Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipes: Three Classic Variations
These delicious recipes are a perfect pairing with roast turkey; either one or all three will make a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving table. They're worth the extra effort.
Great stuffing starts with great broth. Homemade chicken or turkey stock made from the carcass (or chicken backs and feet from a butcher) gives stuffing real depth. If using store-bought, look for low-sodium broth with a short ingredient list.
Quick Reference
- Three classic styles: oyster (New England), chestnut-sausage (Italian-American), wild rice and mushroom (Midwest).
- Stuffing vs. dressing: stuffing is cooked inside the bird; dressing is baked alongside. Most recipes work either way.
- Best bread: day-old white bread, sourdough, brioche, or cornbread. Fresh bread turns to mush.
- Liquid ratio: 1 cup broth per 4 cups dry bread cubes.
- Internal temperature: stuffed bird must reach 165°F in the stuffing. Use a thermometer.
- Make-ahead: dry the bread the day before; mix the stuffing right before baking.
It Starts With Broth!
Perfect Stuffing: A 5-Step Process
- Dry the bread. Cube and spread in a single layer on a sheet pan. Air-dry overnight (or oven-toast at 250°F for 30 minutes).
- Build the aromatics. Cook onion, celery, and herbs in butter until soft, 8-10 minutes.
- Add protein and inclusions. Sausage, oysters, mushrooms, chestnuts, dried cranberries, fresh apples.
- Wet it carefully. Combine bread cubes with aromatics, then add hot broth slowly. The bread should feel moist but not soggy.
- Bake covered, then uncovered. 30 minutes covered (steam softens the inside), 15 uncovered (browns the top).
Traditional Oyster Stuffing
New England classic. Briny oysters add depth that the bread soaks up.
- 8 cups day-old white bread cubes
- 1 cup butter
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 pint shucked oysters with their liquor
- 3 cups chicken or turkey broth
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Melt butter in a skillet. Cook onion and celery 10 minutes. Add herbs.
- Combine bread cubes, vegetables, and oysters with their liquor in a large bowl.
- Slowly stir in broth. Salt and pepper.
- Spread in a buttered 9×13 dish. Cover with foil.
- Bake 30 minutes covered, 15 uncovered.
Chestnut-Sausage Stuffing
- 8 cups day-old bread cubes
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 2 cups peeled roasted chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh sage and thyme
- 3 cups chicken broth
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brown sausage in a skillet, breaking it up. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Cook onion and celery in the sausage fat 10 minutes.
- Combine bread, sausage, vegetables, chestnuts, and herbs.
- Slowly stir in broth.
- Bake covered 30 minutes, uncovered 15.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing
- 4 cups day-old bread cubes
- 2 cups cooked wild rice
- 1 pound mushrooms (mixed), sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme and sage
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Sauté onion, celery, and mushrooms in butter until vegetables soften and mushrooms release moisture, 10 minutes.
- Combine bread, rice, vegetables, cranberries, pecans, and herbs.
- Add broth. Toss to combine.
- Bake covered 30 minutes, uncovered 15.
Stuffing or Dressing?
Stuffing is cooked inside the bird; dressing is baked in a separate dish. The names are regional more than recipe-driven; the South tends to call it dressing, the rest of the country tends to call it stuffing. Same dish either way. Most modern recipes (including the ones above) bake separately, both for safety (stuffed birds must reach 165°F internal in the stuffing, which can overcook the meat) and for crispier top.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?
Stuffing is cooked inside the bird; dressing is baked alongside. The naming is regional more than recipe-driven.
Can I make stuffing the day before?
Yes. Dry the bread cubes ahead and assemble the rest of the stuffing the morning of, just before baking. Stuffing that has sat overnight already mixed turns soggy.
What’s the best bread for stuffing?
Day-old white bread, sourdough, brioche, or cornbread. Fresh bread turns to mush. Cube and dry overnight or toast in a low oven.
Is it safe to cook stuffing in the bird?
Yes, but the stuffing must reach 165°F internal before serving. This can mean overcooking the meat. Most modern recipes bake the stuffing separately for both safety and texture.
How much stuffing per person?
About ¾ cup per person. For a typical 12-pound turkey serving 10, plan on 8 cups (about half a 9×13 pan).
Edward Higgins
Edward Higgins is a freelance writer, artist, home chef, and avid fly fisherman who lives outside of Portland, Maine. He studied at Skidmore College and Harvard University. His article 10 Best Edible Insects appears in the 2020 Farmers' Almanac.
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I enjoyed all of these recipes very much. There is one thing with which I would say: no packaged stuff can match homemade cornbread and a few slices of cubed day-old bread. I always soak the bread cubes in a little milk for about 10 minutes. Bagged stuffing: UGH!!! I have found that good bought broth does just as well. I buy the unsalted and salt it myself
Yum! We are hungry now! Thanks for the tips! Can’t wait to make some stuffing.
So true, Thomas. However, I buy some chicken thighs, boil them in water and make broth; lift out the thighs, de-bone; make chicken salad and use the broth for my dressing or stuffing. I like bone-in chicken thighs with a lot of fat on them. So much better than the bought broth.
So good!
My family always used milk instead of broth. Makes the stuffing creamier and enhances the seasonings & celery & onions.
Shame you do not have a southern staple–cornbread stuffing.
Thanks.
Does this goes with fried turkey?
Hi Jaime, sorry if I wasn’t clear. You want to toss the oysters themselves, whole, into the dry stuffing mix. Do this gently, by hand. This is oyster stuffing after all 🙂 With the juice you save, plus your broth, you moisten the stuffing to your desired consistency. You can toss as much of the juice and broth as you like into the stuffing before baking. How moist you like your stuffing is a matter of preference. Think of the juice as just another component of the broth, but the oysters themselves, interspersed into the stuffing mix, are the main attraction.
Sorry – I forgot to specify that I was talking about the oyster stuffing – do you want any actual oyster in the stuffing? Or just the juice?
Jaime, I just use a standard mesh kitchen strainer, the round kind with a handle that you find in any kitchen store… Yes, just enough to let the juices (liquor) through, while keeping the oysters intact. You don’t need to use a super-fine mesh like you find in a tea strainer. I find the oyster stuffing more of a delicate, subtle experience. You want the taste of the oysters to come through, and they should still be tender. They sort of steam in the moist stuffing. If you really overcook them, they tend to be a bit rubbery.
Edward –
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write out all of this great Thanksgiving day information for us!
Just in the nick of time.
-Frelito R.