This Stuffing Recipe is easy to make and will be guaranteed to be the star of your dinner this Thanksgiving. Made with a loaf of bread, onions, celery, fresh sage, and chicken stock, it's perfect for stuffing your turkey or baking on the side. You can make it ahead of time for 2 days and keep it in your fridge until the big day.

Looking for more Thanksgiving side dishes? Try my Green Bean Casserole or Mashed Potatoes next!

stuffing in casserole dish with portion scooped out of it.

About This Recipe

Stuffing is the best part of Thanksgiving. It's such a unique dish, and I only make it once a year, and every time, it always feels so special. That's why having a good recipe is so important.

I've been making turkey stuffing since I was a very little kid (pretty sure I started at age 10), and I've made a lot of mistakes since then. I remember one year, I made the worst stuffing ever. It was grey and mushy, and my sister refused to eat it. To be fair, I think it still tasted good because I added so many seasonings, but it did not resemble a traditional stuffing at all.

Back then, I found a recipe from someone's grandma. I actually used to prefix all my Google searches with "grandma" so that I could get the legit recipes. Nowadays, that trick doesn't really work anymore since many fake bloggers use that strategy to get more views. I won't claim this stuffing recipe is a grandma's recipe, but it is definitely derived from one.

For me, stuffing is super easy to make. And my most important tip is not to cut the bread too small. I like bigger chunks of bread because when you fold all the ingredients together, it tends to smush the bread a bit. Starting with larger chunks will guarantee you are not left with a mushy stuffing instead of cubes.

Drying the bread until they are completely dry is essential to getting a flavorful bite in the stuffing. The drier the bread, the more chicken stock it will soak up. I dry my bread by cutting it up into cubes, spreading it on a baking tray, and baking it at 250°F for 45-60 minutes.

Key Ingredients

Butter: Of course, we need some butter to give the stuffing that rich flavor. We use the butter to saute the vegetables at the beginning, and then it will infuse with the bread later on.

Onion & celery: This is the base of many stuffing recipes. They provide delicious flavor.

Chicken broth: Using a high-quality broth is important here. If I have time, I usually make my own turkey stock, but today, I just used Campbell's chicken broth. Chicken and turkey broth are interchangeable here.

Eggs: This gives the stuffing a heartier texture.

Sage: This is essential for that Thanksgiving flavor. I recommend using fresh sage as the flavor is better, but dried sage works as well.

Parsley: Herbs like parsley provide the stuffing with earthiness and freshness.

Salt and pepper: Add to your own taste. It really depends on how salty the chicken broth is. I usually add at least ½ a teaspoon since bread is pretty plain tasting.

Dry bread cubes: I typically make my own bread cubes. This recipe uses a whole loaf of bread. I used a regular loaf from my grocery store. French bread or an Italian brand would be good. To make dry bread cubes, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes, spread them onto a baking sheet, and bake at 250°F for 45-60 minutes until dry and golden.

Instructions

onions and celery being cooked in large pot.

STEP 1: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and celery, and cook for 6-7 minutes until softened. Remove from the heat.