Crock Pot Stuffing

Name: Crock Pot Stuffing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 cups (454 g) torn bread chunks, about 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces (preferably from a crusty, dense loaf); 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter (1 stick); 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste (see note 1); 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage; 1 cup (130 g) chopped onion, about 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) pieces; 1 cup (125 g) chopped celery, about 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) pieces; 1 cup (87 g) chopped white button mushrooms, about 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) pieces; 2 - 3 cups (473 - 710 ml) chicken or turkey broth/stock (can substitute vegetable broth); nonstick spray, butter or oil for greasing the crock pot

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This easy crock pot stuffing recipe is perfect for busy holidays; you can make it ahead of time and keep it warm while the rest of the meal cooks. And, making stuffing in the crockpot frees up precious oven space! This delicious stuffing recipe is seasoned with thyme, sage, and mushrooms.

crock pot stuffing on white platter with wooden spoon on the side

Note: this post was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2021 and 2022 with new photos and improved instructions.

In my experience, one of the hardest parts of planning a large holiday meal is sharing oven space. What if you have two dishes that need to be cooked at the same time, at different temperatures? This easy crock pot stuffing recipe can help with that!

Rather than having to cram another dish into your already stuffed (ha!) oven, make your stuffing in the crock pot! This way, you can make the stuffing ahead of time and it can stay on warm until everything else is ready. And, this stuffing is so delicious I would make it every time, even if oven space was no concern (served alongside these delicious recipes for red skin mashed potatoes and orange glazed carrots, of course!).

This stuffing recipe uses big chunks of torn bread that provides tons of extra texture. And, since it's cooked on high, the stuffing develops the most amazing browned crispy edges that your family will be fighting over, while the center stays soft and moist!

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Recipe ingredients
Step by step photos
Recipe variations
Prepping stuffing ahead of time
Tips and tricks
Recipe FAQs
Related recipes

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

Bread: ideally you will use a slightly denser bread, not something that's super airy and pillowy (such as sliced white sandwich bread). We want the bread to hold up during cooking rather than turning to mush.

Dried rubbed sage: I like this better than the powdered kind because I think the little flecks of herbs look nice. But if you only have powdered sage, use half the amount called for in the recipe.

Stock or broth: you can use store-bought or homemade. Chicken or turkey broth works well; if you want to make the stuffing vegetarian, use vegetable broth.

Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter. But, if you want to use salted butter, just reduce the amount of salt called for in the recipe by a little bit.

Step by step photos

Here's a step by step breakdown on how to make stuffing in the crockpot. (For the full recipe, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post!)

1. The night before you want to make the crock pot stuffing, tear the bread up into bite-sized pieces (about 1 - 1 ½ inches, or 2.5 - 3.8 cm in size). Spread the bread out on a tray, uncovered, and let it dry out.

If you don't have time, you can also dry the bread out by placing the chunks on a baking sheet and cooking in a low oven (250 degrees F/130 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

2. When you are ready to make the crock pot stuffing, the first step is to grease the crock pot well. I used non stick cooking spray, but you can also grease it with butter or oil if you prefer. Set the crock pot aside for now.

nonstick spray being sprayed into crock pot

3. Next, prep the vegetables. Make sure to wipe any dirt off of the mushrooms with a damp paper towel, or rinse them and dry them well. Chop all the veggies into about ¼ inch (6.4 mm) pieces.

cutting board with chopped celery onion and mushroom and knife cutting a mushroom

4. Now, place the butter, cut into chunks, in a large, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the butter until melted, and then add in the vegetables, spices, kosher salt, and eggs. Mix together until well combined.

collage of spices being poured into bowl of eggs and veggies and spoon mixing ingredients together

5. Place the dried chunks of bread into the bowl and mix everything together well.

hand adding chunks of torn bread to bowl of veggies and eggs

6. Next, drizzle in about 1 ½ cups (355 ml) of the broth or stock overtop the bread mixture. Stir to combine, and continue drizzling in small amounts of the broth, stirring in between additions, until you have evenly moistened the bread chunks but they are not falling apart.

(I talk more about how to determine whether you've added enough broth in the Tips and tricks section below!)

collage of pouring broth overtop torn bread chunks and veggies in bowl and mixing together stuffing in bowl

7. Add the stuffing mixture into the crock pot and smooth out the top (but don't compress the stuffing). The crockpot should be about ⅔ full. Add the lid and cook the stuffing on high for 2 hours.

collage of adding uncooked stuffing to crock pot and spoon smoothing top of stuffing down

8. After 2 hours on high, check the stuffing. The edges should be crispy, and the internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees F. Now you can enjoy the crock pot stuffing right away, or, keep the crock pot set to "warm" until you are ready to eat.

fork pulling side of cooked crock pot stuffing out to check for doneness

If the stuffing isn't quite done, go ahead and replace the lid. Then, continue to cook the stuffing for an additional 15 - 30 minutes until cooked through.

Recipe variations

This crock pot stuffing recipe is pretty traditional in terms of the flavors. If you would like to add some extra zip to the stuffing, here are some ideas:

For a sweeter flavor, add in some dried fruits such as dried sweetened cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or chopped dried figs.

For a nutty flavor and crunchy texture, add in a small handful of toasted chopped nuts. Pistachios or almonds would be delicious!

Or, try adding some cooked sausage crumbles for a richer, meatier stuffing. Sausage flavored with sage would pair really well with the flavors already in the stuffing.

If you're adding in some extras, don't overdo it; aim for around ½ - 1 cup of added ingredients.

Prepping stuffing ahead of time

For the tastiest stuffing, I recommend making the recipe on the day you want to serve it, rather than cooking it ahead and re-heating it.

But, because this recipe is made in a crock pot, you can easily make it a couple hours ahead of time. When the stuffing is cooked, switch the crock pot to the "warm" setting until ready to eat.

To avoid drying out the stuffing too much, I would only let it sit on warm for a couple hours at most.

Although I recommend cooking the stuffing day-of, you can still do some prep the day before. You can tear the bread and let it dry out the day before. You can also chop the veggies the day before and store them covered in the fridge.

Tips and tricks

Determining how much broth/stock to add

Okay, even though this crock pot stuffing recipe is really easy to make, this is the trickiest part of the recipe because it's a bit subjective and inexact. I found that about 2 ¼ cups of broth worked well for me.

But, the amount of broth you will need depends on how dry your bread is, how dense the bread is, how large the chunks are, and your personal tastes! Do you like really soft, moist stuffing, or do you prefer it a bit on the drier side?

Also, remember that the vegetables will also release some liquid during cooking. So, you don't need to completely soak the bread pieces with broth. Here are some additional guidelines:

Add about 1 ½ cups (355 ml) broth and stir well, until all the broth is absorbed.

Now check a chunk of the bread. Is it still dry in some places? Is the bread still holding most of its shape? Has the liquid not absorbed much into the center of the piece? If yes, drizzle in a little more broth.

Stop adding liquid when the chunks start to slump down in the bowl and the pieces are evenly moistened throughout, but before the bread chunks start to totally lose their shape.

Other tips and tricks

Make sure to chop the vegetables into about ¼ inch (6.4 mm) pieces. At this size, the vegetables will cook all the way through in the slow cooker without turning to mush.

Want nice and crispy edges on your stuffing? Spread the stuffing all the way to the sides of the crock pot, make sure not to overly saturate the stuffing, and grease the crock pot very well.

For a little extra pizzazz, garnish the stuffing right before serving with a sprinkle of chopped parsley on top or springs of fresh thyme on the side.

If you happen to not like one of the vegetables, that's no problem! Just add in 1 ½ cups each of the remaining two vegetables to replace the one you don't like. For example, if you don't like mushrooms, just use 1 ½ cups celery and 1 ½ cups onions instead.

Recipe FAQs

What crock pot (or slow cooker) should I use for this recipe?

I used this 3 ½ quart slow cooker from Cuisinart (affiliate link). I've had it for nearly 10 years and it's still going strong! Any crock pot or slow cooker that is 3 ½ quarts (3.3 L) or slightly larger will work well for this recipe.

What kind of bread should I use?

For best results, I recommend using a bread that has some texture to it, rather than bread that is super light and pillowy. By using firmer bread, the stuffing won't be too mushy when cooked. That being said, if you really enjoy a softer, more tender texture for your stuffing, feel free to use softer bread!

Can I use pre-cut stuffing cubes instead of bread?

What makes this crock pot stuffing so special (in my opinion!) is the larger, more texture-rich chunks of real bread. This really gives the stuffing a more interesting look and feel.

However, if you want to save some time, I am all for that. You can replace the bread in the recipe with an equal amount of unseasoned pre-cut stuffing cubes. You may need to add more liquid, however, because the store-bought bread cubs are drier. Take a look at the Tips and tricks section for a description of how much liquid to add to the stuffing.

How do I know when the crock pot stuffing is done cooking?

After the 2 hour cook time, the stuffing should be at least 165 degrees F in the center, and, the edges should be crispy. If you need to, you can cook the stuffing for an additional 15 - 30 minutes after checking it at the 2 hour mark.

How do I store leftovers?

You can keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days. The crock pot stuffing re-heats very well in the microwave, drizzled with a bit of extra broth if needed. Check out this awesome guide on several ways to reheat stuffing!

Stuffing can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just store it in an airtight container or gallon zip-top bag (with as much of the air removed as possible).

stuffing on oval platter with wooden spoon on the side

If you’ve tried this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or review in the comments section below, I would love to hear from you! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. And sign up for my weekly newsletter to get recipes delivered straight to you!

Crock Pot Stuffing