Our Favorite Buttery Herb Stuffing.
This is the best stuffing recipe ever!
Seriously, it’s our favorite stuffing and the only one I make now. The edges are golden and crunchy, the inside is soft. It’s wildly flavorful and buttery and filled with herbs and most importantly, a delicious neutral flavor that truly goes with any meal.
Stuffing is by FAR my favorite side dish. In fact, Thanksgiving is alllll about the side dishes for me. Each one gets better than the last. And yes, technically this would be considered dressing since I’m serving it outside the bird.
However!
You can use this to stuff the bird if you wish. I’ve done it both ways, because we have a few family members who loved stuffing from inside the turkey.
I also think it’s a fairly regional thing? No one here calls stuffing “dressing” – really ever! It’s always stuffing, and that’s what I grew up with.
But that’s neither here nor there. I wanted to share my favorite best stuffing recipe with you today because we’re all about the classics this year. I want my Thanksgiving plate to taste like it did all those wonderful, comforting cozy years ago.
P.S. yes this is one of very few recipes you will find where I use celery. I still loathe it, but find it an important building block of flavor in stuffing!
My mom has always made delicious stuffing. It’s completely traditional and classic because as I’ve said every year, my family absolutely loses it if there is an unconventional dish on the table. I mean, remember the one year I tried to bring butternut squash lasagna?
Did not go over well.
But really, my mom’s stuffing is so good. This recipe is a modern twist on hers – very similar ingredients, but more fresh herbs. Also, still lots of butter. LOTS. It’s worth it! It’s Thanksgiving, and butter gives you that toasty, rich flavor with the crispy crunchy edges.
This recipe feeds about eight people, but I’ll be the first to tell you that in my house, stuffing always goes first. It’s one thing that people usually take seconds of, and it’s the one dish they also want to take home for leftovers! So because of that, I never mind making a lot.
If you’re scaling down your celebration this year, I’m happy to tell you that this recipe can be cut in half easily! And if you’re feeling more people, you can easily double this too. Honestly, I always double this for the reasons above. I liiiiive for stuffing.
If you have leftover stuffing…
I suggest using it for a breakfast hash skillet with eggs. I’ve also successfully thrown it in a waffle maker to create a stuffing waffle. Now that is incredible.
You can use it on a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, stuff in inside of bell peppers or simply freeze it to bring it our on a chilly night in winter. It’s the best dinner time treat!
Now I know that I’m all about the classic stuffing this year. But if you’re craving more variety, I have quite the selection to choose from. Last year I showed you how to make this but grilled the bread, which adds a really great twist.
I’ve also done slow cooker stuffing before too, in case you don’t want to really bother with it!
And, this double bread stuffing recipe that so many of you use every year and love!
Which stuffing is your favorite to make?!
Best Stuffing Recipe!
Our Favorite Buttery Herb Stuffing
Ingredients
- 18 to 24 ounces bread cubes, (1.5 loaves of bread, or about 12 to 14 cups) preferably toasted or stale
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups diced sweet onion, roughly 2 large onions
- 2 cups diced celery
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- kosher salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 large eggs
- a mixture of fresh herbs for sprinkling
Instructions
- Note about the bread cubes! You have options here. Stale or toasty bread works best. The first option is that you can cut 1 ½ pounds of bread into cubes, place it in a large baking dish, loosely tent with foil and let it sit overnight. You can also cut the cubes and put them in oven, toasting them at 350 degrees F until they are like croutons, about 15 minutes or so. Finally, you can buy the toasted bread cubes in bags from the store. It’s your choice! You can also choose the size of your cubes. They can be small or larger for a more rustic stuffing.
- My mom has always used a mixture of stale and fresh bread. Also, I like to use different kinds of bread (usually two), like a sourdough and italian, and mix the cubes. It provides great texture.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9x13 baking dish (you can also use a larger baking dish or a larger foil roasting pan too!) with melted butter, olive oil or spray with nonstick spray. Place the bread in a large mixing bowl (this may be easier for you to stir!) or the baking dish that you will bake it in. You can also separate this into two baking dishes if it's easier.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the onion, celery and garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper - at least ½ to 1 teaspoon each. Cook until the onions and celery soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the sage, parsley and rosemary. Cook for another minute. Stir in 1 cup of stock.
- Pour the onion celery mixture over the bread crumbs and toss well to coat.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 1 ½ cups stock and 2 eggs.
- Pour that mixture into the bread cubes and stir and fold the bread cubes until thoroughly combined. Bake the stuffing for 45 to 50 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F. If the stuffing is getting too browned, you can tent it with foil.
- I have successfully made this a day ahead of time and reheated it - it’s just as good! emove the pan from the fridge 60 minutes before reheating it. You can also use this mixture to stuff the bird if you wish!
- To serve 4: Cut this recipe in half exactly and bake it in an 8x8 or 9x9 inch dish. I bake for the same amount of time.
- To serve 12 to 18: Double this recipe exactly. Bake in a large baking dish, like a 10x15 roasting pan, or baking in two 9x13 baking dishes. I bake for roughly the same amount of time, or about 15 minutes longer.
Notes
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I appreciate you so much!
Look at that buttery golden crunch!
1,044 Comments on “Our Favorite Buttery Herb Stuffing.”
Made it and everyone loved it. Will never make another stuffing recipe again.
Well, I read details about Mom, leftovers and second helpings.
Never saw the ingredients except celery.
Keep scrolling. Recipe is below.
You can just click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the post…
This sounds like my new go to! Stuffing recipes that include sausage have never interested me. However, my grandmother usually added giblets to her stuffing (I will NOT) and my mother, for her own spin on it, added dried cranberries to hers.
Also, until I reached adulthood, I thought it was perfectly normal to add sliced water chestnuts to stuffing because they both always used them in theirs!!
How many cups of bread cubes do you need for it to be 24 ounces?
i would do 12 to 14 cups
Is it possible to make this recipe in a crockpot?
hi melissa! i have another recipe made exactly for the slow cooker: https://www.howsweeteats.com/2017/11/slow-cooker-stuffing/
What temp and how long of reheated if made them day before? Do you recommend adding anything to it while reheating?
i would reheat at 250 or 300 degrees F for roughly 45-60 mins – make sure to check if the inside in warm. i’d start with it uncovered to reheat, but if it seems to be getting too brown, tent it with foil when reheating.
as for adding anything, i usually don’t, but this also depends on what kind of stuffing you like! if you like a moist stuffing, you can drizzle in a bit of chicken stock, maybe 1/2 cup or so! :)
I recommended taking it out of the fridge and letting it sit on the counter for a while before putting anything in the oven to be reheated. It will take forever and dry out if you put it in cold. Wait At least an hour or so, then reheat. That also frees up space in the oven faster for other things that you need to bake that day.
I’m excited to make this, but am a little nervous about SIX cloves of garlic. Does that much garlic become overpowering?
i don’t find it does, but if you feel that it may be too much, cut it down! you can definitely use 2 or 3 cloves. :)
What type of bread is the best to use?
i like a mix of italian bread and sourdough. if you don’t want to use the sourdough, i suggest just getting 2 loaves of slices italian bread and cutting them into cubes!
Thank you, crusty Italian and sourdough from the bakery? Excited to make it!!!
yep those are my fave! depending on your preference, you can cut them into small cubes or larger chunks. just make sure the cubes are roughly the same size!
Thank you, crusty Italian and sourdough from the bakery? Excited to make it!!!
Hi, your recipe looks delish! I was wondering if it could be made without the eggs (we have an egg allergy)?
thanks! have you ever tried using a flax egg? i think that could definitely work.
if not, i do think you can leave the eggs out. they act as a binder, so the stuffing may not stick together as much, but flavorwise, it should still taste amazing!
egg replacer works well in this recipe. I use Bob Red Mill brand and it worked perfectly.
Could u make this without egg? My kids allergic…
have you ever tried a flax egg substitute? that would probably work. otherwise, you can leave them out.they act as a binder, so the stuffing may not stick together as much, but flavorwise, it should still taste amazing!
How many cups of breadcrumbs is 24 ounces?
i would do 12 to 14 cups. or, 1 loaf is usually 12 ounces.
Can I add sausage?
I added sausage, I cooked it before the celery, onions and added them after the meat was mostly browned, only added half the butter and it came out beautifully. My family loves meat so sausage was a must for this.
24 oz of bread is deceiving. I just made this. 1 of those bags of dried bread cubes from store is 12 oz so I did two bags to equal the 24 oz. Way too much bread!! And is definitely more than 6-8 cups!!
I was just thinking this same thing. Using a scale I cut 20 oz. of bread cubes which is a LOT of bread. Then measured by cup… 20oz of bread cubes is about 13 cups. Now, I’m not sure how much to actually use with the amount of liquid called for???
hi lisa – go with the 20 oz in weight, not by cup. the 20 oz works with the butter and liquid in the recipe. it would be more like 12 to 14 cups. i fixed it in the recipe!
I made this today for our family’s thanksgiving dinner. It was a huge hit! I made a double batch and stuffed the turkey. Delicious!
This recipe sounds just like the dressing my Mama made for the holidays.. I am looking forward to trying it!
Prepared two pans of this for our early thanksgiving on Tuesday. Looks and smells wonderful! Thanks!
Tastes just like my nana’s dressing and we loved it
I have a couple questions about the “mix of fresh herbs for sprinkling”. I don’t see anything in the directions about it. What type of herbs do you recommend for this and when should they be added? I’m assuming it should be done right after taking the dish from the oven. ?? If I am reheating the dish then should I wait till after it’s been reheated and right before serving it?
i just use the same herbs in the recipe! so parsley, sage and rosemary. you can sprinkle on top either right after cooking or right after you reheat and serve!
We made this yesterday and everyone raved over it! Excellent recipe! I only used parsley and it turned out great.
We had a similar recipe but no garlic but cooked the giblets and chopped them up. I also cook the celery and onion and butter in the left over broth before pouring all over the cubes. Especially like the liver of the chicken as it has lots of flavor..
Would I be able to mix all ingredients together in Tin baking dish and cook the next day?
yes! mix it all together the night before, cover and store in the fridge.
Can you add sausage to the recipe, and if so how and when would you add?
honestly i have never made sausage stuffing, so i can’t say for sure. i would think that you would brown it completely in a skillet, then add it to the bread mixture when you add the celery and onions? if you try, let me know!
For stuffing, instead of browning, I poach the stuffing. This way the flavor from the stuffing browning does not overpower the rest of the yumminess.
To poach stuffing just put it in a skillet with water. Bring to a boil and simmer slowly until done all the way through. Then drain. This also “rinses” a lot of the fat out so that your final product isn’t too moist and has a buttery flavor instead of fat flavor.
If I wanted to add dried cranberries to this recipe, when do you recommend doing so? Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try it. :)
i think i would add it in with the celery onion mixture!
Would a mix of challah and sourdough work well for this? Or do you think the challah is too soft? Thanks!!
challah sounds amazing!! it will definitely work, but you just want to make sure it’s either stale or toasted. so either dice it and let it sit out overnight (i tent loosely with foil) or toast the cubes in the oven for 15ish mins until toasty!
If I go the toasted bread route, can I toast the bread the day before or should it be toasted the day it’s being baked?
So excited to try this. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks!!
you can definitely toast it the day before!
If I don’t use fresh herbs would I use the same amount if it’s from the seasoning aisle?
no, you want to use about 1 teaspoon dried per every 1 tablespoons of fresh. i would use about 3 teaspoons of each herb, dried (instead of 3 tablespoons fresh) and i would not sprinkle them on/garnish at the end.
Hi Jessica, I can’t wait to try this recipe. Question… about how many loaves of bread do I need to buy to make 8 cups of breadcrumbs? Thanks so much!
i do about 1 1/2 to 2 loaves of bread! it depends on the size, but generally a prepackaged loaf of italian bread from the grocery store is about 12 oz.
Could you prepare this the night before and cook it the day of?
yes! store it in the fridge covered in foil overnight.
Can’t wait to try this recipe for Thanksgiving! Can you had carrots to it and if so, how and when? Thank you!!
i would saute the carrots with the celery and onions!
Super excited to make this for Thanksgiving! I forgot to buy parsley at the store, but I have all of the other herbs. Can I use chives in place of the parsley? I also have cilantro, but I think that will be too big of a taste difference compared to parsley.
Thank you! :)
chives will definitely give it somewhat of an onion-y flavor! i think you could add some chives (as long as everyone likes that flavor) but i wouldn’t do the full amount. you can just skip the parsley! def don’t do the cilantro. :)
Hi! I am so excited to make this recipe tomorrow! I am just making sure that you can prep the stuffing the day before (uncooked) and then actually cook it day of? It won’t get soggy or anything sitting raw in fridge overnight? I know this is probably an obvious answer but I want it to be perfect! Thank you!
so stuffing can be slightly soggy inside by nature, you know? while i do feel like this is best when prepared the day of, you can definitely prep the entire thing the night before. as long as you bake uncovered, you should still get the browned, crispy stuffing tops and edges!
one way i do prepare this before – i make the onions and celery the night before and store in the fridge. you can reheat a bit in the microwave if the butter solidifies it all. have the bread ready to go in the pan. before baking, combine everything and cook!
I’m excited to try this for Thanksgiving. I just so happen to have fresh sage, rosemary and parsley! I’ll report back!
enjoy!!
Can you prepare this two days ahead and then bake it for the first time on the day you are serving it?
i wouldn’t make it 2 days in advance. there are different camps on this but to me, with the eggs, it’s just to long to sit in the fridge. it really is made best the day of, but if needed to make before, i’d go with the night before.
Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh? And if so how much?
yes! use 1 teaspoon dried for every 1 tablespoon fresh. so i would do 3 teaspoons dried. and do not garnish with dried herbs at the end.
Do I need to bake these before I stuffed it in the turkey?
That’s what I’m confused about. Nowhere in this recipe do I see the turkey’s opening and I don’t know where to put all these things. I need to stuff something inside this bird carcass.
you can use this to stuff the turkey. it does not have to be baked first, but it does have to reach an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
Wait a minute. I thought it was called stuffing because you stuff these ingredients up a turkey’s ass. Stuff-ing. Stuffing. Stuffing.
Jessica – we have about 1/2 lb of some homemade sausage – would it be good to add to this recipe?
so i personally have never made sausage stuffing but i think it would probably be great! i believe you have to brown it first and then add it in!
Thanks, Jessica. In consultation with my wife we decided to stick to recipe for the first time we make it. I’m still excited! Bookmarked this site and will refer back often!
thank you!! let me know how it turns out!
Sounds like a good recipe, but does it really need two whole sticks of butter? Seems like one would be plenty. I don’t see any other comments on this. Thanks!
yes stuffing needs lots of butter! it adds rich flavor, crisp edges, moisture and is one of the real building blocks of stuffing.
I just baked it and thought it may be too much butter but trust me it isn’t. It smells wonderful and taste like the best stuffing ever. Going to reheat on Thursday!
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I have this made and ready to go for an early thanksgiving tomorrow ( we have to work on Thursday). It looks and smells amazing!
For reference, I used 1 1/2 loaves of bread and it’s perfect.
I am a dressing girl! Going to make both this year to please everyone. The picture of this recipe looks fantastic but I am confused as to how all these great reviews were posted on a recipe posted on the 2nd of this month? I don’t want to make a stuffing that is a waste?
All butter, would not make again. One of the least favorite that I have tried, glad I tried it out before the holiday
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Made batch Sunday to test it for Thursday. It is perfect! I am giving it to a neighbor who can’t cook tomorrow. This tastes like my mom’s stuffing!
Just finishing putting this together, it was my first dish of the morning. It smells and looks wonderful. Whoever said it is too much better didn’t properly cook the onions and celery or hasn’t made stuffing before. Can’t wait for this!
5 stars
I’m making this for the second time today. I made it 2 weeks ago for my in laws meal and everyone loved it. Here are my suggestions –
Use all 24 oz of bread, I did 12 oz of bagged stuffing bread and cut 12 oz of Italian bread.
Cut the bread into small pieces like she shows in the photo. This gets you many crispy bits of stuffing.
Use all the fresh herbs.
Cook the celery and onion until very soft in the butter. This is not too much butter. The vegetables soak much of it up.
Use a pan slightly larger than 9×13. This makes more crispy stuffing bits that everyone loves.
Thanks for the recipe Jessica!
where did you find a 10×15 pan from! you said a little larger, that seems to be the next size? Please let me know what pan you are using.
Forgot to leave my rating!
How long does it take to reheat if made the day before? I’m excited to try this recipe since I’ve never made it homemade before and making it today would definitely lessen my load tomorrow!
i would reheat for 45 to 60 minutes or so. take it out of the fridge about 60 mins before reheating!
I made this for a small Friendsgiving right after you posted it (before restrictions tightened) and it was great!! Just brought up the recipe again to cut up my bread!