Some know this Thanksgiving hero as “stuffing” and others as “dressing.” However you refer to it, our cornbread dressing is a homey, herbaceous, filling side dish that’s quintessential for Thanksgiving dinner. We’ll show you how to make cornbread dressing step-by-step so it’s nearly impossible to mess up.
Cornbread Dressing Ingredients
- Cornbread: Our homemade cornbread dressing is true to its name, right down to the from-scratch pan of cornbread itself. You can certainly buy pre-made cornbread or boxed cornbread from the store.
- Bread: Toast and cube up 10 slices of bread. Sandwich bread is best here, but you can use challah, French bread, sourdough or English muffins.
- Vegetables: Chopped celery and onions add flavor and a nice bite of texture.
- Bouillon and broth: You’ll need both bouillon granules and broth to add moisture to this cornbread dressing recipe.
- Eggs: One egg is used to make the cornbread recipe and two eggs bind together all the dressing ingredients.
- Herbs: This homemade cornbread dressing is super herbaceous thanks to the hearty, rich, warming blend of sage, thyme, rosemary, basil, poultry seasoning and parsley flakes.
Directions
Step 1: Create the cornbread batter
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, milk and oil. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture just until blended.
Step 2: Bake
Scrape the batter into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Bake the cornbread until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cornbread completely in a pan on a wire rack.
Step 3: Crumble the cornbread
Crumble the cornbread into a large bowl so it’s in little pieces. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°.
Step 4: Stir in the bread cubes
Toss the toasted bread cubes into the cornbread crumbs until evenly mixed.
Step 5: Cook the veggies
In a nonstick skillet, cook the celery and onion in the canola oil until the vegetables are tender, about six minutes. Stir the vegetables into the cornbread mixture.
Step 6: Add in the bouillon, broth, eggs and herbs
In a small bowl, dissolve the bouillon in the boiling water. In a large bowl, whisk together the broth, eggs, seasonings and bouillon mixture. Pour the broth mixture over the cornbread mixture, and toss to coat evenly.
Editor’s Tip: Let the hydrated bouillon cool slightly before adding to the egg mixture so you don’t cook the eggs.
Step 7: Bake
Transfer the cornbread dressing to a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the cornbread dressing and bake until the top is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes longer.
Recipe Variations
- Add more vegetables: One of our favorite vegetables to add is mushrooms, like in this sausage and mushroom cornbread stuffing recipe. Carrots, zucchini and butternut squash are easy to add, too.
- Toss in sweet components: Chopped-up apples, pears and dried cranberries or cherries kick up a small hint of sweetness to offset all the rich, herbaceous and savory flavors.
- Make it meaty: Cook up some bacon, pork, sausages or turkey and fold it into the cornbread dressing before it bakes in the oven.
- Don’t be shy about nuts: Pecans and walnuts are excellent additions to any dressing or stuffing. Their nutty flavor and crunchy texture bulk up the cornbread dressing recipe pleasantly.
How to Store Cornbread Dressing
Cornbread dressing will last up to four days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Just let the dressing cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge.
You can also freeze this cornbread dressing for up to one month. Once you’re ready to eat it, let the cornbread dressing thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat it in a 350° oven until warmed through.
Can you make cornbread dressing ahead of time?
To get started on this cornbread dressing recipe ahead of time, bake the pan of cornbread, let it cool to room temperature, cover it with storage wrap and let it sit at room temperature for a day or two.
Cornbread Dressing Tips
What’s the difference between cornbread stuffing and cornbread dressing?
There is zero difference between stuffing and dressing, so long as both are cooked outside the turkey. Originally, stuffing recipes were cooked inside the bird, while dressings have always been cooked outside the bird. However, with many people questioning the safety of cooking stuffing in a turkey, it’s much more common to see stuffing cooked outside the bird nowadays, eliminating any difference between these quintessential Thanksgiving sides.
Why is my cornbread mushy?
Your cornbread might have turned out mushy if you packed it into a baking dish that is too small. Anything smaller than a 13×9-inch baking pan will have less surface area to crisp the cornbread dressing, keeping it wet and mushy. If you don’t have a 13×9-inch pan, you can use a 12 inch skillet, two 9 inch round pans or two 8 inch square pans instead.
