Homemade Stuffing is a staple side dish for every Thanksgiving table! This is a traditional recipe made with dried bread cubes mixed with onions and celery sauteed in plenty of butter then mixed with herbs and broth (and more butter) and baked until golden and delicious!
If you prefer your stuffing with a little sausage, pop over to this recipe for Sausage Stuffing.
Set the perfect holiday table with Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Turkey, and this Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe!
Jump to:
- Five Star Review
- Stuffing vs. Dressing
- Homemade Stuffing Recipe Ingredients
- How To Make Stale Bread Cubes
- How to Make Homemade Stuffing Recipe
- Recipe Card Shortcut
- More Holiday Recipes To Love
- Did you make this recipe?
- Homemade Stuffing Recipe + Video
- More Recipes you will love
- Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
Five Star Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Wonderful recipe! I've made it once with the Artesano bread (came out amazing!) and once with Udi's gluten free hot dog buns - also came out amazing. I have been using recipes from your website for a few years now, and have yet to find a recipe that isn't excellent. Thank you for the work you do - you've added variety and yum to my monthly meal rotations as well as to our holidays.” – Vic
Stuffing vs. Dressing
The old argument – is it stuffing or dressing?
Traditionally you call this dish stuffing only if it is stuffed and cooked inside of the turkey. It is dressing if it is served on the side of the turkey.
Even though this recipe is not cooked INSIDE of the bird I am still calling it stuffing. That has more to do with people being able to find it on the internet than tradition.
Homemade Stuffing Recipe Ingredients
Of course one of the most important ingredients in stuffing is bread. It is so important that we devoted a whole section on it below. You can pop down there and read more about it:
Salted Butter – The salted version is the only butter we recognize here at Mom’s Dinner. You are going to need a lot of butter for this stuffing. Generally when you have stuffing, you aren’t counting calories. The butter is perfect for softening the celery and onions, then it gets cubed for the top of the stuffing.
Onion & Celery – It’s CLASSIC to have onion and celery added to your stuffing. I recommend you use a yellow onion for the most classic flavor, and use the celery ribs and leaves!
Egg – The eggs will bind the stuffing together for the perfect texture.
Chicken Broth – Using the right amount of chicken broth moistens the dried bread cubes perfectly, so that they are buttery and soft in the middle, and not soggy.
Herbs – It is crucial to use fresh herbs if you want your stuffing to be over-the-top. A combo of fresh chopped sage and parsley are perfect for a traditional stuffing flavor.
Seasonings – kosher salt, black pepper, marjoram and poultry seasoning blend perfectly to finish off the stuffing recipe.
Bread
Bread is the main ingredient in traditional stuffing (dressing). So you want to make sure that you buy a nice hearty bread that will stand up to the butter, eggs and broth that are added.
Look for a thicker cut, quality bread. I have used these brands and they work perfectly:
- Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Bread
- Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White, Butter or Potato Bread
You will also want to make sure that your bread is stale. This is key to allowing the bread to absorb the butter, broth and eggs, which makes your stuffing so buttery and golden!
How To Make Stale Bread Cubes
You have 2 options to make your bread nice and stale for this stuffing recipe:
Stale Bread Cubes
- Overnight– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and let it sit on a sheet pan, on the counter overnight.
- Quick Method– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and spread on a large sheet pan. Dry in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes so it doesn’t brown. (You will have time for this while the onions and celery soften!)
Making stale bread cubes allows the bread to absorb all the flavor (butter, broth, seasonings) and not disintegrate! Don’t skip this step.
How to Make Homemade Stuffing Recipe
You can also watch Susie make this Stuffing Recipe and Sausage Stuffing Recipe on a 30 minute episode of Pinterest TV!
Make sure that you are starting with stale bread cubes -see the section above for help with that! These steps will give you a general over view of how to make homemade stuffing. For more detailed instructions and ingredient amounts, jump down to the recipe card.
Step 1
Dry your bread cubes using one of the two methods above.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter a 9×9 baking pan, if doubling use a 9×13 or 10×15 baking pan.
Step 3
In a large skillet over medium heat melt the ¾ cup butter. Add the onions and celery and sauté until they are completely softened, this will take about 20-30 minutes.
Step 4
Off the heat stir in the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, marjoram, fresh chopped sage, and fresh chopped parsley.
Step 5
Whisk together the 2 eggs and cup of chicken broth.
Step 6
In a large bowl stir together the onion/herb mixture and stale bread cubes. Now pour in the egg/broth mixture and stir until the bread absorbs the liquid.
Step 7
Pour into the buttered pan. Cube 2 tablespoon of butter and dot the top of the stuffing.
Step 7
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. If you like a really crispy top you can broil for the last minute or two!
How to Double the Stuffing Recipe
If you are hosting a larger crowd you can absolutely double this stuffing recipe. Simply double all the ingredients, bake in a 9×13 or 10×15 dish, and the baking time will be the same.
Recipe Card Shortcut
Use the +/- buttons and change for the amount of people you are serving. It will change all the ingredient amounts for you!!
More Holiday Recipes To Love
Build a beautiful holiday meal around your delicious Homemade Stuffing by adding some of the recipes below:
💛💛💛💛💛
Did you make this recipe?
I would love to hear your review, especially if you have tips and tricks to add! Pop down to the comment section and connect with me
Homemade Stuffing Recipe + Video
Equipment
- 9×9 baking dish (use a 9×13 if doubling the recipe)
Ingredients
- 12 cups Stale White Bread – cut into 1 inch cubes - (approx 1 lb 4 oz loaf of bread – see notes below for details)
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon butter - divided
- 1 large yellow or white onion - chopped
- 2 cup celery, chopped - stalks and leaves!
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon marjoram
- 3 tablespoon (heaping) fresh sage - , chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley - , chopped – Curly or Italian will work
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup chicken broth or stock
Instructions
Stale Bread Cubes
- Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes.12 cups Stale White Bread – cut into 1 inch cubes
- Make the bread stale by one of the two options:A. Overnight – Lay the bread cubes on a sheet pan on the counter overnight to dry out.B. Quick Method – Preheat the oven to 250°, lay the bread cubes on a sheet pan and pop in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes.
Stuffing
- Preheat the oven to 350° and prep a 9×9 baking dish by generously greasing with butter or oil. (if you are doubling the recipe use a 9×13 or 10×15 baking dish)
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat melt ¾ cup butter. Add the onions and celery and sauté until they are completely softened, this will take about 20-30 minutes.1 large yellow or white onion, 2 cup celery, chopped
- Off the heat add the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, marjoram, fresh sage and parsley to the onions.1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, ½ teaspoon marjoram, 3 tablespoon (heaping) fresh sage, ⅓ cup fresh parsley
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and broth.2 eggs, 1 cup chicken broth or stock
- Add the bread cubes to a large bowl, pour the onions/herb mixture over the bread and stir to combine. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and stir until the liquid is absorbed.
- Pour the stuffing mixture into the buttered baking dish. Cube the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter and dot the top of the stuffing.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. For an extra crispy top turn the broiler on for a minute or two!
- Serve right away!
Recipe Tips and Notes:
To make a meat stuffing, pop over to this recipe for Sausage Stuffing! You can also watch Susie make this stuffing recipe and sausage stuffing recipe on a 30 minutes episode of Pinterest TV!
Kendra says
Made this for thanksgiving with homemade cornbread stuffing mix and it turned out great! Easy enough.
Lynne says
Can I use the Pepperidge farm stuffing mix instead of using the bread?
Susie Weinrich says
You can!
Judy says
I have made my stuffing very similar to yours with the exception of eggs. It comes together very well, and I don’t understand the need for eggs! Can you enlighten me! Thanks! Also, can it be made in the Crock pot? After mixing the ingredients and adding it to the Crock pot, how long and at what temperature should it be cooked.
Hailey says
Would homemade bread work if it has been made out of bread flour? Would it be strong enough? Thank you!
Susie Weinrich says
I have not made bread with bread flour so I’m not familiar with the texture. I have only used store-bought bread when I have made this. I would like to say it will
work, just make sure you dry the bread out really, really well. You will probably want a more delicate bread to be extra dry/crispy
before making the stuffing.
TammyRodriguez says
Absolutely!!!
M-L says
I really love the way you list the ingredients and amounts in the instructions as well. It is such a help when following off your phone on the kitchen counter! Thanks for the great recipe. Delicious.
Papa Squott says
Fantastic! I finally proved to my family that homemade stuffing is superior to Stove Top! Thank you!
Susie Weinrich says
That is AWESOME!!! Favorite comment of the week. Thank you so much for sharing- Happy Holidays
Leslie Turner says
Recipe looks awesome. Could I make this the night before and refrigerate and heat up the next day?
Susie Weinrich says
That is what I plan on doing… here is what you will do: assemble the dish, put the butter pats on top, cover it with foil but don’t bake, pop it in the fridge, then bake completely the next day.
TammyRodriguez says
I also want to make ahead today for tomorrow
Daniel says
Great recipe, but needs more liquid. I had to double the broth, or it would have been a very dry crusty stuffing. I also added some fresh pressed garlic. It was heavenly.
Wilma Robinson says
I thought it would be dry also. But I kept to the recipe and was pleasantly surprised. It was perfect.
wilma robinson says
I made this again for Christmas, 2022 but this time I used rye with pumpernickel bread. I didn’t care much for the taste but my son thought it was the bomb. I will stick to the Pepperidge Farm I used before. Maybe make a little for him with the rye!🤪
Andrea Howe says
I MUCH prefer homemade stuffing compared to boxed stuffing, and this recipe is perfect. Many homemade stuffing recipes are overly complicated or filled with a bunch of ingredients that doesn’t appeal to a large group of people. I love that this recipe has simple ingredients and plenty of flavor. Thanks!
Katy says
Can I prepare this the night before?
Susie Weinrich says
Yes, then plan to bake the day of.
Lori says
Such a great recipe! The flavors are going to be perfect for our Thanksgiving turkey this year!!
Lauren says
This is a simple recipe, but has so much flavor. My favorite fall side dish, we love it with fish and chicken too.
Lo says
starting to plan my thanksgiving menu and HAD to come back to this recipe. I made it last year and everyone raved!! will be making it again. thank you for the fabulous recipe!
Cindy says
Easy recipe to follow and entire family thought it was delicious! Made it again today for another Thanksgiving dinner!!!
Anne says
This sounds fantastic! Can I cook this inside the turkey? Sorry if this was asked & answered already
Susie Weinrich says
You should be able to cook it inside of the turkey, however I have not tested that. You will want to follow any safety precautions for cooking bread inside raw poultry. Such as using a meat thermometer to make sure the center of the stuffing reaches 165° F before removing from the oven.
Lauren says
starting to plan my thanksgiving menu and HAD to come back to this recipe. I made it last year and everyone raved!! will be making it again. thank you for the fabulous recipe!
Brennan says
My favorite stuffing recipe by far! The family loved it too!
Edward says
Love the recipe!!! -Ed
John says
This was second dinner tonight and it was awesome 😋🙂😋