Thanksgiving Stuffing {Classic Herb Stuffing}
Homemade Thanksgiving stuffing is a million times tastier than boxed stuffing. The flavor is fresh, unprocessed and completely delicious.
I know that prepackaged, boxed stuffing makes a major appearance during Thanksgiving.
Part of me completely understands – I mean Thanksgiving is the craziest of all cooking days with the oven doing quadruple duty and a little shortcut here and there never hurts.
But the other part of me is hoping I can change the trend and bring homemade stuffing back to the Thanksgiving table.
I tried homemade stuffing for the first time four years ago. And I can never go back.
There is absolutely no comparison between homemade stuffing and the other “stuff”ing.
The flavor is fresh, unprocessed and completely delicious. In my house we prefer stuffing to be a bit on the chewy, crunchy side of things.
No soggy bread for me, thank you very much. The dreamy thing about this recipe is you can have it however you like – soft and dare I say, mushy…or firm and tender.
Either way, this is the best stuffing I’ve ever had.
Make Ahead Tip:
When I make this stuffing, I always toast the bread in the oven the night before. I also chop up all the vegetables and cook them the night before, refrigerating after they are cooled. Finally, I combine the seasonings in one small bowl. The day of, I can throw everything together and bake it quickly.
Stuffing
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons butter, plus more for dish and baking
- 1 loaf rustic/artisan/crusty white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 9 1/2 cups bread cubes)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 2 medium onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced in half-moons
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ to 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, rubbed between fingers to crumble lightly
- 3 to 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Melt 5 tablespoons butter in the microwave. Toss with bread cubes in a large bowl. Spread in a single layer on 1 or 2 rimmed baking sheets. Toast in the oven, tossing once, until golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Heat the oil and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter has melted. Add celery, onions, garlic, and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and soft, about 10 minutes.
- To bake all of the stuffing in the oven: (this is my preferred method) Put vegetable mixture and toasted bread into large bowl. Stir in poultry seasoning, herbs, and 2 cups broth into stuffing. Stir in 4 eggs until bread mixture is well coated. Spoon into a buttered 13-by-9-inch baking dish, and dot generously with butter. Cover with foil, and bake in a 375° oven for 25 minutes. Uncover, and bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes more.
- To stuff inside of turkey: Put vegetable mixture and toasted bread into a bowl. Stir in 1 cup broth, the poultry seasoning, and herbs; season with salt and pepper. Stir in 3 eggs. Stuff inside of turkey and bake.
Recipe Source: adapted from Martha Stewart
Made this recipe to see if I could do it for thanksgiving and not only was it easy to make but my husband said it’s the best stuffing he’s ever had and I have to make it again for thanksgiving. Thanks for another home run Mel!
Awesome, Janey!!
This is now my go to stuffing. I have never received more complements then I did with this stuffing. It is sooooo Good! It is buttery and seasoned perfectly. Make this you won’t be disappointed.
I cook holiday meals at our local American Legion and have been making stuffing like this for the last couple years. I start making the croutons in October whenever we have leftover bread. It takes a LOT of bread cubes to make stuffing for 150-200 people! I toast the cubes a little longer to make sure they are dry all the way through and store them in industrial size plastic containers till Thanksgiving. People rave over this recipe!
You have solved the Johnson family stuffing crisis. I had no doubt that you could. My sweet mom makes bad stuffing, but she has insisted in “trying again” for years. This year I gently asked her if I could give it a try, as I saw this recipe and knew it would be great. We had Thanksgiving last night, and, of course, it was delicious. You never steer me wrong! Stuffing is now my job from here on out, and I am pretty happy about that!
I used a loaf of homemade crusty sourdough for the bread. I think that I used a bit more broth to make sure that the bread was soft enough. But, it was delicious! I ran out of leftovers and thinking about making another batch of stuffing! Thanks for sharing your recipes!!!
Do you think I could freeze this and reheat on Thanksgiving? I try to make ahead as much as possible. If so, would you bake first and then freeze?
I haven’t ever frozen stuffing, so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out, but if you try it, I would bake it and then freeze it.
Hi Mel! Can you taste the eggs in the stuffing? I really hate eggs. How will the stuffing be different if I leave them out? I’ve never made stuffing before, and I’m so nervous!
I don’t think you can really taste the eggs – they act as a binder so the stuffing holds together. If you leave them out, the stuffing probably won’t be quite as moist and might be more piecemeal in texture.
Ok quick question. We love this stuffing!! My son has developed a dairy allergy and can’t have very much butter. Do you think I could use half the butter/half olive oil instead? Or will it make it too oily? This is his favorite part of thanksgiving dinner, so I’m trying to think of a way to adapt it so he can enjoy it too. Thank you always for your fabulous recipes!! You are a rockstar at our house!!
Yes, I think that should work!
Mel ~ I made this for Thanksgiving and it was simply perfect. This is the first time I have ever made stuffing from scratch and I will never go back. Easy, tasty and a big hit at our Thanksgiving table which this year was just my husband and I due to Covid-19 concerns. I confess we ate it all up in three days of Thanksgiving leftovers. Thank you! I have never been disappointed with your recipes ~ EVAH ( as we say in Maine).
Ah, thank you so much!!
This was my favorite Thanksgiving dish this year! The seasonings were perfect!
Mel, I got so many compliments on this…and it was so easy! Thank you!!
I have an artisan french baguette- all the store really had in the artisan/ crunchy category. Will that work? Also wondering how it would do to cook in the morning before the turkey goes in then reheat while the turkey is resting, or just try to cook them at the same time. Thanks!
Yes, I think that will work as long as it isn’t so much crust that there is hardly any crumb to the baguette. I feel like stuffing doesn’t reheat super well, so if you can cook them at the same time, that might be best.
So we like to stuff the turkey with dressing but also have some cook separately. Can I just follow the directions to bake it in the oven but just throw some of that into the bird?
Hi Carrie – sorry for the late response…yes, you can use this for stuffing in the turkey but just make sure it cooks to a proper temperature so it is food safe.
Would you be able to bake this at 350 once prepared? I have two ovens, but neither will be set to 375 – eek!
Yes! Just extend the time for a little bit. Should be good!
I made this over the weekend as a ‘dry run’ for Thanksgiving. I thought it was fantastic! Just as I want my dressing to me: soft but not soggy and aromatic without being too heavy on spices. I used 1 can of chicken broth (about 1.5 to 2 cups) and 4 eggs. I plan to double this for the crew I’m hosting next
week. Think I can just bake it in one large foil pan? Maybe increase the cooking time as it’ll be thicker?
Yeah, I think you could double in a large aluminum pan and increase the time. Good luck! Glad you loved it!
Hi!
Do you happen to remember how long you baked the doubled recipe?
Thanks!
I have made this stuffing the last two years and my family LOVES it! They liked stuffing before but never like this! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you post. We love them!
This was an amazing recipe!! My family loved it. Not too soggy & not too dry. Thank you!!
Has anyone tried fresh sage, rosemary and thyme ? I have them growing in my garden but don’t know how much to use.
I’m curious about the eggs in this recipe. I grew up on delicious MUSHY stuffing scooped out of the turkey but eggs were never involved. Our stuffing was/is nice and sticky so the eggs wouldn’t be needed for binding….what exactly is the purpose of the eggs? (I’m imagining bread pudding?) Other than the eggs, our recipes are quite similar…I’m excited to try my own bread for the cubes this year!
Hey Sandra – the eggs give it a richer texture and help with binding the mixture together but there are many commenters who have left out the eggs (and increased the broth as needed).
Thanks Mel!
Thank you for this recipe! Worth all the time to make. I used your artisan bread recipe and it was the best stuffing ever!
Thank you for this recipe! Worth all the time to make. I used your artisan bread recipe and it was best stuffing ever!
I helped my daughter make this recipe for Thanksgiving and my family just went on and on about the stuffing! We just used a loaf of white bakery bread without a thick crust and no eggs. Just didn’t think eggs belonged in stuffing. But the best part was I made your crockpot turkey breast and gravy and added the turkey broth to the stuffing instead of making it into gravy. I think that is what made it the best stuffing ever! Your recipes are so trustworthy that I made 2 recipes for the first time on Thanksgiving day. Thank you! You’re awesome! Hope your Thanksgiving was grand!
LOVED this recipe! I felt pressure to make my mother-in-laws stuffing this thanksgiving but wanted something a little different. The flavor in this stuffing was perfect. I did tweak the amount of liquid added which is totally based on preference. Thank you Mel! I have never commented on your site before but I love your recipes! Definitely my go-to site!!!
Thanks, Katie!
Hi Mel!
I’ll be using your “2 hour turkey” recipe this year and wanted to know if I should stuff the turkey using this stuffing recipe or cook them separately? Also is there a way to get a crispy skin on the turkey?
I’ve never stuffed the turkey to roast this way – I don’t think it’s recommended for a turkey like this that cooks so quickly because there could be food safety issues if the stuffing doesn’t reach the right temperature.
This stuffing is flavored perfectly! This will be made in my home for years to come. 🙂
In the recipe it says to preheat at 350° but bake at 375°. Is that correct? If so, why does the temp of preheat make a difference?
The 350 temp is for browning the bread ahead of time. The prepared stuffing bakes at 375 degrees.
Hi Mel, I apologize in advance if I missed this same question in the comments already, but any suggestions for a crockpot version of this? There’s no more room at the inn, if you know what I mean. ; 0)
I can’t remember if anyone else tried it in the slow cooker but I haven’t myself so I’m can’t tell you how it will work out for sure. You could bake it ahead of time and reheat it for 15-20 minutes (while the other dishes rest) if you are out of oven space.
Thank you for the dressing/stuffing recipe.
I gave up on making my grandma’s and mother’s dressing after it turned out no better than the boxed stuff. My mother died when I was 29, so I only had her written recipe to go by. Well, you filled in the blanks, with your recipe, and this is the first year since 1979 it tasted like home here. I used my mom’s ingredients plus yours and your technique, and it was as close as I ever hope to come. My family used milk for the moistening ingredient, so it is a gooey-er dressing, but that’s what we’ve been missing. Apparently, there are “bread pudding style” dressings, and the crouton, drier types. By combining some of yours and most of my grandma’s, we went back in time to the old tastes. My husband (of 42 years) was wild about it, too. Thank you so much! Baking it gives a crispy top, so it is not soggy.
I can’t wait to try your stuffing this year (also making your bribed turkey and gravy :). One question – I noticed quite a range of broth in the ingredients list. Do you usually end up using the full 2c.? What consistency should I be looking for in that step? Thanks so much!!!
Lissi – I don’t like really soggy bread/stuffing, so I don’t use the full amount. It really depends on how moist you like your stuffing. If you like it traditionally most, you probably want all 2 cups – if you like it a bit more crispy on top and soft in the middle, I’d shoot for 1 1/2 cups or so.
I’m excited to give this a shot and I was picking the ingredients up this morning. The lady at the bakery told me that “all artisan is sourdough.” Is that true? Will a sourdough loaf work well in this recipe? I was hesitant since I’m the only one in my family who likes sourdough bread, so I wanted to make sure before I messed up the Thanksgiving stuffing. 🙂
Jessica – hmmm, that’s not necessarily true about the bread, at least what I know. There are many artisan loaves that aren’t sourdough. I’ve never used sourdough for this stuffing. I’m sure it will work just fine but you’ll definitely get the strong taste of sourdough in the stuffing. I use more of a rustic, Italian loaf.