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The best bread stuffing has perfectly moist bread cubes with savory herbs, onions, and celery under a buttery-crisp golden topping. This old-fashioned Thanksgiving dressing disappears fast!
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Why this is the best-ever stuffing recipe
Everyone needs a classic recipe for Grandma's old-fashioned dressing for the holidays. This is that recipe, and it's an absolute must for your roasted turkey dinner. Here's what you'll love:
- It's so delicate and savory it melts in your mouth.
- Any cooking level can make this recipe with confidence.
- The recipe instructions help you achieve moist dressing, not mushy.
- You only need cubed bread, eggs, and a few pantry ingredients.
- Use fresh or stale bread. This recipe includes last-minute staling instructions.
- Bake this stuffing outside the bird as a traditional dressing, or inside, if you like.
- Customize it for vegetarians by using vegetable broth.
- Conveniently bakes at the same temperature as most holiday dishes.
Trust me when I say this comforting side dish perfectly rounds out your turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, simple gravy, and cranberry sauce, among other Thanksgiving favorites.
Simple stuffing ingredients
These simple ingredients work nicely together to uphold the tradition of old-fashioned dressing.
- Bread cubes - It's so easy to make dried bread cubes for stuffing, even at the last minute! I recommend using a rustic bakery-style loaf as the foundation for this classic bread stuffing.
- Butter - Add rich flavor and a beautiful brown color to the stuffing.
- Onions - Used for adding flavor, texture, and volume to the dish, especially once they are sauteed.
- Celery - Adds a pleasant crisp and earthy flavor and complements the onions' flavor and texture.
- Garlic - Adds complexity and savory flavor to stuffing.
- Eggs - A binder for stuffing ingredients that creates a cohesive texture.
- Broth or stock - Use vegetable, chicken, or turkey stock to moisten the stuffing for mouthwatering goodness. It also infuses the bread with savory, umami flavor, making it irresistible.
- Herbs - Use poultry seasoning or a combination of fresh herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary. Either will provide aromatic complexity.
- Salt and pepper - Seasons and balances the stuffing flavors.
- Fresh parsley - Put the finishing touch on stuffing with this fresh herb.
What is the best bread for stuffing?
When it comes to classic stuffing, you can't go wrong with a bakery fresh loaf of French bread, sourdough, Italian bread, or herbed bread. You can also use brioche, challah, a baguette, beer bread, or even homemade croutons.
How to make stuffing
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat half of the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add and saute onions, celery, and garlic until tender. Set aside briefly to cool.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 cup of broth, and poultry seasoning or fresh herbs until combined. Stir in the onions and celery.
Add dried bread cubes to this mixture and gently stir to combine. Drizzle more broth into the mixture while gently stirring, adding enough to moisten the bread cubes without soaking them. Transfer this mixture to a prepared baking dish. Cut the remaining butter into small cubes and dot the surface with it.
When you're ready to bake your stuffing, cover it with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes until the stuffing is warmed through and golden brown on top. Rest the stuffing for 10 minutes and serve warm.
Stuffing FAQ
When adding broth to the cubed bread mixture, do it gradually, stirring gently. Ensure it's moistened but not soaked. You may not need the entire amount of broth listed.
Certainly! Prepare stuffing ahead by following the recipe up to the baking step. Cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. If using ceramic bakeware, let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to prevent thermal shock. Then, proceed with baking baking instructions.
Certainly! Thaw whole frozen bread or bread cubes in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Then, proceed with the recipe.
Recipe tips and variations
- This recipe is baked outside the bird for convenience but can be used as a traditional stuffing inside the bird at your discretion.
- To scale this recipe up 2x or 3x, you'll need a larger skillet and a 5-quart mixing bowl for prep. To bake, distribute the stuffing mixture into multiple 9 x 13 pans or, space permitting, a full-size hotel pan. Then, resume the recipe baking instructions.
- Use any bread loaf variety, including sourdough, Italian bread, brioche, challah, or baguettes.
- The quickest way to make dry bread cubes out of fresh bread is to bake them in a 200-degree Fahrenheit oven for one hour.
- Store-bought stuffing cubes can be used in place of fresh bread.
- When adding broth to the stuffing cubes, stir gently to avoid over-mixing. This will keep your stuffing cubes light and fluffy.
- Customize your stuffing by adding nuts or fried sage for flavor and texture.
- To reheat leftover stuffing, cover and bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until warmed through. You can also cover and reheat leftovers in the microwave in short intervals, stirring as needed.
What to serve with stuffing
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- How to Cook Spiral Ham
- Roasted Mushrooms
- Homemade Turkey Gravy
- Pressure Cooker Whole Chicken
- Green Bean Casserole
📖 Recipe
Best Ever Bread Stuffing Recipe
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Video
Note about scaling
When scaling (2x or 3x), the light gray ingredient amount doesn’t scale. Please adjust those accordingly.
Ingredients
- 8 cups Dried Bread Cubes, Note: 1 pound loaf = approx 12 cups
- 1 stick Butter, divided
- 1 medium Onion, diced
- 2 ribs Celery, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Eggs
- 1 ½ cups Broth or Stock, or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning, or 1 teaspoon each: fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Optional garnish
- Fresh Parsley, about ¼ cup
Instructions
Note: This recipe yields 10 cups of stuffing. Visit the footnotes for a bakeware tip when scaling 2x or 3x.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and center the oven rack.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt half of the BUTTER. Add ONIONS, CELERY, and GARLIC, and saute until tender. Set aside briefly to cool.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together EGGS, 1 cup of the BROTH, SEASONINGS, SALT, and PEPPER until combined.
- Stir in the cooked onions and celery along with the BREAD CUBES.
- Drizzle more BROTH into the mixture while gently stirring, adding just enough to moisten the bread cubes without soaking them.
- Transfer this mixture to a prepared baking dish. Cut the remaining BUTTER into small cubes and dot the surface with it.
- Cover the stuffing with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake an additional 30 minutes until the stuffing is cooked through and golden brown.
- Rest the stuffing for 10 minutes and serve warm.
- To store, cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- This recipe is baked outside the bird for convenience but can be used as a traditional stuffing inside the bird at your discretion.
- To scale this recipe up 2x or 3x, you'll need a larger skillet and a 5-quart mixing bowl for prep. To bake, distribute the stuffing mixture into multiple 9 x 13 pans or, space permitting, a full-size hotel pan. Then, resume the recipe baking instructions.
- Use any bread loaf variety, including sourdough, Italian bread, brioche, challah, or baguettes.
- The quickest way to make dry bread cubes out of fresh bread is to bake them in a 200-degree Fahrenheit oven for one hour.
- Store-bought stuffing cubes can be used in place of fresh bread.
- When adding broth to the stuffing cubes, stir gently to avoid over-mixing. This will keep your stuffing cubes light and fluffy.
- Customize your stuffing by adding nuts or fried sage for flavor and texture.
- To reheat leftover stuffing, cover and bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until warmed through. You can also cover and reheat leftovers in the microwave in short intervals, stirring as needed.
Equipment
- bread knife optional
- 11-inch skillet
- 10 x 10 baking dish or 9 x 13 size
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are estimates and may vary based on brands, ingredients, and portions.
Ann B says
I just made this for holiday 2024 and it was delicious...tastes just like my mother made! Thank you so much!
Traci says
I’m so happy to hear that! It means so much knowing it brought back memories of your mother’s stuffing! Thank you for sharing, and I’m honored you picked my recipe to make for your holiday. xoxo
Claudette abney says
Oops! Definitely meant bread cubes. 4 loaves of bread I cubed and dried in the oven. Bread crumbs would be ….interesting! Thanks!
Traci says
You're welcome. I hope you enjoy! Let us know how it went scaling the recipe up to the size you used. xoxo
Claudette Abney says
Hi! I’ve made this recipe for my family and love it. I am tasked with making a huge amount for a community fall supper - several of us in fact have to make a big batch. I have approximately 50 cups of bread crumbs. Do I just simply multiply everything by 6? Any suggestions for me?
Traci says
Hiya! My first question is, are you using bread crumbs? My recipe actually calls for bread cubes, which give the stuffing a great texture and will hold up better with the other ingredients. If you are using bread cubes, multiplying by 6 should work for your purposes. Let me know if you need any more guidance. Thanks and enjoy!
Tammy S Sellars says
I can't wait to try this and am prepping now...it looks fantastic. I wonder if I can cook it in a crock pot and remove the lid for the last 30 minutes? my oven is slammed tomorrow. I also have an electric skillet-type pan that has an oven temp dial.
Traci says
Hi Tammy, I'll be honest. I've never made stuffing in either of those appliances, so I can't speak from any experience. Do you happen to have an air fryer oven or a toaster oven?
Ned says
You are not kidding! This seriously is the best stuffing recipe! Thank you so much!
Traci says
Yay and you're so welcome!! Glad you're loving it as much as we do. Thank YOU for the feedback. Enjoy!
Anjali says
This is the perfect stuffing to add to our Thanksgiving menu! I love how simple it is, and the shortcut of using poultry seasoning makes it super flavorful with minimal effort!
Traci says
I'm 100% with you about the seasoning! Thanks for sharing your feedback. Enjoy!!
Dina and Bruce says
A great recipe! This will be a great addition to our table!
Traci says
Yay! So glad you're enjoying the stuffing. Thanks for the feedback!
CB says
Love how straightforward this recipe is and it looks delicious! Cooking for Thanksgiving always stresses me out, but I'm definitely going to make this recipe and follow all your tips! I already feel less stressed.
Traci says
Awesome! Sometime you just know, right? Thank you for sharing your excitement and please do enjoy!
Gwen VanVoorhis says
You can also add moisture by adding applesauce.
Traci says
That sounds delicious! Feel free to share how much you use. Thanks!
Sue says
This came out great, especially for stuffing that is baked outside the bird. It was very moist, not dry at all. I followed your recipe exactly. Did a test run since I offered to bring a side of stuffing to my sister's home for this coming Thanksgiving. I always stuff my turkey but she prefers to roast it unstuffed and have stuffing baked separately. Since 10 servings will not be enough (have big eaters) I am going to figure out how to either double or triple the recipe depending upon the amount of guests that will be attending. If I triple the recipe do you have any suggestions as to what size pan I should use.
Traci says
Hi Sue! I LOVE that you did a test run for the big day – you are my people!
When doubling or tripling the recipe, I recommend using a 5-quart mixing bowl for the stuffing prep. Then distribute the mixture into two or three 9 x 13 baking pans or, space permitting, a full sized hotel pan and follow the recipe baking instructions as written. I've included links to these tools in the Recipe Tips section in the blog post.
Also, you'll notice that my recipes have a 2x and 3x button for scaling, which is handy, but please also notice that the gray-colored notes (next to each ingredient) do not resize when the buttons are pressed, because technology just isn't there yet lol. Let me know if you have any questions and I'm here to help. Thank you for your readership. It means the world.
Cathleen says
This stuffing looks amazing! I love making homemade stuffing, so I am so excited to try this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Traci says
Yay! I feel the excitement! Please enjoy and thanks!
JB says
Absolutely delicious with a definite timeless flavor and texture! Love the tips for getting the moisture right. Let's not forget the heavenly buttery topping. Just yum - new favorite Thanksgiving side right here!
Traci says
It's my favorite too!! It's hard to believe a few simple ingredients can do this to us LOL. Thank you for the feedback! Enjoy!