Slow Cooker Cranberry Pecan Stuffing
The best and easiest stuffing ever made right in the crockpot, making Thanksgiving prep just that much easier!
Okay, so I have the most amazing stuffing for you guys today.
It has all kinds of fun goodies, from those crunchy pecans to those sweet cranberries. And best of all, you have KING’S HAWAIIAN sweet bread rolls as your base.
I told you. This stuffing is epic. You have all the flavors of savory-sweet goodness in every single bite.
Oh and it comes together in a slow cooker too! All you have to do is prep everything on the stovetop and throw it right in the crock-pot when you’re ready for it.
You save on oven space and you can keep it on the warm setting until you’re ready to serve.
Now who said Thanksgiving prep had to be stressful?
Slow Cooker Cranberry Pecan Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 12-count package KING’S HAWAIIAN Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls, cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leek, thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup raw pecan halves
- 2 cups chicken stock, or more, as needed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 4-5 minutes; set aside and let cool.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add leek, celery, carrots, sage and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Remove from heat. Stir in cranberries, pecan halves, chicken stock, butter and bread cubes until well combined.
- Place bread mixture into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by King’s Hawaiian. All opinions expressed are my own.
Amazing!! Made it today for a friendsgiving and I couldn’t stop eating it. I highly recommend.
First time I ever cooked and loved it. I have to make a double recipe next time!! All my family gobbled up and I don’t have enough left overs. This will be my family recipe years to come.
I love this recipe and so does my family! Our crockpot is housing another recipe this year. Any tips on baking it in the oven instead?
Thanks
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this ourselves, we cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let us know how it turns out! Good luck! 🙂
Hi there! Did this work for you? Looking to make this in an oven instead of a slow cooker this year.
This is fantastic! What recommendations would you provide for cooking an an Instant pot instead of slow cooker?
I have waited 37 years to find a stuffing to love and here it is! Easy and tasty, with compliments for days!
Awesome!
This is the only stuffing recipe I use for thanksgiving! I stumbled upon this recipe 4 years ago trying to find crockpot recipes. I was hosting thanksgiving for the first time with limited oven space….I’m talking about a 70’s retro small wall oven that barely fits a 20lb turkey!
This will be the 5th year hosting and my guests are asking for this stuffing! Perfect balance of sweet and savory. Highly recommend!
I make ahead everything the night before except for combining the breadcrumbs. All I have to do thanksgiving is combine the bread crumbs and turn on the crockpot. So easy!
The flavors in this are amazing, but I think next time I would reduce the sausage and BAKE it in the oven. It came out too soggy in the slow cooker. I did broil the top to get it crispy and that helped (but you have to watch it, otherwise it will burn quickly with all that soft bread!)
Super disappointed that this recipe did not turn out for me. It smelled delicious but looked like soup when I took the lid off. I have double and triple checked the ingredients and steps. I feel like it needs 24 rolls instead of just 12. I’m still a huge fan of damn delicious because it is very rare for for the recipes to not be spot on, but probably won’t be trying this one again.
If I’m taking to a dinner party , what is the best way to do this?? Cool night before and reheat in microwave or make earlier the same day ? Don’t want mushy or cold…
I recommend making this the day of to avoid any kind of mushiness. Hope that helps!
I’d prefer to use dried French bread stuffing from a local bakery. How many oz should I buy? Since it will be drier than the Hawaiian break do I need to make any adjustments to liquids? Thanks!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
And made this as is following the directions The Taste was great it was really mushy though I’m not sure what happened I’m going to try it again not in the Crock-Pot and see if that makes a difference and cut and let my Hawaiian rolls sit overnight to get them nice and stale and see if that helps.
Did you toast the cubed sweet rolls first
Yes, please refer to steps #1 and 2.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 4-5 minutes; set aside and let cool.
My family don’t usually eat stuffing but they enjoyed this recipe last Thanksgiving. My crock pot broke so I baked it in the oven. It was a big hit with all our guests as well. Thank you!
This came so mushy and watery. It was kind of disgusting! I think the grease of the sausage plus the butter were too much. By the way, I drained the excessive fat when I browned the sausage. I don’t know what happened. It was such a bummer because stuffing is my favorite side dish on Thanksgiving day. I guess I’ll stick to the stuffing bag recipe next year.
What about fresh herbs instead of dry? Or will it be too powerful?
Not at all! The ratio for fresh to dry herbs is typically 3:1.
Can I use Carmelized pecans? I have them in my pantry. Can’t wait to try this!
Yes! That sounds amazing.
I made this exactly as directed. The flavor was really quite good, but the consistency was extremely mushy – not my preference.
Pet peeve: comments on recipes that say, “This recipe is so amazing!! I can’t wait to try it.” or “This recipe is amazing!! I substituted every ingredient and completely changed it. It’s so good!”
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was so delicious. We missed it this year so I am making it for Christmas. I do think this is a great option to bring as a guest to someone’s house/party. I would recommend to anyone and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Would spicy breakfast sausage work for the italian sausage?
Yes, absolutely.
If I double the recipe do I cook it longer in the crock pot?
Yes, cooking time may have to be adjusted as needed.
I made this for my company Thanksgiving potluck this week—it was a huge hit! I used regular Trader Joe’s dinner rolls, turkey dry rub, and turkey stock to make it a bit different. The only issue: it got a bit too mushy for my taste. Not sure if that was my fault or just because I made it overnight and it soaked through the next day. Thanks for your delicious recipe!
2 questions: if I prep all the ingredients the night before, do I need to add extra time to the cooking process? Also, can I substitute fresh cranberries for dried? Thanks!
Michele, if the ingredients are prepped beforehand and stored in the refrigerator overnight, it may be best to let the mixture come to room temperature first. Also, I have never used fresh cranberries in stuffing so I cannot really answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.