Forget juggling casseroles and pies while your oven wheezes like it's running a marathon. This crock pot cornbread dressing is old-school Southern flavor without the oven drama. Moist, buttery, and full of sage, onion, and celery, it's the easy crockpot dressing recipe that frees your oven for more important things-like pies and turkey naps. Around here, this is the only way dressing hits the table.
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Why crock pot cornbread dressing beats an overcrowded oven
- 🧾 Here are the ingredients you'll need for this cornbread dressing recipe
- 📖 Recipe
- 🔪 How to make this easy crockpot dressing
- Oven instructions
- 📖 Variations worth trying
- 👩🍳 Your burning questions about crockpot cornbread dressing
- 📚 Other Southern sides that earn a spot on the table
- 🍽️ What to serve with crockpot cornbread dressing
- 💬 Comments
🗝️ Why crock pot cornbread dressing beats an overcrowded oven
Turns out the fluffiest dressing doesn't come from the oven at all-it comes from the slow cooker.
- Crock pot cornbread dressing comes out fluffy and moist every time.
- Saves oven space-your pecan pies will thank you.
- Works as a small-family main dish if you tuck chicken or turkey breasts underneath.
- Foolproof Southern holiday tradition-no stirring, no stress.
🧾 Here are the ingredients you'll need for this cornbread dressing recipe
Nothing wild, nothing frou-frou-just good Southern pantry staples that know how to show up for Thanksgiving. Cornbread (the star), a little boxed stuffing mix for backup singers, plenty of onion, celery, sage, and enough butter to scandalize your doctor. Toss in a couple of cans of creamy stuff, and boom: holiday magic with zero oven politics.
- Herb stuffing mix - the boxed shortcut that grandma would side-eye, but still eat three helpings of.
- Cornbread - the star of the show; sweet tea's favorite sidekick finally got top billing.
- Onions - because flavor without onions is just sadness.
- Celery - the crunch nobody admits they like, but they'd notice if it were gone.
- Sage - Thanksgiving's signature perfume. You will smell like it all day.
- Cream of chicken - the canned glue that Southerners have trusted since forever.
- Creamed corn - the moist-maker; don't skip it unless you like dry regrets.
- Chicken stock - liquid gold. Cooks everything into submission.
- Eggs - the quiet binding force holding this family together.
- Salt - yes, you need it. Don't let the internet wellness police scare you.
- Butter - the real reason everyone comes back for seconds.
Grab the free kitchen cheat sheet for this crockpot cornbread dressing-loaded with extra tips, storage hacks, and FAQs I couldn't cram into the recipe card. It's like having me in your kitchen, minus the wink when you double the butter.
📖 Recipe
Crockpot Cornbread Dressing (Southern Recipe)
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 4 ½ cups cornbread, crumbled
- 14 ounces herb stuffing mix
- 10 ¾ ounces cream of chicken soup, undiluted
- 14 ounces creamed corn
- 28 ounces chicken stock, you might not use all of it
- 2 cups onion, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 poblano pepper, fire roasted and diced - optional but yummy
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅓ cup butter, cut up in small cubes
Instructions
- Stir together everything but the butter in a 6 quart slow cooker that you've greased.
- Dot with the butter.
- Cook, covered, on LOW for 4 hours or until cooked through and set.
- Fluff with fork if needed.
Oven Instructions
- Spay a baking dish with no-stick cooking spray.
- Mix cornbread cubes in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients.
- Put the dressing mixture in a prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
- Bake at 375 F for 50 minutes, or until cooked through.
Notes
- Make it ahead by combining the dry ingredients the day before in the crock. Cover and refrigerate overnight then finish the recipe the next day.
- 1 9x9-inch square of cornbread will make about 4 ½ cups of crumbled. If you have a little more or a little less it's fine.
- Use cornbread that's a day or two old for best results.
- This recipe was made in a 6 quart crockpot.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪 How to make this easy crockpot dressing
This is not rocket science, it's Thanksgiving. Stir, dump, dot with butter, and let the crockpot do the heavy lifting while you act like you slaved all day. Four hours later? Fluffy, moist cornbread dressing that tastes like grandma whispered the directions in your ear.
- Stir it up - Toss everything but the wet ingredients and butter into a greased 6-quart slow cooker. Give it a stir like you're putting together a potion.
- Blend the wet stuff - Corn, stock, and eggs go in the blender together. Smooth, no lumps-think "Thanksgiving glue."
- Bring it together - Pour that wet mix into the slow cooker and stir until it all looks like everything is covered.
- Butter & wait - Dot the top with butter cubes, cover, and let the crockpot do the work on LOW for 4 hours. You'll end up with dressing that's fluffy, set, and smells like the holidays showed up early.
Oven instructions
You can also bake this in a covered casserole dish if you prefer.
- Spay a baking dish with no-stick cooking spray.
- Mix cornbread cubes in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients.
- Put the dressing mixture in a prepared baking dish.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake at 375 F for 50 minutes, or until cooked through.
📖 Variations worth trying
- Short on time? Use store-bought cornbread.
- Want heat? Toss in poblano, jalapeño, or chipotle.
- Feeding vegetarians? Swap in cream of celery + veggie broth.
👩🍳 Your burning questions about crockpot cornbread dressing
People always have opinions about dressing-and questions too. Here are the ones I get most often about crockpot cornbread dressing. You'll find more in the free, printable cheat sheet above.
Yep. You can assemble it about a day ahead but keep the wet mixture seperate. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to cook just mix the wet with the cornbread and cook as instructed. Since you're starting from cold I'd give the slow cooker an extra hour or two.
This classic dish freezes relatively well. It's so easy I wouldn't make it ahead and freeze it but if you have leftovers you could freeze and then serve it with chicken and gravy later on. The texture changes just a touch.
Not much. Technically stuffing is cooked inside the bird and dressing is cooked seperately and served alongside. However, these days they are interchangeable terms.
📚 Other Southern sides that earn a spot on the table
Once you get the Southern cornbread dressing handled you're still going to need a few things to even out the table.
Here are a few of my favorites Thanksgiving side dishes -
If you're looking for more slow cooker recipes be sure to check out this great collection!
🍽️ What to serve with crockpot cornbread dressing
Besides a big Thanksgiving dinner this easy
I grew up on sage dressing, and I still love it, but now I make this crock pot dressing recipe AND my mom's delicious sage stuffing. It's a Thanksgiving Day tradition... like football.
And naps.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Amber says
How many people does this feed? I don’t see the servings, but I may have overlooked them.
Marye says
12 -very generously. It fills a 6 quart crock pot. The servings are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page. 🙂
Amelia Bautista says
Can this be made in the oven? If so how long? And what temp?
Marye says
yes, bake it, covered, for about 45 minutes at 375F