No Thanksgiving meal is complete without stuffing—said every family except for mine, apparently. For some reason, we didn’t have a signature recipe for family stuffing (or dressing, if you prefer). I don’t have memories of Grandma making a homemade stuffing the day before the feast while Mom and I prepared Thanksgiving pies, or stories of the year someone put raisins in the stuffing to be “different” and everyone wished they’d just made traditional stuffing instead.
But there is always time to make new memories, and this no-frills, easy stuffing recipe is a great place to get started. For those of you who grew up with the side dish, this version may remind you of your mom’s stuffing. It’s wildly flavorful and completely neutral, all at the same time. The herb-infused, buttery bread cubes have character—no doubt—but the flavor isn’t so robust that it will overwhelm the other dishes on the table.
Stuffing Ingredients
- Bread: We use day-old French bread for this Thanksgiving stuffing recipe. Its neutral, almost bland character allows it to soak up the flavors of the butter, broth and spices. If you want to substitute another type of bread, you’ll need 1-1/2 pounds day-old bread or about 27 cups cubed bread.
- Butter: Sauteing the stuffing vegetables in butter adds richness to the stuffing. Feel free to substitute another cooking oil, like saved bacon grease or olive oil, for dairy-free stuffing.
- Celery and onion: These aromatic vegetables add moisture, flavor and texture to stuffing.
- Garlic: Garlic adds depth and gives the stuffing a savory edge. Not everyone is a garlic lover, though, so feel free to omit it.
- Chicken broth: The bread may be the star of the show, but the stuffing gets all its flavor from the broth and seasonings. If you don’t have time to make homemade chicken broth, make sure to choose a high-quality store-bought broth. You could use vegetable broth for vegetarian stuffing, or turkey broth if you happen to have it on hand.
- Herbs and spices: The combination of fresh parsley, rubbed sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper adds a fresh, herbaceous quality to the stuffing. It’s subtle enough that you can’t pick out a particular herb yet bold enough that you know they’re there.
Directions
Step 1: Saute the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, saute the onions and celery in butter until tender. Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer.
Step 2: Assemble the stuffing
Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. Add the broth, parsley, sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the bread cubes until mixed.
Editor’s Tip:Â We don’t add eggs to this stuffing recipe because the broth and butter provide plenty of moisture and richness. However, if you prefer a firmer, more held-together stuffing, feel free to add an egg during this step.
Step 3: Bake the stuffing
Spoon the stuffing into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. The dish will be full. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through.
Editor’s Tip: To make this in a stuffed turkey, loosely stuff the turkey and tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string. Bake the turkey until the stuffing reaches an internal temperature of 165°.
Stuffing Variations
- Use cornbread: For stuffing with a lighter, more crumbly texture, use cornbread for some (or all) of the bread cubes. Make the cornbread from scratch as we do in this cornbread dressing recipe, or use cornbread stuffing cubes for a quick cornbread dressing.
- Include flavorful additions: Add leeks, shallots or fennel when sauteing the onions and celery. Or include mushrooms to make mushroom stuffing. You can also add non-veggie additions like toasted nuts (especially chopped chestnuts for chestnut stuffing), dried cranberries or fresh fruit for a recipe like apple stuffing.
- Make it gluten-free: Swap in day-old gluten-free bread to make gluten-free stuffing. These are our Test Kitchen’s picks for the best gluten-free bread.
- Add some meat: Add cooked meats like bacon, pancetta or pork sausage for sausage stuffing. For a fun change of pace, try adding oysters to make oyster stuffing.
- Try it in the slow cooker: To make slow-cooker stuffing, transfer the stuffing mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for three to four hours or until a thermometer reads 160°.
How to Store Stuffing
Once cooled, store stuffing in the refrigerator in a covered baking dish or an airtight container. It will last for up to four days. The easy stuffing recipe will dry out more quickly in the baking dish, so transfer the contents to a storage container if you plan to keep it for more than one day.
Can you make stuffing ahead of time?
This easy stuffing recipe is a great make-ahead dish! Assemble and bake the stuffing, and let the dish cool slightly. Store it, covered, in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, take the dish out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead of time to take the chill off. Reheat the stuffing as directed below.
Can you freeze stuffing?
Stuffing is one of those Thanksgiving leftovers that freezes well. Freeze the stuffing in a freezer-safe container for up to one month. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
How do you reheat stuffing?
Reheat stuffing in a 350° oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until warmed through. If it looks a little dry, add a splash of broth to the pan and cover it for the first 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat individual portions in a 320° air fryer for about five minutes or until warmed through.
Stuffing Tips
What is the best bread for stuffing?
We use French bread for this easy stuffing recipe because its neutral flavor is well-suited for soaking in the flavors of the other ingredients. However, you can use almost any bread for a homemade stuffing recipe. Try dark rye, challah, Italian bread, biscuits, English muffins or sourdough for sourdough stuffing. It’s best to avoid thinly sliced sandwich bread, which is too thin to create the substance and texture needed for a good stuffing.
How do you dry bread for stuffing?
Day-old bread is the best choice for a Thanksgiving stuffing recipe because it’s already dry, but you can dry fresh bread cubes in the oven. After cutting the bread into cubes, bake them in a 325° oven for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven when the exterior is dried but not yet toasted.
What do you serve with stuffing?
Stuffing is a classic Thanksgiving side dish because its light flavor pairs well with poultry like turkey or chicken. However, stuffing is also a fine accompaniment for bolder-flavored entrees like beef or ham. You can also turn the homemade stuffing recipe into the main dish by mixing in a protein like sausage.
