Instant Pot Stuffing

You won't believe how easy it is to make your stuffing for Thanksgiving dinner using this Instant Pot Stuffing Recipe. This Mashed Potato Stuffing comes out incredibly moist and full of flavour using the pot-in-pot technique. Includes instructions for oven baking for those without an Instant Pot.

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 I don't know about you guys, but when it comes to holiday meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas I am allllll about the side dishes. 

And don't get me wrong, while I love a Hassleback Butternut Squash or Green Beans Gremolata as much as the next guy, I'm really showing up for one side dish: the stuffing. 

In my family there are two kinds of stuffings, one known as "West Coast Stuffing" and the other known as "East Coast Stuffing". We get the west coast stuff at all holiday meals, but to be honest it's a dry and boring basic bread stuffing and just kinda meh. 

At Christmas we get THE stuffing, East Coast Stuffing, or more properly known as Mashed Potato Stuffing, and you guys, this stuff is the BOMB. It is so unbelievably moist (gonna use the M word a lot today, sorrynotsorry)and full of flavour. It is the stuff that (my) stuffing dreams are made of. 

I honestly didn't think it could be improved upon until I decided to try making it in the Instant Pot. Ohhhhhhhhmg you guys. So. Freaking. Moist. 

If you've been trying to make the perfect vegetarian stuffing recipe, or just any stuffing that's cooked outside of a bird and have been trying to crack the code for making it perfectly moist and delicious, it's time to stop trying. I've cracked it for you: Instant Pot Stuffing.

What's in mashed potato stuffing?

It's like regular bread stuffing, but taken to the next level by adding buttery mashed potatoes into the mix. Trust me, you want this in your life. Here's what you need to make mashed potato stuffing:

• Torn bread --> Preferably to dry out overnight. 
• Mashed potatoes --> I used my Greek Yogurt Mashed Potatoes, but your favourite recipe will do just fine. 
• Butter --> Mmmmmmm, butter.
• Onion --> A medium yellow onion will do the trick.
• Celery --> I used three stalks of diced up celery.
• Sage --> Dried sage here, please.
• Thyme --> Same same.
• Sugar --> Just a tiny bit, but it really balances the flavours.
• Salt and pepper --> And lots of it!

Equipment:

You're going to need an Instant Pot in order to make Instant Pot Stuffing, my darlings. But if you don't have one, worry not - I've provided stovetop instructions as well. 

You will also need a trivet and an oven-proof pan that fits into your Instant Pot, as we'll be using the pot-in-pot technique. I used an 8-inch cake tin, which I wrapped with foil. 

Lastly, you'll need a heavy-bottomed frying pan to cook the onions and celery in. Note that you can also do this step in the Instant Pot using the sauté function if you would like. 

How do you make Instant Pot Stuffing? 

Let's walk through it step-by-step. 

Step 1: Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add the onion and celery, and sauté until the onion is translucent. 

Step 2: Place the torn bread and mashed potatoes into a large bowl. 

Step 3: Add the cooked celery and onions to the bowl, ensuring that you scrape all of the melted butter out of the frying pan and into the bowl. 

Step 4: Add the sage, thyme, sugar, salt, and pepper. 

Step 5: Mix the ingredients together, ensuring that everything is well mixed. 

Step 6: Taste, and adjust the seasonings if necessary. 

Step 7: Butter the bottoms and sides of an 8-inch cake tin, or another oven-proof container that will fit into your Instant Pot. 

Step 8: Transfer the mashed potato stuffing mixture into the prepared tin, and press down. 

Step 9: Place the trivet into the Instant Pot insert, and pour in 1.5 cups of water. 

Step 10: Tightly wrap the cake tin with foil, and place it into the Instant Pot, on top of the trivet. 

Step 11: Seal the lid, and ensure the valve is set to "SEALING". 

Step 12: Set the Instant Pot to Manual / High Pressure for 20 minutes. 

Step 13: When the pressure cooking cycle is complete, flip the valve to "VENTING" and quick-release the pressure. 

Step 14: Carefully remove the cake tin from the Instant Pot and remove the foil. 

Step 15: Check that the center of the stuffing is hot (I use my finger for this - you could certainly use a thermometer if you prefer).

Step 16: Transfer to a serving dish. 

Step 17: (OPTIONAL!) Place into the oven under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp the top.

That's it! You're ready to go to town on the BEST mashed potato stuffing there is. 

Pro tips / recipe notes:

• If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes on hand, boil up five medium-sized potatoes to get 3 cups of mashed potato.
• If you don't have stale bread and don't have time to leave it out overnight, you can tear the bread up and then place it in the oven at 300°F / 150°C for about 15 minutes to dry out. 
• It can be helpful to create a "sling" out of foil to help lift the cake tin out when the cooking cycle is complete. I typically do a precarious thing with two forks, but I think a sling is more responsible. 

Can I make this stuffing in advance?

You sure can. You can mix up the stuffing up to a day in advance and then cook it in the Instant Pot (or oven) when you're ready. You can also cook the stuffing in advance, and then simply re-heat when it's time to serve. 

Can I freeze leftover stuffing?

Yep! Just wrap it tightly with foil or throw it into a freezer bag, and toss it into the freezer. Frozen stuffing will keep for up to three months. 

Can this stuffing be made vegan?

You bet. Simply cook the onions and celery in olive oil or a vegan butter substitute, and make sure that your mashed potatoes recipe is vegan and you're good to go. 

Other recipes you might enjoy:

10 Healthy Vegetable Side Dishes
Spicy Roasted Hokkaido Pumpkin
Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
Miso Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts