Crock Pot Cornbread Dressing
This Crock Pot Cornbread Dressing is a delicious side dish that is easy to prepare and made with simple ingredients. Perfect for your next holiday meal!
A SOUTHERN CORNBREAD SIDE DISH
This Crock Pot Cornbread Dressing is one of my favorites. In the south, we love our cornbread and will take any opportunity to use it in any way we can. It is delicious, filling and super easy to throw together. Making this side dish in your slow cooker saves space in your kitchen to make all those other goodies for your holiday meal. If you’ve never tried making cornbread dressing or you are just looking for a simple cornbread side dish, you have to try this crock pot cornbread dressing recipe!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Cornbread dressing is made with leftover crumbled cornbread that is mixed with a liquid (usually chicken broth or milk) as well as eggs and seasoning. There are lots of variations but those are the most basic ingredients. According to author Toni Tipton-Martin (an expert in African American cooking), it is thought that cornbread dressing originated with enslaved Africans and was a variation of a dish they called “kush” which was made from crumbled cornbread or cornmeal mush.
Technically stuffing is what is “stuffed” inside the turkey as it cooks. Stuffing is usually made with stale bread cubes. Dressing is not cooked inside the turkey. It is cooked on its own in a separate dish and is made with cornbread.
*You can make a homemade cornbread or use a boxed mix as long as it equates to 8 cups. I prefer a more savory cornbread for this recipe instead of a sweet cornbread.
*You can use my recipe for Sweet Cornbread if you’d like. Just double the recipe and bake in a 9″x 13″ baking dish. Leave out the honey and only use a total of 1/2 cup of sugar.
*Alternatively, you could use my recipe for savory Southern Cornbread. You would need to double that recipe and bake in a 9″x 13″ baking dish. It is not a sweet cornbread recipe. I would also just cut out the step in this recipe where you add bacon to the batter since it’s already in this cornbread recipe.
This should fit fine in a 6 quart crock pot. I think oval slow cookers work best. If you use a round and deep slow cooker, it will not cook evenly.
Yes, you can use any of your favorite cream of soups for this recipe. If you are not a fan of two different ones you can just use one. We like the flavor of the two we have, but feel free to use what you like best. If you don’t like using cream soups, you can make your own from scratch.
Yes. Spray a 9″x 13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350F degrees between 30-45 minutes. The timing depends on how full your oven is at the time. If you are cooking this with other Thanksgiving dishes, it will take a little longer to cook. If it starts getting too brown, just cover with aluminum foil. Or check out my other recipe for a traditional oven baked Southern Cornbread Dressing.
The top should be a light golden brown and most of the liquid should be absorbed. Cornbread dressing is not dry though, it does retain some moisture. I will usually stick a knife or a fork all the way down and then pull up. If I’m getting a lot of cornbread mush on my fork or knife then it’s not quite ready.
Cornbread dressing can be frozen. Place leftovers in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container where it will keep for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight. You can reheat in the oven or microwave. Also, if not freezing, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- prepared cornbread – you can prepare a 9×13-inch pan of cornbread or purchase it store-bought. I do measure out heaping cupfuls. So some cornbread will go over that cup measuring point – it’s fine.
- eggs – eggs act as a binder and help hold it all together.
- onion – if you aren’t a fan of onion, you can leave them out. Also, if you like really soft onions in your dressing, I would suggest sautéing them for a few minutes before adding them to the batter.
- poultry seasoning and pepper – the seasonings are pretty basic in this recipe. Some folks like to add some dried sage as well (about a teaspoon)
- cream of chicken soup – you can use lower sodium options if you prefer.
- cream of celery soup – in traditional cornbread dressing, there is usually celery added. I decided to use cream of celery instead of diced celery. If you don’t like celery, just use another can of cream of chicken soup.
- chicken broth – again, if you need lower sodium, you can purchase low or no sodium options where applicable.
- bacon – the bacon adds so much flavor! If you want, you can wait to add the other half of the bacon on top until right before serving.
- butter – use the real stuff here, not margarine. The butter will help it brown a bit.
HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT CORNBREAD DRESSING:
Spray the inside of a 6-quart oval slow cooker with non-stick spray. Cut the cornbread into cubes. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, seasonings, soups and broth. Next, stir in the diced onion. Gently stir in all the cornbread and half of the bacon.
Pour the mixture into the crock pot. Place the remaining bacon on top and dot with the sliced butter.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high 3-4 hours. Be careful when cooking on high because the edges can burn depending on the top of crock pot you have. Some newer models crock pot get super hot very quickly.
Serve and enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: October 2021
Pictures updated and republished: October 2023
Crock Pot Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 8 cups cubed cornbread (I just bake a 9×13-inch pan of cornbread)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup
- 10.5 ounce can cream of celery soup
- 2 (10.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) salted butter, sliced
Instructions
- Spray the inside of a 6-quart oval slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, seasonings, soups and broth.
- Then stir in the diced onion.
- Gently stir in the cubed cornbread and half of the bacon.
- Pour the mixture into the crock pot. Spread it out evenly.
- Place the remaining bacon on top and then evenly top with the sliced butter. Note: if you prefer, you can wait to add the rest of the bacon until after it is done cooking.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high 3-4 hours. Cornbread is done when the edges are golden brown and the mixture is not longer wet. Turn slow cooker to the "keep warm" setting until ready to serve.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- I bake a 9×13-inch cornbread to use for this then dice it up and measure the 8 cups from there.
- Be careful if doing this on the high setting. Some slow cookers run super hot so it may burn on the edges.
- If you like your onions very soft, I would recommend sautéing them for a few minutes before adding to the batter.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Use at least a 6 quart crock pot.
- You can use a homemade cornbread, store-bought or boxed mix.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” 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.
This was the first year that my cornbread dressing wasn’t dry! This has a lot of flavor that everyone absolutely loved!! Thank you! I also made your fried turkey recipe. Everything has been a hit and is now a new family tradition