The Best Thanksgiving Crock Pot Stuffing Recipe

Not enough room in the oven on Thanksgiving day? I’ve got you covered, with this easy savory stuffing. Perfectly seasoned and crispy around the edges! Utilizing your crock pot is a great way to free up oven space and save time when preparing a holiday meal.

Why I love this stuffing so much

Who has enough oven space to accommodate all the family’s favorite side dishes? I started making my stuffing in a crock pot when my sister and her husband lived in a smallish apartment in Detroit, and there was no room in her oven for the stuffing, or the turkey for that matter, but that’s a story for another day!  Our go-to thanksgiving stuffing recipe is full of fresh herbs, sauteed onions, celery, and mushrooms. We choose to stuff our turkey with aromatics, onions, and a lemon instead of actual stuffing. The turkey cooks much faster this way, and we get all the flavor and crispy edges. The crispy edges are my favorite. My husband likes the middle.  Do you prefer the crispy edges or the tender middle? My sister no longer lives in a tiny apartment, however we continue to use this slow cooker recipe or thanksgiving dinner.

Gather these ingredients

This is how to make this delicious stuffing

1. Add chopped onion, celery, mushroom, garlic, and fresh herbs to a large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and add butter. Saute vegetables over medium heat for 10 minutes.

2. Move vegetables around in the skillet with a spatula or wooden spoon, making sure that the ingredients cook evenly, and do not burn.

3. Cooked vegetables should be reduced to half and then saute onions should be translucent. That’s how you know your aromatics and vegetables are ready. Turn off stove top and set skillet aside.

4. Measure out chicken broth, add egg to chicken broth and whisk to combine. By doing this the egg is distributed throughout the stuffing, helping the stuffing to bind together, and give a small amount of rise. (To ensure that you have enough broth I make sure to have an extra cup of broth on hand, just in case my stuffing is looking too dry at the end. If you don’t need it you can always use the extra broth for the gravy.)

5. Add dried bread cubes to the cooked vegetables, slowly pour chicken broth over ingredients. You may need to add a little at a time, stirring as you go. Continue to add wet ingredients to the dry, until everything is combined.

6. Butter crockpot insert, make sure surface is generously buttered. Add stuffing mixture to crockpot.

Set the crockpot on high for 1 hour, turn down to low and cook on low for 3-4 hours.  Initially the stuffing mixture will puff up in the dish, but near the end it will settle down.  If you are afraid your stuffing is looking too dry feel free to sprinkle a few tablespoons of chicken stock over it.

Tips & Variations

• Bread Cubes: I have used just about every type of bread cubes in this recipe. I have made my own dried bread cubes. I have purchased dried bread from a very high end bakery in my area, and I have simply used the very easy to find bag of prepared bread cubes, made for stuffing, that can be found in grocery stores everywhere during the holiday season. They all turn out perfectly, so use whatever you prefer.
• Poultry Seasoning: If you are like me and you find yourself running around at the last minute looking for all the right ingredients, and there is nary a fresh sprig of sage to be found! Have no fear you can use dried poultry seasoning in this recipe. Also I have savory written in the recipe, however it can be hard to find, so if you can not find the herb called savory, just leave it out. When substituting dried seasoning for the fresh, use one tablespoon of poultry seasoning and sprinkle it over the sauteed vegetables when they are done cooking.
• Oven Baking: If you have plenty of oven space and would rather use your oven. This recipe does not need to be modified at all for that. Simply grease a casserole dish generously with butter, fill with stuffing mixture, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and make an additional 15 to 20 minutes uncovered.
• Making ahead: This stuffing recipe can be made two days ahead of time. Allow stuffing to cool, cover the dish, and store in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
• How to know if stuffing is properly cooked: Place a cooking thermometer into the middle of the stuffing, making sure the probe is not touching the bottom, but is directly in the middle of the stuffing. The thermometer should read 165 degrees f to be considered fully cooked and safe for consumption.
• Sausage Stuffing: If you are a big fan of sausage stuffing, this crock pot stuffing recipe is very easy to convert. Simply brown 1 pound of sausage, preferably sage seasoned sausage, in a large skillet. When completely cooked, remove sausage from the pan onto a plate covered with a paper towel, to remove any excess grease from the pan. Continue with the recipe as in the recipe card below. Add browned sausage in at the end.

My favorite part of the thanksgiving meal is this stuffing! I especially love the leftovers the next day with leftover thanksgiving turkey, cranberry sauce, and of course gravy! Honestly I usually make a double batch of stuffing because it is a family favorite, and we all want to make sure we have leftovers. Another amazing way to eat leftover stuffing is to cook it in a skillet with a little butter until it gets crispy and then cook a soft egg and put it on top! What is your favorite Thanksgiving leftover? Thanks for being here. Be sure to rate the recipes in the recipe card after you make them, and don’t be afraid to reach out with any questions! I am very thankful for you all! XO Sheila

More E2g side dishes for your holiday table!

• Cranberry Relish
• Brown Butter and Sage Mashed Potatoes with roasted garlic
• The Ultimate Green Bean Casserole Recipe (secret ingredient)
• Sweet Potato Pie
• Thanksgiving Pies: Dutch Apple, Maple Pumpkin, Pecan