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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I use Brownberry Stuffing sage and onion, always add extra sage, and also boil chicken, let it cool, then grind and add to the the stuffing with the celery, onion, eggs and broth. Nothing better than homemade chicken broth in you stuffing!!
Looking forward to making this! Would 2 loaves of sandwich bread be enough? Thank you!
That should be more than enough.
Love the idea of using a crockpot. I do like the top of my stuffing to be crispy. Does the top crisp up with this method?
The sides/edges get a bit of crisp on them.
Just want to make sure I’m reading this correctly. I need a total of 12 cups of bread cubes? If I purchase the store prepackaged cubes they come in about 12oz bags. So, I need a total of about 8 bags of bread cubes? Is that correct? Thanks!
1 cup of bread cubes weighs approximately 2 oz (this is a weight, 8 oz per cup is a volume amount, not a weight.). You would need approximately 24 oz of bread cubes, maybe a little bit more.
How do you get a crispy top? Do you bake once it’s done?
The sides/edges get a bit of crisp on them.
Do you need to adjust the seasoning amounts (especially salt), if using seasoned Pepperidge Farm Classic Stuffing?
If the Pepperidge Farm stuffing is pre-seasoned, you will likely want to reduce the salt/seasonings. Since everything in the stuffing is cooked except the eggs, you can mix it all together without the eggs and taste it adding more seasoning if needed. Once it’s seasoned to your liking, stir in the eggs. Let us know how it goes!
do you use both fresh and poultry seasoning and how much fresh?
I use poultry seasoning and if I have fresh I add it in addition to the poultry seasoning. I use about 1 tablespoon total of fresh herbs.
Hi, salted or unsalted butter?
You can use either and add additional salt, I usually use salted.
Planning on trying this! Do you think loaves of French bread would work well?
Yes, French bread will work for stuffing.
Is it okay to just use store brand sandwich bread? A mix of white and wheat? Can’t wait to make this!!
Yes, that works perfectly. Ensure the breast is dried out very well before using.
Have you made it with vegetable broth? We have some vegetarians in the family!
It will change the flavor slightly (I find it’s a bit sweeter) but will still work. Enjoy Suzi!
If I double this stuffing recipe and make my own bread crumbs, should I just use 4 cups of chicken broth? Thanks!
Hi Terry, you will need approximately 4 cups. You will want to continue to add chicken broth until your cubes are all moist (but not soaked). Enjoy!
Thanks so much for your quick response. I appreciate it. This looks just like the stuffing mom always made, but she stuffed it in a bird and I just like to make the breast.
If I use the store bought bread cubes how many 14 oz bags will I need? I did the conversion and came up with 7 bags but that seems like a lot
This recipe uses 12 cups of dry bread, so you can measure how many cups your bags are to know if it is enough for the recipe.
If I double the recipe, will it fit in a 6 qt crock pot?
It depends on the size of your Crock Pot Clara. You will want to ensure your crockpot is at a maximum ¾ full. If you have extra you could either bake it as a casserole or stuff the turkey.
It says this makes 12 servings, is there enough room in the crockpot to 1.5 or double it?
It depends on the size of your Crock Pot Angela. You will want to ensure your crockpot is at a maximum ¾ full. If you have extra you could either bake it as a casserole or stuff the turkey.
Does it really take 3-4 hours to cook till done. Seems like a long time?
Yes, we cook 3-4 hours to ensure it reaches a safe temperature plus we like the little crispy bits on the edges. You can cook a little bit less but ensure it reaches 160°F with a thermometer.
Really dumb question. Does it need to be served in the crock as a casserole or can it be removed and spooned into a dish for serving? I worry about a hot crock at the table, but also know that some casseroles aren’t meant to be mixed or fluffed or even broken up but spooned out as is.
It can be served in a serving bowl as well.
Thank you so much for the quick reply. Very excited to make this for Thanksgiving.
going to use this recipe for Thanksigivng this year, love that it’s simple and classic. can’t wait to try!!
Have you ever tried without eggs? I have never used eggs in my stuffing.
The eggs help bind the stuffing. You can leave them out if you prefer Sheila. Enjoy!
Sheila, my cousin & I have been making stuffing in the crockpot for years & we never add eggs, so it will be fine without.
I would like to try your recipe this year. It sounds easy and delicious! Question: If I want to add apples and raisins, when would I add them?
I would cook the apples with the onion/celery mixture so they soften. I would add the raisins with the broth.