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Instant Pot Stuffing is buttery, savory, and just as moist as if it were stuffed inside a turkey. Not to mention it frees up your oven for other holiday dishes.
If you're juggling a full holiday menu and limited oven space, this method is a lifesaver. Instant Pot Stuffing turns out moist, flavorful, and every bit as nostalgic as classic bread stuffing.
Kristen's Keys for Instant Pot Stuffing
A few tips help to ensure your Instant Pot Stuffing turns out perfectly.
- Use white bread. Choose plain white bread--sandwich bread, Italian, or sourdough. Avoid seeds or multigrain bread that can distract from the texture or is overwhelming in flavor.
- Dry out your bread. This is non-negotiable. Dry bread soaks up the butter and broth instead of turning soggy. Let it sit out overnight, or dry it in a 300°F oven for about 10-15 minutes.
- Don't skip sautéing the onions and celery. This quick step builds the flavor base. The Instant Pot sauté function works perfectly here and saves you another dirty pan.
- Use a pot-in-pot dish. Stuffing doesn't have enough liquid to pressure cook directly on the bottom of the pot. A 7-inch heat-safe dish is perfect.
How to Make Instant Pot Stuffing
Whether you are an seasoned Instant Pot user or just learning how to use an Instant Pot, this section helps ensure perfect results.
Step One: Prepare Bread
Dice the bread into 1-inch cubes and let the bread dry out. The drier the bread, the better it absorbs the buttery broth mixture.
Step Two: Sauté the Aromatics
Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté. Melt the butter, then add diced onions and celery. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until softened. This step gives the stuffing depth and keeps the texture from feeling too soft once cooked.
Step Three: Mix Stuffing in the Inner Pot
Turn off the sauté function and add your dried bread cubes, salt, pepper, thyme, and 1½ cups of broth. Gently fold everything together. Add additional broth a little at a time until every cube is lightly moistened but still holding shape.
👉🏻Adjust the stock to your bread. Every loaf dries out differently. Plan on 1½-2 cups of broth, adding just enough so all the cubes are moistened but not swimming.
Step Four: Transfer Stuffing to Pan
Grease a 7-inch baking dish and spoon the stuffing mixture in. Cover tightly with foil to keep excess moisture out during cooking.
Step Five: Set up the Instant Pot
Add water to the inner pot and use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot (this will prevent a burn notice since we sautéed the onions and celery right in the inner pot). Add the trivet and place the pan with the stuffing inside the inner pot.
Step Six: Pressure Cook
Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. This gentle release keeps the stuffing soft and fluffy.
Step Seven: Brown if Desired
If you're a crispy edges person, pop the dish under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or use an air fryer lid until lightly browned.
Recipe Modifications & Notes
- Dairy-Free: Swap the butter for your favorite plant-based stick butter.
- Flavor Boosts: Add up to 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning for a classic boxed-stuffing vibe, or swap chicken broth for vegetable broth to keep things vegetarian.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat as desired or put to use in a creative Thanksgiving leftover recipes--Thanksgiving Egg Rolls, anyone?
More Instant Pot Thanksgiving Recipes
Browse my collection of Instant Pot Thanksgiving recipes to complete your holiday meal, or grab one or two of my favorites below.
Instant Pot Stuffing
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound bread
- 4 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing pound
- 1 cup minced onion, about 1 large onion
- 1 cup diced celery, about 2-3 stalks of celery
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, not ground thyme
- 1½-2¼ cups low-sodium chicken stock
Instructions
- Cube 1 pound bread into 1-inch cubes and spread it out evenly in a single layer onto a sheet pan. To dry out the bread, you have two options. You can cover the sheet pan, and with a clean kitchen towel and leave it out to dry overnight. Alternatively, you can toast the bread in a 350℉ (175℃) oven for 10-15 minutes to dry out
- When ready to prepare the stuffing, turn the Instant Pot to saute, add in 4 tablespoons butter, and let melt. Once the butter has melted, add in the 1 cup minced onion and 1 cup diced celery and saute the mixture until the onions begin to soften about 3-4 minutes. Once the onion is softened, add in the ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves and saute for just a minute or two longer to toast the spices. Then turn the saute function off.
- Add in 1 cup of stock into the inner pot and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add in the cubed, dried bread and give everything a good stir, adding ¼ cup more stock at a time as needed, until the bread is fully moistened, but not soggy.
- Grease a 7-inch cake pan or 7-inch bundt pan with butter. Transfer the stuffing mixture to the pan and cover tightly with foil.
- Pour 1.5 cups of cold water into the inner pot of the instant pot. Place the metal rack or trivet in the inner pot and then place the pan on the rack.
- Place the lid on the inner pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Set the cooking time for 20 minutes on high pressure if using a cake pan, or 15 minutes on high pressure if using a bundt pan.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, you can allow pressure to release on its own or carefully do a quick release of pressure. This is one recipe it won't make a difference if you do a quick release or natural release of pressure.
- Remove the pan of stuffing from the inner pot and remove the foil.
- To achieve a browned, golden exterior, pop the pan of stuffing under a preheated broiler for 3-5 minutes, until golden. Alternatively, use an air fryer lid to brown the stuffing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just made this tonight with my days-old half-loaf of home-made ciabatta. Made it to go with roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, peas and cranberry sauce. This stuffing was nothing short of amazing, but I have been using many of Kristen's recipes since becoming an Instant Pot Diva and she NEVER disappoints!
I followed the directions exactly, using a 1lb. Ioaf of French bread and letting it sit out overnight. This recipe is so simple and turned out absolutely delicious! This will be my ‘go to’ recipe on Thanksgiving from now on!
I love hearing this will be your go-to! Thank you for sharing and enjoy your leftovers--if you have any 🙂
When you say hi pressure what temperature would that be? Don't I have to preheat?
You may want to familiarize yourself with my tips on using an Instant Pot, as it sounds like you may be new to using an Instant Pot 🙂 High temperature is a preset and no need to preheat.
Can I use a 7/3 removable pan bottom pam? If not a 7/4 inch seems more practical holds 5.5 cups
YES! I would just line the bottom with foil.