Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dressing is flavorful, perfectly seasoned and moist, can be prepped ahead and doesn’t take up any oven space! This will be your favorite side dish on the holiday table!
I finally did it. I finally tried my family’s favorite classic Thanksgiving dressing in the crock pot.
And wow, does it ever work!
I had to make some adjustments, of course, and I tried this a few different ways to ensure it was just as amazingly tasty as the original baked version.
Still, I was pretty impressed that the slow cooker could yield such a tender, delicious dressing that’s not dried out but also not wet or soggy in any way (which was my main concern).
In fact, the edges of the dressing that are against the slow cooker insert get browned and crusty, just like the edges of an oven baked casserole would.
And it’s the perfect level of savory and herby and all things delightful.
This is a Thanksgiving slow cooker recipe I definitely recommend because you aren’t sacrificing a thing.
OK, let's get cooking!
Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make slow cooker Thanksgiving dressing. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
- Broth: The recipe calls for turkey drippings or broth — or a combination of the two. I almost never have turkey drippings already on hand when I go to make this, so turkey broth is a good substitute. If you can’t find any of that, chicken broth will work as well.
- Vegetarian: If you need this to be vegetarian, you could also use vegetable broth. It’ll be a little less flavorful, but still really good.
- Amount: You’ll need 2 to 3 cups of broth for this recipe. I use 2 ½ cups and it’s perfect. You want the mixture to be just moistened before it goes in the slow cooker. (It's a little less wet and definitely less broth than a traditional baked version.)
- Stuffing: You can follow the recipe and use a bag of store-bought stuffing mix or you can substitute 6 cups of additional fresh baked bread that’s cubed and stale. I’ve made it both ways.
- Bread: An Italian loaf, whole wheat loaf or rosemary olive oil bread from your grocer’s bakery are all great choices here. No worries if your bread isn’t already stale when you go to make this. I have tips on that below as well.
If you are using all bread, instead of bread and a stuffing mix, I think it helps to use two different kinds of bread loaves to make the flavor more interesting.
Now, because I am often traveling at Thanksgiving, I don’t always have time to buy bread in advance and let it get stale.
So I’ve found some workarounds that I wanted to share with you.
How to dry out bread quickly:
- Take your fresh loaf of bread and cut it up according to how you’ll use it in the recipe. (In this case, we need it cut down into small rough chunks.)
- Spread the bread out on 1-2 baking sheets so it’s all in an even, single layer.
- If you have several hours or almost a full day, you can leave the bread sitting out in a warm, dry area. Toss it occasionally and let it dry out on its own. (Having it in smaller pieces helps because more surface area is exposed.)
- If you don’t have much time, place the baking sheets of cubed bread into the oven and cook at 300 for 20 or so minutes. This will draw out the moisture and create more stale-like bread right away to use in your recipe.
OK, let’s talk about prepping this ahead.
It’s Thanksgiving after all, and we’ve got 22 other recipes to make (or at least it feels that way!)
Make Ahead Notes:
- Prepare the dressing as instructed, but use only 1 egg and 1 ½ cups of the turkey drippings or broth. Store, covered, in a large bowl or a large plastic container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Add the remaining egg and up to 1 ½ cups of additional turkey drippings or broth to the dressing mixture. Stir well to get everything well combined.
- Transfer to the greased slow cooker insert, top with the remaining butter pieces and cook as directed.
Reserving that extra egg and liquid helps ensure that the consistency of the dressing stays just right.
It doesn’t break down too much from all the liquids as it sits in the fridge and it doesn’t dry out because the bread had already absorbed the liquids before cooking. It’s the perfect balance.
Also, if you are looking to adjust a different dressing recipe to use in the slow cooker, I think the two biggest take aways are:
- Decrease the amount of broth/liquid (by at least 1 cup)
- Increase the amount of seasonings to ensure good flavor
I cannot guarantee success with other recipes, of course, but hopefully that helps if you want to give it a try. (I highly recommend testing your recipe in advance so you’re not disappointed on the big day.)
This recipe here though, it’s a tried and true winner and I guarantee you’re going to be so happy with the flavor and the consistency.
Last thing, let’s talk about what to do with the leftovers. AKA, my favorite part of Thanksgiving!
Tips for Leftovers:
- Once cooled, leftover Thanksgiving dressing can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- My most beloved way to use any extra dressing is for my Thanksgiving leftovers breakfast hash. I get giddy for the holidays just knowing I will get to enjoy this!
- Also, we love to heat up leftover dressing in the microwave along with some gravy and have it as a side dish again on another night. It reheats great.
- You can also freeze leftovers. Let cool, then place 1-2 servings each into freezer-safe plastic bags or containers. Label with the contents and the date, then freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in individual portions in the microwave.
The leftovers are just so good.
I hope you give this a try to make your holidays a little less stressful - and a lot more delicious!
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- ¼ cup diced red bell pepper
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (12 oz.) package Pepperidge Farm dry stuffing
- 6 cups stale bread, coarsely crumbled or roughly chopped
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2-3 cups turkey drippings or broth (see notes)
Instructions
- Spray the insert of the slow cooker with cooking spray or line with a liner.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, celery and red bell pepper and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Season with salt, thyme and pepper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the stuffing and crumbled bread. Add the sautéed veggies and the eggs and stir to mix. Add the turkey drippings or broth, starting with 2 cups and adding more as needed to get the mixture moistened but not overly met.
- Transfer the dressing mixture to the slow cooker insert and smooth into a single layer. Dot the top of the casserole with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter (cut or crumbled into smaller pieces).
- Cover and cook on high for 1 hour then switch the setting and cook on low for 4-5 more hours, until cooked through. (If using a digital thermometer, the internal temp should be 170 degrees F.)
Notes
- Take your fresh loaf of bread and cut it up according to how you’ll use it in the recipe. (In this case, we need it cut down into small rough chunks.)
- Spread the bread out on 1-2 baking sheets so it’s all in an even, single layer.
- If you have several hours or almost a full day, you can leave the bread sitting out in a warm, dry area. Toss it occasionally and let it dry out on its own. (Having it in smaller pieces helps because more surface area is exposed.)
- If you don’t have much time, place the baking sheets of cubed bread into the oven and cook at 300 for 20 or so minutes. This will draw out the moisture and create more stale-like bread right away to use in your recipe.
- Prepare the dressing as instructed, but use only 1 egg and 1 ½ cups of the turkey drippings or broth. Store, covered, in a large bowl or a large plastic container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Add the remaining egg and up to 1 ½ cups of additional turkey drippings or broth to the dressing mixture. Stir well to get everything well combined.
- Transfer to the greased slow cooker insert, top with the remaining butter pieces and cook as directed.
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