savory appetizers, and Hot Dog Chili is a must-have topping for a loaded dog. Or try my Brats & Sauerkraut for a ocktober-fest style dinner.
I would like to half this recipe. What would the cook time be on low? 3 hours?
These are raw. I think it 4-5 on low. You’ll have to watch and go.
Ok great thank you.
Easy peasy my ass…
I f you don’t mind me asking, what happened? Your response was great!
This recipe sounds great. Only thing I’d add is some pepper strips with the onion and putting the Brats on the grill for a few minutes at the end to brown and crisp them up a bit. Otherwise wouldn’t change a thing!
If I would only make 1 pack of brats would I cut all the other ingredients by half? Would cooking time change as well.
You can cut everything in half and probably and hour off the cooking time.
Is there an alternative to beer?
Chicken or beef broth would work well.
There is never an alternative to BEER!!!!
No
It was a tasty meal and we’ll definitely make it again. I did brown the brats before putting them in the crock pot. Try it. You’ll enjoy it.
Can u cook on slow the first couple hrs. Then on high
Yes, this recipe is very adaptable.
This dish was exceptional! We had a potluck at work and my team devoured it.. I didn’t even have garlic and added extra butter and it was great. I will definitely make it again and add garlic! Thank you so much for an easy and delish recipe.
These are DELICIOUS! I have made these over 20 times and we still can’t get enough of them! They are in my regular rotation and have been for a couple of years now .Thank you Sarah! I do have to add that I have other recipes of yours that we eat on the regular also,like the chicken & gravy and the mississippi pot roast…Yum!
I’m sorry for posting negative, but this was absolutely disgusting. I followed directions and cooked overnight, and the smell actually woke me up and made me nauseous. When it was time to eat, it was so gross, we ended up throwing it away.
Never again
Why did you cook this for breakfast? Truthfully ANY meal cooked overnight will smell awful when you wake up.
Why would anyone have this for breakfast is beyond me. I LOVE tacos….but smelling them when I first wake up would gross me out for sure. That’s the reason and not the recipe itself.