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

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

Jump to Recipe

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.

Then sign up for our Weekly Newsletter so you never miss a new recipe!

Rate This Recipe

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

Print Pin Rate Save

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

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!

Jump to Comments

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

More Mom's Dinner Recipes to Love

  • Amazing Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
  • Super Simple Cranberry Sauce
  • Savory and Rich Mushroom Gravy
  • Outrageous Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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 does adding egg to stuffing do? ›

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

What is traditional stuffing made of? ›

Classic stuffing made with bread cubes, seasonings, and held together with chicken stock and eggs. A holiday staple!

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

Any attempts to make stuffing with soft, fresh baked bread will result in a bread soup with a soggy texture. Follow this tip: Stale, dried-out bread makes the best stuffing.

Is homemade stuffing better than store bought? ›

Make It! While the instant stuffing was actually a closer contender than most of our testers anticipated, the homemade won hearts (and palates) for its subtle flavor and pleasing texture.

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

16 egg substitutes
  1. Mashed banana. Mashed banana can act as a binding agent when baking or making pancake batter. ...
  2. Applesauce. Applesauce can also act as a binding agent. ...
  3. Fruit puree. Fruit puree will help bind a recipe in a similar way to applesauce. ...
  4. Avocado. ...
  5. Gelatin. ...
  6. Xanthan gum. ...
  7. Vegetable oil and baking powder. ...
  8. Margarine.
Mar 30, 2021

How do you keep stuffing moist? ›

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.

What is the best bread to use for stuffing? ›

Sourdough, Italian, and white bread are standard choices for stuffing; however, journeying beyond your comfort zone can produce excellent results.

What is the best kind of stuffing? ›

Our Top Store-Bought Stuffing Picks
  • Best Overall: Arnold Herb Seasoned Premium Cubed Stuffing.
  • Best Classic: Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing.
  • Best Instant: Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix.
  • Best Gluten-Free: Williams-Sonoma Gluten-Free Stuffing Mix.
  • Best for Celiac: Trader Joe's Gluten Free Stuffing Mix.
Nov 13, 2023

What is British stuffing made of? ›

Stuffing consists of a mixture of savoury ingredients such as breadcrumbs, herbs, fruit, nuts, sausagemeat and onion which are bound together with egg or liquid to form a semi-solid mixture. It is usually cooked with roast meat such as chicken, pork or lamb and is served as an accompaniment to the sliced, cooked meat.

Is stuffing better with or without eggs? ›

It's a matter of preference, but adding a beaten egg to your stuffing mixture acts as a binder and keeps the bread moist.

Should I leave bread out overnight for stuffing? ›

If you use soft, fresh bread, you'll ultimately wind up with a soggy, mushy stuffing. So, how do you dry bread for stuffing? There are two ways to go about it. If you've planned your Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time, you can cut your bread into cubes and leave them out to become stale overnight.

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.

Who has the best stuffing? ›

Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing

Out of both the supermarket and online order categories, Pepperidge Farm's Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing blew all the other options out of the water. The texture was great, not too soggy or dry, and it had a rich, savory flavor almost reminiscent of sausage.

Can I use chicken broth instead of water in stove top stuffing? ›

Use fresh sage herb, cook it with chicken broth (home made not store bought) instead of adding water, and add breakfast sausage pan drippings with water. You can also sautee' onions and celery to add as well.

Is chicken broth or chicken stock better for stuffing? ›

Homemade stock is the best, but if you don't have homemade, a good store bought stock will work as well. If you use a store bought stock, try to buy one with no/low sodium. I personally have started using bone broth in my stuffing and LOVE it.

Why use an egg as a thickener? ›

Creamy desserts such as crème brûlée also benefit from eggs' ability to emulsify and produce smooth, satiny, hom*ogeneous mixtures. Their ability to hold up to four times their weight in moisture makes eggs a good thickener for sauces, custards and curds. The proteins in eggs coagulate or set at different temperatures.

Why do we need to apply egg yolk in some dressing? ›

You can use boiled egg yolks in scratch-made dressings or whisk them into store-bought dressings for the ultimate creamy upgrade. Boiled egg yolks can thicken a dressing without breaking or clumping while creating a silky consistency that thoroughly coats your salad ingredients.

What makes stuffing unhealthy? ›

Stuffing is not strictly a healthy food, because it is typically high in calories, fat, sodium, and refined carbohydrates. 1 But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it, All foods can fit into a healthy diet in moderation.

Why do people add eggs to everything? ›

Not only do eggs add an element of creamy indulgence, there's even some science behind their joy. “Eggs are a perfect emulsifier and binder so work really well to make many dishes cohesive,” she continues.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Kimberely Baumbach CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 6427

Rating: 4 / 5 (41 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kimberely Baumbach CPA

Birthday: 1996-01-14

Address: 8381 Boyce Course, Imeldachester, ND 74681

Phone: +3571286597580

Job: Product Banking Analyst

Hobby: Cosplaying, Inline skating, Amateur radio, Baton twirling, Mountaineering, Flying, Archery

Introduction: My name is Kimberely Baumbach CPA, I am a gorgeous, bright, charming, encouraging, zealous, lively, good person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.