Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2024)

ByLeigh Harris Published: November 9, 2022November 15, 2022 Updated onNovember 15, 2022

Southern cornbread dressing scrumptiously seasoned with onions, celery, sage, and chicken stock! It’s moist, savory, tender inside, has a crispy crust and is hard to resist.

Southern Cornbread Dressing Video

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Why You’ll Love This

We look forward to this side dish every year. My southern grandmother made themost incredible dressing ever! This is my version; unfortunately, I never received her recipe.

A classic side dish that is always on the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table.

Serve it alongside dry brined roasted turkey, fresh green bean casserole, and cranberry sauce slices.

Key Ingredients

Bread – Our recipe uses savory cornbread and dry breadcrumbs or stale bread crumbled. Do not use sweet cornbread like Jiffy.
Seasonings – Onions, celery, sage, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.
Moisture – Homemade turkey stock or chicken stock is best, and eggs help bind and adds moisture.

How To Make Southern Cornbread Dressing

Prepare the cornbread recipe according to the package instructions. Or try our Homemade Cornbread.

I always use buttermilk in the mix, even if it calls for milk. No self-respectingsoutherner would ever use just plain milk.

Once the cornbread is cool enough to touch, break it into crumbles in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Melt the stick of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and celery, and saute until onions are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the dry breadcrumbs, spices, celery, and onions to the crumbled cornbread.

Pour the broth and beaten eggs into the bread mixture and stir to combine thoroughly.It should be fairly soupy, you don’t want it to dry out.

Spread into the prepared baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.

I have made this the day before and refrigeratedit until ready to bake. When I do this, I usually have to add additional turkey or chicken broth before baking, but it works great.

Tips

If you are using white bread, you will need to dry it out in the oven (for a bit) or plan ahead and leave it out overnight.
You can prepare the cornbread up to 2 days ahead. Let it cool, crumble it, then store it at room temperature, covered with a kitchen towel to allow it to dry out some.
Homemade stock or broth will yield the most flavor, but you can use store-bought stock.
The dressing should be quite soupy. Don’t be afraid the bread will soak all the stock up and make a fabulous moist dressing.

Variations

Because my daughter is vegetarian, we have started making the dressing by adding all the spices. I then divide it in half. Her vegetarian-style cornbread dressing receives about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of vegetable stock. Our traditional cornbread dressing receives about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of turkey stock.

She loves it, but I find it lacking in flavor using vegetable stock.

FAQ

What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing?

Traditionally stuffing is bread cubes mixed with spices stuffed into the cavity of a turkey. The dressing is mostly cornbread crumbs mixed with spices and lots of stock cooked in a pan, not in the turkey.

Can cornbread dressing be made ahead?

I have made it unbaked, covered it, refrigerated it and then baked it the next day. You will need to add more chicken stock and bring it to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking.

I have also baked it ahead and reheated it when ready to serve. I still needed to add a little extra stock. Cornbread tends to be really absorbent.

I recommend preparing the cornbread and sauteed onions and celery up to 2 days ahead. It will only take a few minutes to combine all the ingredients and bake for Thanksgiving dinner.

Storing

Let it cool to room temperature, store it in an air-tight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat single portions in the microwave, or cover the pan with aluminum foil, and reheat in a 325-degree F oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Freezing

Let the cornbread dressing cool to room temperature, place it in a freezer safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months.

More Thanksgiving And Christmas Recipe Ideas

Easy Pecan Roasted Sweet Potato Casserole

Soft and Fluffy One Hour Dinner Rolls

Decadent Whipped Potatoes (Dutchess Potatoes)

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Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing is perfect for the holiday dinner table. Moist and tender inside with a crispy, crunchy outside.

4.53 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: casserole, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Southern

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 287kcal

Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients

1 recipe of cornbread (at least 6 cups)
2 cups chopped celery
2 large onions chopped
1/2 cup butter
2 cups dry bread crumbs
2-3 cups turkey or chicken stock* or more
2 large eggs beaten
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Prepare cornbread according to package instructions.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
Crumble cornbread in a large mixing bowl and dry breadcrumbs.
1 recipe of cornbread
Melt the stick of butter in a large skillet, add celery and onions, and saute until onions are soft, about 10 minutes.
2 cups chopped celery, 1/2 cup butter, 2 large onions
Combine celery and onion mixture, beaten eggs with cornbread, bread crumbs, chicken/turkey stock, poultry seasoning, sage, salt and pepper. The dressing should be pretty soupy so it doesn’t dry out during baking. You may need to add more stock*.
2 cups dry bread crumbs, 2-3 cups turkey or chicken stock*, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 2 teaspoons sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Cover, bake, for 35 minutes and uncovered for 10 minutes until browned or until well set and cooked through.

Notes

You made need more than 2 cups of stock to make it a little soupy. Homemade turkey stock is the WAY TO GO with this recipe.

Make Ahead – I have made it assembled and unbaked. Then baked the next day, but you will need to add more chicken stock. I have also baked it ahead and reheated it when ready to serve. I still needed to add a little extra stock. Cornbread tends to be really absorbent.
I recommend preparing the cornbread and sauteed onions and celery up to 2 days ahead. It will only take a few minutes to combine all the ingredients and bake.

Storing – Let it cool to room temperature, store it in an air-tight container, and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat single portions in the microwave, or cover it with aluminum foil, and reheat in a 325 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Freezing – Let the cornbread dressing cool to room temperature, place it in a freezer safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep cornbread dressing from getting gummy? ›

Stir occasionally to ensure even drying. And if your dressing is still too mushy after baking, you can add more crumbled cornbread, dry bread, or even dry breadcrumbs or croutons to absorb excess moisture. Mix it in gently, so you don't compress the dressing too much.

Why is my cornbread dressing bland? ›

Avoid bland dressing by making sure to include plenty of onions, celery, and herbs in your recipe. Now is not the time to go easy with the sage, thyme, and pepper. The dressing should taste different from your cornbread.

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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.

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How do you keep dressing from drying out? ›

Use enough liquid: The key to keeping stuffing moist is to use enough liquid. You can use chicken or vegetable broth, melted butter, or a combination of both. The amount of liquid you need will depend on the recipe, but a good rule of thumb is to use about 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid for every 4 cups of bread cubes.

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Why does my dressing taste gummy? ›

One potential reason for gummy cornbread dressing could be using cornbread that is too moist. It's best to use cornbread that has been left out overnight or is slightly stale to ensure a drier texture.

Why is my cornbread dressing mushy? ›

If your cornbread dressing is mushy, be sure you baked it in a wide enough pan. Plenty of surface area will help the top crisp and the bottom bake completely. Also, be sure you measured your ingredients properly and didn't add too much liquid.

Is it better to use broth or stock for dressing? ›

You can use either stock or broth for keeping dressing moist or as a basis for gravy, but a strong flavor will give you better results.

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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.

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What temperature should dressing be cooked to? ›

Cook until the center of the dressing reaches 165 degrees. When checked with a food thermometer. Never place frozen dressing or other frozen food in a slow cooker, it will not reach proper safe temperature fast enough.

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What kind of bread is best for dressing? ›

Breads such as sour dough, French bread or Italian loaves are for the best bread for stuffing. Their soft-but-sturdy interiors are the perfect texture for stuffing. The pieces retain their shape without crumbling.

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Should stuffing be soft or crunchy? ›

Speaking of texture, that's what stuffing is all about--you want a mix of crispy and soft pieces. We recommend adding stock a little at a time--1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much stuffing you're making--and waiting for the bread to absorb the liquid before adding more.

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Why put egg in dressing? ›

Eggs add richness to the stuffing, and makes it cohere better. I'd use two eggs per pound of bread. I'm a no egg person - and I still stuff the bird (but also do a batch out of the bird). me, too, Chem - I make a boatload of dressing (we never stuff the bird) specifically so I have leftovers to eat with gravy.

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How long can dressing sit out before baking? ›

Let the dressing sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, before you bake it according to directions. Alternatively, you can freeze the dressing after Step 5, and store it in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and let the dish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

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Why is my cornbread gummy in the middle? ›

Cornbread, or any baked good, will fall in the middle if it is not completely baked, or if you add too much leavening, which causes it to rise more than the structure of the batter can sustain. Always use a tester inserted in the center of your cornbread to make sure it's done.

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Why is my cornbread gummy? ›

Flour is sometimes added to round out the batter, but always in smaller amounts than cornmeal itself. Flip the ratio, using more flour than cornmeal, and you'll end up with corn-flavored cakey stuff (such as those gummy “Yankee-style” muffins of my youth).

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Why is my cornbread sticky? ›

Every recipe for cornbread I've used called for it to be baked anywhere from 400F to 450F. If yours is like that, it's way too hot for using olive oil. The olive oil is breaking down and becoming sticky and actually making the pone stick to the pan even more. Use a vegetable oil that is stable at higher heat.

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