No Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a big pan of homemade stuffing, and this one beats any box mix. Stale bread, butter, onion, celery, and fresh herbs bake into a soft, savory middle with a crispy golden top. It’s simple, it’s from scratch, and it’s the one I make every year.
More Classic Thanksgiving Sides:
The Keys to Nailing This Recipe
Homemade stuffing is pretty forgiving, but a few simple tips make a big difference between fluffy and mushy:
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Use dry, stale bread – Fresh bread soaks up the stock and turns to mush. Dry cubes hold their shape, so you get a soft middle and crispy edges on top.
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Add the liquid gradually – Stop when the bread is moist but not swimming. Too much and it bakes up soggy. Too little and it’s dry and crumbly.
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Cool before adding the eggs – If the veggie mixture is still hot, the eggs start to cook. A few minutes off the heat lets them mix in and hold everything together.
Picking and Prepping the Bread
The bread is the base of this whole dish, so it’s worth a minute of thought before you start.
Sourdough is my favorite: It holds its shape well and adds a little tang. French bread or Italian bread work great too and get nice and crispy on top. Plain white sandwich bread is fine, but it’s softer, so make sure it’s good and dry before you use it. This is also a great way to use up leftover bread.
Cut it into 1-inch cubes: Smaller pieces turn soft and pasty, and bigger chunks don’t soak up the liquid evenly. You need about 12 cups of cubes, which is roughly a 1½-pound loaf.
How to Dry the Bread
You want the cubes dry to the touch and firm, like a crouton that hasn’t browned yet. There are two easy ways to get there:
- Overnight: Spread the cubes in a single layer on a couple of sheet pans and leave them out uncovered overnight (or for up to 2 days). Toss them once or twice so they dry evenly.
- In the oven: Bake the cubes on sheet pans at 275°F for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway, until dry but not toasted. Let them cool before using.
How to Make Homemade Stuffing
This comes together in two parts: cook the veggies and wet mixture on the stove, then toss it with the bread and bake. After years of experimenting, this simple method is the one I always come back to.
✦ RecipeTeacher Note: Stuffing or Dressing?
Since this bakes in a dish instead of inside the turkey, plenty of folks would call it dressing. Whatever is ultimately decided, a LOT is going on my plate either way. 🙂
Step 1: Prep the Bread and Oven
Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter. Put your dried bread cubes in a large bowl and set them aside.
Step 2: Cook the Vegetables
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and celery and cook for about 8 minutes, until they’re soft and the onion turns translucent. This is where a lot of the flavor comes from, so give them the full time.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, just until it smells great. Take the pot off the heat.
Step 3: Make the Wet Mixture
Stir the chicken stock, sage, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper mix right into the pot with the vegetables.
✦ Taste it before the eggs go in: This is your last easy chance to check the seasoning. If it tastes a little flat, add another pinch of salt now, since the bread will soak up a lot of it.
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, until it’s warm but not hot. Then whisk in the eggs until everything is well combined. The eggs are what hold the stuffing together, so you’ll get a sliceable stuffing instead of loose, dry crumbs.
Step 4: Combine With the Bread
Pour the wet mixture over the bread a little at a time, tossing gently as you go. You want every cube moistened but not soaked.
✦ Aim for wet, not soggy. The bread should feel damp all the way through, with no puddle at the bottom of the bowl. If it still looks dry after all the liquid is in, a splash more stock will help.
Step 5: Bake Covered, Then Uncovered
Spread the mixture into your greased dish without packing it down. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. The foil traps the steam, so the middle cooks through and stays moist.
Take off the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crispy and the center is set. If you have a thermometer, the center should read 165°F, since there are eggs in the mix.
Step 6: Rest and Serve
Let the stuffing sit for about 5 minutes before serving so it sets up a bit. Sprinkle with a little fresh parsley or extra herbs if you like.
Planning the whole Thanksgiving menu?
My Best Damn Thanksgiving Meal collection has everything from oven-roasted turkey breast and a cranberry balsamic pork loin to pumpkin pear cobbler for dessert.
Ways to Mix It Up
This recipe makes a great starting point. Here are a few easy ways to make it your own:
Savory add-ins:
- Cooked, crumbled pork sausage for a heartier stuffing
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Extra fresh herbs like parsley or chives
Sweet and crunchy add-ins:
- Diced apples
- Dried cranberries, cherries, or apricots
- Chopped pecans or walnuts
Cook the sausage or mushrooms with the onions and celery in Step 2. Stir the fruit, nuts, and extra herbs in with the bread in Step 4. If you add a lot of extras, you may need a little more stock to keep everything moist.
Filling Out the Thanksgiving Plate
Stuffing is happiest next to turkey and gravy. Spoon a little gravy right over the top and you’ve got the best bite on the table. Something tart like cranberry sauce helps balance out all that butter.
Make It a Holiday Plate
✦ Cooking for a smaller group? My Air Fryer Turkey Tenderloin gives you that turkey dinner without roasting a whole bird. And stuffing isn’t just for turkey. It goes great with my Cranberry Balsamic Pork Loin Roast on a Sunday in the fall, too.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheating
Make ahead: Assemble the stuffing in the greased dish up to 24 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Bake as directed, adding 10 to 15 minutes to the covered bake time. That frees up the oven so it can bake while the turkey rests.
I make a double batch for our own Thanksgiving, so I bake it in two 9×13 dishes and switch them between racks halfway through.
Storing: Get leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours. They keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge first).
Reheating: Add a splash of stock, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes. For crispy edges, warm it in a buttered skillet instead.
FAQs
Can I stuff the turkey with this recipe?
Yes, you can. Let the wet mixture cool completely, then stuff the turkey loosely right before it goes in the oven, never the night before. Packing it in tight keeps the heat from reaching the center.
Can I use store-bought bread cubes or croutons?
Yes, plain dried bread cubes or unseasoned stuffing cubes work great and save you the drying step. Seasoned croutons work too, but they’re usually salty and already flavored, so cut back on the salt and pepper mix and taste the liquid before adding the eggs. Store-bought cubes are very dry, so you may need a little more stock to moisten them.
Why did my stuffing come out dry or soggy?
Dry stuffing usually means the bread was extra dry or it baked too long uncovered. Add a splash more stock before baking, and keep it covered until the last 10 to 15 minutes.
Soggy stuffing usually comes from fresh bread or too much liquid. Dry the cubes well first and add the liquid a little at a time until the bread is damp but not puddling.
What can I use instead of celery?
Celery adds a mild, fresh crunch and a lot of that classic stuffing flavor. If you don’t have any, fennel works well since it softens the same way. You can also use extra onion and add a pinch of celery seed to bring back that celery taste. Cook any swap the same way, about 8 minutes until soft.
Can I use water or vegetable broth instead of chicken stock?
Vegetable broth works great as a straight swap. Water works in a pinch, but the stuffing will taste flatter since the stock adds a lot of savory flavor. If you go with water, add a little more salt and pepper mix and taste the liquid before the eggs go in.
Best Damn Homemade Stuffing
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
Description
Classic homemade stuffing made from scratch with stale bread, butter, onion, celery, and fresh herbs. It bakes up soft in the middle with a crispy golden top, and it’s way better than any box mix.
Ingredients
- 12 cups stale bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 medium to large onion, diced
- 2 cups diced celery
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 ½ Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the dried bread cubes in a large bowl and set aside.
- Cook the vegetables: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook about 8 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes, until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
- Make the wet mixture: Stir in the chicken stock, sage, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Add the eggs: Let the mixture cool a few minutes until warm, not hot. Whisk in the eggs until well combined.
- Combine with the bread: Pour the wet mixture over the bread a little at a time, tossing gently until evenly moistened. It should be wet but not soggy.
- Bake covered: Spread the mixture in the prepared dish without packing it down. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.
- Bake uncovered: Remove the foil and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until the top is golden and crispy and the center reaches 165°F.
- Rest and serve: Let it sit about 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs if you like.
Notes
- Dry the bread first: Leave the cubes out uncovered overnight, or bake them at 275°F for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway, until dry but not toasted.
- Add the liquid gradually: Stop when the bread is damp but not puddling. Very dry bread may need a splash more stock.
- Using dried herbs: Use about a third as much as fresh: 2 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp dried rosemary, and 1½ tsp dried thyme.
- Doneness: The top should be golden and crispy, and the center should be set and reach 165°F.
- Make ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Add 10 to 15 minutes to the covered bake time.
- Doubling: Bake in two 9×13 dishes and switch rack positions halfway through.
- Stuffing the turkey: Stuff loosely right before roasting, and make sure the stuffing reaches 165°F.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes with a splash of stock, or crisp it up in a buttered skillet.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop & Oven
- Cuisine: American
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Carolyn O'Bayley says
I’ve been cooking the Thanksgiving dinner for over 50 years. By chance this recipe came up in the email a couple of days before I was going to cook the turkey a week ago or so. I usually stuff the bird, but this sounded good and easy. It is VERY good and easy. It will be my go to recipe from this time on. I didn’t change anything, although I had fresh sage from the garden in stead of powdered. Thank you for another great “best damn” recipe.
RecipeTeacher says
Thanks so much, Carolyn!! I’m making a double batch for our own Thanksgiving too.
Have a wonderful holiday!!