Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Today I have the pleasure of sharing our favorite Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing recipe.

Although, a little different than the dressing that I grew up with, I quickly learned to love the taste and texture of cornbread dressing.

Being from Ohio, our Thanksgiving dressing was always made from traditional, store-bought white bread.

Nothing fancy, just a cheap loaf of bread that we bought at the grocery store.

In fact, if the expiration date of the bread was near, it was even better to turn into dressing.

But I had my first taste of cornbread dressing when I was in college when a roommate invited me over to their ‘early’ Thanksgiving dinner.

Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing

As we all gathered around the table and passed around the side dishes, I immediately knew that the dressing was different than the Thanksgiving Dressing my parents make.

First of all, the color of the dressing was a little more yellow than what I was used to.

However, the classic sage smell that came from the dish smelled very familiar.

So I took a scoop and put it on my plate. However, it took me awhile to take my first bite.

I had always been partial to the dressing made in my home. And I wasn’t sure how this would compare.

However, when I finally took a bite I was pleasantly surprised!

The taste was amazing!!! The cornbread gave the dressing a slightly different texture than I was used to but I loved it.

And the flavor of the cornbread was complimented perfectly by the other ingredients and spices.

So I knew then that I would have to make this slow cooker cornbread dressing recipe at our next Thanksgiving meal.

Lucky for me, it was just 5 short days away!

How To Make Slow Cooker Cornbread Dressing

So I asked my friend for the recipe and she gladly shared it with me.

First of all, the base of the recipe obviously starts with cornbread. However, instead of buying dried cornbread cubes, this recipe calls for fresh cornbread.

Next, cut or crumble the cornbread. If you like larger chunks, I would suggest cutting the cornbread into cubes.

Just remember, when the slow cooker dressing is cooking, the cornbread will shrink down in size.

Then add in the typical dressing ingredients of diced onions, diced celery, and add the seasonings.

You can adjust the seasonings as desired. However, I have found the combination of poultry seasoning and sage works the best.

Next, mix in the liquid ingredients of stock, melted butter and cream of celery soup.

The Surprise Ingredient……

Yes, I said cream of celery soup. This surprise ingredient provides a layer of creaminess that adds that something special to traditional slow cooker cornbread dressing.

I have made it without the soup. And although the dressing was still delicious, I prefer it when it is made with the cream of celery soup.

Now all you have to do is wait for it to cook! Although every slow cooker is different, it typically takes 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 hours for it to be ready.

For our 6 Quart Crock Pot Programmable Slow Cooker, it took just about 4 hours to cook.

Stir it a couple of times during the cooking process. However, wait until the last hour to add any additional seasonings.

Both sage and poultry seasoning tend to take a while to penetrate and provide flavor to the cornbread. Therefore, if you test the dressing at the beginning of the cooking process, you will have a tendency to add too much.

However, feel free to add any additional seasoning during the last hour of the cooking process.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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