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.”
Does this recipe stay same when your using it to stuff the Turkey?
Fantastic! I added sausage and everyone loved it! New Thanksgiving recipe in our house .
DELICIOUS!!! I decided to use a recipe this year for dressing and one that specifically was NOT complicated. I cannot say enough great things about this dish! I didn’t have fresh rosemary and the only spice I had was lavender rosemary salt. I used public baguette loaf mixed with sandwich bread at the last second. I was nervous going into it because the herb aroma individually wasn’t appealing but once I mixed it in with the onions and Celery the house smelled AMAZING. I will be using this recipe for years to come! Thank you!
Big hit at this year’s Thanksgiving!! Thank you for this outstanding recipe!!!!
Made this exactly as directed but doubled the recipe. It was a big hit tonight. Thank you!
I forgot to rate the most delicious stuffing I’ve ever eaten.
Simple to follow and delicious. Huge hit with the whole family.
This IS the best stuffing ever!!! My family loved it on Thanksgiving!! Thank you for the superb recipe!!
This took our store bought ham for Thanksgiving to the next level. Thank you!
Whoops, my last comment was on the wrong post. What I meant to say was this stuffing was perfection, two years straight now! It’s going to be our official stuffing moving forward! Thank you!
So easy and so delicious. My family loved it, even my two year old! Thanks so much.
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was really good! Everyone agrees to definitely add it to the holiday rotation. I followed the recipe except only had vegetable broth. I was going to use store bought cubes, but glad I didn’t. This stuffing was moist and flavorful. Thank you!
This is the best and least fussy stuffing recipe I’ve ever made. Definitely a keeper for next year! I personally used salted butter and 1/2 tsp salt and it was perfect. Yummy.
This is my new perfect! I upped the sage by quite a bit because that’s my jam, and omitted the rosemary. Crusty outside, perfectly moist, but not mushy, inside.
Bravo! Everyone loved this recipe! It’s a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
This stuffing recipe was easy and so delicious! Prepped and baked late morning, reheated for Thanksgiving dinner. Definitely a keeper for holidays to come!
Great stuffing recipe!! My boyfriend who doesn’t usually like “unhealthy” or traditional thanksgiving dishes really liked the stuffing! We are converting stuffing lovers one by one!
I subbed the sage for thyme and it came out just the same. I used teaspoons instead of tablespoons since I used dried herbs. I halved the recipe to serve 3 adults with maybe 1 serving of leftovers for reference if anyone is stressed about how many people a half batch will serve.
I also made the onion, celery, butter, and herb mixture the day before and reheated it in the microwave before adding it to your stale bread and following the rest of the recipe. I’m so glad I did this, made the rest of the preparation the next day so easy. One thing I always do is taste for seasonings before adding the egg mixture.
One thing I forgot to account for was the different baking temps. Thankfully I took it out before it burned, turned out just a bit crispy. No burnt Thanksgiving dishes here!
Hope my notes help someone out there!
I made this “out of the bird”. To change it up I used half pumpernickel and half seeded rye. (From my local bakery). And my add-in was a full pound of hickory smoked bacon, diced fine. The rest of the recipe i followed exactly as given. My mother, who doesn’t like stuffing has now changed her mind and wants this side at every holiday meal. Thank you!!!
I had this stuffing by my niece Sarah’s house and it was unbelievable good good good
Turned out well using sourdough. Will do this again, but will ditch the garlic. 6 cloves overpowered the entire effort.
Best dressing ever!! we added cranberries, apples and carrots and doubled it. Will definitely make this again, turned out perfectly
Best stuffing recipe! Made it the past 2 years and everyone loves it
Hi there. What would be the best way to reheat this if I make it a day ahead? Oven or microwave?
i always vote for oven. reheat it in a low oven (like 300 degrees), covered with foil, until warm through!
The star of the show! So good! Thanks for sharing this recipe
This was unbelievably good! I used the recipe exactly how it said. I should have absolutely doubled it! big mistake. It was gone in no time with about 12 people for dinner. THANK YOU
This is THE BEST stuffing recipe and the tastiest stuffing Ive ever had in my life. Thank you!!
Absolutely the best stuffing recipe I’ve tried!!
Excellent simple recipe. I made it the day before baking the stuffing. I put a few slices with a knife and added a little more stock as much was absorbed overnight. Delicious!
Absolutely beyond phenomenal. Doubled recipe (28 guests), prepared in a foil baking dish the day prior, to crispy top doneness. Then reheated to perfection on the day. Made large cubes out of three breads: egg challah, brioche rolls, ciabatta baguette (staled over night, then toasted at 350 until slightly brown). Replaced ghee for the butter (same volume, amped up butter flavor multiples). Used reconstituted Better Than Bouillon Turkey Base for the broth. Lots of fresh herbs from deck pots. Added packaged “roasted chestnuts” (peeled, ready to eat), available in many supermarkets, all asian markets (mylar/plastic envelope package). People who hate stuffing were simply amazed.
Thanks for this easy and delicious stuffing recipe. This is my thanksgiving stuffing from now on. My family loves it
Worst stuffing I have ever had these instructions didn’t make sense the liquid to bread ratio needs to be fixed otherwise you too will get super crunchy and borderline inedible stuffing
We are still enjoying the leftovers and it is the best stuffing we’ve ever made! Thank you!
This was a hit. Not much for leftovers after several folks went back for seconds. Followed recipe as is, will use again. Thank you!
So yummy I made this exactly except I used thyme instead of parsley because that’s all I had, I also had extra Crispy onion so I tucked those into the stuffing as well. So tasty! I will make this again next year
Classic stuffing flavor that is somehow the best one I’ve ever tasted/made. I used two kind of gluten free bread and it was perfect. I will be making this every year!
Omg. You’ve changed my life. The store was out of fresh herbs (small town-late shopping- so I made it with dried). I used a sourdough loaf and an Italian loaf (ciabatta type?) that I cut up 2 days beforehand and let sit out in the pan to dry. They shrunk immensely.
I love stuffy so much I’ll happily gobble down the boxed stuff every day of my life. But this!!!!! I ate it for breakfast and never got tired of it. The different bread makes such a different. Especially in the larger chunks. Thank you!!
With all of the good reviews, I don’t think mine is necessary, but this stuffing was great. I can usually take or leave stuffing, but my family wanted a traditional Thanksgiving which includes stuffing. I made this with half normal white bread and half sour dough. I cut the bread into larger chunks and toasted the bread. This stuffing was great. I’m actually looking forward to making this again. Thanks for the great recipe.
Can you add ground SAUSAGE to this? If so, do I need to add or subtract anything to maintain the same “texture”? Not too “greasy”, “watery “, etc.? Thanks!
add the sausage but add it cooked. I brown mine then add it. Keep the recipe the same otherwise, including liquid ect
This was my first attempt ever to make stuffing from scratch and oh my word, it was delicious – the whole family loved it!
Hi there
I plan on making this for Xmas dinner but want to make it the day before.
How long would you recommend heating it for the next day ?
Thanks in Advance
I made this stuffing last year and it was amazing. Came back to the recipe this year to print it out and make XMAS stuffing. Thank you i will make this each year.
I can’t find fresh herbs, just parsley. Can I use dry ones? And how much? Also, what can I substitute the eggs with? I have 2 people that are allergic to eggs?
Thank you!!
I’ve used dry herbs for this recipe a couple times and it’s still delicious! I do 1 teaspoon dried for every tablespoon fresh.
Can i substitute oil for the butter? I usually use butter but this year one person can’t have butter so i’m wondering if oil will work just as well?
i would definitely not use oil! if possible, i would use a vegan butter or butter substitute.
This is the BEST stuffing ever! It’s so easy to make, and comes out delicious every time! Make it, you won’t regret it!
Deliciousness with the turkey and gravy. Thank you
My cookbooks are all packed, so I tried this recipe, w/ subs & embellishments. Apples, button mushrooms, and fzn cranberries, all organic, were added. A bag of Pepperidge farm onion & sage was subbed, as were organic dried rosemary & sage. Fresh duck eggs were used. Extra butter poured over the top before baking….can’t wait to taste it!!
Not an ounce of exaggeration, this is some of the best stuffing I have ever tasted … and I made it! :D We were low on bread so I ended up scrounging two end-of-loaf slices from the freezer, a bunch of mini naans and a fairly stale croissant. These last two added a touch of sweetness that really took it over the top. And as much as I’ve enjoyed stuffing made inside the bird, the convenience of making this as a separate dish and not having to fuss with stuffing while carving has me sold. This will be our stuffing from now on. Thanks so much!
Very wet stuffing , had to out it in the oven for 2 hours at 450 and still very wet . Flavours are great. Just not a fan of wet stuffing
Made it for Christmas Dinner and it was AWESOME! Had 12 adults for dinner and it was almost all gone. I used half fresh baked sour dough bread and half Italian. Cut into cubes (to make 12-cups) and dried them out for 10-minutes in the oven at 350F. I used 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley and 1/4 cup sage and 3 Tbls fresh snipped chives (because we don’t like rosemary). I also used turkey broth for the liquid since this was pairing with turkey. Definitely a keeper and will be added to the rotation for Thanksgiving.
I followed the recipe exactly and although it was very flavourful and nice and crispy around the edges, the rest of it was quite mushy. Not sure what happened? Also, I think it could have used a little less butter.
I followed the recipe, but I used dried, store bought spices. I don’t have access to most fresh herbs. Because I was using dried spices, I used 2 Tbs instead of 3 of each, but the result was inedible. No one in my family would eat it because it was over spiced. Other elements of the recipe were fine (although adding a variety of flavors such as apples, cranberries, and sausage make stuffing much more interesting in my experience), but the spicing threw it way off. I spent hours off this (not to mention all the ingredients wasted) and had to throw it away.
yes, that is way too much dried spice. the conversion from fresh to dried is for every 1 tablespoon fresh, use 1 teaspoon dried.