Slow-Cooker Stuffing

Recipe Ingredients

This simple slow-cooker stuffing recipe comes together with a handful of classic ingredients that bring comfort and flavor in every bite. Here’s what you’ll need.

Seasoned Bread Stuffing Cubes: These are the base of the dish, providing the classic texture and flavor of traditional stuffing with built-in herbs and spices.

Chicken Broth: This adds moisture and savory depth, helping the bread cubes soften and absorb flavor as they cook.

Butter: Rich and flavorful, it helps sauté the vegetables and infuses the entire dish with comforting, holiday-worthy taste.

Other Ingredients: Celery and onion are a must for adding savory flavor and texture to each bite; they’re classic stuffing staples for a reason. Sautéing them in butter brings out their natural sweetness and softens them just enough to blend perfectly with the stuffing. A quick coat of cooking spray helps prevent sticking in the slow cooker, so the finished dish keeps its shape and is easier to serve and clean up.

How to Make Slow-Cooker Stuffing

These simple steps will outline just how easy it is to make our best slow-cooker stuffing recipe. Follow along with the recipe below for all the details.

1. Spray the Slow Cooker

Use cooking spray to spray the slow-cooker insert. This is done so none of the stuffing ingredients will stick and ensures the cooked stuffing is easy to serve without leaving any behind.

2. Cook Celery and Onion

Melt the butter in a skillet, and cook the onion and celery, stirring it occasionally until crisp-tender. Don’t skip this step and place the raw onion and celery straight in the slow cooker. Partially cooking the veggies before adding them with the other ingredients is necessary for everything to be done cooking at the same time. It also mellows the onion flavor and adds a rich buttery flavor.

3. Mix, Set It, and Forget It

Mix the cooked veggies together with the bread cubes and broth right in the slow cooker. Set your slow cooker on Low, and let the stuffing cook all on its own. Don’t be tempted to lift the lid for a peek; each time you open the slow cooker, it releases some of the heat. This can add as much as 30 minutes to the total cook time each time you open the lid.

4. Stir and Serve

Use a large spoon to lightly stir the stuffing before serving to redistribute the ingredients equally throughout. Move the stuffing to a serving dish, or serve it straight out of the slow cooker to keep it warm. 

Slow-Cooker Stuffing Variations

Want to make this stuffing your own? Try any of these flavor-packed variations to give this stuffing your signature spin.

Sausage Stuffing: Add extra flavor as well as heartiness to the stuffing by adding cooked and crumbled bulk sausage. One pound of sausage is the perfect amount to add. Try bulk sausage, such as hot Italian, sweet Italian, pork sausage, or even turkey sausage. Cook it in the skillet over medium-high heat, 6 to 8 minutes or until it’s no longer pink. Remove it from skillet before cooking the veggies in the same skillet in step 2

Herb Stuffing: For a sensational fresh punch of flavor, add this earthy herb combination to the stuffing: Stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram leaves, and 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves with the bread cubes. Or, if you like to use dried herbs, add the fresh parsley, but use 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves, 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves, and 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves instead.

Cranberry Stuffing: For a sweet and savory stuffing, stir in 1 1/2 cups sweetened dried cranberries with the bread cubes.

Nutty Stuffing: For stuffing with a bit of crunch, after cooking it, gently stir in 3/4 cup of toasted pecan halves, chopped walnuts, pine nuts, or blanched almonds. They’ll upgrade your stuffing with a new layer of flavor.

Storing and Reheating Slow-Cooker Stuffing

For the best results, serve stuffing right after it’s freshly made for the perfect level of moistness and flavor. But reheated leftovers can be a welcome addition to any meal you want to get on the table fast. Here’s how to store and reheat leftover stuffing.

Refrigerator Storage and Reheating

Spoon the stuffing into an air-tight food-storage container. Refrigerate up to 5 days. To reheat, place a serving of the stuffing in a microwavable bowl. Cover and microwave on medium-high (70%) 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until stuffing is heated through. If the stuffing is dry, toss it with a sprinkling of water to add moisture back. Cover and microwave about 30 seconds longer.

Freezer Storage and Reheating

Spoon the stuffing into air-tight freezer-proof food storage containers. Store in freezer up to 3 months. To reheat, place a serving of the stuffing in a microwavable bowl. Cover and microwave on low (30%) about 2 minutes or until thawed. Microwave on medium-high (70%) 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. If the stuffing is dry, toss it with a sprinkling of water to add moisture back. Cover and microwave about 30 seconds longer.

We don’t recommend reheating leftover stuffing in the oven as it will dry out before it has a chance to heat completely through.