Many years ago I stopped stuffing my turkey for a variety of reasons, but cooking the stuffing (or, as some call it, dressing) out of the bird does leave me with a quandary regarding my oven. I just run out of room! This slow cooker stuffing recipe instantly (or slowly) solves this problem for me. Stir together the ingredients in the slow cooker, set it, and forget it. It comes out perfect every time and you can serve it right out of the slow cooker dish.
What I Put in My Classic Stuffing
I’m a bit of a wild man when it comes to stuffing. I like to add the classic ingredients like good bread, celery, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs, but I also add some sausage to mine for extra savory notes. To balance it out I l add some dried fruit (cranberries) and fresh fruit (diced apple). Oh. And butter, of course!
Use the Bread You Have
There isn’t a hard and fast rule when it comes to bread for stuffing. If you have some leftover bread, I would use that. I’ve used hamburger and hot dog buns before and it works well. If you are buying bread for your stuffing, though, choose a hearty sourdough or crusty boule loaf. All other things being equal, these rustic loaves will hold up better to the stuffing ingredients and not get too soggy. The recipe I made uses about a 1-pound loaf of bread, which works out to about 12 cups of loosely packed bread cubes if you don’t weigh them.
Layer Ingredients for Flavor
This is mostly as simple as it sounds. Add the ingredients to the slow cooker and let it do the rest! I do like to layer my ingredients, putting the aromatics in first, the bread next, and the sausage on top of the bread. Doing that gives the aromatics some time to cook before stirring everything together. You’ll need at least a 5-quart slow cooker to fit all this stuff in. I used a 6.5-quart slow cooker which had some room left over at the top. I recommend cooking the stuffing on high heat for 4 hours and stirring it just once halfway through.
Tips for Slow Cooker Stuffing
Rub your slow cooker vessel with butter before adding ingredients. This will grease the sides and bottom and lead to less sticking when you are trying to serve the stuffing later. Also, butter is delicious. After 4 hours, if you find that the stuffing is too moist or watery, set the slow cooker lid ajar for 30 minutes so some of the liquid can cook off. Taste, season, and add some fresh parsley to the top right before serving!
Making Ahead and Reheating
One of the many nice things about slow cooker stuffing is you can make this well in advance, cool it in the insert completely, store it in the fridge for 1 to 2 days, and then just pop the insert back in the slow cooker to reheat. Reheat the stuffing on low heat for 1 to 2 hours until it’s warmed through. If it seems dry, add up to 1 extra cup of chicken or turkey stock to it to bring it back to life.
Transporting the Cooked Stuffing
If you need to transport this recipe just keep it in the slow cooker! Taking it out will make it harder to reheat. Also, make sure the stuffing is cooled down before trying to transport it. It will be very hot after cooking and could cause a burn if you try to move it too far.
More No-Oven Holiday Sides
Cranberry Sauce Giblet Gravy Mom’s Stovetop Stuffing Spiced Mashed Sweet Potatoes Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Cut your bread into about 1-inch chunks. Lay them out on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them for about 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through. The bread should be dry, almost like croutons. It’s okay if some pieces have some browning on them, but not necessary. In the final 30 minutes of cooking, check the stuffing. If it seems too watery, set the lid ajar on the slow cooker so some of the moisture can cook off in the final minutes. Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!
