This Easy Stuffing Recipe is a favorite for every holiday dinner. With simple ingredients and thousands of 5-star reviews-it’s perfect every time!
Celery and onions are tossed with bread, broth, and herbs and baked until golden. It’s the best stuffing recipe with a buttery-sage flavor and crisp edges!
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Ingredient Notes for Stuffing
I love mashed potatoes, but homemade stuffing is the thanksgiving side dish I look forward every year.
- Bread – Any dry bread works for stuffing, I usually mix white and wheat bread. Tear them into cubes and let it dry on the counter so it can absorb the broth. Store bought dried bread cubes can also be used. If they’re seasoned, I add less salt but I do still add the herbs.
- Celery/Onions – These are the base of the flavor in this stuffing. Cook them in butter until tender.
- Seasoning – Poultry Seasoning adds that classic turkey stuffing flavor with a blend of sage, thyme, and rosemary. You can replace poultry seasoning with ground sage if needed.
- Broth – Chicken or turkey broth adds moisture. The amount needed will vary based on the type of bread used and how dry it is. See the recipe notes for more details.
- Additions – Dubbed the best stuffing recipe, this recipe lends itself well to add ins like shredded carrots, raisins, dried cranberries, or cooked sausage.
Bread for Stuffing
Bread is the base of the stuffing and the key is making sure it’s very dry before adding broth. This allows it to soak up the broth (and flavor) without becoming soggy.
If possible, buy the bread at least a few days early, cut it into cubes, and let it dry on the counter. Any kind of bread will do – including sourdough or half cornbread.
If using purchased dried bread cubes, they may need a little extra broth.
The Best Golden Crunchy Edges
I bake stuffing in a casserole dish for the crunchy edges and buttery soft center (which would technically make it dressing). You can also cook it in a Crock Pot. Cooking it separately ensures both the turkey and the stuffing cook evenly and reach safe temperatures without overcooking.
Stuffing a Turkey You can use this stuffing to stuff a turkey. Ensure that the stuffing has cooled in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
Stuff the turkey just before roasting so it doesn’t sit at an unsafe temperature for too long. If stuffing a turkey, the center of the stuffing should reach 165°F as the drippings from the bird enter the stuffing.
Stuffing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in a casserole dish. Prepare the stuffing without baking and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Before baking, remove it from the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You may need to add 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
Everyone loves turkey dinner leftovers so I always make extra! Turkey stuffing can be frozen for up to 4 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight or in the microwave. Bake in a casserole dish for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.
Ingredients
- 2 small yellow onions diced
- 4 ribs celery diced
- ⅔ cup butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning or ½ teaspoon ground sage
- black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
- 12 cups dry bread cubes
- 2 to 4 cups chicken broth see notes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs any combination of sage, thyme, or rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dry herbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and poultry seasoning (and rosemary if using). Reduce the temperature to medium low and cook until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, onion mixture, parsley and fresh herbs.
- Pour 1 cup of broth overtop and toss the cubes. Add the remaining broth, a little bit at a time until cubes are moist (but not soggy) and gently toss. You may not need all of the broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the bread mixture in a baking dish, dot with additional butter if desired, and cover.
- Bake 35 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
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REPIN this Super Stuffing Recipe
Delicious recipe but I can’t get it to print!
question: why do you add eggs to your crock pot stuffing recipe but not the traditional baked in the oven recipe?
Eggs help to bind the recipe together. We don’t find it necessary in this recipe but you can always optionally add eggs into this recipe.
This was easy, but not as flavorful as I was hoping. I wish I would’ve added more herbs, or supplemented the fresh with dried for more flavor.
This is the recipe I’ve been using forever…handed down from my dad…it is the best for sure. I do like to add mushrooms to it just kind of gives it extra flavor and texture!
Hi can I use veggie Broth instead of chicken broth?
Yes, it may change the flavor slightly as it tends to be a bit sweeter.
I’ve been using this recipe to make gluten free stuffing for the last few years, everyone loves it!! I make a loaf of gf bread and dry the cubes on the counter for a few days. Works perfectly!
Unfortunately, I cannot find all of the fresh herbs for this recipe and will need use dried herbs. What are the measurements for using dried herbs?
You will need ⅓ the amount of herbs.
– 2 teaspoons parsley
– 1 teaspoon (total) of mixed herbs
Have always used dried herbs.
I use a mix of different flavored bagels for my stuffing. The family loves it.
Love that idea, thanks for sharing!
Hello, I am making this recipe ahead of time. You say to prepare right up until baking it. Does that mean I put the broth on the bread cubes even though it’s going to sit in the fridge overnight? Thanks!
Yes, you’ll prepare it, including adding the broth and the next day, all you have to do is bake it. If it’s cold from the fridge it may need a little bit of extra cooking time.
Thanks! :)
love the recipe they are delicious
Are you saying above to bake the stuffing BEFORE stuffing the turkey with it? I’m just worried about it being over baked and dry. Please advise. Thank you!
If stuffing a turkey, the stuffing does not need to be baked before stuffing the bird. You’ll want to ensure it is cooled (the onions/celery mixture) before stuffing.
Gotcha! Thank you! The cooling part was what confused me. My mother has never pre-baked her stuffing but she does cornbread. Sorry I think I also posted my question more than once, so feel free to disregard the duplicate(s) lol! Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well!
Can you make this with half white bread and half dried cornbread? Thanks!
You sure can Christie, you may need to adjust the liquid slightly. Enjoy!
When you say 1 tablespoon of fresh sage, thyme and rosemary, would that be 1 tablespoon of each herb?
Hi Melissa, in the notes section of the recipe it says: Use a total of 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs. If using rosemary in the herbs, cook it along with the onions/celery. I hope that helps! :)
Ok, just to confirm, 1 tablespoon of a mix of sage, thyme and rosemary and not a total of three tablespoons (1-tablespoon sage, 1- tablespoon thyme, 1- tablespoon rosemary)
Yes correct, 1 tablespoon total, approximately 1 teaspoon of each herb if you’re using 3 types.
I really want to make this recipe, but all I can find are seasoned bread cubes! how would one suggest I tweak the recipe to use the seasoned ones? I don’t want to over season with herbs etc.
You can make your own bread cubes, Ann! Get your bread a bit early, a few days or weeks before. Cut or tear it into cubes and let it sit on the counter to dry for a bit. Any bread will work, but I usually go for a mix of brown and white.
hi there! I love and I’ve made so many of your recipes, always with amazing results! I made this stuffing twice now and it was perfect both times (I did use less broth, I just made sure I added it little by little until moist).
this year, we are going away for a week leading up to Thanksgiving. I just cut 2 loads of bread into cubes.. Is it too long for the bread to sit out for a full week? I assume dried out bread won’t go “bad” sitting out on the counter, but I want to be sure. Thanks!
You can absolutely leave the dried bread out for a couple of weeks. If it’s very dry, you may need a touch more broth.
Hi! Making this for the first time next week for Thanksgiving. Can I use the store bought seasoned bread cubes or do I need to find plain ones? Curious if seasoned ones will effect the taste. Thanks!
Hi Stacey! You can use pre-seasoned bread cubes but it might affect the taste. You could try adding less poultry seasoning than what is called for in the recipe if you’re worried about it!
Hi Holly! It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I do most of the cooking for the holidays and I have a question about the stuffing. My sister loves stuffing that is cooked in the turkey, but I resist because it adds on extra time (and we do large turkeys!). Is there any way you could get the same consistency by baking it? Maybe make a separate baking dish with extra broth or butter?
Thanks so much! Love ALL your recipes!
Hi Carol, I do find baking it to work really well with this recipe. You could also bake it covered to keep some of the steam in, you wouldn’t have the same browning on top as you get when baking uncovered. Of course the turkey also adds flavor to the stuffing so you could certainly drizzle it with some of the juices from the cooked turkey as well. Enjoy and happy thanksgiving!
My sister also likes it the bird. To compensate, since like you I don’t cook it in the bird, I make a separate dish and add additional broth and then leave it covered the whole time. I then add a little of the drippings from the turkey on top before serving it. Tastes like it just came from the turkey.
I have used Soooo many of your recipes!
You have made my love for cooking a new adventure. I always used my mom’s old 1964 Better Homes and Gardens cook book with her millions of notes and tweeks. My family thanks you from the sidelines!!!!!
Yes, I do tweek some of your recipes to suit what I know my family prefers, but Oh Boy… You get the props from the McConnell Family in Erie Colorado!
Thank you for your kind words Sarah, I’m so glad your family has loved the recipes. I love my BHG book too, and I love that your copy has your Mom’s notes in it, what a treasure!
Can you use Pepperidge Farms bread cubes, if so, 12 cups?
Yes Stacey, those will work great. And yes, 12 cups :) Let us know how it turns out for you!
I’m looking forward to using this recipe for our Thanksgiving. I may try French bread , would you recommend a white French bread and a wheat French bread? or I could use 2 whites?
it says the bread is 14 oz each, would I need 2 or more? I’m also concerned about not adding enough or too much broth lol… just keep adding till all the bread is wet..? lol
Hi Jenny, you can use any kind of bread that you prefer. I would weigh the bread on a kitchen scale so you can be sure it’s 28 ounces in total. If you use 28 ounces of bread, you should be able to use the amount of broth that’s called for in the recipe and it will turn out perfectly!