Learn how to make this Easy Stuffing Recipe and never buy the boxed stuff again. Homemade stuffing is much better and actually very simple.
Growing up, my mom always made homemade stuffing for Thanksgiving, and I’m so glad to carry on that tradition with my own family. This is the simple, classic version: soft and savory in the middle, golden and a little crispy on top.
Because there are no eggs in this recipe, it’s one of the easiest holiday sides to make ahead for Thanksgiving meal. If you love stuffing as much as we do, try our Chicken Stuffing Bake for an easy weeknight dinner, or Stuffing Muffins and Cornbread Stuffing for your holiday table.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
- Budget Friendly. The whole 9×13 pan costs around $6 to make and feeds 12.
- No eggs, so it’s make-ahead friendly. Assemble it the day before, keep it in the fridge, and just bake.
- Uses stale bread. Day-old bread actually works better here than fresh, so nothing goes to waste.
- Simple pantry ingredients. Bread, butter, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, and broth.
Ingredients
- Bread – One loaf of plain white sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 12 cups). Stale or day-old bread is perfect.
- Onion and celery – Cooked in butter until soft, these are the classic stuffing flavor base.
- Butter – Gives the stuffing its rich, buttery flavor and helps the top get golden.
- Garlic, dried thyme, salt, and pepper – Simple seasonings you probably already have.
- Fresh parsley – Adds color and a fresh note. Use 1 tablespoon dried parsley in a pinch.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – Moistens the bread. Low-sodium lets you control the salt, especially if you use seasoned bread cubes.
How to Make Stuffing
Step 1 – Once the bread is all cut, spread it on a large baking sheet. Let this bake for 20 to 25 minutes so the bread cubes can dry out. Make sure to stir occasionally while the bread is cooking.
Step 2 – Melt the butter in a large pan. Once melted, add the onion and celery. Allow the veggies to cook until they are tender. This usually takes about 10 to12 minutes. Add in seasoning, plus the ¼ cup of parsley and continue to cook.
Step 3 – Put the bread in a large bowl and add the onion mixture. Stir this all together and pour the broth over the mixture.
Step 4 – Add the bread mixture to the casserole dish.
Step 5 – Bake covered with foil 30 minutes.
Step 6 – Uncover and continue to bake the stuffing to allow the top to get crispy (approximately 15 minutes).
Recipe Tips
- Cutting Bread – We recommend dicing the bread in about 1 inch pieces for the best results.
- Adding in the Broth – Slowly add in the broth to the stuffing mixture. You want the mixture to be moist but not soggy.
- Prepare Baking Dish – Prepare the baking dish by spraying with cooking spray. This helps for an easy cleanup and serving the stuffing.
- Too Dry or Too Soggy? If the stuffing looks dry after the foil comes off, drizzle a few tablespoons of warm broth over the top and finish baking. If it’s soggy, leave it uncovered for an extra 10 to 15 minutes so the extra moisture can cook off.
- Want More Crispy Edges? Bake it in a larger, shallower pan so more of the stuffing touches the hot edges, and keep an eye on it since a thinner layer cooks a bit faster.
Substitutions and Additions
- Add Cheese and Jalapenos – Add in some cheddar and jalapeño’s for Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffing
- Add Meat – Brown 1 pound of sausage and stir it in for a heartier side or see our Best Sausage Stuffing Recipe. We’ve also added chopped cooked bacon.
- Vegetables – My husband loves when we add in mushrooms. Shredded carrots or chopped water chestnuts are also good.
- Cornbread – Use cornbread to make Cornbread Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Dried Herbs – I used thyme in this recipe but you can also use rosemary or sage as well. You can also use fresh herbs such as fresh sage or fresh rosemary.
- Broth – Substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. You can also use turkey stock.
- Fruit– Cranberries and apples are really good in this recipe. We have even used raisins.
- Poultry Seasoning – For that classic Thanksgiving flavor, use 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning in place of the dried thyme.
What Kind of Bread is Best for Stuffing?
You can use pretty much any type of bread to make stuffing. However, while fresh bread can be used, I love to use stale bread because it’s a great use of ingredients.
Short on stale bread? No problem. Just follow step 1 and dry fresh bread cubes in the oven. Or, if you have time, spread the cubes on a baking sheet and leave them out on the counter, uncovered, for a day or two, stirring once in a while. Either way, it’s a great way to use up bread instead of throwing it away.
Try these other bread options:
- Sourdough Bread
- Sandwich Bread
- Dried Bread Cubes
- French Bread
- Italian Bread
- Gluten-Free Bread
How To Freeze Stuffing
To freeze before baking: Assemble the stuffing in a freezer-safe 9×13 pan, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed. It may need 10 to 15 extra minutes. If it looks dry, drizzle a little broth over the top first.
To freeze leftovers: Let baked stuffing cool, then pack it into freezer containers in the portions you’ll want to reheat. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat with a splash of broth until it’s hot all the way through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Mix the stuffing as directed, let it cool in the fridge, and spoon it loosely into the turkey right before it goes in the oven. The center of the stuffing needs to reach 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer to be safe. We usually bake ours in a pan instead. It’s easier to time, the turkey cooks more evenly, and everyone gets the crispy edges.
Stuffing seems to cool quickly because bread doesn’t hold heat. After removing from the oven, you may need to cover with foil and let stay warm back in the oven. Keep the oven at about 200 degrees so stuffing does not burn.
Store you leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge. Leftovers will last about 4 days if stored properly.
You can easily reheat Thanksgiving Stuffing in the oven, skillet or the microwave. It will depend on how much you are reheating. We recommend drizzling with chicken stock to keep the stuffing moist and reheating in the oven at 350 degrees.
Yes! This is the best make-ahead Thanksgiving sides because there are no eggs in it. Make the stuffing, including adding the broth and place it in a baking dish. Then cover the pan tightly and refrigerate it for up to 1 day. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before baking, and plan on 10 extra minutes in the oven since it is starts out cold. Bake until the top is golden and the center is hot. Not only can you bake the stuffing but you can make stuffing in muffin tin, in the crock pot and even the instant pot.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
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Easy Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of Bread
- 1 Onion diced
- 4 stalks of Celery diced
- ½ cup Butter
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp Dried Thyme Leaves
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup Fresh Parsley chopped
- 2 cups Chicken Broth (may need up to 3 cups)
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is heating up, slice loaf of bread into small pieces.
- Cut the bread into about 1 inch pieces. Once the bread is all cut, spread it on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes so the bread can dry out.
- Make sure to stir occasionally while the bread is cooking.
- Melt butter in a large pan. Once melted, add diced onion and diced celery stalks.
- Allow the veggies to cook until they are tender. This usually takes about 10 to12 minutes.
- Stir in minced garlic, dried thyme leaves, salt, black pepper, and chopped fresh parsley. Stir until well combined and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Put the dried bread pieces in a large mixing bowl and add the onion mixture. Stir together and gradually pour chicken broth over the mixture.
- It is best to gradually add the broth and stir as you go. The goal is to have the bread moist and not overly soggy so you may not need to use all of the broth.
- You will need a 9X13 baking pan and make sure to spray with a non-stick cooking spray. Add the stuffing mixture and bake covered with foil for 30 minutes.
- During the last 15 minutes, uncover the dish so the top can brown slightly.
So easy and delicious!
Thanks, Tracy! I appreciate your comment.
You can make this recipe WAY better by adding poultry seasoning instead of thyme
Also add cooked linked breakfast link sausage (link farmer John” cut into small pieces
Hi. I wanna make this ahead of time…how long will this be good for un baked in the refrigerator? Also broth before or after refrigerator????
I Love all your recipe just keep it up you are great
Thank you so much!
Have you ever run across a recipe for stuffing that used homemade biscuits and homemade cornbread? I got a recipe like that from a coworker when I was trying to teach my youngest son to cook. We picked our menu for Christmas Dinner in January and began looking at recipes. We tried the ones that looked the best to us. For the dressing we tried six different cornbread recipes and 5 different biscuit recipes. We did that for the whole mean. I lost the recipe to a flooded basement and have been unable to find anything like it.
Sounds pretty good and easy