Slow Cooker Bangers and Onions is a four-ingredient comfort dinner: plump sausages cooked low and slow on a thick bed of sliced onions in beef stock and Worcestershire sauce, until the onions melt into a savory, glossy gravy. It tastes rich, beefy and a little sweet from the onions, and it is the hands-off weeknight supper you spoon over mashed potatoes on a cold evening.
How to make slow cooker bangers and onions: Lay thinly sliced onions in the slow cooker, set the sausages on top, pour over beef stock mixed with Worcestershire and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the sausages reach 160F.
Why You’ll Love It
- Four ingredients: onions, sausages, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce.
- About 15 minutes of work: slice, layer, pour and walk away.
- Gravy made in the pot: the onions cook down into it while you are busy.
- Feeds 6: enough for a family dinner with leftovers.
Ingredient Notes
Onions. Two or three large onions, sliced thin. Slicing from root to tip, along the lines of the onion, keeps the slices even so they soften at the same pace and turn silky instead of half raw and half mushy.
Sausages. Use 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of pork or beef sausages. Classic British bangers are the traditional choice, but any good fresh pork or beef link works.
Beef stock. One and a half cups is enough to cook the onions into gravy without drowning the sausages.
Worcestershire sauce. One to two tablespoons gives the gravy its deep, savory edge. Start with 1 and add more at the end if you like it bolder.
Ingredients
- 2-3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2-2 pounds sausages, pork or beef
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- Mashed potatoes, for serving
- Green peas, for serving
How to Make Slow Cooker Bangers and Onions
1. Slice the onions. Peel the onions and slice them thinly from root to tip so they cook evenly.
2. Brown the sausages (optional). Brown the sausages in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden in spots.
3. Layer. Spread the onions evenly in the bottom of the slow cooker and set the sausages on top, in a single layer if possible.
4. Add the stock. Mix the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and pour it evenly over the sausages and onions.
5. Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the onions are soft and golden and the sausages reach 160F on a food thermometer.
6. Thicken the gravy. For a thicker gravy, take the lid off for the last 30 minutes, or mash some of the onions and stir them back into the sauce.
7. Serve. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve hot with the onions and gravy spooned over the sausages.
How to Get a Thick Onion Gravy
Sausages and onions both release juice as they cook, so the pot often ends up looking more like broth than gravy. The fix is at the end, not the start. With the lid off for the last 30 minutes, the steam escapes and the liquid cooks down into a glossier sauce.
The onions are your thickener. After hours under the sausages they are soft enough to crush with the back of a spoon. Mash some of them right in the pot and stir them back into the liquid; they turn the sauce thick and sweet without any flour.
If you want it thicker still, stir 3 tablespoons of cornstarch into 4 tablespoons of cold water, pour it into the pot and cook on HIGH for about 30 minutes, until the gravy coats a spoon. Browning the sausages first is optional, but those few minutes in the skillet add color and a deeper flavor to everything in the pot.
| Method | How long | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Lid off | Last 30 minutes | Gravy reduces and thickens |
| Mash some onions | At the end | Thick, sweet onion gravy |
| Cornstarch slurry | About 30 minutes on HIGH | Glossy gravy that coats a spoon |
Tips for Success
Why are my onions still crunchy?
Thick or uneven slices cook unevenly. Slice them thin from root to tip and keep them under the sausages, where they sit in the stock and soften.
Why do my sausages look pale?
Sausages that go into the slow cooker raw stay pale because a slow cooker never gets hot enough to brown. Give them 2 to 3 minutes per side in a hot skillet first if you want golden color.
How do I know the sausages are done?
Color is no guide in a slow cooker. Check the thickest sausage with a food thermometer; it should read 160F.
Variations
- Garlic onion gravy: use 2 cups beef stock with 1 teaspoon crushed garlic and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and thicken at the end with the cornstarch slurry.
- Herby gravy: season the stock with dried thyme, garlic powder and onion powder.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. USDA FSIS says to reheat leftovers to 165F, on the stove or in the microwave, not in the slow cooker. Always put thawed sausages into the slow cooker, never frozen ones.
What to Serve With It
Spoon the sausages and gravy over buttery mashed potatoes with a side of peas for classic bangers and mash, or serve them with roast carrots, potatoes and onions. If you love sausage and onions, try oven-braised beer brats with caramelized onions or fried potatoes, onions and smoked Polish sausage. For more onion gravy dinners, there is a slow cooker Amish onion gravy pork roast, hamburger steaks with onion mushroom gravy and French onion pork chops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to brown sausages before the slow cooker?
No, it is optional. Browning them for 2 to 3 minutes per side adds color and flavor, but the recipe works with raw sausages as long as they reach 160F.
How do you thicken onion gravy in a slow cooker?
Cook with the lid off for the last 30 minutes, mash some of the soft onions into the sauce, or stir in a cornstarch and water slurry and cook on HIGH for about 30 minutes.
What do you serve with bangers and onions?
Mashed potatoes and peas are the classic pairing; the onion gravy soaks right into the mash.
Final Notes
If your sausages are on the thin side, check them earlier, toward the start of the cooking window. Tell me in the comments which sausages you used.
Slow Cooker Bangers and Onions
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Ingredients
- 2-3 large onions thinly sliced
- 1 1/2-2 pounds sausages pork or beef
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- mashed potatoes for serving
- green peas for serving
Instructions
- Peel the onions and slice them thinly from root to tip so they cook evenly.
- Brown the sausages in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side to build flavor.
- Spread the onions evenly in the bottom of the slow cooker and set the sausages on top, in a single layer if possible.
- Mix the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and pour it evenly over the sausages and onions.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the onions are soft and the sausages reach 160F.
- For a thicker gravy, take the lid off for the last 30 minutes, or mash some of the onions and stir them back into the sauce.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve hot with the onions and gravy spooned over the sausages.
Notes
Nutrition
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