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The oven on Thanksgiving is already full of turkey and casseroles, but dressing still has to make it to that table. This Crockpot Cornbread Dressing goes in the slow cooker instead, made with real cornbread and a bag of herb stuffing. No sauteing, no oven, and you can put it together the day before. The lid holds the steam in, so the broth soaks into every crumb while you work on everything else.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is always prep day with the grandkids at Nana’s, my mom’s house. The day is full of cousin love, and that tradition just warms my heart. Mom always made the traditional dressing in our family. It’s her specialty, and my daughter now has that honor every Thanksgiving.
One year, when the kids were little, I was hosting Thanksgiving and my oven’s heating element burned out. No oven. Luckily, I had a roaster oven for the turkey. We had crock pot mashed potatoes, and everything else got baked at Mom’s.
That year is a big part of why I made my own slow-cooker version. I knew I wanted to use my skillet cornbread in this one, and I wanted the herby flavor we loved in Pepperidge Farm stuffing, so I added a bag of that, too. It took a little tweaking to get the broth amount right, but it’s a good one. Here’s how I make it.
Why you’ll love this Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing
- Frees up your oven. The dressing cooks in the slow cooker, so the oven stays open for the turkey and everything else.
- Real cornbread. My skillet cornbread goes in, and the herb-seasoned stuffing brings the herby flavor.
- Make it ahead. Assemble it the day before, then let it sit out for 30 minutes before it goes in the slow cooker.
- Broth that soaks in. The lid traps the steam, so the broth soaks into the cornbread the whole time it cooks.
- Plenty to go around. It serves 12, so it covers a big Thanksgiving table.
What Is Cornbread Dressing?
Mom always said dressing is baked outside the turkey, and stuffing is often baked inside it. I’m a Southerner, so it’s cornbread dressing at my table, though you’ll hear both names for the same dish. This crock pot version uses real cornbread crumbs and a bag of Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing. If you’d rather use your oven, my easy cornbread dressing is Mom’s oven recipe.
Crock Pot Dressing Ingredients
- Cornbread crumbs: Use my skillet cornbread, and let it cool down a bit before you crumble it. I like to make it a day in advance. If you’d rather make a cornbread mix, that works too.
- Herb-seasoned classic stuffing: This is where the herby flavor comes from. I use the Pepperidge Farm blue bag.
- Cream of celery and cream of chicken soups: They make the dressing creamy and moist, and they bring savory flavor.
- Chicken stock or broth: Either works. The amount took me a little tweaking to get right, so measure it.
- Sweet onion and celery: Dice both fine and mix them in with the dry ingredients.
- Large eggs: Beat them and whisk them into the wet ingredients.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Whisk them into the wet ingredients.
- Butter: Melt it and pour it evenly over the top at the end.
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How to Make Cornbread for Dressing
I use my skillet cornbread for this. Make it ahead and let it cool down a bit, then crumble it up. You’ll need 5 cups of crumbs.
Day-old cornbread works best. It’s a bit drier to start, so it holds up and soaks up the broth without turning mushy. I’ve made this with same-day cornbread too, and it works.
How to Make Crockpot Dressing
Step 1 | Prep the Slow Cooker
If your slow cooker doesn’t have a nonstick coating, butter it or spray it with cooking spray first.
Step 2 | Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a large bowl, mix the cornbread crumbs, the bag of herb-seasoned stuffing, the onion, and the celery.
Step 3 | Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk until smooth, then stir well.
Step 4 | Combine and Add the Butter
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir until combined. Spread it out evenly in the slow cooker. Pour the melted butter evenly over the top.
Step 5 | Cook
Put the lid on and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Now you’ve got a turkey to bake and who knows what else!
Variations and Substitutions
- Cornbread mix: A cornbread mix works too if you’d rather not make my skillet cornbread.
- Crisper top: Crack the lid for the last half hour for a firmer top. If your crock is oven-safe, you can also broil it for a few minutes, watching it closely.
Recipe Tips
- Use day-old cornbread. It holds up better and soaks up the broth without turning mushy. Same-day cornbread works too; it’s just a bit wetter to start.
- Make the cornbread ahead. It turns putting this together the morning of into a cinch.
- Measure the broth. It took me a little tweaking to get the amount right, so stick with what’s on the card to start. You can adjust to your taste,
- Spread it level. An even layer in the crock means it cooks evenly, edge to center.
- Keep the lid on. The lid is what traps the steam, so peek as little as you can.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
- Make Ahead: Assemble the dressing the day before and refrigerate. Take it out and let it sit for 30 minutes before it goes in the slow cooker.
- Storage: Let it cool completely. Cover with foil or plastic wrap, or place in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze it in a freezer-safe container. Wrap with freezer-safe wrap and then with foil. Freezes well for 1 month for best results
- Reheat: To reheat individual servings, place the amount you want on a microwave-safe dish. Heat in 30-second intervals until it’s heated to your liking.
What to Serve Crock Pot Dressing
Gotta create that perfect bite stacked with turkey, dressing, a dab of gravy and some cranberry sauce! My oven roasted turkey and homemade turkey gravy cover the rest of that bite.
Creamy slow cooker mashed potatoes keep the oven free too. Well, except for those delicious casseroles and dessert!
Frequently Asked Questions
Not in this recipe. The onion and celery are diced fine and go in raw, and they soften as the dressing cooks.
The slow cooker is all about moisture. The lid traps the steam, so the broth stays in the pot and soaks into the cornbread the whole time it cooks. An oven does the opposite. Dry heat gives you a crisp top, and you won’t get that in the slow cooker unless you crack the lid or broil it at the end. What you get in return is an empty oven on Thanksgiving. For the oven version, try Mom’s easy cornbread dressing.
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CrockPot Cornbread Dressing
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Ingredients
- 5 cups cornbread crumbs - (I use my skillet cornbread recipe)
- 12 ounce herb seasoned classic stuffing - Pepperidge Farm (blue bag)
- 10.5 ounce condensed cream of celery soup
- 10.5 ounce condensed cream of Chicken Soup
- 4 cups chicken stock - or broth
- ¼ cup finely diced sweet onion
- ¼ cup finely diced celery
- 4 large eggs - beaten
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup butter - melted
Instructions
- Butter or spray cooking spray in crock pot.
- (Dry Ingredients) In a large bowl, mix cornbread crumbs, bag of herbed stuffing mix, onion, and celery together.
- (Wet Ingredients) In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add in cream of chicken and cream of celery soups, chicken broth, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk together until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry cornbread mixture and stir until combined. Add the mixture into a crockpot. Spread out evenly. Pour melted butter evenly over the top.
- Place the lid on top and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Notes
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Nutrition
Soulfully Made is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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So good and so easy! I love changing up my traditional stuffing!