This classic stuffing recipe is a true family favorite—buttery, herby, and guaranteed to bring lots of flavor to your holiday table.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, a traditional stuffing recipe is one of those non-negotiable dishes that has to make it to the table. Sure, the turkey may be the star, but stuffing (or dressing, depending on what your family calls it) is the soul of the meal.
In our house, we’ve made this classic stuffing recipe for years. My mom served it, my Grandma Rood served it, and now it’s the one my kids ask for every holiday. It’s a family favorite loaded with lots of butter, vegetables, herbs, and lots of flavor. Whether you call it grandma’s stuffing or simply “the good kind,” this dish is the one everyone comes back for seconds of.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Stuffing Recipe
- Easy and comforting – This is an easy stuffing recipe made with simple ingredients.
- Flexible with bread – Use French bread, sourdough bread, or even a couple of loaves of bread from your local bakery.
- Full of flavor – With onions, celery, and optional mushrooms, plus seasonings like sage, thyme, and rosemary, you get a stuffing that’s savory and cozy.
- Make it your own – Bake it in the oven or turn it into a slow cooker stuffing recipe if you’re short on oven space.
This recipe used to be served at the Rollo Church turkey Supper in a little three home town near us called Rollo, Illinois. The turkey dinner is no more but the recipe lives on, with a few adjustments. And it's the one Grandma always made.
Ingredients for Traditional Thanksgiving Stuffing
Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade stuffing recipe:
- Bread – Day-old or dried bread cubes are best. French bread, white bread, or sourdough bread all work. Avoid fresh bread since it can get mushy. Try sourdough bread for tang, white bread for classic flavor, or a mix of different types of bread.
- Butter – You’ll need a full stick of butter. Holiday recipes deserve it!
- Vegetables – Chopped onion and celery are classic. Add mushrooms for extra flavor if you like.
- Broth – Chicken broth (or turkey stock if you have it).
- Seasonings & Spices – poultry seasoning (or sage, thyme, marjoram, and a pinch of rosemary)
You can get ahead of the game by making my homemade stuffing croutons.
How to Make Traditional Stuffing
This traditional Thanksgiving stuffing is easier than you think.
- Step 1: Prep the bread — cube, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet, bake at 300 degrees F 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have dried bread cubes.
Add the dried spices.
- Step 2: Cook the vegetables — large skillet/pan, medium-high heat, onions + celery until tender.
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- Step 3: Mix it together — add seasonings and pour mixture of vegetables + butter over bread; toss.
Add broth — slowly add chicken broth until moistened (not soggy).
- Step 4: Bake - spray dish with cooking spray, cover with aluminum foil, bake 30–40 minutes; uncover last 10 for golden top.
- Step 5: Remove foil and serve!
Variations
Mushrooms – Add sautéed mushrooms for extra depth.
Herbs – Mix in extra rosemary, sage, or thyme for more earthy flavor.
Slow Cooker – Instead of baking, cook stuffing in a slow cooker on low for 6 hours. Perfect if your oven is full of turkey and pies!
Bread swap: Use French bread, white bread, or sourdough bread; mixing types of bread adds depth.
Grandma’s stuffing vibe: Replace some broth with turkey drippings for that old-school flavor.
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
Make-ahead – Prep the bread cubes a day or two in advance and keep them on the counter in a sealed bag.
Fridge – Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat covered to keep moisture.
Freezer – Freeze baked stuffing in portions for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven until warmed through.
This is the recipe my mom always made, and the one my family still requests every Thanksgiving. It’s buttery, flavorful, and just feels like home. With simple ingredients, cozy herbs, and that golden baked top, it’s hands down the best stuffing recipe to serve alongside your turkey.
FAQs
Traditionally, stuffing is cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is baked in a separate pan. In many families (mine included), we use the terms interchangeably. This recipe is baked outside the bird but still gives you that classic stuffing flavor.
Absolutely! Prepare the stuffing up to the point of baking, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, bake as directed.
Definitely. Along with onion and celery, sautéed mushrooms add richness and depth. Carrots or leeks can also bring lots of flavor.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Cranberry Rice Pilaf
Recipe
Classic Stuffing Recipe
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Ingredients
- ½ cup onions diced
- ½ cup celery diced (about 1 stalk)
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 12 cups cubed bread about 1 standard 20 ounce loaf
- 2 cups chicken broth divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
Instructions
- Cube day old bread into bite size pieces. I like to set it out on a sheet pan the night before to help it dry out. Place 12 cups cubed bread in a large bowl. Add 1 ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning and toss to combine.
- Heat a medium sized skillet over medium high heat. Add 6 Tablespoons butter and melt. Add ½ cup onions and ½ cup celery and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Pour butter and vegetable mixture over the bread cubes and gently stir to incoporate.
- Pour half the 2 cups chicken broth broth over the bread mixture, gently stirring to incorporate. Add more broth as you need it until the bread is just moistened but not drenched.
- Transfer to a greased baking dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until cooked through and set.
Notes
- You can use any kind of bread you like or a mixture of several types. I'll buy bread on clearance and stow it in the freezer for stuffing, or keep the bread ends/heels because I can't for the life of me get the kids to eat them!
- Poultry seasoning is a mix of dried herbs. If you don't have a jar of poultry seasoning (or don't want to buy one because we use it twice a year) you can use 1 teaspoon dried sage and ½ teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram.
Nutrition
This Farm Girl Cooks is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. Calories and other nutritional values vary depending on which brands were used.
Susie Wittwer says
Could I substitute bags of stuffing/ cubed bread? If so, how many bags do you think it would require?
Deanne Frieders says
Hi Susie, you could absolutely substitute bagged bread. They usually have some by the bakery counter, right? Depending on the size, I'd say you can do 2-3 bags of stuffing and adjust the amount of chicken stock. Just enough to moisten. Happy Thanksgiving!