Thanksgiving Stuffing

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I'm convinced our homemade Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe is the BEST out there, and it's very easy to make using dried bread cubes, fresh herbs, veggies and sausage.

This beloved stuffing joins our other Thanksgiving staples each year, like my Spatchcock Turkey, Homemade Dinner Rolls, Sweet Potato Casserole, Mashed Potatoes, and Cranberry Sauce.

How to make Stuffing:

Dry Bread: Slice the loaf of bread into 1/2″ cubes and allow them to dry out on a baking sheet on the counter for 2-3 days, or heat in the oven at 200°F for an hour or two, tossing occasionally, until dry and hard.

Brown Sausage: Cook sausage in a pan, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Drain the grease and pat with paper towels to remove more grease.

Cook Veggies: Dice the onion and celery finely. Grate the carrot and squeeze it tightly inside a paper towel. Mince the parsley and sage. Heat butter in a large pan then cook onions and celery for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add carrots and cook for 2 more minutes. Gently stir in the sage, allowing it to wilt.

Combine: In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, sausage, cooked veggies, parsley, and butter, tossing to combine.

Add Chicken Broth: Gradually drizzle chicken broth over the bread mixture, stirring gently as you go, starting with 1 ½ cups. You want the bread lightly moistened, but not overly wet. Add more chicken broth as needed.

Bake: Pour stuffing into a 9×13 inch pan or similar size dish then cover with aluminum foil. Bake Thanksgiving stuffing at 350°F for 30 minutes then uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

Store leftover sausage stuffing in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

To Make Ahead: You can dry the bread cubes up to 2 weeks ahead, stored covered at room temperature. Make the stuffing and store, unbaked, in the refrigerator 2-3 days ahead. Remove from fridge to rest on counter for 30 minutes before baking as directed.

To Freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container or baking dish and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed, adding 10-15 minutes if needed, until warm.

Recipe Variations:

• Vegetarian Stuffing: omit sausage and use vegetable broth.
• Vegan: omit sausage, use vegetable broth, and use 2/3 cup oil instead of butter.
• Add-Ins: Toss in some dried cranberries, raisins, pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts.
• Different Bread: Mix it up by using different types of artisan bread, just make sure the bread is dense and good quality.
• Cornbread Dressing

More Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes:

• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Mashed Potatoes or Au Gratin Potatoes
• Broccoli Salad
• Dinner Rolls
• All Thanksgiving Recipes

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5 from 751 votes

Thanksgiving Stuffing

Author: Lauren Allen

Easy homemade Stuffing made with dried bread cubes, fresh herbs, vegetables, sausage, and chicken broth. It's the best Thanksgiving side dish to make in advance!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Bread drying time:: 2 hours hrs

Total: 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Servings: 12

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

0.5x1x2x?

• ▢ 1 loaf hearty white bread*, , cut into 1/2' cubes (12 cups fresh or 10 cups dried)
• ▢ 1/2 of a yellow onion, , finely diced (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 1 medium carrot, , grated
• ▢ 3-4 ribs celery, , finely diced (about 1-½ cups)
• ▢ ½ lb ground sausage
• ▢ 3/4 cup butter*
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, , finely minced
• ▢ 3 teaspoons fresh sage, , finely minced
• ▢ 2- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth*, , or stock (you may need up to 2 ½ cups total broth)
• ▢ salt and freshly ground black pepper, , to taste

Instructions 

• Cut and Dry Bread Cubes: With a sharp serrated knife cut the loaf of bread in 1/2” cubes. Spread bread cubes out onto a baking sheet and allow to dry out. at room temperature for 2-3 days, OR in the oven at 200 degrees F 1-2 hours, tossing occasionally until dry.
• Chop veggies: Finely dice the onion and celery. Grate the carrot and squeeze it out tightly inside a paper towel.  Mince the parsley and sage.
• Cook Sausage: In a large sauté pan, brown the sausage breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Remove sausage to a paper towel lined plate, to soak up any excess grease. Remove most of the grease from pan.
• Cook veggies: add butter to pan over on medium heat. Once melted, add onion and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add carrot and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the sage and gently stir in, allowing the sage to wilt and release its flavor.
• Combine: Add dried bread cubes to an extra large mixing bowl. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top, then add sausage and toss to combine. Pour sauté pan with the butter and veggies over the dried bread cubes and sausage and toss to combine.
• Gradually add chicken broth: Start with 1 ½ cups of the chicken broth and drizzle it very slowly all over the bread mixture, stirring gently as you go. It is important not to pour the liquid in all at once or it will make soggy spots in the bread. Add more chicken broth as needed, until all of the bread is lightly moistened, but the mixture is not overly wet. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Bake: Add stuffing to a greased 9×13 inch pan (or similar size casserole dish). Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
• Store leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

Notes

Bread: For best results use hearty, slightly dense white bread (possibly from the grocery bakery). Avoid light and airy sandwich bread, like “Wonder bread”, or the bread will easily get soggy. The bread cubes can be dried out and stored in a resealable bag at room temperature up to 2 weeks in advance. You could also use half white bread cubes and half cornbread, for Cornbread Dressing.

Butter: Salted or unsalted butter will work. If using salted butter, use low sodium chicken broth, and add additional salt later, if needed.

Make Ahead Instructions: You can dry the bread cubes up to 2 weeks ahead, stored covered at room temperature. Make the stuffing and store, unbaked, in the refrigerator 2-3 days ahead. Remove from fridge to rest on counter for 30 minutes before baking as directed.

Gluten-free Adaptations: use gluten-free bread and gluten-free sausage.

Freezing Instructions: Store in a freezer-safe container or baking dish and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed, adding 10-15 minutes if needed, until warm.

Vegetarian Stuffing: omit sausage and use vegetable broth.

Vegan Stuffing: omit sausage, use vegetable broth, and use 2/3 cup oil instead of butter.

Add-Ins: Toss in some dried cranberries, raisins, pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts.

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 44mg, Sodium: 521mg, Potassium: 251mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1369IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 140mg, Iron: 2mg

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

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I originally shared this recipe October 2019. Updated November 2021 and October 2024.