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This slow cooker Cornbread Dressing is the moist, savory, buttery Southern side my family fights over every Thanksgiving, and the crockpot does all the work so your oven stays free for the turkey. I started making it this way years ago when I ran out of oven space, and now it is the most requested dish on our holiday table. Serve it next to our whole roasted turkey for the ultimate spread.
Just stir, dot with butter, and let the slow cooker do the rest.
Cornbread Dressing Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 6 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 646kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, buttery, herby, and comforting
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as hands-off as our slow cooker turkey breast
Quick Answer
To make slow cooker cornbread dressing, saute diced onion and celery in butter, then stir them into the crock with crumbled cooked cornbread, creamed corn, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, beaten eggs, and seasonings. Dot the top with butter, cover, and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 5 to 6, until the center is set and the edges are golden. It frees up your oven and serves about 12 as a holiday side.
Jump to:
- Cornbread Dressing Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Cornbread Dressing
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Cornbread Dressing FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Holiday Side and Dinner Recipes
- Cornbread Dressing
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The slow cooker frees your oven. On a busy holiday, letting the crock handle the dressing means your oven is free for the turkey and pies.
- Creamed corn and soup keep it moist. They add moisture and richness so the cornbread dressing turns out tender, never dry.
- Sauteing the aromatics first builds flavor. Cooking the onion and celery in butter before they go in deepens the savory, classic dressing taste.
- Eggs hold it together. Beaten eggs set as it cooks, giving the dressing that perfect sliceable, spoonable texture.
- Butter on top means golden edges. Dotting the surface with butter helps the top brown and crisp up just like an oven-baked dressing.
- It is a make-ahead lifesaver. Crumble the cornbread and prep the mix ahead, then let the slow cooker finish it while you handle the rest of the meal.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The slow cooker keeps your oven free on the busiest cooking day of the year.
- It turns out moist, buttery, and full of savory sage-and-onion flavor every time.
- It is the perfect holiday side next to turkey, ham, or our white chicken chili.
- It has earned a permanent spot in our rotation, right up there with our slow cooker wassail.
- It has earned a permanent spot in our rotation, right up there with our slow cooker barbacoa.
Key Ingredients
Here is what goes into this slow cooker cornbread dressing. Pantry staples come together into a classic holiday side.
- Cooked cornbread: Crumbled up, it is the savory, slightly sweet base of the whole dish.
- Creamed corn and cream of chicken soup: They add moisture and rich, creamy flavor so the dressing never dries out.
- Onion and celery: Sauteed in butter first for that classic, savory dressing flavor.
- Eggs and chicken broth: They bind everything together and keep it tender as it cooks.
- Sage, parsley, garlic salt, and pepper: The herby seasonings that make it taste like the holidays.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make this cornbread dressing your own with these easy swaps.
- Add sausage: Brown a pound of breakfast or Italian sausage and stir it in for a heartier dressing.
- Use cream of celery or mushroom: Swap the cream of chicken soup for a different creamy base.
- Make it your herb blend: Add poultry seasoning, thyme, or rosemary along with the sage.
- Add more veggies: Stir in sauteed mushrooms or diced bell pepper for extra texture.
- Bake it instead: Pour into a greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until set, like our mac and cheese with cornbread crust.
- Craving a different flavor next time? Our slow cooker cajun turkey breast delivers the same easy comfort with its own twist.
- Craving a different flavor next time? Our slow cooker coca-cola ribs delivers the same easy comfort with its own twist.
How to Make Cornbread Dressing
- Saute the diced onion and celery in a little butter until softened. Spray the slow cooker, then add the crumbled cornbread, creamed corn, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, beaten eggs, parsley, sage, garlic salt, and pepper, along with the cooked onion and celery.
- Stir everything together until evenly combined and the cornbread is moistened throughout.
- Dot the top with the remaining sliced butter so the surface browns as it cooks.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 5 to 6, until the center is set and no longer wet. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use day-old cornbread, slightly dry cornbread soaks up the liquid better and gives the dressing the best texture.
- Saute the aromatics first, do not skip this step, it is the key to deep, savory flavor.
- Do not overstir once everything is combined so the dressing stays light, not gummy.
- Check the center, it is done when the middle is set and no longer wet, usually 3 to 4 hours on high.
- Free up your oven, this is the perfect make-ahead side when the oven is full of turkey and our baked mac and cheese.
- Keep it warm on the slow cooker’s warm setting right up until you are ready to serve.
- Make it a spread. When you are feeding a crowd, round out the table with our maple glazed carrots.
- Make it a spread. When you are feeding a crowd, round out the table with our slow cooker corned beef and cabbage.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This cornbread dressing is the ultimate holiday side dish, right at home on the Thanksgiving or Christmas table next to our whole roasted turkey and a ladle of gravy. Pile it onto the plate alongside mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce for the full feast.
And readers who make this one tell us they also love our slow cooker brats and sauerkraut with apples, so consider that your next kitchen win.
If you are building a whole menu around it, our st. louis ribs in slow cooker recipe is a natural companion on the table.
It is not just for holidays, though. Serve it as a comforting side any time of year next to roast chicken, baked ham, pork chops, or a big bowl of soup. Leftovers reheat beautifully for easy weeknight dinners.
For a cozy meal, pair it with our slow cooker turkey breast with gravy or a steaming bowl of gumbo. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days and warm them through before serving.
Cornbread Dressing FAQs
Day-old, slightly dry cornbread works best because it soaks up the broth and creamed corn without turning to mush. You can use homemade or a boxed mix, and either sweet or savory cornbread works depending on your preference. Crumble it into coarse pieces so the finished dressing has a nice, hearty texture.
Yes, and it is a holiday lifesaver. Bake and crumble the cornbread up to 2 days ahead and store it covered. You can also saute the onion and celery and mix everything (except adding it to a hot crock) the night before, then refrigerate and start the slow cooker the next day. Cooked dressing also reheats well, so you can make it fully ahead and warm it through before serving.
Dry dressing usually needs a bit more broth or creamed corn for moisture, while gummy dressing is often from overmixing or too much liquid. Stir just until combined, use day-old cornbread, and check the center for doneness rather than overcooking. The slow cooker keeps it moist, so avoid lifting the lid too often, which lets out heat and steam.
Absolutely. Pour the mixture into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish, dot with butter, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 55 minutes, until the center is set and the top is golden. The slow cooker version is handy when your oven is full, but the oven gives you extra crispy edges.
They are essentially the same dish made with bread, broth, and seasonings, the main difference is how they are cooked. Dressing is baked separately in a dish or, in this case, a slow cooker, while stuffing is cooked inside the bird. In the South, cornbread dressing made on the side is the classic holiday choice.
Store leftover cornbread dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm a larger amount, covered, in a 350 degree oven until heated through. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months, then thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Building your holiday menu? Add our juicy whole roasted turkey next for the centerpiece of the feast.
steakhouse creamed spinach
crockpot turkey breast
Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter thinly sliced, divided
- 1 large sweet onion finely diced
- 1 cup celery finely diced
- 8 cups cooked cornbread crumbled
- 14 ounce can creamed corn
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground sage
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Spray a 5 quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the onion and celery, cooking, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8-10 minutes.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 large sweet onion, 1 cup celery
- Add the cornbread, creamed corn, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, eggs, parsley, sage, salt and pepper.8 cups cooked cornbread, 14 ounce can creamed corn, 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup, 2 cups chicken broth, 4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 ½ teaspoons ground sage, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Add the cooked onion and celery.
- Stir ingredients in the slow cooker to combine.
- Place the additional butter on top of the dressing mixture.
- Cover the slow cooker with the lid. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours, until the cornbread dressing is cooked through and the center is no longer wet.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Sauté the Veggies: For added depth of flavor, sauté the celery and onion in a tablespoon of butter over medium heat before adding them to the slow cooker. This helps to soften them and brings out their natural sweetness.
- Use Homemade Stock: If you have homemade chicken stock or turkey broth, use it! It’s a great way to add richer flavor to the dressing.
- Check Consistency: If the dressing seems too dry during cooking, add a bit more broth. If it’s too wet, cook it uncovered for the last 30 minutes.
- Keep It Warm: Once cooked, keep the slow cooker on the warm setting until you’re ready to serve. This ensures your dressing stays at the perfect temperature throughout your meal.
- Test for Doneness: The center should be set and no longer wet when it’s done. The edges may be golden brown, and the dressing should have a fluffy texture.
- Make Ahead: You can prepare the cornbread mixture the night before. Combine all ingredients except the butter and store it in the refrigerator. In the morning, add the mixture to the slow cooker, top with butter pats, and start cooking.
Nutrition
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