I tested the healthiest, non toxic slow cookers and I’m sharing the best ones. The best non-toxic slow cooker is made with glass, stainless steel, or unglazed clay and without PTFE, PFAS, non-stick coatings, leaded ceramic glazes, silicone, nano-ceramic, or aluminum food contact surfaces.

I love how you can simply set it and forget it with a slow cooker, meal prep and make easy one pot meals while going about your day. But if you don’t want plastics and harmful toxins leachng into your foods (same goes for air frying), it’s important to choose a healthy one.

For those who want to cut to the chase, the best non toxic Crockpot dupe is Instant Pot hands down. For a truly non-toxic slow cooker, Magnifique Glass Pot Multi Cooker is the safest.

Toxins in Slow Cookers

• PTFE, PFOA, and PFAS: Traditional non-stick coatings like Teflon are built on PFAS chemistry — the “forever chemicals” that don’t break down in the environment or the body. PTFE coatings can also degrade and release fumes when a pot is overheated or a coating gets scratched.
• Lead and cadmium in glazes and enamel: These heavy metals have historically shown up in ceramic glazes and enamel pigments, especially in bright colors like red, orange, and yellow, which tend to need more pigment to achieve their color.
• Reactive or unlined aluminum: Bare aluminum can leach into food, especially acidic dishes like tomato-based stews or anything with wine or vinegar, when it’s in direct contact with what you’re cooking. It’s not necessarily dangerous in small amounts, but it’s worth checking whether an aluminum insert has a barrier coating or lining between the metal and the food.
• Vague or undisclosed metal alloys: “Stainless steel” isn’t one material — cheaper grades can contain more nickel or chromium and are more prone to leaching under prolonged acidic or high-heat cooking. Brands that specify the actual grade (like 18/8 or 316 surgical-grade steel) are giving you more to go on than ones that just say “stainless steel.”

What to Look For

For a truly non toxic slow cooker look for pure, unglazed clay or stoneware, glass, 18/8 or surgical-grade stainless steel with no coating at all or enameled cast iron. Out of all the materials used in slow cookers, glass is the least toxic. It’s completely inert and has no coating, glaze, or metal alloy that can interact with food. If you do want non-stick convenience, look for a ceramic coating that’s specifically certified PFAS-free.

Materials Used in Non-Toxic Slow Cookers

• Glass: completely inert, no coatings or glazes, but can shatter or crack under thermal shock
• Stainless steel): no coating to wear off, though trace nickel/chromium can leach with acidic or long-cook foods
• Unglazed clay: no glaze layer to hide lead or cadmium in, but the pot itself is considered a consumable, fragile part
• Cast iron (enameled, lead-free glaze): durable and inert once properly enameled, but heavy and glaze quality varies by brand

I tried VitaClay Nourishing Pot Slow Cooker

VitaClay’s new Nourishing Pot is a 12-in-1 unglazed, fired clay pot that’s lead-free, aluminum-free, and Teflon-free, with no non-stick chemicals or coating touching your food. This is basically earth oven cooking for the modern day and is about as close to old world slow cooking. Remember how those special meals you had were usually made in some underground pit or clay brick oven? This lets you kinda recreate that at home. I find the clay’s porous, low-conductivity nature holds a steady simmer that’s ideal for bone broth, stews, and rice, and the double-lid design creates a light micro-pressure that speeds cooking and locks in moisture. Vitaclay is hands down the best nontoxic slow cooker for foodies, healthy eaters and serious food lovers. It’s got a dedicated bone broth mode, and it’s programmable for up to 24 hours for fermentation, yogurt, and enzyme-rich foods. I find it amazing for making my signature osso bucco. Vitaclay is FDA tested and they’ve conducted certified lab testing that confirms their clay pot is lead-free.

Specs:

• Material: Unglazed organic clay pot and clay lid, no metal food-contact surface
• Capacity: 6.5 qt
• Power: 120VAC / 60Hz / 700W
• Dimensions: 16″ L x 15″ W x 15″ H
• Weight: 18.5 lbs
• Functions: 12 in one Fast Cook/Steam, Slow Cook/Bone Broth, Jook/Hot Cereal, Yogurt, Steamer, Stock Pot, Warmer
• Timer: Up to 24 hours, 30-minute increments
• Price: $350

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I tried Our Place Dream Cooker

Our Place Dream Cooker is the most modern slow cooker I’ve tried and it’s a 6-quart touchscreen multicooker that handles pressure cooking, slow cooking, searing, and keep-warm. The inner pot is aluminum with what Our Place calls a toxin-free ceramic non-stick coating, compliant with California’s AB 1200 nonstick cookware regulations, and built to a stricter non-toxic standard than typical Teflon-based coatings. One main thing to know is that it’s entirely touch screen activated so there’s no manual knobs or buttons. If you’re hard of sight, this might not be the best option since I found it a bit hard to make out the lit up text. If you love sleek tech, this could be up your alley. Overall, this is very hefty and one of the more heavier slow cookers I’ve used – though not as heavy as Vitaclay’s and the handles are very sturdy. I find this to work very well and it’s super well insulated without getting dangerously hot to the touch on the outside.

Specs:

• Material: Aluminum inner pot with toxin-free ceramic non-stick coating, stainless steel lid underside, plastic base and lid top
• Capacity: 6 qt (holds up to 9 cups of rice)
• Weight: 12.9 lb
• Functions: Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, Sauté/Sear, Keep Warm, with low/medium/high heat settings
• Compliance: Meets California AB 1200 nonstick cookware disclosure requirements
• Timer: up to 12 hours in 30 minute increments
• Price: $199 or $175 during Labor Day

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I tried Magnifique Glass Pot Multi-Cooker

Magnifique’s Glass Pot Multi-Cooker is the ONLY slow cooker made with 100% non-toxic borosilicate glass that’s third-party tested by Light Labs to be free of heavy metals and PFAS. There’s no coating that could chip, crack, peel or wear off over time, no glaze to worry about and glass is completely inert so it won’t ever leach chemicals, plastics, or heavy metals into food, even with acidic or hot ingredients. A glass slow cooker is the safest option if you’re looking to avoid ceramic glazes, nonstick coatings and trace amounts of metals entirely. Overall, it feels quite sturdy to me and it’s very easy to use. The con is glass can shatter so I do need to be more careful handling this. I love that I can actually watch my food cook, though the glass does get quite foggy from the steam.

Magnifique glass multi cooker is an 8-in-1 that goes beyond basic slow cooking into steaming, braising, rice, pasta, oatmeal, proofing, and keep-warm modes and holds 4.5 quarts, making it more of a compact everyday cooker than a big batch one. For me it still feels quite spacious but I’m not cooking for a family of four. Very simple and easy to use knobs and functions. Drives me NUTS many slow cookers only let you change in 30 minute increments but Magnifique allows 15 minutes (or by the minute on steam function). It only has a low or high mode for temp (no medium). They’ve also got a non toxic kaolin clay slow cooker I’m eyeing!

Specs:

• Price: $129.99
• Material: Borosilicate glass pot and lid, stainless steel steam tray, no coatings or plastic components
• Capacity: 4.5 qt
• Power: 1,130W (120V / 60Hz)
• Dimensions: 12″ W x 13.5″ D x 9.25″ H
• Weight: 10 lb 6 oz
• Functions: Slow Cook, Steam, Braise, Rice, Proof, Pasta, Oatmeal, Keep Warm
• Testing: Third-party tested by Light Labs, free of heavy metals and PFAS

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I tried GreenLife Slow Cooker by Greenpan (budget!)

GreenLife is the budget sister brand of non toxic cookware company GreenPan and by far the most affordable option in this list. It uses Greenpan’s technology of Thermolon Volt ceramic non-stick coating, which is made without intentionally added PFAS. It’s the most basic in terms of functionality but is still programmable, has a keep-warm setting and a delay timer, and very versatile – the ceramic pot itself is stovetop and oven safe, so you can sear, brown, and sauté ingredients before switching it into the base to slow cook. It’s the lightest slow cooker I’ve ever tried which could be a good or bad thing for you. Personally, I didn’t feel it was as sturdy or durable as the other slow cookers I’ve used and it doesn’t heat up quite as well. But for a simple, no frills entry level machine that’s healthier than your typical slow cooker (and only costs $50-something), this could be a decent option. Just be careful because the rim gets very hot to the touch and I’ve accidentally nearly burned myself a few times!

Specs:

• Material: Thermolon Volt ceramic non-stick coating, free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium per the brand; removable pot
• Capacity: 6 qt (3.5 qt and 8 qt also available)
• Power: 240W
• Dimensions: 15.28″ L x 11.1″ W x 10.04″ H
• Weight: 6.83 lb
• Functions: Only Low, Medium or High modes, delay start (30 min–10 hr), keep warm (up to 6 hours), timer allows 30 minute increments
• Price: $54.99–$119.99 depending on size

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I tried Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1

Instant Pot is the best non toxic Crockpot dupe in my experience (I used to be a crockpot user) and it’s made from food-grade 304 (18/8) stainless steel with no non-stick coating — no PTFE, no PFOA, and nothing to flake off into food over time. My family has used ours for many years and it’s held up exceptionally well. It does it ALL: pressure cook, sous vide, steam, meat, stew, chili, soup, broth, saute, steam, slow cook, rice, porridge, multigrain, and yogurt. It’s also extremely affordable for the combination of quality, functionality and durability. Independent lab testing (XRF) on the stainless inner pot, lid, steam rack, and other food-contact parts has consistently come back non-detect for lead, cadmium, and mercury. I don’t LOVE that stainless steel does leach trace amounts of nickel, so if you have a nickel sensitivity, this isn’t the pot for you. I do like that it has a dishwasher-safe lid and insert and even comes in air fryer included models. I find it to be more compact than Our Place and Vitaclay yet hefty and sturdy – an ideal do-it-all slow cooker that will last a lifetime if counter space is tight. It drives me NUTS that most nontoxic slow cookers only let you change the time by 30 minute increments and it’s SO nice that with this I can change it down to the minute (only slow cook mode is in 30-min increments up to 20 hours). Overall, if it’s gonna be hard to break up with your Crockpot, Instant Pot is my top pick.

Specs:

• Price: $100-$150 depending on size
• Material: 304 (18/8) stainless steel inner pot and lid, no non-stick coating; polypropylene (BPA-free) exterior housing
• Capacity: 6 qt
• Power: 1,000W (120V / 60Hz)
• Dimensions: 14.17″ W x 14.84″ D x 13.31″ H
• Functions: Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, Rice/Grain Cooker, Steam, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer
• Safety: UL and ULC certified, 10+ built-in safety mechanisms
• Timer: up to 20 hours
• Testing: Independent XRF testing (third-party bloggers/lead-safety advocates) found food-contact stainless parts non-detect for lead, cadmium, and mercury

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360 Cookware Stainless Steel Slow Cooker

360 Cookware is another truly non toxic slow cooker made from T-304 surgical-grade stainless steel by a real Wisconsinite human in the USA at .110 gauge thickness and uses steel that’s dry sanded to create a non-porous surface, so nothing will chip, wear off, crack or leach into your food. But because by nature stainless steel is still chromium and nickel bonded into the metal, there’s still a chance those elements can migrate into food at a trace level. This is why glass is the safest least toxic material. I do like that it’s entirely and conveniently dishwasher and metal utensil safe without having to worry about damaging a coating and so versatile — the insert sears on the stovetop and is safe to use in the oven up to 500°F. Their “Vapor Technology” lid is very cool and creates a tight seal with the rim, which cuts down on evaporation during long cooks. The downside to a stainless steel is it’s not for cooking noobs and there’s a learning curve to knowing how to cook with these. I also don’t like how food tends to stick and is difficult to clean off. I feel like if this also had a sous vide function like my Instant Pot, a cooking technique I became obsessed with a few years back for cooking meats, it would make the price tag less painful.

Specs:

• Material: T-316 surgical-grade stainless steel, tri-ply construction, .110 gauge, no coating
• Capacity: 4 qt (2.3 qt and 6 qt also available)
• Oven-safe: Up to 500°F (pot only)
• Included: Stock pot with cover, electric slow cooker base, Certificate of Authenticity
• Warranty: Lifetime
• Price: $439.95 for 4 qt | $479.95 for 6 qt

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I tried Caraway Dutch Oven (Manual)

If you’re looking for a manual nontoxic slow cooker, Caraway Dutch Oven is the safest because it’s independently tested to be free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. It’s got a 3-layer enamel coating is glass-based rather than synthetic. This is an enameled cast iron Dutch oven you slow cook in manually, low and slow in the oven or on the stovetop, rather than setting a timer like the other machines in this list. Cast iron’s heat retention makes it genuinely excellent for slow braises and cooks meats evenly throughout. I find that cast iron gives more richness and caramelization than an electric or stainless steel slow cooker They do have a stainless steel Dutch oven if you prefer). The caveat with manual slow cooking is it DOES require more hands-on attention: checking liquid levels, adjusting oven temperature, and no automated “keep warm” mode. Nontoxic Dutch ovens are so versatile and are great for searing, braising, and baking, not just slow cooking.

Specs:

• Material: Enameled cast iron with a 3-layer enamel coating, free of PTFE, PFOA, and PFAS per third-party testing
• Capacity: 6.5 qt
• Oven-safe: Up to 500°F
• Stovetop compatibility: Gas, electric, and induction
• Warranty: Lifetime
• Price: $265

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