Crock 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. (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!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning store bought or homemade
- 2 medium yellow onions diced
- 2 cups sliced celery
- 6 cups dry white bread cubes *see note
- 6 cups dry brown bread cubes *see note
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs or to taste, thyme, sage, rosemary ,optional
- 3 cups chicken broth plus an additional 1 cup if needed
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Heat butter over medium heat until melted. Stir in poultry seasoning, black pepper and salt. 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
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Maybe this recipe indicates how many people it serves but I need stuffing for approximately 30 people. Should I double this recipe?
This recipe serves 12 Jill. So I would double or even triple this recipe. You will want to ensure your crockpot is at a maximum ¾ full. So you may need to use two Crock Pots or if you have extra you could bake it as a casserole.
I doubled the recipe. I made my own bread crumbs using 1 loaf of white and 1 loaf of wheat bread. I only needed to use 3 cups of chicken broth. As it was cooking in the crockpot, I did see that it was getting a tad soggy, so I just took off the lid and let some of the liquid evaporate. Everyone raved about this dressing. Said it was better than mom’s. shhhhhhhhhhh
Thanks so much for this recipe.
You’re very welcome Terry! So happy to hear that everyone loved the dressing so much!
What is the approximate size to cut the bread cubes into? Can’t wait to try. Do you taste an egg flavor if using eggs?
Hi Nancy, I would cut the bread into 1″ cubes. You can look at the photos on the recipe page if you are unsure.
As for the eggs, they help bind the stuffing a little bit. You can either add one egg, both eggs, or skip the egg.
Let us know how it turns out!
This came out so good and did not take up oven space! Yum!
Made this yesterday for Thanksgiving. I loved how simple the recipe was to put together. I used store bought stuffing ‘bread’ instead of making my own, otherwise I did the recipe as written. Since I only have one oven, this dish made so much sense! The best thing about it was that everyone loved it! It came out beautifully moist and flavorful. I WILL be using this same recipe next year.
Followed the instructions. Made my own bread cubes so I used 2 cups of broth. The end result was horrible. It was a pile of mush. I wasn’t able to salvage it. Ended up throwing it all away. Chande the recipe to 1 cup of broth! Disappointed.
Does it matter if I cool the celery/onion/butter mixture fully or can it be a bit warm when adding it in?
It can be warm if you are cooking it right away.
At this point in my review it hasn’t been eaten yet, but smells delish hence the 5 star rating that maybe I can alter after it’s been tasted! My experience prepping it wasn’t the best, & here’s why-
-My butter onion etc mixture took FOREVER to soften & never fully did putting me behind, veggies still had crunch but hopeful they’ll soften in crock pot????
-mixture took FOREVER to cool, transferred to fridge…then freezer putting me further behind. I didn’t want to shock cool veggies in their crunch stage but no choice.
-mixture poured over seemed to moisten bread already w/o even adding broth!?!? Used .25 cup approx of broth.
At this point I am a 1 hour 15 minutes behind getting it in the crock pot and I need a drink! Next year it’s Stovetop haha.
This is the easiest and most delicious stuffing recipe!! Always love the fact of freeing up oven space.
How many bags of the stuffing bread will it take since I’m cheating and not cutting up the actual bread?
You would need approximately 24 oz of bread cubes, maybe a little bit more. Once you get the bags, measure the cubes in cups.
I have made this for the last 3 thanksgiving’s and I use 2 bags of the bread cubes, store bought.
Great idea frees up stove!
Can you make sausage dressing in the crockpot
Yes, you can add cooked sausage to this recipe.
Can you add oysters
Yes, you can add oysters to this recipe.
This is a delicious, easy recipe!! I make it as written! It makes the process of busy times so efficient so I can enjoy family and guests! Thank you!!
what can I substitute for the eggs?
You can leave the eggs out if you’d like.
Can you make cut this in 1/2 for a smaller group will it work the same
The slow cooker should be about ½ full so if cutting this in half it would be best in a 4qt slow cooker. If you’re making half of the recipe and don’t have a smaller slow cooker, keep an eye on it as it will likely cook quicker. If the stuffing is done early, you can turn it to warm (and splash a little bit of extra broth if needed).
You can use or cup of mashed potato as a binder. My family has always done this. Not sure why but it’s been this way for 100 years or more.
I can’t wait to make this! Do you think it would work as well in a crockpot liner bag?
I think it’d work just fine!
thanks for your quick response! I’ll give it a try and update.
Put two turkey wings on top. It will taste like it was in the bird!
Can I beat the eggs in with the broth before mixing with the bread crumbs or do I need to add them separately?
Adding the eggs to the broth should work just fine!
Where do the eggs come in.
At the end of step 3.
can this dressing be done in the crock pot a day or two ahead of time ?
Yes, it can be prepared ahead of time and reheated.
Has anyone made this using the slow cook setting on an instant pot? Did it turn out good or is a traditional crock pot better?
What do you grease the crockpot with? I tried a similar recipe a couple of years ago and the bottom and sides got pretty over cooked. Thanks!
I usually use butter. The sides and bottom will get a bit crispy, if you don’t like it as crispy you could try stirring it halfway through cooking.