by HollyCrock Pot Stuffing takes my favorite classic stuffing recipe and turns it into an easy make ahead side dish. This stuffing is perfect to serve along side turkey dinner!
Once I started cooking my stuffing in my slow cooker, it’s the only way I make it now! Not only is it easy and delicious, it can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance making it the perfect side during a busy meal! Turkey dinner is a big undertaking so I try to plan ahead as much as I can both before the meal and on turkey day (I use this turkey dinner planner to keep everything in order).
When you walk into my kitchen a few hours before that golden turkey is out of the oven, you’ll see slow cookers and vegetable steamers all lined up on one side of the kitchen. I try to have all of the sides and accompaniments prepared ahead of time. I no longer boil my mashed potatoes, I make slow cooker mashed potatoes and I often have veggies like carrots and broccoli washed and sitting in the veggie steamer ready to go (and of course this Crock Pot stuffing)! When the turkey is ready, it comes out of the oven and literally the only thing I have to do is cook up the gravy while it rests.
I do have to make a confession… while I always make a ton of dishes for any turkey dinner including rolls, veggies, salads and all that other jazz that goes along with turkey the only thing I care about is the stuffing (and gravy). Truly, if I just had a big ol’ plate of stuffing, I’d be a happy camper (and I always ALWAYS take seconds of the stuffing).
The Best Bread for Stuffing
You can make delicious stuffing with ANY kind of bread from hot dog buns to leftover bagels or crusts of bread. To make perfect stuffing, you’ll need to ensure your bread cubes or crumbs are dry before beginning.
My personal favorite bread for stuffing is using half white sandwich bread and half brown sandwich bread and drying it myself. It gives the best texture and flavor allowing for the seasonings and celery/onion mixture flavor to really shine through.
My second choice is dried unseasoned bread cubes from the store. I prefer to add my own seasonings and control the sodium (and MSG). (I use a homemade poultry seasoning).
How to Dry Bread for Stuffing
There are two ways I dry bread for stuffing:
1. Make day old bread: Cut your bread into cubes and leave it on the counter uncovered at least 24 hours (stirring occasionally).
2. Dry Bread Crumbs in the oven: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lay fresh bread cubes in a single layer and cook 25 minutes stirring half way or until dried. Ensure your bread doesn’t toast or brown.
An important note about adding the broth! You are going to add just enough broth to the cubes to moisten them. Depending on the type of bread you use your broth amount could vary by up to a cup or more! You want enough broth so that the cubes are moist but not mushy as the onions/celery and other add ins will also add a bit of moisture to the stuffing.
Cooks Tip: If you accidentally add too much liquid and your stuffing is too wet, don’t despair! Add in a couple of handfuls of dry bread cubes or store bought croutons. They’ll soak up any extra moisture creating the perfect consistency.
While I like a simple classic stuffing, if you’re more adventurous, you can most certainly add in whatever you’d like such as fresh or dried cranberries, fried mushrooms or even cooked sausage. Once you make this easy Crock Pot stuffing, it’ll definitely become your go to!
Crock Pot Stuffing
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning store bought or homemade
- 2 medium onions diced
- 2 cups celery chopped
- 6 cups cubed and dried white bread
- 6 cups cubed and dried brown bread
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- fresh herbs to taste thyme, sage, rosemary (optional)
- 3-4 cups chicken broth
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Heat butter over medium heat until melted. Stir in poultry seasoning, black pepper and salt to taste. Add celery & onions and cook until softened (do not brown). Cool completely.
- Place bread cubes in a large bowl. Add cooled celery and onion mixture, parsley and fresh herbs if using.
- Add chicken broth a little bit at a time just to moisten and gently stir. You may not need all of the broth (see note below). Stir in eggs.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight if making ahead of time.
- Grease a 5-6 qt slow cooker well. Place stuffing in the slow cooker and turn onto high for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to low and cook an additional 3-4 hours or until hot and cooked through. If stuffing is done before your meal is ready it can remain on warm.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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I made this for Christmas dinner and it turned out perfectly. I used plant-based chickenless broth for my vegetarian daughter and then added sausage meat to half for my husband. Everyone loved it and I will definitely make it again.
You should update the prep time to accommodate for the cooling time, that makes a huge difference.
I am not clear on a few things. Are steps 1-3 done in a separate pot before adding to the crock pot, and what is typical heat setting for crock pot ? If I dry the bread for a couple days should I stir brown it a bit in the oven ?? lots of loose ends
Steps 1-3 are done before putting it in the slow cooker.
Temperature is in step 5. Grease a 5-6 qt slow cooker well. Place stuffing in the slow cooker and turn onto high for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to low and cook an additional 3-4 hours or until hot and cooked through. If stuffing is done before your meal is ready it can remain on warm.
The bread should not be browned, just dried.
Boss. Worked out perfectly. Thank you, Holly!
So glad you loved it Ms. Amy!
Perfect thanksgiving stuffing! I used store bought stuffing cubes and it was still moist and delicious. My oven is down, waiting for parts… crockpot stuffing and smoked turkey saved the day! I will continue using this recipe for holidays to come.
Made this recipe this year. I used the bagged stuffing bread from the bakery along with the seasoning packet that comes with it as I felt there wasn’t enough seasoning. I only used about 1/3 of the amount of liquid this recipe called for.
Will definitely make again! It was so nice that it was in a crockpot and not one more thing to put in the oven and time just right to stay warm with everything else.
This stuffing was excellent; thank you Holly! I used store-bought bread cubes and made the recipe as written. I had no fresh herbs on hand and opted not to experiment with additional dried herbs. Loved making it in the crock pot so it didn’t tie up an oven.
I am not a novice cook but had never made a turkey dinner since we are just a family of two. I made my first Thanksgiving meal (normally I bring the pies to two family gatherings). This recipe was a godsend and my husband and Mom thought the stuffing was delicious. It’s a lot of stuffing but Mom took a container home and husband just finished the rest up as a snack. This recipe is a keeper!
So glad your family loved this Colette! Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season!
I was so grateful for this recipe so that I could let the stuffing pretty much cook itself while I got everything else ready. I only had 8 cups of bread crumbs so I had to adjust the proportions. I added lots of fresh herbs which made it so delicious. My crock pot tends to burn things when on”high” so I had to keep it quite low to prevent burning. I also had to pour in more broth a few times as it dried out quickly (again, probably due to my crockpot). Next time I would probably add one more egg to adhere the bread crumbs more. But it was wonderful and I will make stuffing again this way…thank you!!
This is excellent – perfectly moist, holds together lightly – everyone loved it. I followed this exactly and was very happy with the results.
What happens if the bread toasts just a little? I’ve never made this and really wanted it to work. It’s a light brown
It’ll be just as delicious Debbie! Enjoy the stuffing!
Am I reading correctly that it takes a total of 12 cups of cubed bread? The video didn’t seem to show that much.
Thank you!
Yes, this recipe uses 12 cups of bread cubes.
Great recipe but I was wondering if you can use turkey broth instead of chicken
That would work perfectly.
Can you use turkey broth instead of the chicken?
Absolutely!
If I am making half this recipe do I cook in crock pot for the same amount of time?
This recipe can be halved however I would suggest using a smaller slow cooker (4qt). It may need a little bit less time, so once it’s hot I would turn the slow cooker to warm.
Thank you for all these tips! While I won’t be using your recipe here, I will be converting my Great-Grandma’s recipe from in the oven to crock pot. Hers includes “simmering the turkey’s glizzard, liver, and heart” for a broth to add – along with just regular old chicken broth. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too Beth!
Hi Holly :)
If using dried parsley and herbs would I add them at the same time as if using fresh herbs? Also, approximately how many cups equals two medium onions? Lastly, can I use an avocado cooking spray to grease the crockpot instead of Crisco? Thanks!
Sherrie, if you are using dry herbs, I’d add them along with the poultry seasoning. Two medium onions diced is approximately 1 ½ to 2 cups. For the greasing, I would worry it may stick. Let us know if you try it!
I haven’t made this yet. I am going to try it this Thanksgiving, which is Thursday. I have a small, 1.5 quart Crock Pot. I am going to cut the recipe in half. How long should I cook it? I don’t like it crunchy, is there something I can do to keep it from getting crunchy? Thank you!
I haven’t tried this in a small 1.5qt slow cooker but you’ll want to ensure the stuffing is heated through in the middle. It could get a little bit crunchy along the edges as it cooks, you could gently stir it while it warms. If there is a little bit of the crunchy edges, you could sprinkle a little bit of broth on it to soften if needed.
Keep an eye on it and if it’s cooked through you can turn the slow cooker to warm.
Has anyone used vegatable broth?
I’d like to know also!! I could only find vegetable broth in Japan and don’t have the time or skill to make my own.
It will change the flavor slightly (I find it’s a bit sweeter) but will still work.
Thank you!
Hi, it says if you use your own dried bread that it will be about 3 Cups. When I watch the video, it doesn’t seem you used 3 Cups, does anyone have any exact amounts they used? I don’t want it to end up soggy.
If I use home-dried bread I use about 2 cups of liquid. It can vary based on the type of bread and how dry it is. Start by adding a bit and let it sit a few minutes to soak up the liquid, toss it and add a bit more. If by chance you feel like you’ve added too much, you can always add a bit of bread or breadcrumbs. The recipe is very forgiving.
This looks similar to what my sister used to make and it was delicious. If I wanted to add mushrooms , how would I do that?
I would suggest cooking the mushrooms so they release their juices along with the onions/celery.