Best Ever Stuffing for Crock Pot or Oven

Set-it-and-forget-it crock pot (or oven) stuffing recipe with soft, custardy bread and crispy, toasty edges and a secret ingredient.

I LOVE stuffing. I feel like I could make a meal of stuffing and mashed potatoes and be a very happy camper. Give me ALL the carbs. Ever since I discovered making stuffing in the crock pot I have been sneakily meal prepping stuffing at the beginning of every week so I can feed my stuffing addiction. Who says stuffing is only for Thanksgiving? Not me!

Stuffing isn’t even hard to make. It’s one of the easiest sides dishes – maybe even the most easy? The most pressing thing you’ll need to think about is: if you should cut up a loaf of bread or use store bought bread cubes. I do both. When I’m in a hurry those store bought bread cubes are a life saver, but for more special stuffing, like Thanksgiving, I’ll get a rustic loaf, tear it up, and dry out the cubes myself.

How to make bread cubes for stuffing

1. Decide on a loaf of bread. There are so many kinds of bread out there! I usually use a rustic white, sourdough, or French bread.
2. Cube the bread. Use a bread knife to slice the bread into 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick slices, the lay them flat and cut into 1/2 – 3/4 inch strips. Cut the strips into cubes.
3. Toast the bread cubes. Spread the bread cubes out into a single layer on a baking pan and bake them in a low oven, until dry and crisp, stirring once or twice. Let cool completely. Boom! Homemade bread cubes.
4. Bonus: If you want your stuffing to have a more artisanal, rustic, hipster look, tear your bread. Irregular torn up pieces look more homemade and the extra texture and craggily crevices toast up better!

Once you have your bread cubes, you’re basically done. This stuffing is stuffed (heehee) with classic flavors like celery, garlic, sage, and thyme, but I also added a couple of umami boosting ingredients to take this stuffing over the top: mixed mushrooms, shallots, and a splash of soy sauce.

This crock pot stuffing is a winner! It has the best mix of textures, crispy and toasty, soft and squishy. The edges where the stuffing is right against the side of the crock pot are the best part: crispy and well caramelized.

How to make stuffing

1. Toast the bread. Toast the bread in the oven so it’s crisp on the outside but not too dry on the inside. You want it to feel like a crouton.
2. Sauté the aromatics. You’ll have to break out a pan for this step, but it’s worth it because searing the mushrooms and shallots brings out so much more flavor.
3. Mix up the stuffing. Get a giant bowl so you can mix everything up evenly. Aim to evenly soak all the bread.
4. Cook it in the crock pot. Generously butter the insert of the crock pot then add everything in, cover, and cook on low for 3-4 hours. The sides will get gloriously crisp and the insides will be creamy and custardy.

Stuffing Ingredients

You will need: 1 loaf of bread, butter, mushrooms, shallots, celery, garlic, herbs, eggs, chicken stock, and just a touch of the secret ingredient: soy sauce!

• Bread – My favorite thing to do is to get a sourdough or rustic loaf from our neighborhood bakery and rip it up into different sized pieces so there’s lots of surface area and craggily bits for all the flavor to cling to.
• Mushrooms – The deep savoriness of mushrooms will add a huge hit of flavor to this stuffing. Try to get a mix of mushrooms (cremini, portobello, button, maitake, shiitake, oyster, trumpet, king) and tear the delicate ones so they get textured surface areas. Most grocery stores sell mixed mushrooms sets, so just grab one of those.
• Shallots – The sweetness of shallots and their pretty purple color is perfect in stuffing to add a note of caramel sweetness to play off all the savory flavors.
• Herbs – I stuck with classic herbs like sage and thyme for that nostalgic stuffing feel but you can mix in any fresh herbs you like.
• Eggs – Eggs are one of those controversial things in stuffing. If you grew up with eggs in your stuffing, you’re probably an egg fan. If you like stuffing that is very loose and falls apart on the plate, you think eggs in stuffing are a travesty. I like how eggs lightly bind your stuffing together and make it custardy. We’re just going to add one egg so the stuffing doesn’t end up too dense. Make sure you whisk the egg very well so it’s fully incorporated with the stock.
• Soy sauce – This is the not-so-secret ingredient. Soy sauce adds an extra layer of saltiness and umami, tying everything together. Butter, mushrooms, and soy sauce are seriously one of the most amazing flavor combinations in the world.

I don’t have a crock pot can I still make this?

Of course! Just pop everything into a lightly buttered casserole dish and bake in a 350°F covered with foil for 30-40 minutes, then remove the foil and crisp up the top for an extra 10.

Which crock pot for this stuffing?

Since we are a little family of two, we have the casserole crock, which holds 2.5 quarts. If you’re making this in a bigger crock pot, use the handy “serves” scale and double the number of servings.

Make ahead

If you want to prep this ahead of time, toast the bread cubes and sauté the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic the night before. Keep the bread at room temp, uncovered and put the aromatics covered, in the fridge. The next day, combine all the ingredients together and place in the crock pot!

How to store

Keep in the fridge in an air tight container for up to one week.

To reheat

To heat up, crisp up in an oven safe dish at 350°F for 10 minutes or until warmed through. Or simply microwave if you want it quick, easy, and not-so-crisp.

What to serve with stuffing

• Turkey! From easiest to most ambitious: Instant Pot turkey, classic spatchcock turkey, turducken roulade.
• Ham!
• and some sides

Stuffing all day, every day!
xoxo steph

Stuffing Recipe

Set-it-and-forget-it crock pot stuffing recipe with soft, custardy bread and crispy, toasty edges and a secret ingredient.

Serves 6

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb bread rustic white or sourdough loaf, cut or torn into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 lb mushrooms mixed, sliced or torn
• 2-3 shallots quartered
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 2 tbsp sage finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves only
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 1.5 cup chicken stock low sodium preferred
• 1 tbsp soy sauce low sodium preferred

Special Equipment

• crockpot/slow cooker

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 225°F and arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake, until dry and crisp, stirring occasionally, about 1 to 1 and half hours. Let cool completely.
  
• In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and sear, not moving, until caramelized, flipping as needed. Add the shallots and cook until golden, then add the garlic and cook until just soft. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the celery, sage, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
  
• Add the bread cubes to a large bowl and toss with the cooked vegetables. Whisk the eggs with the chicken stock and soy sauce in a liquid measuring cup or bowl, the pour over the bread cubes and toss until everything is evenly coated. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  
• Generously butter a crock pot and add the stuffing. Cook covered for 3-4 hours on low, until the stuffing starts to crisp around the edges. Enjoy hot!
  

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Stuffing Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 185 Calories from Fat 50

% Daily Value*

Fat 5.6g9%

Saturated Fat 2.9g18%

Cholesterol 41mg14%

Sodium 422mg18%

Potassium 485mg14%

Carbohydrates 26.3g9%

Fiber 1.8g8%

Sugar 2.5g3%

Protein 8.9g18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.