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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
REPIN this Super Stuffing Recipe
Holly do you ever boil your giblets and use some of the meat off of the neck bone to go in your dressing?
I have not tried that Teresa.
Hi Holly,
I’m a little nervous about the stuffing being soggy because it uses fresh bread. Should I toast the bread in the oven first for a while to try to prevent this? Or just be very careful to not add to much broth?
Thank you!
Whitney, as mentioned in the post, it helps to make sure that the bread is really dry. Take a look at the post for more details and suggestions for your bread. Enjoy!!
Hi I was wondering if I make this ahead of time won’t it be super soggy from adding the broth? Should I wait and add the broth just before baking?
It doesn’t get soggy as the bread soaks up the broth. There is no extra broth to make it soggy. Enjoy!
I’m looking forward to your recipes! I believe we have the same style of cooking. :)
Hi Holly
I was only able to find bread cubes that are already seasoned. Would those work or should I omit something like maybe the poultry seasoning?
Thanks again.
This would work just fine. I can’t say for sure what seasonings they have but you could leave the poultry seasoning and just add salt to taste as pre-seasoned can sometimes have enough salt already.
Hello! How many loaves of bread will make 12 cups of bread cubes?
It will vary a bit based on what type of bread you choose but on average 13-16 slices.
This was superb and nice!!!!
Hi Holly,
Your thought on adding sliced mushrooms? how much would you suggest? Should I cook those with the onions and celery?
Thanks!
I would probably do about 8 oz, they’ll shrink a bit as they cook down. Yes, you’ll want to cook them with the onions/celery until the water is released and evaporated so they don’t make the stuffing soggy. Let us know how it goes!
Hi Holly. I’m planing to make this the day prior and wanted to know if I should bake it the day prior and then bake it again the day of? That’s how I read it but wanted to confirm because this is my first time being responsible for the stuffing, I can’t screw it up. Thanks! Can’t wait to try this.
I would suggest preparing it the day before and baking it the day of. If it’s cold from the fridge, you might need to add a little bit of extra time in the oven. Let us know how it works out for you!
I baked it the night before and plan to reheat it tomorrow. Will it be ok? Wish I read through comments before doing that.
It will be just fine!! If you find it to need, you can always sprinkle a little broth on top but stuffing reaheats well!
Hello, can I use store bought already dry bread cubes instead of fresh bread?
Thank you
Yes, you can use dry bread cubes. You may need a little bit of extra broth.
Hi, thank you for sharing your recipe! Which bread would you recommend using?? Never used regular bread for stuffing always bought the bread cubs already dried.
Hope you n your family have a happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family too Teri! I use regular sandwich bread (a combination of wheat and white bread) but honestly, any type of bread will work for stuffing.
Any particular stock? I’ll be getting store bought, should I get low sodium, reduced or full sodium?
Any of those would work, I most often use reduced-sodium because it’s what I have on hand.
Hi Holly,
Do you use just regular sandwich bread for the stuffing?
Yes, you can use sandwich bread Karen. Enjoy!
Hi Holly,
I am excited to make this recipe this Thanksgiving!
A few questions:
1) Can you please clairfy what is meant by “remember to completely cool the stuffing first from your receipe? Planning to stuff a 16-18 lb organic turkey. Do you mean to let the prepared stuffing cool down that is in the refrigerator waiting to stuff into the turkey? If so, approximately how many minutes would you suggest to let it cool before stuffing the bird?
“If you do stuff your turkey, remember to completely cool the stuffing first. If you don’t, the bird will sit at an unsafe cooking temperature for too long. If stuffing a turkey, the center of the stuffing needs to be cooked to 165°F because the drippings from the bird enter the stuffing.”
2) How big is a serving? We will be a gathering (not social distanced!) of 6. And they love stuffing!
I’m wondering if I should make 18 servings. I believe I read 12 serving of 12 cups of dried bread cubes would equate to 1 loaf of bread. Is that correct?
3) You mentioned you use a mixture of brown and white bread. What is brown bread?
4) Approximately how much salt and pepper for 12 servings? I don’t care for a lot of pepper nor does another of the party.
Thank you Holly!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!
Hi Fred,
Cool the stuffing to room temperature before stuffing the bird. Warm stuffing added to the turkey can lead to unsafe cooking temperatures.
A serving is approximately ½ cup (so I usually eat 2 servings!! (it’s my favorite part of the meal)).
Brown bread is whole wheat bread.
I’d suggest starting with about ¼ teaspoon of pepper and ½ teaspoon of salt, and adjust to your tastes.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
Thank you Holly!!!
Do you recommend using all three fresh herbs? Or if using only one, which would you suggest? Also, can you substitute dry herbs, or would you steer away from that?
The poultry seasoning adds great flavor, so you could add a little more of that in place of fresh herbs. It’s a lot stronger than the fresh herbs, so just a bit extra will go a long way. Personally, I think sage adds the most stuffing and holiday flavor (but I really love rosemary!). Enjoy Mindi!
What size baking dish does this cook in?
I bake this in a 9×13 casserole dish, or something about that size. Enjoy Nicole!
This is exactly how I make my own stuffing without sausage @ even better when it is stuffed in the turkey and baked@ tradition
Hello, your recipe calls for 2 small onions. I can only find large onions. Can you tell what you would estimate 2 small onions would equal in cups.
I’m hosting Thanksgiving dinner and I really want to make it correctly.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
2 small onions will be approximately 1 cup of diced onions. Enjoy Cathy!
Holly, on the fresh herbs is that a tablespoon each of Rosemary, Sage and Thyme or combined together.
This is 1 tablespoon total (about 1 teaspoon each if you’re using 3 types of herbs).
Holly, do you use Italian parsley?
I’ve used both Italian or curly parsley depending on what I have on hand. Either work in this recipe.
Hi! How much butter do you melt in step 1?
It says to use the remaining butter just before putting it Into the oven.
Thank you!
All ⅔ cup is melted in step 1. Additional butter can be added to top the stuffing.
I saw a similar recipe that involves eggs. The comments are saying that it is used as a binder. What are your thoughts on this?
I do put egg in my Crock Pot Stuffing recipe, and it helps it bind together, so I think it would work great. Check it out!