Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (2024)

Published: by Susie Weinrich · This post may contain affiliate links. 41 Comments

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Homemade Stuffing is a staple side dish for every Thanksgiving table! This is a traditional recipe made with dried bread cubes mixed with onions and celery sauteed in plenty of butter then mixed with herbs and broth (and more butter) and baked until golden and delicious!

Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (1)

If you prefer your stuffing with a little sausage, pop over to this recipe for Sausage Stuffing.

Set the perfect holiday table with Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn Casserole, Green Bean Casserole, Turkey, and this Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe!

Table of Contents hide

1 Stuffing or Dressing?

2 Bread

3 Five Star Recipe Review!

4 Making Bread Cubes Stale

5 How to Make Homemade Stuffing

6 Doubling The Recipe

7 More Holiday Recipes To Love

8 Did you make this recipe?!

9 Homemade Stuffing Recipe

Stuffing or Dressing?

The old argument – is it stuffing or dressing?

Traditionally you call this dish stuffing only if it is stuffed and cooked inside of the turkey. It is dressing if it is served on the side of the turkey.

Even though this recipe is not cooked INSIDE of the bird I am still calling it stuffing. That has more to do with people being able to find it on the internet than tradition.

Bread

Bread is the main ingredient in traditional stuffing (dressing). So you want to make sure that you buy a nice hearty bread that will stand up to the butter, eggs and broth that are added.

Look for a thicker cut, quality bread. I have used these brands and they work perfectly:

  • Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Bread
  • Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White, Butter or Potato Bread
Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (2)

You will also want to make sure that your bread is stale. This is key to allowing the bread to absorb the butter, broth and eggs, which makes your stuffing so buttery and golden!

“Wonderful recipe! I’ve made it once with the Artesano bread (came out amazing!) and once with Udi’s gluten free hot dog buns – also came out amazing. I have been using recipes from your website for a few years now, and have yet to find a recipe that isn’t excellent. Thank you for the work you do – you’ve added variety and yum to my monthly meal rotations as well as to our holidays.” -Vic

Five Star Recipe Review!

Making Bread Cubes Stale

You have 2 options to make your bread nice and stale for this stuffing recipe:

  1. Overnight– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and let it sit on a sheet pan, on the counter overnight.
  2. Quick Method– Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and spread on a large sheet pan. Dry in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes so it doesn’t brown. (You will have time for this while the onions and celery soften!)
Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (3)

How to Make Homemade Stuffing

You can also watch Susie make this Stuffing Recipe and Sausage Stuffing Recipe on a 30 minute episode of Pinterest TV!

Make sure that you are starting with stale bread cubes -see the section above for help with that!

  1. Prep The Oven and Baking Dish
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and generously butter a 9×9 baking pan, if doubling use a 9×13 or 10×15 baking pan.

  3. Saute Onions and Celery
  4. In a large skillet over medium heat melt the ¾ cup butter. Add the onions and celery and sauté until they are completely softened, this will take about 20 minutes.

  5. Add Herbs and Seasonings
  6. Off the heat stir in the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, marjoram, fresh chopped sage, and fresh chopped parsley.

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (4)
  7. Add Liquid & Combine with Bread
  8. In a separate bowl whisk together the 2 eggs and cup of chicken broth.

    In a large bowl stir together the onion/herb mixture and stale bread cubes. Now pour in the egg/broth mixture and stir until the bread absorbs the liquid.

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (5)
  9. Pour In Pan and Add Butter
  10. Pour into the buttered pan. Cube 2 tablespoon of butter and dot the top of the stuffing.

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (6)
  11. Bake
  12. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. If you like a really crispy top you can broil for the last minute or two!

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (7)

Doubling The Recipe

If you are hosting a larger crowd you can absolutely double this stuffing recipe. Simply double all the ingredients, bake in a 9×13 or 10×15 dish, and the baking time will be the same.

Short Cut: Hover your cursor over the servings in the recipe card, when the slider appears, slide it +/- for the amount of people you are serving. It will change all the ingredient amounts for you!!

More Holiday Recipes To Love

  • Thanksgiving Pumpkin Trifle Dessert
  • Canned Cranberry Sauce Recipe
  • Super Flavorful Gravy Without Drippings
  • Classic Green Bean Casserole
  • Easy Meals for House Guests

Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (14)

Did you make this recipe?!

If you make this recipe I would love to hear your review. Pop down to the comment section and connect with me.

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Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (15)

Homemade Stuffing Recipe

A traditional recipe for Homemade Stuffing made with dried bread cubes mixed with onions and celery sauteed in plenty of butter then mixed with herbs and broth (and more butter) and baked until golden and delicious!

It is the perfect stuffing recipe for your Thanksgiving table! Can easily be doubled for a crowd.

4.96 from 41 votes

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 people

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 12 cups Stale White Bread – cut into 1 inch cubes (approx 1 lb 4 oz loaf of bread – see notes below for details)
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoon butter divided
  • 1 large yellow or white onion chopped
  • 2 cup celery, chopped stalks and leaves!
  • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon marjoram
  • 3 tablespoon (heaping) fresh sage , chopped
  • cup fresh parsley , chopped – Curly or Italian will work
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup chicken broth or stock

Instructions

Stale Bread Cubes

  • Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes.

    12 cups Stale White Bread – cut into 1 inch cubes

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (16)

  • Make the bread stale by one of the two options:

    A. Overnight – Lay the bread cubes on a sheet pan on the counter overnight to dry out.

    B. Quick Method – Preheat the oven to 250°, lay the bread cubes on a sheet pan and pop in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes.

Stuffing

  • Preheat the oven to 350° and prep a 9×9 baking dish by generously greasing with butter or oil. (if you are doubling the recipe use a 9×13 or 10×15 baking dish)

  • In a large saute pan over medium heat melt ¾ cup butter. Add the onions and celery and saute until they are completely softened, this will take about 20 minutes.

    1 large yellow or white onion, 2 cup celery, chopped

  • Off the heat add the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, marjoram, fresh sage and parsley to the onions.

    1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, ½ teaspoon marjoram, 3 tablespoon (heaping) fresh sage, ⅓ cup fresh parsley

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (17)

  • In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and broth.

    2 eggs, 1 cup chicken broth or stock

  • Add the bread cubes to a large bowl, pour the onions/herb mixture over the bread and stir to combine.

    Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and stir until the liquid is absorbed.

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (18)

  • Pour the stuffing mixture into the buttered baking dish. Cube the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter and dot the top of the stuffing.

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (19)

  • Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

    For an extra crispy top turn the broiler on for a minute or two!

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (20)

  • Serve right away!

Notes:

Bread: You want a nice thick and hearty bread. Some brands that have worked for me in the past are Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Bread, Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse White, Butter or Potato Bread.

Doubling the recipe: Simply double the all the ingredients, you can also hover your cursor over the servings above and use the slider to change the serving amount. It will also change the ingredient amounts for you. However you will want to bake the stuffing in a 9×13 or 10×15 baking dish. You will bake for the same amount of time.

To make a meat stuffing, pop over to this recipe for Sausage Stuffing!

You can also watch Susie make this stuffing recipe and sausage stuffing recipe on a 30 minutes episode of Pinterest TV!

Did you try this recipe? Connect with me & let me know how it turned out by commenting below!

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If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.

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About Susie Weinrich

Susie Weinrich is the recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator behind Mom's Dinner. She has over 20 years experience in the food industry. Currently, Susie shares all her recipes and food knowledge on Mom's Dinner. You will find her recipes are easy to follow and full of tips and tricks to make sure the recipe you are making turns out perfect!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    We would love to have you comment & rate the recipe!

  1. Vic

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (25)
    Wonderful recipe! I’ve made it once with the artesano bread (came out amazing!) and once with Udi’s gluten free hot dog buns – also came out amazing. I have been using recipes from your website for a few years now, and have yet to find a recipe that isn’t excellent. Thank you for the work you do – you’ve added variety and yum to my monthly meal rotations as well as to our holidays.

    Reply

    • Susie Weinrich

      Thank you so much, Vic! I LOVE that you said you made it with gluten free hot dog buns and it still worked, this is the kind of info that helps others that are making making this recipe! Happy Holidays to you.

      Reply

  2. Rita

    Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (26)
    I made this 2 times now. The bottom of it gets too brown. I used cooking spray on the pan before putting everything in pan. What causes it to brown on the bottom like that?

    Reply

    • Susie Weinrich

      I’m sorry that happened to you, I haven’t experienced that. Is it burning on the bottom or just crisping/browning? A couple things can make that happen, but my first question would be are you using a dark or metal baking pan? That can definitely cause the over browning. A glass, ceramic or glazed cast iron pan will work best.

      Reply

  3. Gail

    I need 4 cups of stuffing for a turkey casserole I am making. Would your homemade stuffing recipe in the square pan give me that amount?

    Reply

    • Susie Weinrich

      Absolutely! You will have more than enough. That square pan is STUFFED! You should have around 8-10 cups.

      Reply

  4. Sp

    Can this be made a day ahead of time? Thanks

    Reply

    • Susie Weinrich

      Definitely, just prep completely and dot the top with butter, cover with foil and pop in the fridge. Then remove from the fridge and bake as directed. May need to add a few minutes to the baking time when baking straight from the fridge.

      Reply

      • Nicole

        Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (27)
        Great recipe! I’m always on stuffing duty and having a young baby doesn’t leave a lot of time. I have made this a few times for family festivities and it’s always a hit and so simple, thank you!

      • Susie Weinrich

        That is wonderful, Nicole! I know cooking with little ones, especially babies, can be so hard! Kudos to you for still getting in the kitchen to contribute to the holiday meals. I hope you had a great holiday season!

  5. Kelli

    Would sourdough bread work for this recipe?

    Reply

    • Susie Weinrich

      Definitely!

      Reply

« Older Comments

Homemade Stuffing | Traditional bread stuffing recipe - Mom's Dinner (2024)

FAQs

What is the best bread to dry for stuffing? ›

You can use any kind; store-bought white bread works well and would probably be my #1 suggestion for stuffing.

Is it better to make stuffing with fresh or dry bread? ›

Follow this tip: Stale, dried-out bread makes the best stuffing. Either dry out your bread starting a few days before you plan to make the stuffing by letting it sit out or, if you don't have the extra time, cut the bread into cubes, and then toast over a low heat in the oven until dry.

What does adding egg to stuffing do? ›

Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture.

How soggy should stuffing be before baking? ›

The stuffing should be moist but not wet. If there is a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, you've added too much. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture. If the mix is still dry and crumbly, add more liquid and toss gently until it starts to clump together.

What is traditional stuffing made of? ›

Turkey stuffing was popularized in the early days of Thanksgiving, as it is written in many 16th-century Boston area documents. Stuffing most often uses dried bread, herbs, and vegetables that are reconstituted with liquid, stuffed into the turkey cavity, and baked until it is firm and finished cooking.

How many days does it take to dry out bread for stuffing? ›

If you don't want to take up space in the oven, you can always leave the bread out on the counter to dry. A day or two before you assemble your stuffing, cut the bread into cubes. Then, lay the cubes onto sheet pans and let them dry out at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours.

Is it okay to make stuffing a day ahead of time? ›

The short answer to whether you can making stuffing ahead of time is yes.

Is stuffing better with or without eggs? ›

Eggs add richness to the stuffing, and makes it cohere better. I'd use two eggs per pound of bread.

How do you keep stuffing moist when cooking? ›

Typically, baking the stuffing inside the bird helps keep the mixture moist. “I prefer stuffing (in the bird) to dressing (outside of the bird) because all those delicious drippings that come off the turkey gets absorbed right into the stuffing,” Bamford says.

Do you remove crust from bread for stuffing? ›

Two to three days before you plan on assembling the stuffing, take a serrated knife and slice the loaf into rough 1/2-inch cubes, crust and all. You can also tear the loaf into pieces by hand for a more rustic look. Spread the bread chunks out on a baking sheet and drape with a clean kitchen towel.

What can you use as a binder instead of eggs in stuffing? ›

Cornstarch. This is our binder! Cornstarch makes a great egg substitute in vegan baked goods. Turns out it's great for making an eggless stuffing as well!

Why is Thanksgiving stuffing so good? ›

Juices from the turkey soaked into the stuffing, infusing it with fat and flavor. "You've got those juices, and those juices taste great,” Smith said.

Why do people put mayo on eggs? ›

r Regardless of whether Hellman's, Alton Brown, or an experimenting housewife were the first to add mayo to their scrambled eggs, once you've tried it, there is no going back. The mayonnaise adds a creaminess and rich taste to the scrambled eggs that you won't find any other way.

Why is my stuffing gummy? ›

If the stuffing came out too wet and soggy (aka bread soup!) try not to over mix it, otherwise it'll turn into mush. Curtis Stone says to pour it on a large sheet tray and spread it out. Bake it on high heat to crisp it up, but make sure it doesn't burn.

Why is my stuffing always mushy? ›

You'll need day-old loaves to get stale so that the stuffing doesn't get too mushy. Don't cube that bread! Ragged, imperfect pieces of bread have more surface area; it's those nooks and crannies that give you good texture. Speaking of texture, that's what stuffing is all about--you want a mix of crispy and soft pieces.

How to make stuffing Gordon Ramsay? ›

Make the stuffing, melt butter in a large frying pan and gently sauté onion and garlic for five minutes until soft. Stir in the herbs for one minute then add breadcrumbs to absorb butter. Mix in zest, pine nuts and seasoning and cook over medium heat for about seven minutes until crumbs start to brown and crisp.

Are you supposed to cook the stuffing before putting it in? ›

Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing. Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don't stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing. In addition to the turkey, the stuffing's center needs to reach 165 F.

What is the difference between Thanksgiving dressing and stuffing? ›

"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

What is Christmas stuffing made of? ›

Starting with dried sourdough bread, celery, onion, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, chicken broth and eggs. A whole stick of butter goes in the pan adding onions, herbs and garlic (sausage is optional). Eggs combine everything together before going in the oven on a baking dish.

What is bread stuffing made of? ›

Bread Stuffing Ingredients

Vegetables: You'll need chopped celery with leaves and a chopped onion. Bread: Nine cups of chopped bread cubes should make about 16 servings. Seasonings: Season the bread stuffing with salt, dried sage, dried thyme, poultry seasoning, and black pepper.

Why can't you make stuffing ahead of time? ›

You haven't said whether you are going to cook the stuffing inside the bird or out, but it's fine to make almost any stuffing a few hours before you'll need it. The important thing is to keep it properly chilled so that bacteria won't have a chance to grow in it.

What is the flat bread with pocket that is perfect for stuffing called? ›

Pita, also Pitta, breads, also called Arabic bread, balady, shamy, Syrian bread, and pocket bread, are circular, leavened double-layered flat breads that originated in the Middle East. It is prepared with flour, water, baker's yeast, and salt.

How do you dry sourdough for stuffing? ›

Grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside. Cut or tear the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread it evenly on 2 baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven until completely dry and beginning to crisp and brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

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