Slow Cooker Stuffing

A bowl of stuffing made with croutons, herbs, and vegetables is placed on a table. Other dishes, including gravy and mashed potatoes, are partially visible nearby.

4.67 from 3 votes

🍁🙌🏻🧡 Thanksgiving stuffing just got even EASIER to prepare! SIMPLE ingredients including day old bread, celery, onion and fresh herbs are transformed into MOIST and FLAVORFUL stuffing that's PERFECT for holiday entertaining from Thanksgiving to Christmas celebrations! Free up oven space this holiday season by making stuffing in your Crock-Pot!

Prep Time15

Cook Time4

Total Time4 15

Course: Side Dish, Sides, Sides, Salads & Vegetables

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crockpot stuffing recipe, easy slow cooker stuffing, slow cooker stuffing, slow cooker stuffing recipe

Servings:

Calories: 315cal

Equipment

1 6-quart slow cooker OR
1 7-quart slow cooker

Ingredients

1 pound day old white French bread diced into 1/2-inch cubes and dried* (more info in step 1 below)
1 cup unsalted butter
2 - 2 ½ cups sweet Vivaldi or yellow onion diced small (about 1 large or extra large onion)
1 ½ cups celery diced small
⅔ cup flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
¼ cup fresh sage leaves finely minced (or to taste)
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary sprigs stems removed and finely minced (or to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh thyme finely minced (or to taste)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ - 2 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth divided, add as needed

Instructions

Bread - Preheat oven to 250F, cube the day old French bread into 1/2-inch cubes, place it on a baking sheet (or two baking sheets) and bake, stirring occasionally, until the bread is dried out, about 45 minutes. *Tips - You must begin with very dry bread or it’ll turn to mush. I use French bread that I purchase from my grocery store bakery. Italian bread or sourdough may be substituted. Do NOT use basic regular bread that you'd use for sandwiches or toast because it will disintegrate. Toast-Ahead - To save time on the day of, you can bake and dry out the bread the night before . Leave it uncovered on the counter until the morning or when you’re ready to make the stuffing.
Sauteeing - To a large skillet, add the butter, onions, celery, and saute over medium to medium-high heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and just beginning to brown. In the final minute or two, add all the fresh herbs, salt, pepper, stir to combine, and saute to allow the flavors to bloom.
Slow Cooker - To the insert of your slow cooker, add the dried bread, the buttery vegetables and herbs mixture; stir to combine.
Add 1 1/2 cups broth, stir to combine and coat everything evenly, place the lid on your slow cooker and cook on LOW for about 3-4 hours. Tip - I do not recommend using the high heat setting; low is better to cook the stuffing evenly and without drying it out. Stuffing is done when it's cooked through, lightly moist throughout - not still soggy but not overly dried out either. Slow cookers vary a lot, as does personal preference for stuffing. Keep an eye on yours and cook as needed, however long that takes.
Additional Broth - During the slow cooking process, check on the stuffing, and use your judgment if you want to add additional broth or not, up to about 1 cup. If you like drier stuffing, you may not need to add any. If your bread was very dry or you like more moist stuffing, add some broth. It's really going to depend on your preferences as well as your ingredients as well as the heat output of your slow cooker.
Serving - Transfer stuffing to a serving bowl (or serve it straight from the slow cooker). Fluff it with a fork first before serving. You can garnish it with additional fresh herbs, if desired. You can make it about 3 hours ahead of time and use the keep warm feature to hold it. Any longer than that, it will start becoming dried out.

Notes

Storage:

Refrigerator: Let leftover stuffing cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Freezer: Let cool completely before transferring to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, reheat from frozen to prevent the stuffing from becoming mushy.

Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 30-second intervals. Larger portions can be reheated in the Crockpot on LOW, or covered in a 350ºF oven for 10 to 20 minutes. Although frankly I would use your microwave - so much easier, less dishes to wash later on like your slow cooker insert, and simply faster overall.

Adapted from my own Best Classic Traditional Stuffing recipe.

Nutrition