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
Found one to make for Thanksgiving. Quick question. Do I have to bake the stuffing prior to putting it in the bird?
You do not have to bake the stuffing before putting it in the bird. Ensure that the stuffing has cooled in the fridge for at least 45 minutes. Stuff the turkey just before roasting or it can sit at an unsafe cooking 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.
I usually cook up a pre-stuffed turkey. On this occasion, however, I was so oh cooking a Turkey breast so tried this stuffing recipe. I used fresh rosemary and time. It was excellent!
Hello, Holly
Can I add sage-seasoned breakfast sausage to your Easy Stuffing recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Mike, we have this delicious sausage stuffing recipe that would be perfect for that.
HoIly, I am confused. Are you adding poultry seasoning plus dried/fresh herbs or one or the other? And if adding poultry seasoning do you add to the onions and celery while cooking them?
Hi Jeanne, yes we add all ingredients as listed in the recipe including poultry seasoning, fresh herbs, as well as the onions and celery while cooking.
Quick question if I may. How much does this recipe yield? For how many people? Thank you!
Hi Michael, this recipe makes approximately 6 cups of stuffing to make 12 ½ cup servings.
Thank you!
everyone enjoyed this stuffing. directions were clear and suggestions were helpful
thanks
has anyone made ahead and froze it? if so how long ahead?
Yes, this can be prepared ahead of time (up to 4 months) and frozen. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as directed, adding about 10 minutes to the cooking time if it’s really cold from the fridge. Enjoy!
Super easy stuffing- love directions on how to make ahead, reheat and also freeze. A great old time stuffing recipe with excellent taste.
What size baking dish?
I use a 9×13 but any 2 ½ to 3qt baking dish will work.
I made this recipe and it turned out very well. I used dried out multigrain bread, cut into cubes, spritzed with I Can’t Believe It’s not Butter, tossed with poultry seasoning and extra thyme. I saute´ed onion and celery in butter. Then added fresh chopped, carrot greens, parslsy, and basil. Then added chicken broth. Once all was heated through, tossed in the cubes. Delicious.
Excelle
5 star
This recipe was perfect! Easy enough and came out incredibly good! I made it to go with roasted chicken with a leftover (Italian) bread bowl I had. WOW! This will be what I make for thanksgiving. I used fresh thyme sage and rosemary, no parsley and my family loved it!
I have to add a few eggs. I’m also Italian (but I don’t want sausage in my turkey stuffing) but I will add Romano Cheese (about 2 cups) and garlic (about 5 cloves). A bit more turkey broth to account for the extra cheese. I also fry up the giblets with the onions and Celery but they kind of disappear in the volume of other ingredients. I used to stuff the bird but not anymore it doesn’t hold a lot of stuffing, it’s much easier to cook an unstuffed turkey to perfection and if you make a good turkey broth (from the neck and any other trimmings) the stuffing has the turkey flavor. I do a 24 hr brine and a 48 hour dry to get the best of juicy meat and crispy skin. I’ve got this down!
Delicious! I made it as the recipe instructed. I ended up cutting the recipe in half as it was just my husband and I. Embarrassed a bit, but we finished it off at dinner! Supposedly six servings, but we just couldn’t stop eating it. This is a keeper! I used sage and thyme for my fresh herbs and dried parsley. Yum!
Great recipe! The stuffing is delicious. Thank you!
Best homemade stuffing recipe I’ve ever made – super easy and delicious! I didn’t add salt as a family member is on a no-salt diet, and I expected to have to add salt to bring out the flavor but it was perfect without salt. A big hit at our Christmas dinner and I’m making it again for New Year’s!
I made this and it’s a prefect easy recipe. I added dried cranberries and slivered almonds, yummy. Making again NYE and this time adding dried apricots. Accompanying a rack of pork!
Easy and delicious stuffing.
We use your recipes all the time. Thank you.
Love this recipe, it is so close to the one my mom and grandma made. The only thing that I change about this recipe is I add 2 apples chopped up (that’s what my mom and grandma added) and it’s perfect. thank you so much.