Southern Cornbread Dressing is my favorite traditional dressing/stuffing recipe. I always make this for Thanksgiving and family gatherings. I use my homemade cornbread recipe and another bread, usually Italian or sourdough as the base of the stuffing.
A classic Thanksgiving side dish and always delicious!
Cornbread as the base of this stuffing adds an amazing depth of flavor. It adds a buttery flavor and the cornmeal adds great texture.
Personally stuffing is my favorite side dish for Thanksgiving! I started making this Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe when my son Aidan was small because cornbread is his favorite and I always have a loaf in the house!
Between the cornbread, Italian bread, herbs, butter, and egg, the flavors come together nicely and in no time, you have the most delicious moist Southern Cornbread Dressing!
Stuffing or dressing, another one of those things like recipes like cheesy scalloped potatoes or au gratin, whatever you call it, just eat and enjoy!
FAQs about Southern Cornbread Dressing:
What is the difference between dressing and stuffing?
I don't want to rock anyone's dressing or stuffing boat! Here is my take on the "Is it stuffing or dressing?" Stuffing is traditionally put inside the bird before being baked. While dressing is cooked in a casserole. Again, call it whatever makes you happy, eat and enjoy!
If you need to pick Team Dressing or Team Stuffing, this is a fun article about regions in the United States and the quest for a dressing/stuffing recipe!
Can Southern Cornbread Dressing be made ahead?
Absolutely. I make this the day before we are going to eat it and keep it well covered in the fridge until I bake it. **This is a dressing and it is not stuffed into the bird. Perfectly safe to make ahead!
Will this Cornbread Dressing be made ahead and frozen?
I have made it ahead of time but I do not bake the dressing. I freeze the dressing and once defrosted, I bake the cornbread stuffing.
How long can Southern Cornbread Dressing be kept in the fridge?
I keep the dressing in the fridge for up to three days, well covered in the refrigerator.
Some other of my favorite Holiday recipes:
- Easy Roasted Turkey Recipe
- Maple Bourbon Turkey Breast
- Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
- Instant Buttermilk Pot Mashed Potatoes
- Stovetop Mashed Potatoes
- Marshmallow Sweet Potato Casserole
- Green Beans, Mushrooms, and Shallots
- Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Quick and Easy Cranberry Relish
- Instant Pot Turkey Stock
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
- No-Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake Recipe
Tips
- Very important to refrigerate your Thanksgiving leftovers as soon as possible after dinner.
- This is a dressing. Do not stuff inside the turkey as it uses ingredients that are sautéed.
- If reheating dressing and you find your dressing is a bit dry, add a bit of chicken stock.
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Tools You May Need to Make Southern Cornbread Dressing:
How To Make Southern Cornbread Dressing:
- Cube cornbread and Italian bread into small pieces.
- Saute onions, celery, and garlic in unsalted butter.
- Add the sauteed onion/celery mixture and chicken stock to the cornbread mix.
- Season the cornbread dressing with ground sage, poultry seasoning, pepper, salt, and fresh parsley.
- Taste for seasoning, if needed adjust seasoning. if needed.
- Add in beaten eggs to the cornbread dressing.
- Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick spray.
- Add the cornbread dressing.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Southern Cornbread Dressing
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Equipment Needed:
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Ingredients
- 6 cups Cornbread, homemade or store-bought See Note 2
- 6 cups Italian Bread, cubed See Note 2
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2-3 cups fat-free chicken stock or homemade
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Slice cornbread and Italian bread into small cubes. Place bread onto a baking sheet overnight to dry or place the trays in the oven at a temp of 350 degrees for about 10 minutes to dry the cubes.(Note 1)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with non-stick olive oil spray.
- In a large saute pan melt butter. Add in celery and onions. Saute for about 5 minutes. Veggies will soften. Add in garlic and saute another two minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside. Place the cornbread and Italian bread cubes in a large bowl.
- To the cornbread, add the butter/veggie combo, 2 cups of chicken stock, fresh parsley, poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Check the seasoning. Re-season if needed. If the mixture is too dry, add some more chicken stock.
- Mix in the beaten egg and mix everything well.
- Add the cornbread dressing mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Angie Broyles
I thought it was very good. I thought it needed a few more seasonings to make it great. I added more seasonings and broth, because my bread was dry. My cornbread was a little bit too sweet, BUT we Enjoyed it!!
Eileen Murphy Kelly
HiAngie, so happy you enjoyed the Cornbread Dressing. I am always striving to improve recipes, I would love to hear your suggestions for additional seasonings and I will experiment with them. Every recipe can be improved. Happy Thanksgiving.
Charlene Strickland
Could you please attach your cornbread recipe? Thank you.
Eileen Murphy Kelly
Hi Charlene, I have got to get my cornbread recipe published asap. Here is the bread I use for cornbread. I use it for this recipe too.
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, whisked very well
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Sift the dry ingredients flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda into a large medium sized mixing bowl.
3. Add the whisked eggs to the dry mix.
4. Stir in the buttermilk.
5. Heat a 9-inch round cast iron pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt and coat the pan.
6. Pour batter into the cast iron pan or skillet.
8. Pour remaining 1 cup milk over the top of the batter, do not stir.
7. Place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake until baked through, about 50 minutes. The edges will be brown and the batter will be cooked through. Use a toothpick to test center of cornbread.
8. Let cool before slicing
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy Thanksgiving.
Summer
Is your cornbread recipe correct? 3 cups of liquid is an awful lot. I decided to try it instead of my normal recipe but the liquid rose to the top during the long bake and formed this weird, pale gooey layer on top - a little like a “magic” cake is the only thing I can describe it as. I’ll have to bake another cornbread to finish the dressing.
Eileen Murphy Kelly
. I have found people don't measure the bread, so I say start with 2 cups and add.It doesn’t’t start with 3 cups
Eileen Murphy Kelly
There is no milk in my cornbread dressing. I am not sure what you mean
Alyssa
Hi, Eileen!
When you have frozen the dressing in the past- you are completing steps 1-8, then freezing, and baking later, correct? Basically completely assembling the dressing and then freezing to bake later? I saw your note above so I apologize if this is a redundant question, I was just unsure if dressing and cornbread stuffing are being used interchangeably and didn’t want to miss a step. Thanks so much!
Eileen Murphy Kelly
Hi Alyssa, I have done both - I prefer to freeze it uncooked and then defrost overnight in the refrigerator before baking. Never feel uncomfortable asking a question. Sorry for the delay in answering. I had oral surgery and have fallen a bit behind.
Herman Schwartz
Great recipe!! Almost exactly the same as my Grandmother's recipe that dates back to about 1912. Hard to beat!! Variations of the years have included chopped chicken livers, Tony Cachere's cajun seasoning, and cubed boiled chicken breast meat. I would not that the spice level of this recipe is very mild. But Great!!!
Eileen Murphy Kelly
Thank you, Herman, this is by far my favorite dressing too.
Tamara
Thank you for this recipe. I'm excited to be making this dish
Eileen Murphy Kelly
Hi Tamara, enjoy the cornbread dressing. Please let me know how it turned out for you.
Twyla
I am going to try this recipe this weekend but I wonder if it can be cooked in a slow cooker and if so, how long woulditneed to cook?
Eileen Murphy Kelly
I am in the process of recipe testing this in the slow cooker and I will update the recipe once I complete the testing with my results. I cannot say for sure it is a recipe for the slow cooker until I complete my testing.
Cr180
Very good! Made for Thanksgiving dinner 2 days ago. I would probably leave the garlic out next time. I did use more broth than called for. Let it sit for a few minutes after adding broth to let it soak in, check and add more as needed. It’s only going to get drier as it cooks. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Kris
My family loved this dressing and it was so easy to make!
I did add about 1.5 more cups of chicken broth and also some cranberries. I didn’t have any poultry seasoning so I made my own from my garden herbs.
Diana
Would biscuits work or regular bread instead of Italian?
Eileen xo
I have not substituted biscuits but I have used regular bread. I cut the bread into cubes and toast it in the oven at 350°F for about 7 minutes before using in this casserole. This assures the bread stays together nicely.
Debby
Eileen…I hope you’re still answering emails on this and if so, please let me know if I mix everything together and put in the fridge overnight, will it become soggy.,I have toasted all the breads and they are toasted well..thanks
Eileen xo
Hi Debby, I have made this ahead of time many times with wonderful results. It is not soggy at all. I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we do. Please if you ca swing back and let us know how the recipe worked, we would appreciate it.
Diane
This recipe was good; however there is a herb in poultry seasoning that I am not crazy about. Next time I will add herbs separately. I used my homemade whole wheat bread ... cut in cubes and toasted in the oven.
Eileen xo
Sounds great, it is always best to sub an herb if you do not care for it.
Tommy
Can you make this a day ahead? Thanks
Eileen xo
Hi Tommy. The stuffing works well with making ahead one day and keeping covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Let us know how it works for you.
Sherr McBride
It was a delicious hit on Thanksgiving this year!
Eileen xo
Absolutely fabulous Sherr! I am so happy the cornbread dressing was a hit! Glad you enjoyed!
Barb Cook
It's just going to be me this Thanksgiving and I don't want to do a whole turkey or really even a turkey breast but I do want some elements. I was wondering if I could put some rotisserie chicken in this without drying out the chicken? I thought maybe layering it with the chicken in the middle. I don't know. What do you think? The recipe looks really marvelous and I'm going to make it either way. Thank you!
Eileen xo
Hi Barb, I think some rotisserie chicken would be awesome in the middle. I agree, layering the chicken in the middle would be best. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope you lett me know how the Dressing with the chicken turns out
Barb Cook
Thank you! I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving as well.
Barb Cook
I made it, and it would have been wonderful except that the onions got sweet. Or maybe I just don't really care for them any longer. Some bites were great and the chicken didn't dry out. I'll make it again, but perhaps leave the onion out. Thank you!
Eileen xo
Awesome Barb! I am very happy you enjoyed the recipe! I am not sure how to fix the onion flavor, but thinking green onion may be a good substitute.
You have got me thinking about making a new casserole with these ingredients. I appreciate you letting me know how the recipe worked for you and I hope you had a great day. I hope you continue making my recipes and keeping me updated.
Sherri
Do you use sweet cornbread? This sounds really good!
Eileen xo
Hi Sherri, yes I make a sweet cornbread and I have to get that recipe on the site. But any good sweet cornbread works really well in this dressing. I hope you enjoy.
Cassie
How much would 6 cups of cornbread be? Would an 8x8 pan be enough? Thanks!
Eileen xo
Hi Cassie, the recipe uses 6 cups of cornbread and 6 cups of Italian bread and it would be baked in 13x9 in casserole dish. If you want to half the recipe and use only 6 cups, I think an 8 by 8-inch pan will work. Use the recipe server to reduce the ingredients for proper ingredient ratios. If you have any other questions, please feel free to drop them here. Let me know how the recipe works for you.
Cassie
Thanks for the response! I think I worded my question weirdly. I meant to ask does an 8x8 pan of cornbread = 6 cups of cornbread?
Eileen xo
Hey Cassie, you will want to cut the recipe in half for an 8x8. you were totally clear with your question. I hope I have answered your question Let me know if you have any other questions.
Rachel
Reading this a year later and I believe you misunderstood Cassie’s question because I have the same question 🙂 If making the cornbread from scratch to use in the FULL recipe, what size dish do you use to make 6 cups of cornbread? We want to make the full recipe. We just want to make sure we make enough cornbread to go in it.
Eileen xo
My apologies, Rachel. After reading Cassies comment I see what the question is asking. Yes, I use an 8x8 pan of cornbread for 6 cups of cornbread to make the stuffing.I'll update the recipe too.
Karen
This is just like my families recipes but they add cream of mushroom soup and I don't like adding the soup. I am going to be making your cornbread dressing for my family. Thank you for the recipe.
Eileen xo
I am so glad you enjoy my recipe for Southern Cornbread Dressing! Personally,I am with you on not using cream of mushroom soup.I can't have all the extra sodium in my food. I hope you check back in after you make the dressing! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! Happy Thanksgiving!
Wendy Klik
This sounds amazing.
Eileen xo
Thank you Wendy! I hope you enjoy!