The Very Best Stuffing Recipe
Grandma knew best! This buttery bread stuffing with herbs and turkey stock is full of cozy, nostalgic flavor. Soft in the middle, golden on top, and guaranteed to steal the show.
“I have been searching for a recipe like this for years. Family members loved this! Thanks for your version which helped me figure out my grandmother’s.”
-Pat
“I ran across your Grandma Mary Ellen’s stuffing recipe last year and what a hit it was!! Thank you!! I too have been searching for a recipe similar to my Grandmother’s and your recipe is spot on!”
-Mary
The Mission To Re-Create Mary Ellen’s Stuffing Recipe
You know how you hear about people taking recipes to their grave? My husband’s grandma seriously did that with her Thanksgiving bread stuffing. The only detail she ever gave us was “well, I just soak the bread in milk, really.”
It was the best turkey stuffing in the whole wide world, and I consider myself a stuffing aficionado. It had a simple, comforting flavor and was just perfect in every way.
So, ever since Mary Ellen passed, it’s been my mission to try to recreate this recipe. Using flavor memories and reader comments and e-mails since I first published this recipe in 2014, I’ve been able to get it super close to the original.
The recipe card below reflects ten years of work, and dozens of tests. The recipe in the card below will yield you a delicious old fashioned bread stuffing to serve alongside your Thanksgiving turkey, I guarantee it.
Why You Will Love This Old Fashioned Turkey Stuffing
- This is a treasured family recipe that is very similar to what many people in the Midwest grew up eating at their own grandma’s table.
- There’s an option to use those giblets that come with your turkey, for extra flavor – or not.
- Make this a day or two before the holiday and bake it before dinner. We do this every year!
Stuffing vs. Dressing
Stuffing, also known as dressing, is a quintessential part of holiday feasts, especially where turkey is served. It’s a mixture of cubed bread, vegetables, and seasonings, and it produces a very comforting blend of flavors and textures.
Technically, it’s called “stuffing” when it gets stuffed into the bird, and “dressing” when its cooked in a separate baking dish.
But, since you tend to have to overcook the turkey to make sure the stuffing reaches a safe temperature, we just cook ours in a baking dish, but we’ve always still called it stuffing.
Best Stuffing Recipe Ingredients
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- hearty white sliced bread – this is the sturdy bread base that will absorb all the flavors. We usually use Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White sliced bread or something similar.
- unseasoned cubed stuffing (the dried cubes in a bag) – these add an additional textural element to the dish. We usually use Brownberry Premium Unseasoned Cubed Stuffing or something similar.
- whole milk – this adds a creamy richness (and moisture) to the bread stuffing.
- eggs – these act as a binding agent, ensuring that the stuffing holds together as it bakes.
- turkey stock – infuses the stuffing with the essence of roasted turkey. If you can’t find turkey stock, chicken stock or chicken broth make a fine substitute.
- butter – it’s not Grandma’s stuffing without plenty of butter to make it irresistible!
- onion, celery, garlic – these aromatic ingredients add layers of complexity and depth of flavor.
- poultry seasoning, dried sage, salt and pepper – these seasonings add the perfect balance of savory and herbal notes to every bite. Yes, there is sage in poultry seasoning, but we use extra sage, too!
- fresh parsley (OPTIONAL) – for a little bit of fresh herbal flavor and pretty green color. This is probably not traditional to Mary Ellen’s recipe, but it’s something we’ll add if we happen to have it on hand.
- giblets from 1 turkey (OPTIONAL) – you can use everything exept the neck, if you want to. These are optional but add a ton of flavor to the stuffing.
Best Bread For Stuffing
The flavors of Mary Ellen’s stuffing were pretty easy to figure out (leaning on sage, butter, onion and celery). But figuring out the what type of bread to use has been much harder.
At one point, we believe Mary Ellen mentioned that she soaked white bread in milk, and then wrung it out. We’ve tried that several times, but the bread simply falls apart.
We’ve also tried making this turkey stuffing recipe with ALL toasted white bread, or ALL dried stuffing cubes. It’s fine both of those ways, but this BEST EVER version uses a combination of both.
The combination of fresh white bread (torn by hand, and then toasted in the oven), and a bag of dried stuffing cubes, creates the best flavor and texture for the best homemade stuffing.
How To Make Stuffing
- TOAST. Divide the torn white bread between 2 baking pans and bake until it’s lightly toasted and crisp.
- COMBINE. Toss the dried bread cubes with beaten eggs, stock and milk.
- SAUTE. Saute the onion, celery and garlic in butter. Add the salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and sage.
- STIR. Put the toasted white bread, parsley, melted butter, and the sauteed vegetables in the bowl with the cubed stuffing, and stir everything together.
- BAKE. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and bake it 45 minutes (start covered and then uncover), until the top is golden brown.
How To Dry Out Bread For Stuffing
We take the quick route and dry our bread in the oven (350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes).
You can also allow the torn bread to air-dry for a few days by simply leaving it uncovered in your kitchen, but we think drying it in the oven really gives you the best texture in the end.
How Long To Bake Stuffing
Bake the stuffing at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes or until the top of the stuffing is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
Old Fashioned Stuffing Recipe Home Chef Tips
- To enhance the homemade flavor, use homemade turkey stock made with lots of aromatic vegetables and herbs.
- For a vegetarian stuffing, use homemade vegetable stock, and omit the giblets, of course.
- Feel free to add even more fresh herbs to the mix in addition to the poultry seasoning and parsley – a few pinches of chopped thyme or rosemary are nice.
How To Serve This Best Homemade Stuffing
Serve this bread stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas alongside a showstopping main dish, lots of side dishes, and some beautiful desserts.
Old Fashioned Turkey Stuffing Storage
- MAKE AHEAD. You can fully assemble this best stuffing recipe in advance, through the beginning of step 9 in the recipe card below. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake the stuffing, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking according to the directions below.
- LEFTOVERS. If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Stuffing Recipe FAQs
To achieve a crispy-topped stuffing, make sure you remove the foil from the baking dish for the final 15 minutes of baking time.
Stuffing should be covered for the majority of the baking time to ensure even cooking and a moist texture, but the foil should be removed for the final 15 minutes of the bake so that you can get a golden brown, crispy top.
To maintain moisture, make sure you use as much liquid as the recipe calls for below, and don’t skimp on the butter!
To avoid a mushy texture, make sure your white bread is dried and toasted enough before you add liquid to it. You want the torn bread to be baked nice and crisp before you use it for this old fashioned stuffing recipe.
More Foxes Love Lemons Favorites
Old Fashioned Stuffing Recipe
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
Ingredients
- Giblets from 1 turkey except the neck (optional)
- 1 ¼ cups whole milk plus 1 additional cup if using giblets divided
- 1 loaf hearty white sliced bread, torn into small pieces 24 ounces
- 2 eggs
- 1 bag unseasoned cubed stuffing (the dried cubes in a bag) 12 ounces
- 4 cups turkey stock
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 medium white onion finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups finely chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- If using giblets, place giblets and 1 cup milk in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Divide torn white bread between 2 rimmed baking pans. Transfer to oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Set toasted bread aside; leave oven on at 350 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, place eggs in large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add cubed stuffing, stock and remaining 1-1/4 cups milk; toss to combine.
- Melt 8 tablespoons butter in small pot or microwave-safe dish.
- Spray large casserole dish (at least 9 x 13-inches and 3 inches deep) with cooking spray. If using giblets, proceed with Step 6 and then 8-9. If NOT using giblets, proceed with Steps 7-9.
- If using giblets, remove giblets from milk; discard milk. Finely chop giblets. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped giblets and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onion, celery and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Add poultry seasoning and sage; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- If not using giblets, heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Add poultry seasoning and sage; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add parsley(if using), toasted white bread, melted butter and onion mixture to bowl with cubed stuffing and milk. Stir for 1 minute or until toasted bread is very well moistened.
- Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Transfer to oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 to 25 minutes longer or until the top of the stuffing is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Hi, This looks like a stuffing my older neighbor used to make! I am confused on the “make ahead” tips though. It says you can prep this recipe the beginning of step 9 (combining wet and dry indigents) and store in the fridge for 2 days. Is that a mix-up? Wouldn’t some of those dry bits just be mush by that point? Thanks
Hi Heather! It’s not a mix-up – I do it like that every year, and it turns out great. But, if you’d prefer to keep the elements separate until just before baking, and toss them together then, you can!
1&1/2 loaves of home made bread (dry) soak in whole milk
1 regular onion (chopped fine)
1 cup of chicken gizzards, hearts & livers thru medium grinder or food processor
1 apple ( cut fine )
1 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs of butter
2 or 3 jumbo eggs
salt & pepper
Mix together, ( don’t over mix ) and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Be sure interior temperature is 165 degrees before serving.
Thanks so much, Patrick. This sounds great! Smart idea to put the gizzards in a food processor.