We propose a stress-based approach to mitigating metal dendrite failure in solid state batteries. Using experiments and a fracture mechanics model, we show that metal dendrites growing through solid electrolyte can be deflected by an imposed stress. For Li metal dendrites growing in LLZTO electrolyte, a compressive in-plane stress is observed to deflect the dendrite growth trajectory away from the electric field lines towards the compressive loading axis. The experiment and model show that regardless of the initial orientation of a growing dendrite, a critical stress of ~150 MPa applied orthogonally to the electric field vector can deflect growing dendrites sufficiently to avoid short circuits. This insight is used to propose materials combinations and processing approaches wherein residual stresses resulting from thermal expansion mismatch could be used to produce desirable stresses in laminate solid state battery architectures.