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This delicious and easy to make Vegetarian Crock Pot Stuffing Recipe is the perfect Thanksgiving side dish! You can even mix it all up the night before and take it out to cook on Thanksgiving Day.
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Easy to make stuffing
Stuffing really is my favorite part of the thanksgiving meal. I’ve always loved it! And, it’s easy to make vegetarian stuffing that everyone will love. Even the meat eaters!
This stuffing was a life saver while my kitchen was under construction in 2023 and we had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner in the house.
Space saving
I also love the fact that this stuffing is made entirely in the crock pot or slow cooker. It doesn’t take up any room in the oven (where space is at a premium). No tending on the stove necessary. It would also be the perfect pot luck item to take to the family holiday dinner because it’s so easy!
No dry stuffing
If I’ve learned anything in my years on this earth, it’s that different people like different things. They have different tastes.
Especially when it comes to Thanksgiving. I mean, they did an episode of Friends on it. Some people like their mashed potatoes with lumps. Some like them smooth, or with peas in them.
If you like your stuffing really moist, you may want to add ½ cup more broth to the crock pot. Want to make your own broth? Here’s my favorite homemade broth recipe. Or, if you were my mom, you might add another stick of butter.
This recipe makes a delicious stuffing as it is, but feel free to mix it up a little to your preference.
Also, the cooking time really can range from as short as 4 hours to pretty much as long as you need. I’ve cooked it for about 10 hours before and it was great. Just give it a stir, as some of the bottom parts will be a little browned and crispy (which is super tasty in my opinion!).
Do you like your onions caramelized?
My husband would like the onions to be cooked a little more. Of course, I like the ease of just tossing them in and not having to sauté and caramelize them on the stove before hand.
I think a nice compromise will be to cook them a bit in the microwave.
Place the chopped onion in a large microwavable bowl with a small amount of water, about ½ cup. Cover the bowl with a plate set upside down over the bowl, and microwave about 6 minutes, or until the onion is softened.
And, the longer the stuffing cooks in the crock pot, the softer the onions become.
Chopping the mushrooms
My husband and I have an agreement. See, he likes the flavor of mushrooms, just not the texture. And, I’ve met several others who agree that the texture of the mushroom is their problem with them as well.
So, I chop the mushrooms really finely so the texture isn’t a problem. I also like it because then the mushrooms are well distributed in the stuffing.
This can be done with a knife and a cutting board.
Or it can be done in the food processor. If you want to chop the in the food processor, cut them in quarters before adding them to the bowl of the food processor, that way they won’t simply bounce the bowl around when you pulse them.
Stuffing Mix
I’ve been using Amazon Fresh to get my groceries lately.
Side note: if you haven’t tried Amazon Fresh I highly recommend it. Everything comes neatly packaged, with the frozen stuff in one bag, the fridge stuff in another. Fragile items are in a different bag. I have even ordered eggs, which arrived with no breakage!
Since I’ve been using Amazon Fresh I bought my stuffing mix from them. So, I used their (affiliate link) 365 Everyday Value brand which is vegan and multigrain. Of course, any basic stuffing mix will work just fine for this recipe.
You want about a total 24 ounces of stuffing mix for the recipe. A little more, or a little less if the brand you buy is different, will be just fine.
Want more vegetarian holiday recipes?
Take a look at my vegetarian guide
Or, my listing of all Thanksgiving recipe ideas is here.
Kitchen tools you may need for this recipe
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Recipe
Vegetarian Crock Pot Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2 large onions chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms finely chopped
- 8 ounces canned sliced water chestnuts chopped
- 24 ounces Dry Stuffing Mix
- 2 teaspoons dried ground sage
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine onions, mushrooms, water chestnuts, stuffing mix, herbs, and spices (sage through pepper), and stir to combine. Pour the melted butter and vegetable broth over the top, and mix thoroughly.
- Grease the bowl of a large 6 or 7-quart crock-pot with non-stick cooking spray, and spoon the stuffing into the bowl.
- Cover, and cook on low for 4 to 10 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Sara
Yum! I love a good stuffing and I love traditional with mushrooms. The water chestnuts were a nice surprise!
Lindsay Cotter
So easy to make in the crock pot! Saves oven space for Thanksgiving!
Toni | Boulder Locavore
This is perfect for my vegetarian friends!
Lisa
This stuffing is awesome! Stuffing is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner!
Kylee from Kylee Cooks
I think stuffing might be my favorite item at a holiday table. I love the idea of using a crockpot to make it – to free up space on my stove and oven!
Jillene Stevenson
Am I not seeing whether or not to cook this on low or high for the 4 hours. What about adding celery, or does that not work in the crockpot.
Debi
Jillene, thanks so much for letting me know I didn’t finish off the recipe! D’oh! I updated it now. Yes, you can totally add celery. My family doesn’t care for celery, so I always leave it out, and usually replace it with water chestnuts for crunch. Celery will work very well in the crock pot. Thanks and for letting me know about the recipe and sorry for any inconvenience.