Instant Pot Stuffing

Stuffing

The Thanksgiving and Christmas season has always been my favorite time of the year.

Not only it’s the warm & cozy comfort food + soup season, it’s also a wonderful time for us to reflect on our year, count our blessings as we celebrate with our loved ones! 😀

If you enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner, a whole Turkey (or Turkey Breast) + Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, and Turkey Stuffing are a must!

The best stuffing is crusty yet fluffy & loaded with onion + celery crunch bits for extra mouthfeel. It’s also packed with tasty & comforting turkey flavors + aromatic herbs & spices.

It’s important to use the right ratio of ingredients + cooking method to ensure the stuffing doesn’t turn out too hard & dried, or soggy & mushy gooey soft.

Why should we make Turkey Stuffing separately?

USDA recommends cooking stuffing separately because food safety is the main concern.

If we’re cooking the turkey to 165°F, the stuffing can be undercooked in the cavity. When it comes to poultry, undercooking is no joke with salmonella and other bacteria!

But, if we cook the stuffing in the cavity to 165°F, the turkey will be overcooked – resulting in sad sandpaper-like turkey breast.

How to Make Instant Pot Stuffing

First, let’s prepare ingredients for cooking stuffing in Instant Pot!

Unsalted Turkey Stock or Unsalted Chicken Stock: Different brands or even different boxes of the same brand of salted turkey stock can differ in levels of sodium, so we prefer to develop recipes using unsalted turkey stock for more control & consistency on the dish’s flavor profile. Best if you can make your own stock.

Tools for Cooking Stuffing in Instant Pot

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer & Pressure Cooker
• Non-Stick Springform Pan
• Mixing Bowl
• Wooden Spoon

First, cut one loaf of French bread into 1″ – 1.5″ cubes. 

Optional: Dry Bread Cubes

First, place the bread cubes into an airfryer basket or oven tray.

*Note: We are using Instant Pot Duo Crisp‘s “Air Fry” function.

Then, place the air fryer lid on the Instant Pot Duo Crisp.

• Air Frying Method: Press “Air Fry” button, set the temperature to 275°F and cooking time to 45 minutes.

Be sure to give the bread cubes a few shakes half way through.

*Note – Oven Method: You can also do this in the oven with the same temperature and cooking time.

Saute Onions & Make Egg Mixture

Press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” function to heat up Instant Pot. It will switch to “ON” on the screen.

If you’re using Instant Pot Duo Crisp – press “Saute” button to “Saute Hi” and press “Start”.

Wait until it says “HOT” on the screen (takes roughly 8 minutes).

Amy + Jacky’s Tip: Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be in order to induce a Maillard reaction.

Add 3 tbsp (45g) unsalted butter in Instant Pot’s inner pot, then ensure the whole bottom is coated with butter.

You can add the diced onions in Instant Pot, and saute for 3 minutes.

While the onions are sauteeing, beat 2 eggs in a large mixing bowl. Then, add 2 tbsp (7.5g) finely chopped parsley and 1 cup (250ml) unsalted turkey or chicken broth into the beaten eggs.

Saute Celery & Garlic

Add diced celery, ½ tsp (0.9g) ground sage, ½ tsp (0.5g) dried thyme, and ¼ tsp (0.4g) dried rosemary in Instant Pot, then saute for 1½ minute.

Then, add minced garlic in Instant Pot, and saute for another 30 seconds.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Note: There shouldn’t be much to deglaze.

Pour 1.5 – 2 cups (375ml – 500ml) unsalted turkey broth in Instant Pot.

Deglaze by scrubbing all the bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Then, add 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce in Instant Pot, and give it a quick mix.

You can turn off the heat, then taste and season with salt & black pepper. For reference, we used 2 large pinches of kosher salt.

Combine Everything

Slowly pour the seasoned celery onion mixture into the large mixing bowl of egg mixture, then give it a quick mix.

Gently fold in the dried bread cubes, and make sure the bread cubes absorb all the turkey stock mixture.

Then, place everything into a cake pan that fits in your Instant Pot.

Pressure Cook Stuffing

Clean and dry the Instant Pot’s inner pot.

Then, add 1 cup (250ml) cold water, and a trivet in Instant Pot.

Then, place the cake pan filled with stuffing on the trivet.

Close lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing position.

Instant Pot Stuffing Pressure Cooking Time: Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 12 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes of natural releasing, carefully turn the Venting Knob to Venting Position to release the pressure.

Once the Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

The Instant Pot Stuffing is done! You can garnish and serve the stuffing or continue with the optional browning step.

Optional – Golden Brown Stuffing

Place the air fryer lid on the Instant Pot Duo Crisp.

• Air Frying Method: Press “Air Fry” button, set the temperature to 400°F and cooking time to 8 minutes.

*Oven Method: Place the cake pan on the top rack of an oven, then use the broil function for a few minutes.

Serve Instant Pot Stuffing

Finally, garnish Instant Pot Stuffing with finely chopped parsley, then serve immediately.

Enjoy this deliciously comforting stuffing with the rest of your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast! :)

What to Serve with Stuffing

• Instant Pot Turkey Breast
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Potatoes
• Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes

Enjoy your Golden Instant Pot Stuffing!