Traditional Stuffing Recipe

Homemade Stuffing Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this traditional stuffing recipe.

Celery and Onion: Celery and onion are classic veggie choices for turkey stuffing. These ingredients enhance the savory flavor and add texture to balance out the softness of the bread cubes.

Bread Cubes: You may as well call this bread stuffing, because tasty bread cubes are truly the star! For an evenly baked homemade dressing, make sure your cubes are uniform in size and shape. For fans of putting food “waste” to good use, try designating a large resealable freezer bag as your bread “pantry” leading up to your Thanksgiving meal. Add pieces of leftover bakery bread that’s just starting to dry out, or the small end pieces of your favorite sliced bread loaves. Store these offcuts in the freezer until you’re ready to make stuffing, then let them thaw and tear or coarsely chop the bread into chunks.

Butter: Cooking the fresh veggies in salted butter ensures the best flavor while bringing much-needed moisture that binds your stuffing together.

Herbs and Spices: Sage, thyme, salt, and pepper create the traditional yet bold and vibrant flavor you know and love from homemade stuffing recipes, but feel free to experiment and (even liberally) add some of your favorite herbs.

Chicken or Vegetable Broth (Optional): If you’re a fan of super moist bread stuffing that really clumps together well, try out these optional tips! Make the stuffing just before you bake it so the bread stays moist. After mixing up the rest of your stuffing ingredients, gently toss with chicken or vegetable broth (between a few tablespoons and 1/4 cup) to soften up the bread even more.

The Best Bread for Stuffing

Not sure what kind of bread to use in this homemade stuffing recipe? You’ve got plenty of options! Many types of artisan-style bread will work, from sourdough and rye to whole-grain and garlicky herb. Check out your grocery store or local bakery to see what’s in stock. For the best bread stuffing, make sure to pick a loaf with a soft yet sturdy texture—you want the bread cubes to hold their shape instead of crumbling or becoming mushy.

Sourdough: We love using sourdough for this stuffing recipe. Sourdough cubes are sturdy enough to hold their shape yet absorbent enough to hold a ton of flavor. Just try not to pick a loaf with a super thick crunchy crust—this may distract from the overall texture of your final dish.

Italian Bread: Bakery-style Italian bread is another one we’d recommend using. You want something perfectly sturdy with a tight crumb rather than a light, airy loaf—and this one takes the cake!

French Bread: A relatively soft-textured loaf with a thin, crisp crust, this option is one of our favorites for a moist and flavorful bread stuffing.

Sandwich Bread: We wouldn’t recommend using sandwich bread for this homemade stuffing recipe—the softness causes the bread cubes to crumble when tossed with the other ingredients. It can also result in a pudding-like texture when baked into stuffing. Save this one for sandwiches!

Leftover Bread: Like mentioned above, saving bread scraps and opting for a mixed bread base is always a great choice. You’ll put good use to some food that may have otherwise been tossed, and you’ll give the dressing a unique mixture custom to your already-enjoyed bread preferences.

Flavorful Spices for Turkey Stuffing

Classic turkey stuffing or bread stuffing is known for its well-seasoned, delicious taste and fragrant smell. This easy stuffing recipe uses a simple blend of savory herbs and spices to really bring the flavor.

Thyme: Fresh or dried, this aromatic herb delivers a distinct smell and a strong yet balanced blend of herbal flavors. It tastes slightly minty and a little bit peppery, but it also has some sweet and floral notes. Thyme is often used to elevate soups, meats, and vegetables—and you’ll find this earthy seasoning in most stuffing recipes!

Sage: With a pungent aroma and a strong musky, minty taste, sage brings a vibrant flavor to classic Thanksgiving stuffing recipes. Sage is well-known and loved as a bold addition to many homestyle dishes. This easy stuffing recipe uses ground, dried sage, which has a slightly stronger flavor than fresh sage leaves.

Salt and Pepper: We’d never skip salt and pepper when making stuffing—it perfectly rounds out the flavor of this classic savory dish.

Parsley: If you’d like, try adding some chopped fresh Italian parsley to your stuffing. This ingredient brings an extra pop of color and a fresh note that balances out the earthy flavors of thyme and sage.

How to Make Stuffing

Homemade stuffing recipes aren’t always quick and easy to follow—but this easy stuffing recipe is! Here’s a quick rundown of how to make stuffing in 4 simple steps. Once you’ve got this summary down, read on for the full step-by-step instructions.

Grease Baking Dish

Ready to make this bread stuffing? Grab your casserole dish and grease it up. Make sure your ingredients are all available and prepped to get started.

Melt Butter and Cook Veggies

Time to get those family-favorite stuffing flavors going! Pull out your Dutch oven and add the butter to melt over medium-high heat. This recipe calls for normal salted butter, but you're welcome to brown it for a fun and easy flavor variation. Next, you'll want to add the chopped celery and onion and let them cook in your freshly melted butter until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove the Dutch oven from heat.

Toss Ingredients

Next, you’ll add the bread cubes, thyme, sage, salt and pepper to the celery mixture. Toss it all together with a spoon until the bread cubes are evenly coated. Keep a gentle touch as you mix—we don’t want the bread cubes to lose their shape!

Bake

Add the stuffing to your casserole dish and cover it with foil (or an oven-safe lid). Set it in the oven to bake—your whole kitchen is bound to start smelling heavenly! After 30 minutes, remove the foil or lid and then let the stuffing bake for another 15 minutes. However you serve it up, this perfectly moist, aromatic bread stuffing is all ready to please a crowd.

What to Serve with Stuffing

You’ll always find turkey stuffing on the Thanksgiving table—and thanks to this easy stuffing recipe, it’s never been simpler to make. Cooking up a full Thanksgiving spread? Here are some of our favorite mains and sides to serve with this tasty dish.

Turkey: A succulent and tender-to-the-bone turkey is a must-make for Thanksgiving—and we’ve got some recipes you’ll definitely want to try this year. Our Brined Whole Turkey is a family-favorite main that always brings the flavor!

Mashed Potatoes: Don’t forget the spuds—creamy, savory mashed potatoes make a classic side dish at holiday gatherings of all kinds. Check out our Thanksgiving recipes to find one that suits your taste!

Roasted Vegetables: From garlicky green beans to honey-glazed roasted carrots, you’ve got plenty of veggie options to choose from. We’re big fans of roasting veggies for family-style meals—it’s a super quick and easy way to bring out the flavor.