Yes, you can make cornbread dressing in the Instant Pot. This version combines savory cornbread, cooked turkey, herb stuffing mix, and sautéed vegetables in a covered 7-inch pan. It cooks on a trivet, then goes under the broiler for a browned top.
Plan for 30 minutes at High Pressure plus about 5 minutes under the broiler. That is the cooking time, not the whole trip from ingredients to table: prep, pressure buildup, releasing the pressure, and transferring the pan take additional time. Start with cooked cornbread, cooked turkey, and prepared stock.
Stuffing or Dressing?
Growing up, my mom’s macaroni and cheese was my favorite food in the whole world. But as I became an adult, it shifted to her cornbread dressing. It took me about six attempts to nail down a recipe, since she never measures anything. Once I got it, I converted it into this Instant Pot version.
Calling it stuffing still sounds a little strange to me because we call it dressing in the South. The names overlap, but the cooking method is clear here: this dressing cooks outside the turkey, in its own pan. For my thin, oven-baked version, use Southern Cornbread Dressing.
What Goes in the Dressing
- Savory cornbread: 2 cups cooked and crumbled. Choose unsweetened cornbread, or a low-sugar mix if using a boxed one. My cast iron cornbread is my mom’s savory skillet method.
- Cooked turkey: 1½ cups, chopped into small, bean-sized pieces. I prefer thigh meat. Measure the cooked meat rather than relying on a particular number of thighs.
- Herb stuffing mix: 2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned. This mix contains wheat, so this dressing is not gluten-free even if the cornbread is.
- Onion, celery, and green bell pepper: ½ cup of each, diced and sautéed before mixing.
- Stock and seasoning: 3 cups turkey stock, ground sage, and poultry seasoning. Chicken stock works too, and store-bought stock is fine.
- Peas: ½ cup canned sweet peas, drained. Leave them out if you prefer; the recipe still works.
Homemade stock is optional. I like making it while cooking the turkey for the dressing, and I’ve kept that method below. Allow extra time if you make it; that step is not included in the dressing’s 30-minute pressure cycle.
Two Separate Places for Liquid
All 3 cups of stock go into the dressing mixture. After that mixture goes into its pan, pour 1 additional cup of water into the pressure cooker beneath the trivet. That cup generates steam; it is not part of the dressing’s measured stock. You can use stock below the trivet, but water works and does not materially change the dressing.
Use a 6-quart Instant Pot, a 7-inch pan, a 3-inch trivet, and foil. The covered pan sits above the water. Use a pan that can also go under the broiler for the finishing step.
How to Make Instant Pot Cornbread Dressing
1. Soften the Vegetables
Select Sauté and add 2 tablespoons oil or butter; bacon fat is my preference. Add the diced onion, celery, bell pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the onion is translucent. We don’t want crunchy celery in the finished dressing.
2. Mix the Dressing
Turn off Sauté. Add the drained peas if using, 1½ cups chopped cooked turkey, 2 cups crumbled cornbread, 2 cups herb stuffing mix, ½ teaspoon ground sage, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, and all 3 cups stock. Mix well so the bread and seasonings are evenly moistened.
3. Fill and Cover the Pan
Coat a 7-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the dressing to the pan, spread it evenly, and pack it down firmly. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Pressure Cook on the Trivet
Without rinsing the pot, add 1 cup water and the 3-inch trivet. Set the covered pan on the trivet. Lock the lid and cook at High Pressure for 30 minutes. When the cycle ends, quick release the pressure. Wait until the cooker is fully depressurized before opening.
5. Broil for a Browned Top
Carefully lift out the hot pan and remove the foil. Broil on High for about 5 minutes, watching the top as it browns. Pressure cooking sets the dressing; this final step gives it color and a crisp top.
Check the center with a thermometer before serving. This dressing contains cooked turkey and should reach 165°F, the safe temperature for a poultry casserole.
Optional Homemade Turkey Stock
For the stock shown in the original process photos, put 4 turkey thighs in the pot with 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 8 cups water. Cook at High Pressure for 30 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally until the cooker is fully depressurized. Check that the thickest part of each turkey thigh reaches 165°F, keeping the thermometer tip away from the bone.
Remove the turkey and strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer. Use 1½ cups measured cooked meat and 3 cups stock for this dressing; this stock method makes extra of both. The additional water beneath the trivet stays separate.
Serving It for the Holidays
We love this with gravy and cranberry sauce. If you’re coordinating several sides and a turkey, use the Thanksgiving Game Plan to think through your cooker and oven space. This recipe needs both the pressure cooker and a short turn under the broiler.
Looking for a main dish to go with it? My Instant Pot turkey breast is the smaller-bird option; cook it separately and plan the shared cooker time before you start.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Stuffing AKA Cornbread Dressing
Equipment
- 1 6-quart electric pressure cooker
- 1 7-inch broiler-safe pan
- 1 3-inch trivet
- 1 Aluminum foil
- 1 Oven mitts
- 1 Instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. oil or butter preferably bacon fat
- ½ cup yellow onions diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper diced
- ½ cup canned sweet peas drained
- 1 ½ cups cooked turkey preferably thigh meat, chopped
- 2 cups cooked cornbread not sweet, crumbled
- 2 cups stuffing mix Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned
- ½ tsp. ground sage
- 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
- 3 cups turkey stock for the dressing; chicken stock also works
- 1 cup water for the cooker beneath the trivet; separate from the dressing stock
Instructions
- Select Sauté and add 2 tablespoons oil or butter to the pot. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the onion is translucent.
- Measure 1½ cups cooked turkey, preferably thigh meat, and chop into small, bean-sized pieces. Use the measured amount rather than a set number of thighs.
- Turn off Sauté. Add the peas, cooked turkey, cornbread, stuffing mix, ground sage, poultry seasoning, and all 3 cups stock. Mix well. Keep the separate cup of water out of the dressing mixture.
- Coat a 7-inch broiler-safe pan with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the dressing to the pan, spread evenly, and pack down firmly. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Without rinsing the cooker pot, add 1 cup water and the 3-inch trivet. Place the covered pan on the trivet, lock the lid, and cook at High Pressure for 30 minutes. Quick release the pressure, then wait until the cooker is fully depressurized before opening.
- Carefully lift out the hot pan with oven mitts and remove the foil. Broil on High for about 5 minutes, watching closely, until the top is browned and crisp.
- Check that the center reaches 165°F before serving; this dressing contains cooked turkey.
Notes
Nutrition
Made this recipe? Leave a star rating and tell me how it turned out.
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Melissa F.
I make this every year now for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Reminds me of my grandma’s old recipe. Love it!
Sherrill
This was wonderful! I did omit the peas and added green onions instead. My small town store doesn't stock pepperidge farms so I used the only other alternative, chicken stove top stuffing. I also couldn't find any turkey so I used 1 cornish game hen and about eight chicken legs. Sooooo goooooood!
Stephen
Omit turkey, add oysters.😀