The Best Stuffing Recipe (Classic Thanksgiving Dish)

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The Best Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing — 🧡😋 Nothing frilly or trendy in this recipe. It’s a classic, easy, homemade stuffing that everyone loves!! Simple ingredients with stellar results! It’ll be your new go-to recipe!!

overhead view of homemade Thanksgiving stuffing

A Classic Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

People love serving this traditional stuffing at Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and I even receive emails at other times during the year from people who make it and no matter the season — it’s always a hit!

My family are stuffing fanatics for classic and traditional stuffings. No pears, dried fruit and nuts, wild mushrooms, or even bacon or sausage need apply.

Think: old-fashioned stuffing made with day-old bread, onions, celery, butter, and herbs. 

The stuffing is lightly crusted and golden on top, soft underneath, full of rich buttery flavor, and well-seasoned from the herbs.

As the stuffing bakes, my house smells exactly like Thanksgiving and like all the Thanksgivings I remember at my mom’s and grandma’s houses growing up smelled. Warm, cozy, comforting, and happy. This is the BEST stuffing recipe ever! 

traditional Thanksgiving stuffing in a white baking dish

Homemade Stuffing Ingredients 

Like I’ve already mentioned, this easy Thanksgiving stuffing recipe calls for simple, straightforward ingredients. Classic, but delicious! 

  • Onions
  • Celery
  • Fresh herbs (parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme)
  • Butter
  • Broth – I use reduced sodium chicken broth, but vegetable broth works too.
  • Bread
  • Eggs
  • Salt and pepper – season to taste

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

traditional bread stuffing in a white baking dish

How to Make the Best Stuffing

This classic Thanksgiving stuffing is easy and straightforward to make, even if you’ve never made homemade stuffing before. 

Here’s a quick overview of the recipe:

  1. Melt the butter in a skillet, then sauté the onion and celery until softened. 
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the dried bread cubes, sautéed vegetables, fresh herbs, and broth.
  3. Add the eggs last, mixed in with a little broth for easier distribution. 
  4. Turn the stuffing into a greased 9×13-inch baking dish and dot the top with butter. Bake until done. 

Time Saving Tip

To save time day of, bake and dry out the bread the night before and leave uncovered on the counter until the morning you’re ready to make the traditional stuffing. 

A photo collage for the best stuffing recipe

Recipe FAQs

What’s the Difference Between Stuffing vs Dressing? 

Technically this is a dressing recipe because it’s not stuffed inside the bird, but in my family we still call it stuffing rather than dressing. Our age old mis-naming tradition.

What’s the Best Bread for Stuffing? 

I used a loaf (baguette) of day-old white French bread from my grocery store’s bakery that I cubed, dried in the oven for 45 minutes, and allowed it to sit out overnight. 

To save time on the big day, I dry it out the night before but you can do it that morning if time permits. You want to begin with really dry bread because otherwise it’ll turn to mush.

Can Stuffing Be Prepared in Advance? 

I’ve never pre-made or pre-assembled this classic stuffing recipe, but I think it’d be fine to assemble the night before and bake the day after.  Check the stuffing just before baking it. If the bread seems dry at all, drizzle a little extra broth over top. You do NOT want to end up with dry stuffing! 

Should I Cover the Stuffing with Foil before baking? 

Yes, this classic stuffing recipe tells you to cover the stuffing with foil and bake it for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 40 minutes. 

What’s the best way to keep stuffing warm before serving?

If you need to keep the homemade stuffing warm before serving it, loosely cover it with foil and stick it in a 200ºF oven. 

How Long Does Thanksgiving Stuffing Last? 

Stuffing is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently as desired.

Can You Freeze Stuffing? 

Yes! Once baked, let the Thanksgiving stuffing cool completely before storing in a freezer bag. You can reheat the stuffing from frozen in a 350F oven (don’t let it thaw first, otherwise the bread will turn to mush). 

This is our go to recipe for Thanksgiving stuffing. It’s a hit every year. I’ve made it with homemade bread cubes, store bought bakery bread cubes, and packaged Oroweat/Pepperidge Farm bread cubes. They all come out great. — Jody

What to Serve with Homemade Stuffing

Recipe Video Tutorial

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4.49 from 1119 votes

Traditional Homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing

By Averie Sunshine
Nothing frilly or trendy. Classic, amazing, easy, homemade stuffing that everyone loves!! Simple ingredients with stellar results! It'll be your new go-to recipe!! 🧡😋
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 8
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Ingredients  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 pound day-old white French bread, diced into 1/2-inch cubes and dried
  • 1 extra-large, about 2 1/2 cups sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, diced small
  • 1 ½ cups celery, diced small
  • cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely minced
  • ¼ cup fresh sage leaves, finely minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, sticks discarded, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, sticks discarded, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
  • 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
  • 2 large eggs

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 250F. Place cubed bread on a baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 45 minutes. You must begin with very dry bread or it’ll turn to mush. Tip – To save time on the day of, bake and dry out the bread the night before and leave uncovered on the counter until the morning you’re ready to make the stuffing.
  • When you’re ready to make the stuffing, transfer bread to a very large bowl; set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×13-inch pan or 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
  • To a large skillet, add 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter and heat over medium-high heat to melt.
  • Add the onions, celery, and cook until vegetables have softened and are just beginning to lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Transfer vegetables to bowl with bread.
  • Add the parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, and toss well to combine; set aside. Note about salt – the saltiness level of low-sodium chicken broth varies, and so do personal preferences, so salt to taste.
  • To a small bowl, add the remaining 1 1/4 cups chicken broth, 2 eggs, and whisk to combine. Pour mixture over bread and toss well to combine. Turn mixture out into prepared baking dish.
  • Dice the remaining 1/4 cup (half of 1 stick) butter into 8 to 10 pieces and evenly dot the butter over the top of the stuffing.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is as lightly golden browned as desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: Stuffing is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 688mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Easy Stuffing Recipes:

All of my Thanksgiving recipes!

Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing — This sausage stuffing is super easy to make since the slow cooker does all the hard work for you! There’s no sauteing or browning required at all and you can FREE UP YOUR OVEN!! 

A white bowl filled with a savory stuffing mix containing bread cubes, vegetables, and herbs, garnished with fresh green herbs. A spoon with more stuffing is in the background.

Homemade Stovetop Stuffing — With this easy homemade stuffing recipe, you’ll never need a box of the store-bought stuff again!

A skillet containing a cooked mixture of breadcrumbs, onions, celery, and herbs, with a wooden spoon and a sprig of fresh herbs on top.

Cornbread Stuffing — 🧡💛🙌 Fast and easy homemade cornbread is transformed into a family favorite cornbread stuffing side dish with the addition of celery, onions, garlic, broth, and a bouquet of fresh herbs!

A baked dish of golden-brown stuffing garnished with fresh rosemary in a white casserole dish.

Pull-Apart Stuffing Ring — You’ll never guess the secret ingredient that not only makes this stuffing ring FAST and EASY, but also creates PERFECT texture! The stuffing is soft and tender, buttery and moist, not at all soggy, and seasoned to perfection with sage, thyme, rosemary, and parsley! 

Close-up of a golden-brown savory pull-apart bread ring garnished with fresh rosemary, parsley, and sage herbs, displayed on a white plate.

Originally published November 5, 2018 and republished with updated text November 20, 2020.

4.49 from 1119 votes (981 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Our family’s favorite! I bake homemade sourdough regularly. Whatever bread is left after a few days I cube and put in the freezer in a ziplock bag. It works perfectly for this recipe. Great use for any less than fresh bread you don’t want to waste. The wonderful, savory flavor is irresistible with any main!

    1. Thanks for trying this recipe and for sharing what you do with your leftover sourdough or less-than-fresh bread that you don’t want to waste. Great tips and that you store it in the freezer and then pop it out for this recipe.

  2. My first attempt at homemade dressing. It was very good. Everyone enjoyed it. No leftovers. I will be making it again but orep time was way longer then posted.

  3. 5 stars
    Great stuffing! Easy to follow recipe. i used a half loaf of French bread and a half loaf of sourdough bread to make up the 1lb to give it some depth of flavor, although I am sure it woud have been fine with just the one type. It was amazing and I got a lot of compliments. I wouldn’t change a thing.

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review, Janice, and I’m glad you wouldn’t change a thing and it turned out amazing with lots of compliments received for you!

  4. 5 stars
    This is my go to stuffing. Everyone who likes the store bought stuff will love this. It has all of the traditional flavors just elevated. I used brioche bread instead of French bread. I forgot to put in the eggs, but it still turned out great!! Thank you!

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review, Leanne, and I am so pleased to hear this is your go-to stuffing recipe and that everyone loves it! Brioche sounds great and it’s good for me to know that even without the eggs it still set and was fine!