I know it's after Thanksgiving but I received so many emails this year for my Crock Pot Stuffing, I decided it's better late then never.
We've actually enjoyed Crock Pot Stuffing a few times in the last month or two, with plans of posting the recipe, but we always seemed to run out of daylight before Colt could capture a finished photo.
Luckily the light was perfect on Thanksgiving, and he captured a few shots before the stuffing went to the table.
I started making stuffing in the crock pot on Thanksgiving 2 years ago following my car accident. I had a hard time rolling out of bed extra early that day, and a stuffed 30lb Turkey could have taken an extra 2 hours leaving dinner long over due.
I had plenty of kitchen help between Colt and the kids, but they needed my direction. When you're living in chronic pain you start to prioritize what really matters in the day, and on that particular day I knew I needed the extra sleep, after a night of tossing and turning.
From past experience I knew cooking the excess stuffing in a casserole dish never created the moist flavorful stuffing that came from the Turkey, and required valuable oven space. It was dry, and no matter what I did it just wasn't my first choice, so I decided I would test out the slow cooker, to not only save oven space, but on time.
After 15 years of Stuffing the Turkey, my ways have been eternally changed. Not only does the Stuffing smell amazing, but you won't miss the flavor, with a few simple tricks.
Slow Cooker Stuffing is moist and flavorful, with a lightly crispy edge similar to dressing. Crock Pot dressing is really the best of both worlds.
In a large skillet melt 1/3 cup Butter and sauté 2 whole Medium Sized Diced Onions, until onions start to caramelize.
(If you want to make Giblet Stuffing or Sausage Stuffing add ingredients to the onions.)
Stir in:
- 6 cloves Minced Garlic
- 8 stalks Diced Celery
- 2 whole Seeded and Diced Granny Smith Apples
- 1/4 cup Minced Fresh Sage
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Thyme Stems Removed
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Stems Removed
- 1/4 cup Chopped Parsley
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper.
Stir in 1 1/2 cups Dry White Wine like Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay, and bring to a simmer. Cook off the alcohol for about 5 minutes until the wine has reduced.
Stir Vegetable/Wine mixture into 12 cups Dried 1/2" Bread Cubes until well combined.
(I usually use French Bread, but a combination of French Bread, Corn Bread, and Sourdough are delicious too.)
Then slowly stir in between 2 1/2-3 cups Turkey or Chicken Stock until bread is lightly moistened but not soggy.
Taste stuffing and add Salt and Pepper if needed.
Butter bottom and sides of a 6 quart Slow Cooker and add stuffing mixture.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Baste stuffing with Turkey Drippings once they become dark or additional broth about 3-4 times as it cooks.
If bread starts to become too brown around edges turn slow cooker to warm until ready to serve.
The secret to really good Crock Pot Stuffing is not over moistening the bread when adding it to the Slow Cooker so it steams as it cooks and the additional basting of juices to not only reach the perfect consistency, but the additional flavors of the Turkey.
Serve stuffing out of the Slow Cooker or place in a pretty bowl.
This stuffing can also be used inside the Turkey just baste the opening with the stuffing as the bird cooks. Either way you can't go wrong.
Our other favorite must have Thanksgiving recipes are:
- Super Juicy Turkey Baked in Cheesecloth
- How to Brine a Turkey from Savory Experiments
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Honey Mustard Ham
- Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
- Easy Mashed Yams
- Cranberry Orange Sauce
- 7up Jello Salad
- Ambrosia Salad
- Cranberry Sage Moscow Mules
- Hot Apple Cider Buttered Rum
- Hot Apple Cider Buttered Whisky
- Apple Crisp
- Apple Pie Crumb Bars
- Caramel Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
- Caramel Apple Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake with Butterscotch Swirl
- Gluten Free Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Crumb Bars
Yield: 12

Crock Pot Stuffing
Crock Pot Stuffing recipe has fresh herbs and wine. Making it a must for Thanksgiving and Christmas from Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch.
4.8
out of 5
based on 9 user ratings
prep time: 20 Mcook time: 6 hourtotal time: 6 H & 20 Mingredients:
- 14 cups French Bread, Corn Bread, Or Sourdough Bread Cut Into 1/2" Cubes, Or 12 cups Dried Bread Cubes
- 1/3 cup Butter Plus Additional For Greasing Slow Cooker
- 2 whole Medium Sized Onions, Diced
- 6 cloves Garlic, Minced
- 8 stalks Celery, Diced
- 2 whole Apples, Seeded And Cored ( I prefer a tart firm apple like Granny Smith.)(Optional)
- 1/4 cup Fresh Sage, Minced and Stems Removed
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Thyme, Stems Removed
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary, Chopped and Stems Removed
- 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Dry White Wine or Turkey Stock
- 2 1/2-3 cups Turkey Or Chicken Stock
instructions:
How to cook Crock Pot Stuffing
Dry The Bread Cubes
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees and turn oven off. Add bread cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Stir bread cubes every so often and reheat oven as needed until bread is totally dry. Store bread cubes covered in a large bowl or container covered until ready to use. Bread Cubes can be dried a week ahead of time.
- Don't forget the bread cubes are in the oven! It helps to place a note over the thermostat with a reminder to remove before starting.
Crock Pot Stuffing
- Grease a 6qt Slow Cooker well with butter. Set aside.
- In a large skillet melt butter and add onion. Cook until onion starts to caramelize. Add garlic, celery, apples, sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook until garlic and herbs become fragrant about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in white wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes until wine has reduced.
- Toss cooked vegetable mixture with dried bread crumbs until evenly coated. Stir in enough stock to moisten bread crumbs being careful not to add too much. Bread should be lightly moistened but not soggy. Taste stuffing and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Place stuffing in greased slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Baste stuffing with turkey drippings or additional broth 3-4 times as it cooks.
- If bread starts to become too brown turn slow cooker to warm until ready to use.
Calories
246
246
Fat (grams)
6
6
Carbs (grams)
11
11
Sugar (grams)
6
6
Protein (grams)
2
2
Calories are estimated.
© 2015 Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
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This is the only way I've made stuffing. Love the crock-pot, and it frees up the oven!!
ReplyDeleteDo I use my lid on the slow cooker? I actually hate my slow cooker because everything I try to cook gets so soggy. And I don't like soggy stuffing for sure.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, Yes use the lid. It is softer stuffing like if you cook it in the turkey. You can always bake it, if you prefer baked stuffing. Also a little lighter on basting it with drippings will help. Happy Thanksgiving, Serena
DeleteHi, Can you tell me whether and how stuffing can be made the day before? Is it one of those those things that gets better after setting over night in the 'fridge, or does it have to be served immediately? If I can do it the day before, how to I heat through without drying? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi, You could make it ahead of time. I would probably just use the crock pot to reheat it, and baste it with additional liquid if needed to prevent it from drying out. Thanks, Serena
DeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteWhy the apples? I am hesitant to use them
ReplyDeleteI like the flavor contrast with the herbs. If you aren't big on apples you can skip them.
DeleteHi! I'm making this for thanksgiving but I need more than 12 servings! Can I just double the recipe and then how would the cooking time adjust?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Marisa
Hi Marisa, Yes you can double it. I would leave the cook time alone if your cooking it on low. Hi might need an extra 1/2-1 hour. You could always give yourself extra time and then leave it on warm once its cooked. Thanks, Serena
DeleteHi! I am making this for the first time, love the idea of crock pot. Can I use poultry seasoning in place of fresh herbs and if so how much? Thank You....Happy Thanksgiving
ReplyDeleteCathy
Hi Cathy, You can. It will probably be 3+ tablespoons. I would start with 2 tablespoons and taste it.It won't taste as good as cooked but it will give you an idea how much you want to use. Dried herbs are a little different then fresh. Thanks, Serena
DeleteTo make the night before would you mix it all. Refrigerate. Then cook in am? Or wait and mix and cook in am. I cooked veggies etc already but haven’t mixed bread in. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Laura! I would probably mix the bread in that morning if you have time. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Serena
DeleteHi Serena, I want to make this but would rather bake in the oven to get that crisp on the top layer. Is there any changes I should make to the recipe?
ReplyDeleteHi! You might just need a little extra liquid when you assemble it or give it a few squirts of the your turkey drippings. The oven is more drying then the Crock Pot. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Serena
DeleteCould I leave out the wine? Maybe use more stock? I am loving the idea of having more oven space :)
ReplyDeleteHi Katie! You sure could. If you use stock instead you will want to reduce the salt since stock is saltier then wine. Merry Christmas, Serena
DeleteI made your delicious crock pot stuffing yesterday for Canadian Thanksgiving and it was a total hit! Your recipe will definitely be on our Christmas dinner table too. Thanks so much for the recipe 😋
ReplyDeleteThis stuffing is delicious! I can't wait to serve it for Thanksgiving this year. Thanks so much for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI made this last year for Thanksgiving and just came back to find it so I can make it again! It was delicious and so nice to free up space in my oven. The whole family raved!
ReplyDeleteWe like to have a mini thanksgiving dinner sometimes, so I made this recipe this week. It's delicious. The apples add a nice sweetness. I used veggie broth to make it vegetarian. Came out perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI made this and the addition of apples makes this come alive! It's a great tasting recipe and I love that you can leave it to cook in the crock pot. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Serena
ReplyDeleteWondering if this can be made ahead and frozen?
Hi! Are you thinking of freezing it prior to cooking or after? I haven't tried it but I would assume it would freeze ok. Thanks, Serena
DeleteHi Serena,
ReplyDeleteI’m excited to try this recipe for my family next week for Christmas dinner. I will be purchasing my chicken stock not making it from scratch so should I choose low sodium or just regular broth? Also should the butter be regular or salt free? I want to make sure it’s not over salted from the start! Thanks!
Hi Rita, I use regular Salted Butter but Low Sodium Broth. I hope that helps. Merry Christmas, Serena
DeleteThank you Serena, I appreciate your advice. One more quick question. My mom always added an egg to her stuffing to bind it together. Do you find that this recipe keeps everything "together" okay without the egg? Merry Christmas to you as well!
ReplyDeleteIt's not super binded together but it is scoop-able. You could always add an egg if you prefer a firmer stuffing.
DeleteCan this recipe be cut in half? Would the cook time be the same? I’m only making dinner for 3 people, so I don’t need as much stuffing.
ReplyDeleteHi, You can cut it in half. If you have a smaller crock pot I would use that so it doesn't over cook with using the lower end of the time and yes it will probably be the higher end of half for the cook time in a larger crock pot. The smaller crock pot will probably take near the same time. I always feed a small army so I haven't halved it but I would probably incorporate some extra time and then turn it to warm once it's done just to ensure there is enough time. Thanks, Serena
Delete