There are a whole lot of different recipes out there for the best stuffing, but I can promise you, this classic stuffing recipe is going to feel just like home on your holiday table.
Your Thanksgiving table always has the classic sides on hand like sweet potato casserole, red bliss mashed potatoes, some sort of protein like turkey or roasted juicy whole chicken, and of course a classic, an easy baked macaroni and cheese.
TL; DR Recipe Summary
- 👩🏼🍳 Cook Level: Easy
- ⏱️ Cook Time: ~ 45 minutes
- 😋 Taste: Savory, salty, creamy, custard-like
- 🍽️ Best Served With: Deliciously served with other sides like my homemade creamed corn or a starter like my roasted acorn squash soup.
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Important Tips
- Be sure to coat ALL of the cubed bread when adding the liquid as to ensure none of it dries out as it bakes. In my testing, I determined that 3 cups of liquid is plenty to get that jiggly, soggy, texture a classic stuffing is known for!
- If you are going to make your own stuffing cubes, make sure the bread is stale so that it absorbs all of the liquid as it bakes.
The Main Ingredients
- Cubed Bread - You can certainly dry out your own bread, but in my opinion, if you can find the cubed bread already, go for it! If I can some time by simply finding something already made, as Ina Garten says, "store-bought is fine!" I found using a herbed cubed bread gives the stuffing great flavor!
- Vegetable Stock - Don't be like me and forget to add the EXTRA CUP of chicken stock, leaving it dry the first, maybe second time, I made this. Add all of the liquid. Trust me, it makes a difference.
- Eggs - the whisked eggs help to bind the bread mixture to create that jiggly, soft texture we seek when we eat stuffing.
- Mirepoix - A mirepoix is a mix of essential vegetables that cook down and add a lot of flavor to a dish. It's the beginning step for a lot of recipes and making sauces from scratch. For this mirepoix, we use onion, carrot, and celery.
- Butter - The butter is used to sauté the mirepoix until it becomes fragrant and the onion becomes semi translucent.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Simple Swaps and Substitutions
- Stock - If you already have beef or chicken stock in the pantry, you can definitely use this in replacement of the vegetable stock. Same measurements apply.
- Bread - You can opt to dry out your own bread the night or two before, or swap for a gluten-free version.
- Butter - You can still sauté the mirepoix in olive oil if you'd prefer to not use butter for dairy reasons.
- Vegan - Omitting the butter, using vegetable stock, and ensuring that the cubed bread is vegan as well is the best way to make this a vegan-friendly option at your dinner table.
How to make classic Thanksgiving stuffing
Step 1: Sautè the minced onion, carrot, and celery in butter until fragrant and soft, approximately 5 minutes, then set aside.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 350º. Add cubed bread to an oven-safe baking dish.
Step 3: To the bread cubes, add then whisked egg, and spoon the mirepoix over the top then toss to combine and distribute the sautéed vegetables.
Step 4: Pour the vegetable stock into the baking dish, coating all of the bread to make sure the bread gets wet with liquid. Cover with aluminum foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, then bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Classic Stuffing FAQs
You absolutely can make your own bread cubes, and it can be done in a few ways:
Slice up a fresh Italian loaf of bread and dice into smaller cubes. Lay flat on a baking sheet overnight. Et voilà, cubed bread for stuffing.
Slice up a loaf of bread, then dice into smaller cubes. Lay the bread flat on a baking sheet. With the oven on a low temp, approximately 150º, bake the cubed bread for at least 4 hours, checking to make sure the bread is becoming dry and crisp. Continue to bake until the bread hardens and entirely dries out.
You can add any leftovers of the stuffing to an air-tight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also add whatever leftovers you have to the freezer. Be sure to take out the night before and thaw in the fridge, adding to an oven safe baking dish to reheat the day you'd like to eat it. Set the oven 325º for 20 minutes and you're good to go!
You can add a little more water or broth to the stuffing, and then bake for a little more time until it gets jiggly and soft.
Check out other delicious recipes to pair this stuffing with:
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
Equipment
- 1 oven safe baking dish
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- 1 frying pan
Ingredients
- 12 oz bread cubes
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion minced
- 2 stalks celery minced
- 2 stalks carrots minced
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 large eggs whisked
Instructions
- Sautè the minced onion, carrot, and celery in butter until fragrant and soft, approximately 5 minutes, then set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Add cubed bread to an oven-safe baking dish.
- To the bread cubes, add then whisked egg, and spoon the mirepoix over the top then toss to combine and distribute the sautéed vegetables.
- Pour the vegetable stock into the baking dish, coating all of the bread to make sure the bread gets wet with liquid.
- Cover with aluminum foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, then bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Notes
- Be sure to coat ALL of the cubed bread when adding the liquid as to ensure none of it dries out as it bakes. In my testing, I determined that 3 cups of liquid is plenty to get that jiggly, soggy, texture a classic stuffing is known for!
- If you are going to make your own stuffing cubes, make sure the bread is stale so that it absorbs all of the liquid as it bakes.
Casey says
This was a really yummy, and easy stuffing recipe to follow. It was my first time making a stuffing not from a box, and I made sure to use all the liquid it called for. It was very good, we all really liked it.