This old fashioned Southern cornbread dressing recipe is a classic that’s a must-have for every Thanksgiving table. It’s made with celery, onions, homemade cornbread, white bread and plenty of herbs. You’ll never look at cornbread stuffing the same way again!
Looking for the perfect cornbread stuffing recipe for your holiday meal? This cornbread dressing is a staple in many Southern households for good reason – it’s absolutely delicious! Serve it alongside slow cooker creamed corn and bacon roasted brussels sprouts.
Today we’re talking about stuffing, because Thanksgiving is almost here! There are about ten million ways to do stuffing, but this Southern cornbread dressing is my favorite. It’s moist and delicious with a light and fluffy texture and the perfect blend of sweet and savory. Not gonna lie, my husband and I both made this our dinner after I took these photos, it’s just that good.
What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?
You’ll notice me using the terms stuffing and dressing interchangeably in this post. So what’s the difference between the two? Not a whole lot, it’s mostly a regional preference as to whether you call it stuffing or dressing.
Dressing tends to be baked almost exclusively outside the bird, while stuffing can either be inside the turkey or in a separate dish. I actually tend to mostly refer to it as stuffing because that’s what it is called in my geographic area, although I never stuff my bird. In the South people tend to call it dressing, and this is a Southern style recipe so there you go, we’ve got Southern cornbread dressing here.
How do you make cornbread dressing?
The first step in this recipe is the cornbread. I use my honey cornbread recipe, but you could use store bought cornbread if you’re short on time. I make the cornbread at least one day in advance, stale bread is best for dressing!
The cornbread is mixed with cubes of stale white bread (I use the butter top variety) to form the basis of this dish. The breads are mixed with veggies that have been cooked in plenty of butter, along with some broth, eggs and fresh herbs. Place the whole thing in the oven and bake to golden brown perfection.
Can dressing be made ahead of time?
You can assemble your dressing up to 8 hours before the big meal. Simply cover your baking dish with foil and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. You may need to increase the cooking time a bit since you’ll be starting with a cold dish.
Cornbread dressing tips
- You can make your homemade cornbread up to a month in advance and freeze it until you’re ready to make stuffing.
- I prefer to crumble my cornbread into larger pieces as it will break down some more when you mix everything together.
- It’s really best to use fresh herbs here as they have a lot more flavor than dried herbs. If you need to use dried herbs in a pinch, cut the amounts by 2/3.
- While I typically use plain old white bread in this recipe, you could also use wheat bread, or an artisan bread like a baguette.
Cornbread stuffing flavor variations
This recipe is great as-is, but you can add other ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Protein: Feel free to add some cooked breakfast sausage, bacon or smoked sausage to your stuffing.
- Vegetables: Stir in some extra veggies such as mushrooms or fennel.
- Fruit: Cooked apples are a popular addition to dressing, as are dried cranberries or cherries.
- Herbs: Add extra herbs such as thyme, rosemary or marjoram.
I have a lot of people in my family that are stuffing haters, I can’t wait to unveil this Southern cornbread dressing to them this year to see if they change their minds! In my opinion this is the best stuffing recipe I’ve tried, and I try a different recipe almost every year trying to find one my family will like. The combination of the veggies, two types of bread and fresh herbs just can’t be beat. It’s buttery and delicious just like any good Thanksgiving recipe should be!
More thanksgiving side dishes
- Green Bean Bundles
- Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole
- Cranberry Jello Salad
Cornbread Dressing Video
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 recipe honey cornbread or any 9" square cornbread that's homemade or store bought
- 5 slices stale white bread cut into cubes
- 10 tablespoons butter divided use
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 cup celery finely chopped
- 4 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 5 eggs
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking spray
- optional: sage leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the honey cornbread according to post instructions.
- Cool the cornbread and crumble. Place the cornbread in a large bowl with the bread cubes and toss to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 6-8 minutes or until softened. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Place the vegetables in the bowl with the cornbread mixture.
- Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and pour into a large bowl. Add the chicken broth, eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and sage and whisk to combine.
- Pour the butter mixture into the bowl with the cornbread mixture and stir to combine.
- Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until dressing is browned and cooked through.
- Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with sage leaves if desired. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 14, 2017 and was updated November 5, 2020 with new content.
Anne says
I really like your sausage stuffing, but due to husband’s gluten-free diet will have to make this cornbread now. Can the sausage be incorporated into this cornbread dressing and, if so, when and how – would it be along the same order as the sausage stuffing?
Sara says
Yes just cook the sausage before or after the vegetables and add it into the bowl when you combine all the ingredients!
Olivia says
Sara,
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I used this for my Thanksgiving meal this year, and it was great! I’ve never made a stuffing that tasted the way I wanted it to. This is going into my yearly rotation!
Carolyn Armstrong says
Just two of us for Christmas. Want to make half of your dressing recipe. Would I use 4 cups of cornbread? What size dish would your recommend you instead of 9 by 13? Would I still bake for 30 min? Thankyou
Sara says
Yes, use a 9×9 square or 8×8 square and you can start at 30 minutes for baking but add a few more minutes if the middle is not set.
Melody says
Hi there! I’m looking at making this recipe for our Christmas meal, but hesitant to use a honey cornbread for the dressing due to the sweetness. I know it’s just 1/4 cup in your recipe – would it affect your cornbread recipe if I just left the honey out? Thanks!
Sara says
I think that should be just fine!
Patty Reed says
My Mother always made stuffing and it was my favorite, she passed and I don’t have a recipe because she did it from memory. This sounds like it might be pretty close except she had a gravy to put on it that had egg whites in it? Any idea what kind of gravy and would you do this with this recipe? Going to try it for Christmas, Thank you.
Sara says
You could definitely put gravy on top, but I’m not familiar with an egg white gravy!
Rachel Medina says
I normally use package cornbread that requires to eggs per package which I’m using six package. Once I mix in veggies do I need to add extra eggs?
Sara says
You’re cooking the cornbread first correct? So those eggs would get baked into the cornbread. Then you’ll need more eggs in the actual stuffing to help bind it all together.
Justine says
I was wondering what steps I could do the day before? Would it be a bad idea to combine all ingredients so far ahead? Will it turn to mush? Thanks in advance!
Sara says
You can cut up the vegetables the day before, and assemble the entire thing up to 8 hours in advance!
Justine says
Thank- this is really helpful!
Ellen says
I did this recipe and I didn’t use bread with my cornbread, I used 2 cups of croutons, it came out magnificent!
The seasoned croutons gave it even more flavor !
David Buchanan says
Can you use Pepperidge farm corn bread classic stuffing in the bag?
Sara says
You could try that but I haven’t tested the recipe that way!
Jay says
What if I don’t want to include the 5 slices of bread? Just want the cornbread. How would I alter? Thanks!
Sara says
You’d want to use more cornbread, another 3 cups. Just be aware this will alter the texture of the stuffing and it will be more dense!
Heather says
I made this last year, but with gluten-free cornbread and bread slices (toasted). I really liked it and plan to make it again this year!
Michelle Kay Olson says
Can you make the night before and bake the next day?
Sara says
Yes you can!
cathryne says
It seems like mine was really wet. Is that right? Its cooking, so we will see! Ha! Thanks for sharing!
Sara says
It should firm up after baking!
Cheryl says
How many cups of bread cubes is equal to 5 slices of bread?
Sara says
2 packed cups!
Cheryl says
Thank you for your quick reply. Cornbread dressing is a requirement because my husband has eaten it every Thanksgiving of his life. But I really don’t like it the way his mother made it. This isn’t so different that he would reject it, but it was different enough that I absolutely love it!
Sam says
This is an amazing recipe! If I recommend though and it drives me nuts when people do this: Use 4 or 5 tablespoons of fresh sage at least when you make this. Seriously great stuff. Our table will never not have this at Thanksgiving or Christmas again.
Letitia says
Going to try your cornbread dressing . Need to know how many eggs to use you don’t list it in the ingredients. Letitia
Sara says
It is on the ingredient list, 5 eggs!
KS says
How much cornbread should I use in terms of cups?
Sara says
You’ll want about 8 cups of cubed cornbread!
ks says
Thank you
Donna McBride says
How long should I bake a double batch?
Sara says
Are you using the same size pan or a larger pan? If you use a large pan the cook time shouldn’t change significantly as the thickness will be similar, maybe an extra 10-15 minutes. If you’re doubling it in the same size pan it could take as much as 30 minutes more, you can cover with foil if you think it’s getting too browned.
Catalina says
My family will love this cornbread dressing! Looks amazing!
Kevin says
Going on my Holiday menu right now! Love this!
Vikki says
Stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving, and this tastes so amazing! Definitely making again