Crock Pot Thanksgiving Dressing

If I could only put one Thanksgiving side dish on my plate, it would be this crock pot dressing. It’s the same recipe my parents made for decades, with torn bread, butter, celery, onion, and plenty of sage. I still use the big stainless steel bowl they used to mix it, and the kitchen smells just like it did when I was growing up.

This is the kind of dressing that’s moist enough to hold together on your fork, with pieces of bread you can still see and taste. The butter and seasonings give it plenty of flavor on its own, though I’ve never turned down a spoonful of turkey gravy over the top.

I also like that it cooks on the counter while the turkey is in the oven. The only thing I do the night before is tear the bread and let it sit out. Then on Thanksgiving morning, I cook the celery and onion in butter, toss everything together, and let the crock pot take it from there.

The Thanksgiving Bowl

As a teenager, my Thanksgiving job was to sit at the table and cut grapes for the Waldorf salad. This was back before we had seedless grapes, so every grape had to be cut in half and checked for seeds. It took a while, but from where I sat, I had a good view of my parents making the dressing. And yes, we still make that same Waldorf salad for Thanksgiving.

But what I remember most is the smell of sage every time they lifted the lid to check the dressing in the crock pot. Dad always took a bite, sometimes two, to make sure the seasoning was just right. I had to wait until we sat down to dinner, which felt like a long time when I’d been smelling it all afternoon.

When my parents downsized, I had the honor of being gifted the large stainless steel bowl they brought out every November to make the dressing. It’s big enough to toss all the bread without sending pieces over the sides, which is reason enough to keep it.

What You’ll Need To Make Crock Pot Dressing

Soft Bread

Start with 12 cups of torn bread, or about 18 slices. I tear the slices by hand into small, roughly bite-size pieces. Since the number of slices can vary with the size of the loaf, I go by the cup measurement. Put the bread in a large bowl and let it air-dry overnight, tossing it a few times so the pieces at the bottom get some air, too.

Butter, Celery, and Onion

Use unsalted butter, diced celery, and one large diced onion. Four to five large celery stalks will give you about 1½ cups. I dice the celery and onion fairly small so they soften in the skillet and spread evenly through the bread.

Sage, Thyme, Salt, and Pepper

Ground sage is the seasoning I notice first in this recipe. A little dried thyme rounds it out. Both go into the skillet with the salt and pepper once the celery and onion are tender. A few minutes in the warm butter is all they need before you toss the mixture with the bread.

Chicken, Turkey, or Vegetable Stock

The amount of stock depends on how moist you like your dressing and how dry the bread is by morning. Chicken, turkey, or vegetable stock all work. Start with a little, toss, and see how the bread feels before adding more. If you like your dressing on the drier side, you may need very little stock or none at all.

How to Make Crock Pot Dressing

Cook the Celery and Onion

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced celery and onion and cook until tender. Stir in the salt, pepper, sage, and thyme and cook for 3 more minutes. Turn off the heat once the seasonings have had a chance to warm in the butter.

Toss the Bread a Little at a Time

Pour about a third of the butter mixture over the bread and toss gently. Repeat twice with the remaining mixture. Adding it in batches gives you time to turn the bread over and spread the celery, onion, and herbs throughout the bowl.

If you want a moister dressing, drizzle in a few tablespoons of stock while fluffing the bread with a fork. The bread should feel lightly moistened. A covered crock pot traps steam, and some of that moisture drips back onto the dressing as it cooks. You can stop adding stock while the bread still feels a little drier than you want the finished dressing to be.

Cover and Cook on Low

Transfer the dressing to a 5- to 6-quart crock pot, cover, and cook on low until heated through. It takes about 6 hours in my 6-quart crock pot. Crock pots vary, so use that time as a guide and check the center before serving.

If you’re planning an early Thanksgiving dinner, it helps to work backward from when you want to eat. With the bread already torn the night before, the morning prep is mostly a matter of chopping the vegetables, cooking them in butter, and tossing everything together.

How to Bake the Dressing in the Oven

Prepare the dressing the same way and transfer it to a 13 × 9-inch baking dish. Bake at 325°F for about 45 minutes, covering the dish with foil for the first 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes. If the dressing looks dry, add a splash of stock or a little turkey drippings.

I like the oven method when I have room for the baking dish and want a slightly firmer top. When the oven is full, I’m always glad to have the crock pot going on the counter.

What to Serve With Thanksgiving Dressing

I like to put the dressing right next to the mashed potatoes so a spoonful of gravy can reach both. If you’re making gravy from the turkey drippings, you can use a little in the dressing if it needs moisture and save the rest for our homemade turkey gravy.

The crock pot dressing is the first side dish I reach for when we pass the bowls around. And every time I bring it to the table, I think of Dad lifting the lid for one more taste. These days, I understand why he did it.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 16 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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