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.”
This stuffing is absolutely delicious! I made it with gluten-free plain stuffing mix (3 boxes) and it was devoured. I assembled it the day before, drizzled a little bit more chicken stock over it before baking the next day and it was so good! Thank you for such an awesome recipe!
We have a celery allergy in our family. Is there a substitute I can use, or just leave out?
i would just leave it out!
This recipe really lives up to the hype and was a huge hit at Thanksgiving!
though my family said that the whole turkey dinner was wonderful this year, this dressing recipe was the showcase. This is the best stuffing I have personally tasted! I am so glad that I made the recipe to size, because now there are left overs.
This recipe is worth writing down and passing on!
I made the Buttery Herb Stuffing for Thanksgiving yesterday. It is the best stuffing I have ever eaten! I used both types of bread, followed it to a tee. Perfectly moist, everyone enjoyed, passing the recipe on! Will use year after year! Thankyou!
My family loved it! It’s a keeper. Thank you!
DELICIOUS! I’m American, but I live in Miami and I have a lot of Cubans in my family now. None of them really eat stuffing, so every year I just make the boxed one. This year I wanted to make one from scratch so it was my first time doing this. This recipe was absolutely delicious and perfection. I wouldn’t change anything. My husband never eats stuffing and he absolutely loved it! There was hardly any left. Everyone raved about it. I will be making a double batch next year. Thank you!
This year, I used this recipe and maybe the amount of fresh herbs was too much because it was very strong, how do I fix this?
I made this stuffing for my first attempt at making stuffing from scratch; A+++++. One question though – if too much liquid is used to moisten the cubed/toasted bread, what can you do to dry out the over moistened bread on the bottom of the casserole dish??
Buttery Herb Stuffing. This recipe was a hit! ❤️😋
hands down the best stuffing!!! we have a small family so 1/2 the recipe using 3/4 of a large Albertsons french loaf (made a sammie with the rest :)
i toasted my bread cubes and chopped all the produce the day before and it came together very quickly
This stuffing was SO good! I made a double batch for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! It was so moist and flavorful. I added sausage because I typically make a sausage and sage dressing my family enjoys. This may just be my new go-to! Thanks for sharing!
Hi,
This recipe is the bomb!!!! I made a whole extra 9 x 13 pan of the stuffing & it’s in the fridge. Is it possible to freeze it & if so, do you know how I’d reheat it in that case? Such as temperature & time frame? I want to bring it to a party next week, if at all possible!
Wasn’t sure this would be flavorful enough, but I was wrong! This was absolutely delicious. We had some fresh herbs and had to use some dried. We’re a little hesitant about all that butter but did anyway. Wouldn’t change a thing except, next time, hope to use all fresh herbs. Thank you for this amazing recipe
Made this for thanksgiving this year and everyone absolutely loved it!! My partner asked me to make it again just for us 😂 definitely keeping this recipe!
Made this recipe for Thanksgiving last year and again this year. This recipe is a winner! I will make this every year. Even non-stuffing lovers loved this! Perfect. No need to try any other recipes. This is it. Thank you!
This stuffing is AMAZING!!!! I’m so glad I found your recipe and gave it a try. I received so many compliments on Thanksgiving. Thank you for sharing this deliciousness and all your tips and tricks! I’ll definitely be visiting your website and Facebook page when I need ideas of what/how to cook something in the future.
This is the best stuffing I’ve ever made or tasted. Better than my mom’s. The perfect blend of herbs with the buttery crispness and texture. It also tastes great the next day, if you have any left. My 16-month-old grandson even loved it. I used sourdough bread and dried herbs (1/3 to fresh). I will make this every year. Thank you!
Best damn stuffing. I bought bread in New Jersey and dried it in oven and folledYOUR recipe and omg so delicious. I had to prepare for a Italian family and comments were raving. Thank you so much. Lol gotta fix it for my son right now.
for you
This came out so good! Wow! Also reheats wonderfully. Only thing I added was a pound of chicken sausage. Took a chance trying out something new for Thanksgiving and have zero regrets. It was a hit with everyone. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! It’s a keeper for sure.
Made this for our family Thanksgiving, and all 12 of us, LOVED it…
Hello, are you using the flat leaf parsley in this recipe?
Thank you
This was a delicious stuffing and very easy to make!
I’ve been wanting to try this since I found it almost a year ago. Unfortunately, I took a fall and hurt a finger a couple of days before Thanksgiving, so entrusted my daughter to make it. It was so very delicious and homey and satisfying! Could not get over how flavorful it was, although our store was out of fresh rosemary so she had to use dried. Next year, fresh for sure. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful stuffing! My daughter looked like a rock star to the entire family!
I don’t like stuffing AT ALL. I think its just mush that tastes good with cranberry sauce, but this stuffing is unbelievable!! It has a beautiful medley of butter and is fantastic enough to even eat alone. Bravo!
This is definitely the best dressing I’ve ever made. Everyone absolutely loved it! Thx so much for this recipe!!!
Can you also use this recipe to stuff a turkey? Is there any adjustments you would make?
Hi Jessica, thanks for sharing the recipe. I plan to try it and using it as a stuffing in the turkey. Should I pre-cook the stuffing before putting it into the turkey?
Thank you!
Cheers,
Steph
Our family always filled stuffing into the cavity of the turkey (covering the exposed stuffing with a bit of tin foil), and also the small cavity on the other end (pinning it closed with the flap of skin and a toothpick or metal roasting needle). Hope that helps!
Plan on making for Christmas dinner. So looking forward to it. Can this be made ahead of time & frozen? Thank you
One main question.. have you ever tried freezing it? I’m doing Christmas dinner at my in-laws this year, a few hours drive away) and wondering if I can make this today and freeze it. I’m from near London UK and agree it’s all the trimmings that make the dinner. Last year I did Christmas dinner for mine and my husband’s families with this as one of the highlights. I added walnuts and apricots as I already have a sage & onion fave simple recipe (finer crumbs, onion lots of butter sage), but I love the contrast that using eggs and stock and little cubes makes and I’ll do this base every year now. It was delicious 😋 Thanks so much!
I want to make this stuffing this year but would like to add sausage meat. How much sausage meat would go with this recipe and should I cook it prior to adding to the stuffing or put it in raw then cook the stuffing. Not sure about the grease coming out of the sausage and butter may be too much grease. Please advise.
Looking to make this recipe for Christmas, sounds amazing!! Quick question, do you think I could stuff the turkey prior to cooking? Would this change anything?
If I am stuffing the turkey, are there any changes ? We like stuffing cooked inside the turkey. Thanks 😊
I have always wanted to make stuffing from scratch. I came across this recipie and went for it for Thanksgiving 2023. It was the hit of the dinner! So flavorful!!! My only change was to add a container of baby Bella mushrooms with an additional TB of butter. Now, here we are 4 days from Christmas and I am making it again!!!! Thank you for this fantastic recipie!
Can I prepare this but omit the baking and freeze instead, then thaw and bake as directed?
Would love to make this for Christmas dinner! Hoping you can provide measurements (probably going to use an 8 inch square pan) if I only want to make enough for 2 people :)
Best stuffing ever. My family loved this.
Hi I have used this stuffing the last few years it’s wonderful tastes like my moms. Do to an injury I can’t do everything in one day. I see that I can warm this up the next day so I am going to cook it tomorrow. Your recipe says to take it out of the fridge for 60 minutes but does not say what temperature to cook it for about how long and to cover or not any help will be appreciated God bless and merry Christmas Mary v
Can’t wait to make it! I’ve only been able to find dried sage/rosemary/parsley. Do you have any tips on how to tweak the recipe to accomodate? thanks in advance
Can I used cubed cornbread in place of regular bread in this recipe?
Hi
Can I prepare the stuffing the day before, put in fridge, and bake it the next day?
I have never made stuffing I liked until I tried this recipe. Absolutely delicious! I used fresh herbs from the garden and the flavor was amazing. I will make this year round. Thank you!
I got absolutely rave reviews on this recipe. I used a combination of french bread, par baked italian, and sourdough.
Growing up I always used milk for the liquid, but the chicken stock adds so much flavor! This went over so well when I brought it for a pot luck at a Christmas dinner with friends that I’m making it again for New Year’s Eve at home. Thank you for sharing!
Note: We have always made with store bought bread, and toasted as much as needed for the stuffing, and hand tearing bite size pieces from the slightly cooled toast. This was always a great activity to get the kids involved in ‘helping’ on Thanksgiving. :-)
My family loved this recipe. I didn’t leave it in the oven as long as the recipe said, because we couldn’t wait. (We started the dressing too late and ended up eating it at the end of the meal. lol) But we liked it more moist. (I used less herbs than the recipe called for and felt like it was enough, but we were guessing on the amount of bread we had. We guessed we had 1/2, so I used 1/3 of the herbs, but we might have had less bread than that.) Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I’m definitely going to be using it again.
Hands down the best stuffing I’ve ever made. It disappeared quickly and everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing!
I don’t know what is up but I measured everything and it was just insanely herby. I had to take about a quarter of the mixture out before baking and put fresh bread cubes in but it still tasted like eating plain herbs.
I’ve made this stuffing twice, and both times it’s the best stuffing I’ve ever made. It’s admittedly not the best I’ve ever had, my sister makes better stuffing but this is VERY good and well worthy of the 5 stars.
How are you reheating it? Oven and temperature or microwave it? Thanks.
I made this exactly the way it calls for in the recipe including using sourdough and italian bread. It was delicious and all my sisters wanted the recipe for themselves. I made a double batch and glad I did.