This post may contain affiliate links (disclosure).
This will be the best cornbread stuffing you’ll ever have! Once you try this easy cornbread stuffing, you’ll never make it any other way! Your holiday guests will devour every last crumb!
You just won’t be able to stop eating this mouthwatering cornbread dressing. Spoon after spoon after spoon of it goes in the mouth, until there is no more stuffingleft. It’s always like that. Yes it is!
Fresh cornbread crumbs are combinedwith butter-cooked onions, celery, garlic and carrots, seasoned with Italian herbs, mixed with the chicken broth in a baking dish and baked to perfection. This cornbread stuffing smells amazing, tastes mouthwatering and there is just something so addictive about it, I just can’t put my finger on it! This is my go-to stuffing for every Thanksgiving, to go along my famous Thanksgiving turkey in a brown paper bag :)
For this cornbread dressing, you can use either homemade or store-bought cornbread. If you want to make cornbread from scratch, I have amazing easy cornbread recipe you can follow!
I always make this cornbread stuffing in a baking dish, baked outside of the bird. If you want to bake it inside the bird, it will certainly work too!
There are 3 reasons why I prefer to bake the stuffing outside of the bird. One is food safety – when a large bird is baked with the stuffing inside it, often the bird is cooked through, while the stuffing inside is not fully brought to safe temp, and there is really no easy way to tell when that stuffing is safe to eat. The second reason is that baking the stuffing outside of the bird allows you to make a larger portion of stuffing :) More stuffing will fit into a baking dish than inside of the bird, so everyone will be able to getmore stuffing! And the last reason is that dressingin a baking dish can be made ahead, making your holidays so much easier. Just make the stuffing the day before Thanksgiving, refrigerate it and then warm in an oven or microwave right before serving!
This cornbread stuffing is extremely easy to make, even the most inexperienced cooks can follow this simple recipe! The easy instructions below break down the stuffing-making process into very easy-to-follow steps.
How To Make Cornbread Stuffing Step By Step
Step 1: Crumble The Cornbread
Crumble the cornbread with your hands. Don’t worry about lack of uniform crumb size :) The cornbread crumble should look something like this:
Step 2:CookVegetables In Butter
Melt the butter ina frying pan or pot, add chopped onions, celery, carrots and garlic and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, until they are soft.
Step 3: Mix Ingredients For The Stuffing
In a large baking dish, combine the cornbread crumbs, cooked vegetables, chicken broth and Italian herb seasoning. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When ready to bake, smooth the top with the back of the spoon:
Step 4:Bake The Cornbread Stuffing
Put the cornbread stuffing in a pre-heated 375F oven and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, fluff with a fork and serve!
Click Here To Pin This Recipe
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Easy Cornbread Stuffing Recipe
This is the best cornbread stuffing recipe ever! Super easy to make and so delicious, you'll never make your cornbread dressing any other way!
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time35 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Melt the butter on a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, garlic and carrot and mix. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Put the crumbled cornbread and cooked onion mixture in a non-stick 9x13 baking dish, and stir to combine.
Add the chicken broth to the cornbread mixture and stir to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
Smooth the top of the cornbread mixture with the back of a spoon.
Put the cornbread stuffing mixture in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove the cornbread stuffing from the oven, fluff with the fork and serve.
Notes
This cornbread stuffing can be made ahead and re-heated in the oven or microwave before serving.
NEVER MISS A RECIPE!I publish a new recipe several times per week. Want the new recipes in your inbox? Sign up for FREE notifications!
Save This Recipe
Save this for later on your social media:
Get Melanie's FREE Recipes In Your Inbox!
You also need these yummy recipes in your life:
FAQs
The primary difference between stuffing and dressing is that stuffing is cooked inside a bird and dressing is made on the side. As with many food traditions in the U.S., regional loyalties to stuffing vs dressing abound.
Is it OK to make cornbread dressing ahead of time? ›
We have found that cornbread dressing tastes best re-heated the next day, so technically, you can make this dish one day early, refrigerate it and then re-heat over very low heat before serving. In our family, I make it the morning of Thanksgiving and let it rest before re-warming and serving.
What's the difference between stuffing and dressing for Thanksgiving? ›
"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.
Should you make stuffing the day before or the day of? ›
"Make-ahead stuffing freezes well and can be made as much as two months early if stored in the freezer properly," Tiner says. "Stuffing that is made ahead and only refrigerated should be used within seven days."
Why is my cornbread dressing gummy? ›
Why is my Cornbread Dressing gummy? Adding too much liquid can result in a gummy-like texture. Baking it longer, using less liquid, and more stirring can help avoid a gummy texture.
Is stuffing the same as dressing black folks? ›
The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish, in which case it may still be called 'stuffing', or in some regions, such as the Southern US, 'dressing'. This is from Wiki. Basically, everyone except a tiny percentage of Black people with family in Alabama calls it stuffing.
Can you prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time and refrigerate? ›
If you don't plan on stuffing the bird, but preparing the dressing as a side dish, you can prepare uncooked stuffing ahead of time as long as you freeze the stuffing immediately after mixing the wet and dry ingredients. USDA recommends that you never refrigerate uncooked stuffing.
How moist should dressing 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.
What do Southerners call stuffing? ›
But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.
Should you stuff a turkey or cook stuffing separately? ›
Here's an important Thanksgiving food safety tip that will surprise many: USDA doesn't recommend stuffing a whole turkey. The practice increases the risk of cross-contamination and takes the turkey longer to cook. Cook stuffing separately instead.
Stuffing and dressing are commonly used as different names for the same thing—a dish consisting of bits of bread (or other starchy things) and various seasonings. The dish can be made by stuffing it (hence the name) inside a turkey or other bird that will be roasted, or by baking or cooking it separately.
Should you put an egg in stuffing? ›
Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency. Seasonings: This turkey dressing recipe is seasoned with salt, pepper, rubbed sage, and garlic powder.
Why can't you refrigerate uncooked stuffing? ›
Because stuffing is an excellent medium for bacterial growth, it's important to handle it safely and cook it to a safe minimum internal temperature as measured with a food thermometer. Here are some common ques- tions consumers ask. Stuffing should not be prepared ahead.
Does stove top stuffing taste good? ›
The verdict: It's often said that we eat with our eyes first, and Stove Top's Traditional Sage stuffing was far and away the most visually appealing. Tasters appreciated that there was a a decent crunch in each bite, but we were most impressed by its seasoning.
What is the difference between stuffing vs dressing? ›
To understand the difference between the two, all you have to do is look at the cooking method. Stuffing is stuffed (literally) inside the cavity of the turkey, while dressing is roasted in a separate casserole dish.
Why is it called dressing instead of stuffing? ›
The term dressing, per the History Channel, originated around the 1850s, when the Victorians deemed stuffing too crude for the dish to be named. This happened around the same time that the term “dark meat” began to refer to chicken legs and thighs.
Do Southerners say stuffing or dressing? ›
Some people insist that it should be called dressing when it hasn't actually been stuffed inside a bird. But many people insist on one term or the other regardless of how it's prepared or what's in it. The term dressing is most commonly used in the South, but it's popular in pockets throughout the US.
What's the difference between cornbread and stuffing? ›
Dressing is made from cornbread, and stuffing is traditionally made from other breads — sourdoughs, biscuits, etc. Some dressing recipes incorporate a little white bread, but that does not exclude them from the Southern persuasion if cornbread is the cornerstone.
