Jammed with tender sweet potatoes and slow cooked to perfection, this sweet potato stuffing couldn’t be easier to prep for the holidays and it’s packed with flavor!

Time to let your slow cooker do some of the heavy lifting for Thanksgiving this year! Featuring all the sweet potatoes and a side of ease.
Stuffing is an essential side dish at Thanksgiving but everyone knows that oven space is limited on the biggest cooking day of the year. So we simplified it and made a slow cooker version!
It’s everything you love about a good stuffing from the moist texture to an incredible amount of aromatic flavors.

And the tender sweet potatoes? They break up the hearty “breadiness” a little bit and add an amazing soft and sweet element.
No buts about it, this stuffing needs to be on your menu.
This Sweet Potato Stuffing features…
- Tender sweet potatoes and a moist bread stuffing
- Sauteed vegetables and lots of flavorful seasonings
- Cooked to perfection in the slow cooker freeing up oven space

Making the Sweet Potato Stuffing
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Unsalted butter
- Yellow onion
- Celery
- Garlic
- Thyme
- Poultry seasoning
- Sage
- Sweet potato
- Dry bread cubes
- Eggs
- Chicken broth
- Parsley
Choosing Your Bread
This recipe works great with a variety of bread, but we recommend a milder bread such as white, whole wheat, or French bread.
Stuffing requires the use of dry bread cubes and you can make these by either letting your bread cubes sit out a few hours until stale or dry them out in a 350F oven 10-15 minutes.

Tips for Perfect Slow Cooker Stuffing
- Cut sweet potato and bread cubes in uniform size – try to get these ingredients in 1/4-inch cubes so the stuffing cooks evenly.
- Sauté vegetables – this builds a base of aromatic flavor for the stuffing.
- Moisten bread cubes – start with 1 cup of chicken broth and add more as needed until bread cubes are moistened.
- Start cooking stuffing on high – cook the stuffing on high 1 hour, then reduce to low and continue to cook 2-3 additional hours. This 1 hour cook on high helps toast up the exterior of the stuffing.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this stuffing.
- Try a different vegetable – try replacing the sweet potato with a squash such as butternut or delicata.
- Add sausage – add 1/2 lb browned sausage to the stuffing for a meaty kick.
- Make it vegetarian – replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth for a vegetarian-friendly stuffing.
Oven Instructions
Don’t have an instant pot? You can still make this recipe using our oven instructions below.
Follow all the recipe instructions through step 2 then spray a 9×13 baking dish with pan spray and spoon stuffing into pan. Bake stuffing at 350F 30-35 minutes until a light golden brown and stuffing registers 165F.

Once you try this slow cooker stuffing, I promise you there’s no going back! The amount of fragrant, homey flavors it builds during the slow cooking is unbelievable.
Ready to put that turkey to shame? This is it!
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.

More Thanksgiving side dishes to try next!
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Stuffing
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 cup finely-diced celery
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 8 cups dry bread, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 to 1-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and cook until onion is translucent. Add garlic, thyme, poultry seasoning, and sage to pan and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Fold sweet potato cubes, bread cubes, beaten eggs, and 1 cup chicken broth into vegetables until bread cubes are just moistened, adding extra chicken broth as needed to moisten stuffing. Season stuffing with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spray a 4-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray and spoon stuffing into slow cooker. Cook stuffing on high 1 hour, then reduce heat to low and continue cooking 2-3 hours until stuffing is set and registers 165F.
- Top stuffing with fresh parsley and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 11/2/23.


Joanne says
First note to self: get my mother in law to plant sweet potatoes in her garden next year.
Second note to self: MAKE THIS STUFFING. And don’t share.
Sarah says
Yeah, totally get your hands on some garden-fresh sweet ‘taters next year! The best thing EVER. And not sharing this stuffing would probably be a smart decision too. 😀
Heather @ Shards of Lavender says
Sarah, those fresh sweet potatoes from your mom’s garden look perfect! What a nice surprise for you; I’m sure she planned it that way:) I love how you make this stuffing in the slow cooker because my oven is always full on Thanksgiving day. Thanks for the recipe!
Sarah says
It WAS a pretty awesome surprise. Made my whole day in fact. 😀 And yes! Same goes with my oven on Thanksgiving so the slow-cooker it is for the stuffing this year! 😉
Jen @ Baked by an Introvert says
I would say your mom just won the mom of the year award. It was totally awesome of her to surprise you with all of those gorgeous sweet potatoes. And this stuffing is also a winner in my book. I love how it’s cooked in the slow cooker to keep the oven free for a massive turkey!
Sarah says
Definitely she did! I was pretty happy to say the least. 😀 Thanks Jen!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Sarah, this stuffing looks amazing! I’ve never even thought about making it in a slow cooker, let alone combining it with sweet potatoes. What a fantastic idea! Love the pretty color, too!
Sarah says
Thanks so much Gayle! Once you try slow-cooked stuffing, you may not be able to go back to oven-baked ever again! 😉
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
Ooh! This sounds like a fabulous combo and much healthier than the stuffing we usually eat 😉
Sarah says
Thanks Amber! I thought the addition of sweet potatoes would make this stuffing at least “semi-healthy.” 😉
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
The stuffing should always have the spotlight!! This stuffing looks absolutely delicious! I love sweet potato everything! Pinned!
And how fun that your mom planted sweet potatoes in the garden?! That is awesome!
Sarah says
I agree! I’ve noticed that stuffing is usually kinda underappreciated on Thanksgiving. No more of that nonsense! 😉 Thanks for the pin, Ceara.
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen says
The stuffing should always have the spotlight!! This sweet potato stuffing looks absolutely fabulous! I love sweet potato everything! Pinned 🙂
And how fun that your mom planted sweet potatoes in the garden!? 😀 Love!!
Cheryl says
This is so genius! I was literally just planning my Thanksgiving schedule and there’s just so many dishes….. my eyes are crossing. A slow cooker stuffing would be the absolute perfect solution!
Sarah says
Gahhh, right?! I’m in the midst of planning mine right now too! So many recipes, only one table to fit all the food! LOL. 😉
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
How lucky for you that your mom planted sweet potatoes! That’s like striking gold! I love sweet potatoes. I can’t wait to try this stuffing friend!
Sarah says
Oh yeah, those sweet potatoes were TOTALLY worth more than gold in my sweet potato-obsessed mind. 😀
Let me know how this stuffing turns out, Nat!
Mary Frances says
Sweet potato crazy lady – that sounds about right to me! I live for stuffing, it has always been my favorite at Thanksgiving. I love this recipe, especially the crock pot part! Girl, you are on a roll – pinning this one too!
Sarah says
My favorite on T-Day too! And crockpot-cooked FTW always!! Thanks as always, for pinning lady! 🙂
Caralyn @ glutenfreehappytummy says
mmm stuffing is definitely the star of thanksgiving! this looks great!
Sarah says
Thanks Caralyn!! 🙂
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
I love the idea of using the crockpot for stuffing! Anything that frees up the oven on the big day is a great idea! This looks relaly moist and full of flavor.
Sarah says
It’s literally so simple and less time-consuming, I’m kicking myself for not throwing my stuffing in the crockpot years ago! 😉
P.S–I love that we both did stuffing recipes with sweet potatoes! 😀
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
This looks really good Sarah! And, I love that it goes in the crockpot!
Sarah says
Thank Kristi!! All hail the crockpot I say. 🙂
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Love this stuffing! It’s so full of lovely flavours. Yum!
Sarah says
Thanks Katrina!! Happy Friday!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Haha I love that you are a stuffing sucker and sweet potato crazy lady because I totally am too!:) The stuffing and sides are always my favorite part of any holiday meal! This looks absolutely incredible!!! I love that you made it in the slow cooker, that is just brilliant and I seriously can’t wait to make this especially with all those yummy sweet potatoes! That is awesome that your mom planted them in her garden too – that is the BEST and would totally make my whole year if I had sweet potatoes in my garden 🙂
Sarah says
I’m totally there with ‘ya, Kelly! The sides are really what makes a holiday dinner. And yeah, I’m kinda in love with all my gorgeous little garden sweet potatoes–planning on planting even more next year! 🙂
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
As a kid potato stuffing was my ultimate favorite. My mom would often stuff chicken with it and it would be my favorite Sunday dinner. Thanks for the memories and to the yummy stuffing I’m going to enjoy again!
Sarah says
Stuffing a chicken with this stuffing sounds absolutely amazing, Pamela! Totally the makings of a perfect Sunday dinner. 😀