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
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Look at that buttery golden crunch!
1,044 Comments on “Our Favorite Buttery Herb Stuffing.”
At the last minute, I learned there wasn’t going to be any stuffing at Thanksgiving and I came across your recipe late last night. Thank goodness I did because it tastes amazing!!! Thanks for saving my Thanksgiving!
What is the suggested time/temp for reheating?
i reheat around 300 degrees and until it’s warm inside
Alright thanks!
Hi Jessica
I’m planning to make your recipe today. I was wondering do we cut off the crust or include it in the recipe?
i leave my crusts on! but it’s totally up to you. :)
I love all your recipes! But I would love to have a guideline on how much salt and pepper. You generally just say salt and pepper. I know it depends on people’s tastes. But if you could give a place to start with how much you would put, that would be very helpful. And people can adjust from there. Thank you!
i am very big on salting to taste since everyone’s preference is different! for this recipe, you will probably want to use about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, but i highly recommend tasting before adding what you may think is too much!
As I read through the recipe, I saw that you gave guidance on this. Thank you very much!!! Can’t wait to eat this!!! 💕
Leave your tails of your mother out of the step by step instructions. Trying to actually follow the recipe is is enraging. I regret picking this and buying ingredients before reading the instructions.
this is a personal blog. if you don’t like the “tails” (by the way, what is that?), go find a recipe somewhere else. in the recipe, all i mention is the bread that my mom uses as a reference since this recipe has been passed down.
you seem so kind and happy.
Sorry, Jessica, this is an amazing recipe and people like Mike deserve really bad things to them
What in the white is this?
Fantastic recipe!! Thank you!!
Just pulled it out of the oven and tasted! Best stuffing ever!
hi! if i am making this now but going to serve a few hours later how exactly should i reheat? At what temp and for how long? thanks so much!
i would reheat at 300 degrees! you just need to heat until it’s warm. it will probably take 45ish minutes.
I think my stuffing is a little dry. Can I add more chicken stock when I reheat?
definitely! drizzle it all over the stuffing and reheat.
Hi! Can I put everything together ahead of time then bake right before dinner?
yes! especially if you are baking it tonight.
Super moist not soggy tons of flavor! I just added Italian sausage, it was perfect! Thank you!
I have made this recipe a lot its delish! Today I’m adding one more layer of flavor and cooking it in my smoker along with my potatoes. Can’t wait to eat!
made this with herbs de provence, FANTASTIC!!!!!
Just put it in the oven. We will see how I did. I did add to it a little, I put in the giblets with it. Boiled them first then chopped them up fine and mixed them in.
I don’t have celery. Can I use green apples instead?
if you like that flavor, yes!
Made this today for Thanksgiving. It was so good!
Easy recipe. This is going to be the recipe for stuffing from now on.
Thank you!
Best stuffing I’ve ever made!
Whole family loves it!!
This is the perfect stuffing recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Best stuffing I’ve ever made! And I’m 64 years old!
Hey Jessica! I made this today for Thanksgiving and it was a gigantic hit! I followed your recipe exactly. I used a loaf each of Italian and french bread (couldn’t find sourdough). The fresh herbs are an absolute must, and well worth the extra time to chop up. I had never made stuffing before, this was super easy to follow and cook. Thanks for sharing!
Best stuffing recipe! I followed exactly and it was perfect. A combo of moisture yet crunchy.
Thank you for this recipe. It was delicious. My husband, who is my stuffing fanatic thought it was perfect and would love to have it again.
As a side note, I used homemade gluten free bread in place of what was here and it still turned out perfect.
Thank you! Going to use gluten free when I make this recipe and appreciate hearing it works well!
Amazing!! Made it with toasted baguettes and the texture was to die for. The celery helps to make the butter flavor just right. Doesn’t taste greasy!
Made this for Thanksgiving… it was INCREDIBLE!
Absolutely amazing. Best I have ever had! The only thing I changed was that I used two tablespoons of sage, parsley and rosemary instead of the three tablespoons suggestion.
this was a hit! terrific! best stuffing ever. everyone loved it
By the far the most delicious stuffing I’ve ever made/eaten. I had some left over stuffed mushroom mix, and added that to the mix too … turned out fantastic!
Amazing!
Best stuffing I’ve ever made!
Everyone loved it. Huge hit!
This stuffing was delicious!!! I added sausage to mine.
I used this recipe for Thanksgiving this year and it was excellent! I followed the directions exactly. Thank you so much! i will be using this again next year!
5 stars!
This was the highlight of our thanksgiving dinner. Thank you
Awesome & delish. Perfect amount of crunch, flavor & moistness. My boyfriend loved it! I cannot cook & he was impressed by the great taste. I will definitely make this every year. Thank you for sharing this great recipe. Happy Thanksgiving 💗🦃.
I can’t even believe how good this recipe was. It was a hit with everyone at our house. Thank you for sharing this fantastic, easy recipe!
The whole pan was devoured. This is the best stuffing I’ve ever made.
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner today and it was so good! I stuffed the bird with half of it, and put the other half in the fridge. Due to COVID, I was only cooking for three so I didn’t need the second half today. It was so easy and tasty! This will be my go-to stuffing recipe from now on! Thank you!
Hi! Love this recipe so much and I’m making it tomorrow. Just a quick question. Can I opt for dried sage, rosemary, and parsley? I can’t find them fresh at my local grocery store and just wondering if it is detrimental to the recipe?
yes, the rule is to usually use 1 teaspoon dried for every 1 tablespoon fresh. so i would tried 3 teaspoons of each!
That was the best stuffing 😋
This recipe was amazing! Thank you so much for an easy classic recipe that my whole family enjoyed. Can’t wait to try leftovers in the waffle maker!
This is the best stuffing recipe ever, reminded me of my grandmas!!
Hi – Can you freeze this ahead of time (I’m thinking Christmas)? Thanks, Sara
This was the perfect stuffing!! So close to my Mom’s and incredibly easy:) This will be my go to every time:) Thanks so much!!
This stuffing was the star of our thanksgiving dinner 🤗
I was in charge of stuffing this year. It’s a big job and this recipe crushed it. Amazing. I’m eating the leftovers now and almost wish I’d made it ahead of time and reheated it for Thanksgiving. As good as it was yesterday, I think it may be better today…if that’s even possible.
The stuffing came out great, everyone complimented on it. I did cut down on the butter, im saving this recipe and will follow this again for sure.
Hi Jessica, I just want to say that I’m fairly new to cooking from scratch, and I appreciate that your recipe has some insights and was easy to follow!
When I made this, I substituted dry, pre-cut stuffing bread (essentially croutons) from my local grocer’s bakery, and the end result ended up being pretty dry. How would you compensate for this?
I realize I probably should’ve added more stock, but do you also add more egg? At what point do you add the additional stock to the mixture? Any thoughts on how much extra one might need?
Thanks for your help!
Everyone loved this! It was perfect stuffing.
Will this recipe make for 12 servings ??? In the directions it says to split in half for 4 servings but for 12-18 servings double the recipe ? I’m wondering how much the recipe will make the way it’s written??
I made this for thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! This stuffing recipe will be a yearly standard for years to come! Absolutely delicious. Only change I made was buying a loaf of brioche, cutting it into cubes, spreading it on a cookie sheet drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper. Toast for about 15 minutes, then cool.
Fantastic recipe! Easy to make and came out absolutely delicious. I used a combination of whole wheat bread and sourdough. I used a little less butter and added 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the butter and herb mixture. It was thr most delicious part of my Thanksgiving meal. I highly recommend it.