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This Southern Cornbread Dressing ( also known as cornbread stuffing) includes cubes of freshly baked cornbread combined with fresh veggies and herbs to create the most deliciously moist, buttery side dish to serve on your Thanksgiving table.
Cornbread dressing is an iconic holiday side and if you’re looking for a tender soft and buttery stuffing that’s laced with sweet cornbread, this is just the recipe you’ve been needing.
This Thanksgiving dressing recipe doesn’t require any drippings and can be made regardless of whether a turkey is being served.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love Southern Cornbread Dressing:
- Key Ingredients
- How to Make Southern Cornbread Dressing
- What To Serve with Cornbread Dressing
- Make-Ahead Instructions for Cornbread Dressing
- Check out these popular holiday side dishes
- What’s The Difference? Dressing Vs. Stuffing
- The Best Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Why You’ll Love Southern Cornbread Dressing:
❤️ The Best Holiday Side – this southern style cornbread dressing isn’t only for Thanksgiving (although it’s the most popular). Many people enjoy this for Christmas, Easter and other holidays throughout the year.
❤️ Prep-Ahead Friendly – we are all usually overwhelmed during the holidays, especially if you are hosting or providing many dishes. With a few easy steps below, you can make this recipe 1-2 days ahead.
❤️ Packed with a BUNCH of Flavor – From the rich butter to the fresh herbs and sautéed veggies, this stuffing is bursting with taste. You’ll smell it wafting through the house!
Key Ingredients
Crusty Bread – a loaf of crusty french bread, about 7 cups.
Cornbread – prepare an 8×8 pan of your favorite cornbread, I use Jiffy and I swap buttermilk for the milk.
Butter – this is essential in homemade dressing and stuffing recipes.
Onion – the key aromatic in this recipe that provides tons of flavor. I use a sweet onion.
Celery – along with the onion, celery adds a lot of flavor as it cooks down in the butter.
Chicken Stock – a more potent version of chicken broth, chicken stock have a stronger flavor and I use it in most my recipes where broth would be used.
Herbs – I use a combination of fresh and dried herbs including rosemary, basil, thyme and parsley.
How to Make Southern Cornbread Dressing
First, prep the cornbread stuffing
Dry cornbread and bread: Spread bread cubes onto large baking sheets and leave them out to dry for 1-2 days. If you’re in a hurry you can dry it them in the oven at 250 degrees F for about 30-45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes, until the bread is dry and stale.
When ready to make the stuffing, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sauté the Veggies
Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the onion, celery, basil, thyme, rosemary and salt, cook for a few minutes until softened.
To a large mixing bowl add dried bread cubes. Pour in butter and vegetable mixture.
Add broth: Gradually ladle the broth mixture onto the bread, tossing lightly as you go. Add more broth, just until everything is evenly moistened.
Don’t add too much broth or it will be more mushy and dense. Taste and add more herbs or salt, if needed.
Bake Cornbread Dressing
Pour mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
What To Serve with Cornbread Dressing
This Southern Cornbread Dressing pairs well with all the classic center of the plate proteins commonly served during the holidays like turkey, ham, and prime rib.
It also compliments all the other traditional Thanksgiving sides like Mac and Cheese, Sweet Potato Casserole, Crock Pot Creamed Corn or Jiffy Corn Casserole and Scalloped Potatoes.
Make-Ahead Instructions for Cornbread Dressing
People often ask if they can make the dressing a day ahead and bake it later. Some do, but I don’t recommend it because bread and cornbread is very absorbent. If the dressing sits too long, it will absorb all the liquid and turn out dry. This dressing should be quite moist when served.
Here’s what you can do to prepare this cornbread dressing ahead.:
1. Bake and crumble the cornbread.
2. Dry out the cornbread and the bread.
3. Cook the onions and celery in the butter mixture, transfer into a bowl and store tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to assemble the dressing, microwave mixture until butter is melted, about 45 seconds.
4. When it’s time to cook it will only take a few minutes to assemble everything and throw it in the oven.
Check out these popular holiday side dishes
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Cheesy Jiffy Corn Casserole
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Southern Baked Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
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The Best Crock Pot Creamed Corn
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Scalloped Potatoes Au Gratin
What’s The Difference? Dressing Vs. Stuffing
Lots of folks argue about whether it’s called Thanksgiving stuffing or dressing. Some say it’s the same thing. But, like me, some consider “stuffing” when a similar mixture is actually stuffed inside a turkey while it cooks, and dressing is a separate side dish.
Here in the South, there are two main types of “dressing”. One type is cubed and moist (ugh, I still shudder when I type that!). The other kind is a more uniform casserole where the bread is crumbled to a finer crumb, mixed with eggs, baked, and then cut into squares.
In the end, whether you call it stuffing or dressing, and no matter how you make it, both are cherished parts of Thanksgiving, adding warmth and comfort to the holiday feast.
I hope you enjoyed this holiday side dish recipe for this southern cornbread dressing! I look forward to your questions and feedback below.
Please be sure to tag me @BadBatchBaking using hashtag #badbatchbaking if you made this recipe and I will feature you on my story! Plus, I LOVE to see your baking accomplishments.
The Best Southern Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 loaf crusty french bread cut into small cubes about 7 cups dried
- 8×8 pan prepared cornbread cut into small cubes about 7 cups dried
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped
- 4 ribs celery chopped
- 3-4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste about 1/2 tsp each
Instructions
Cornbread dressing prep
- Dry cornbread and bread: Spread bread cubes onto large baking sheets and leave them out to dry for 1-2 days. If you’re in a hurry you can dry it them in the oven at 250 degrees F for about 30-45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes, until the bread is dry and stale.
- When ready to make the stuffing, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sauté the Veggies
- Add the butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the onion, celery, basil, thyme, rosemary and salt, cook for a few minutes until softened.
- To a large mixing bowl add dried bread cubes. Pour in butter and vegetable mixture.
- Add broth: Gradually ladle the broth mixture onto the bread, tossing lightly as you go. Add more broth, just until everything is evenly moistened.
- Don’t add too much broth or it will be more mushy and dense. Taste and add more herbs or salt, if needed.
Bake
- Pour mixture into a 9×13 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
