This classic Thanksgiving stuffing recipe is the quintessential holiday side dish you’ve been searching for. It strikes the perfect balance of savory herbs, rich butter, and aromatic vegetables, all baked to golden-brown perfection. Forget dry, bland stuffings; this recipe guarantees a moist, flavorful, and crowd-pleasing side that will become the star of your holiday table. It’s a straightforward, no-fail recipe that captures the traditional flavors everyone loves.
We’ve tested and perfected this recipe over the years to ensure it’s not just good, but truly unforgettable. It’s the kind of side dish that evokes memories and creates new ones, filling your home with the unmistakable aroma of Thanksgiving. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time holiday host, this guide will walk you through every step to success.
Why This Is The Best Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
What sets this recipe apart is its focus on fundamental techniques and quality ingredients. We don’t overcomplicate it. Instead, we emphasize the simple steps that make a huge difference, like using properly dried bread and building a deep flavor base with sautéed vegetables and herbs. The result is a stuffing that’s wonderfully moist on the inside with those coveted crispy, buttery edges on top.
This recipe is also incredibly versatile. We’ll provide the perfect classic foundation, but also give you ideas for easy variations. It’s designed to be your go-to guide, year after year.
Key Ingredients for Classic Stuffing
The magic of a great stuffing lies in its simple, high-quality ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need and why each component is so important.
The Best Bread for Stuffing
The foundation of any great stuffing is the bread. You need a sturdy, dry white bread. Drying the bread cubes is the most critical step to prevent a soggy final dish. Stale bread absorbs the broth and butter without turning to mush, providing the perfect texture. A simple loaf of white sandwich bread, left out to dry for a day or two, works perfectly.
The Aromatic Base
The classic combination of yellow onion and celery, sautéed in generous amounts of unsalted butter, creates the savory backbone of this dish. This step isn’t just about softening the vegetables; it’s about building a deep, aromatic flavor that infuses the entire stuffing.
Herbs and Seasonings
Thanksgiving stuffing is defined by its herbs. We use a classic trio of fresh sage, thyme, and parsley. This combination provides that quintessential holiday flavor. Salt and freshly ground black pepper are, of course, essential to tie all the flavors together.
The Liquid Gold
To moisten the bread and bind the ingredients, we use chicken or turkey broth. Using a quality broth is key, as it adds a significant amount of flavor. We also include eggs, which act as a binder and give the stuffing a slightly richer, more casserole-like consistency.
Ready to serve up the best Thanksgiving side dish.
How to Make This Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe Step-by-Step
Follow these simple steps for a flawless stuffing every time. Our detailed instructions remove all the guesswork, making this a perfect recipe for cooks of all skill levels.
Prepare the Bread: The day before, cut your bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread them on baking sheets and let them sit out overnight to dry. If you’re short on time, you can toast the bread cubes in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 15-20 minutes until dry.
Sauté the Vegetables: In a large skillet or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and celery and cook until softened and translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a very large bowl, add your dried bread cubes. Sprinkle the fresh parsley, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper over the bread and toss gently to combine.
Mix It All Together: Add the sautéed vegetable and butter mixture to the bowl with the bread. Toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
Add the Liquids: In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs and half of the chicken broth. Pour this mixture over the bread and toss to combine. Gradually add more broth until the bread cubes are moistened but not saturated. You may not need all the broth.
Bake to Perfection: Transfer the stuffing mixture to a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375°F (190°C) for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
Pro Tips for a No-Fail Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
Don’t Use Fresh Bread: Using fresh, soft bread is the number one cause of soggy stuffing. Make sure your bread is properly stale and dry.
Taste as You Go: The saltiness of your broth can vary. Taste the mixture before baking and adjust seasonings if needed.
Don’t Overmix: Toss the ingredients gently to combine. Overmixing can break down the bread and lead to a mushy texture.
For Extra Crispy Top: For an even crispier top, you can dot the surface with a few extra small pieces of butter before baking.
The perfect texture: moist on the inside, crispy on top.
Recipe Variations
While this classic recipe is fantastic as is, it’s also a great base for customization. Here are a few popular variations:
Sausage Stuffing: Brown 1 pound of breakfast sausage, drain the fat, and mix it in with the sautéed vegetables.
Fruit and Nut Stuffing: Add 1 cup of dried cranberries and 1 cup of toasted pecans or walnuts for a sweet and savory twist.
Cornbread Stuffing: Substitute half of the white bread with an equal amount of stale cornbread cubes for a Southern-style flavor.
Looking for a main course to pair with this? Our 30-Minute Baked Chicken Breast is a quick and easy option for any weeknight meal.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
The holidays can be hectic, but thankfully, this Thanksgiving stuffing recipe can be partially prepared in advance.
To Make Ahead: You can complete steps 1-4 up to 2 days in advance. Store the dry bread cube mixture in an airtight container at room temperature and the sautéed vegetables in the refrigerator. Combine all ingredients just before baking. Do not mix the wet and dry ingredients until you are ready to bake to prevent sogginess.
To Store Leftovers: Store leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To Reheat: The best way to reheat stuffing is in the oven. Place it in an oven-safe dish, add a splash of broth to remoisten, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes or until heated through. Remove the foil for the last 5 minutes to re-crisp the top.
Thanksgiving Stuffing vs. Dressing: What’s the Difference?
Technically, “stuffing” is cooked inside the turkey, while “dressing” is cooked separately in a baking dish. However, the terms are often used interchangeably today. For food safety reasons, we bake our recipe separately, so it is technically a dressing, but we still affectionately call it stuffing, as most people do!
The key to preventing soggy stuffing is to use dry, stale bread. The bread cubes should be hard and crisp before you mix them with the wet ingredients. This allows them to absorb the broth without turning to mush.
A sturdy white bread is the best choice for a classic stuffing. You can use a simple sandwich loaf, challah, or brioche. The most important thing is that the bread is stale and dry, not fresh and soft.
Yes, you can do most of the prep work ahead. You can dry the bread and sauté the vegetables a day or two in advance. However, you should wait to combine the wet and dry ingredients until you are ready to bake to ensure the best texture.
For the best texture—a moist interior and a crispy top—we recommend baking the stuffing uncovered for the entire time. This allows the top to get beautifully golden-brown and delicious.
You can, but fresh herbs provide a much brighter, more distinct flavor. If you must use dried herbs, use about one-third of the amount called for in the recipe (e.g., 1 teaspoon of dried sage instead of 1 tablespoon of fresh).
More Holiday Favorites
After you’ve perfected your stuffing, you might be looking for dessert. Be sure to check out our favorite Holiday Cheesecake Recipes for a spectacular finish to your meal.
Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
FL Recipes
Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe (The Only One You’ll Ever Need)
This classic Thanksgiving stuffing recipe is foolproof, delivering a moist, flavorful, and perfectly savory side dish with a crispy, golden-brown top. Made with simple ingredients like stale bread, aromatic vegetables, and fresh herbs, it's the only stuffing recipe you'll ever need for the holidays.
1loaf (16 ounces)white breadcut into 1-inch cubes and dried overnight
1/2cupunsalted butter
2largeyellow onionschopped
4stalkscelerychopped
1/4cupfresh parsleychopped
1tablespoonfresh sagechopped
1tablespoonfresh thymechopped
1 1/2teaspoonssalt
1/2teaspoonblack pepperfreshly ground
2largeeggslightly beaten
4cupschicken or turkey brothlow-sodium
Equipment
1 9x13 inch Baking Dish
1 Large Skillet
1 Large Mixing Bowl
Method
If you haven't already, ensure your bread cubes are thoroughly dry. If needed, spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15-20 minutes until crisp.
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8-10 minutes.
In a very large bowl, combine the dried bread cubes, chopped parsley, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Pour the cooked vegetable and butter mixture over the bread cubes and toss gently to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with 2 cups of the broth. Pour over the bread mixture and toss to moisten. Gradually add more broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, until the bread is moist but not soggy. You may not need all 4 cups.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer.
Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked through.
Nutrition
Calories: 250kcalProtein: 8gFat: 10gFiber: 3g
Notes
Tip 1: Using stale, dry bread is the most important step for preventing soggy stuffing. Don't skip it! Tip 2: For a richer flavor, use turkey broth made from your Thanksgiving turkey drippings. Tip 3: Feel free to customize by adding cooked sausage, dried cranberries, or toasted nuts.
Keyword classic stuffing,holiday side dish,thanksgiving stuffing
We hope you love this Thanksgiving stuffing recipe as much as we do! If you make it, please leave a comment below and let us know how it turned out. Don’t forget to save it to your favorite holiday board on Pinterest!
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Hi, I’m Emily Carter, and welcome to FL Recipes! I share simple, healthy recipes that make cooking easy, fun, and delicious for everyone. more about me »
