The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Based on my family's classic recipe, it's rich and savory, made with fresh herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.
This stuffing recipe is my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Based on my grandma’s homemade stuffing, it’s buttery and flavorful, made with celery, leeks (or onions), fresh herbs, and dried bread cubes. As it bakes, it gets crisp and golden on top but stays moist and gooey in the middle.
If you’re looking for a traditional stuffing to complete your Thanksgiving menu, I think you’ll love this recipe. Simple, classic, and SO delicious, it’s hands down the best stuffing recipe I’ve tried. Find make-ahead tips and variations below!
Stuffing Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade stuffing recipe:
- Bread, of course! My favorite type of bread to use in this recipe is crusty sourdough or French bread. A rustic loaf of wheat or white bread works too.
- Butter – For rich, buttery flavor. Use salted butter or unsalted butter plus an extra 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Leeks – For sweet, oniony flavor. If you don’t cook with leeks often, check out this post to learn how to cut and clean them!
- Celery – A stuffing essential.
- Garlic – For sharp depth of flavor.
- Fresh herbs – Rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley fill this Thanksgiving stuffing with a mouthwatering mix of earthy, fresh, and savory flavors.
- Vegetable broth – To moisten the bread.
- Eggs – They add richness and moisture, helping to create the stuffing’s irresistible gooey center.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Stuffing
You can find the complete stuffing recipe with measurements below, but for now, here’s a quick overview of how it goes:
Start by drying the bread. You want it to be dry so that it soaks up flavor and moisture from the other ingredients.
- Option 1 – Plan ahead: Cut or tear the bread into cubes a day or two in advance. Spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet and let it sit uncovered on your counter to dry out.
- Option 2 – Dry the bread in the oven: Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F to dry them out.
Next, cook the veggies. Sauté the leeks, celery, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
Then, season the bread. In a large bowl, use your hands to toss together the dried bread, vegetables, and herbs.
Pour 1 1/2 cups of the broth over the bread and toss again. Add the eggs and toss again. At this stage, the bread should be very moist. If it feels dry at all, add an additional 1/2 cup broth.
Finally, bake! Transfer the bread mixture to a greased casserole dish and arrange it in an even layer. Drizzle the top with melted butter, cover, and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
If you’re like me, and you like your stuffing to have a crispy, golden brown top, uncover the dish and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more.
Enjoy!
Stuffing Recipe Variations
- Use onions instead of leeks. Replace the leeks with 1 yellow onion, chopped.
- Use dried herbs instead of fresh. Replace the fresh herbs with 1 to 2 tablespoons mixed dried sage, thyme, rosemary, and/or poultry seasoning.
- Skip the eggs. Add extra broth as needed to moisten the bread before baking.
- Make it vegan. Skip the eggs and use olive oil or vegan butter instead of regular.
How to Store and Make Ahead
You have two options for prepping this herb stuffing ahead:
- A few hours ahead: Follow the recipe as written, stopping right before you bake the stuffing. Cover the baking dish and refrigerate until about an hour before your meal. Bake according to the recipe before serving.
- A day ahead: Fully assemble and bake the stuffing 1 day in advance, but leave it covered for the entire time it’s in the oven. Refrigerate it overnight. The next day, reheat it, still covered, in a 350°F oven until it’s warmed through. Uncover it for the last few minutes of baking to crisp the top.
Leftover stuffing keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or in a covered baking dish in a 350°F oven.
More Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
You could serve this easy stuffing recipe with any meal, but it’s especially perfect for Thanksgiving. Round out your feast with one or more of these delicious Turkey Day side dishes:
- Green Bean Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Best Mashed Potatoes
- Mushroom Gravy
- Or any of these 50 Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Best Stuffing Recipe
Equipment
- 9x13 Baking Dish (this Staub is pretty for serving)
Ingredients
- 1 small loaf (1 pound) day-old crusty sourdough bread, not sandwich bread
- ½ cup salted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for topping
- 2 leeks, halved, thinly sliced, and rinsed well (2 cups)
- 4 celery stalks, diced (1¾ cups)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh sage
- Heaping ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1½ to 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x11 or 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces* and place in a very large bowl.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes, turning the heat to low halfway through. Pour the leek mixture over the bread and sprinkle with the sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Use your hands to toss until coated. Pour 1½ cups of the broth evenly over the stuffing and toss to coat. Add the eggs and toss again. The bread should feel pretty wet. If it’s still a bit dry, mix in the remaining ½ cup of broth. The amount you use will depend on how dense and dry your bread was.
- Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. If making ahead, stop here, cover the dish with foil, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- When ready to bake, drizzle the 1 tablespoon melted butter on top and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. If the stuffing is still pretty wet, uncover the dish and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes to crisp the top a bit.
Can’t wait to try this! I will buy the bread 2 days in advance. Question: do I tear up the bread as soon as I buy it or wait until it’s time to make the recipe? Thanks for your advice!
Hi Katie, I wait until I’m ready to make the recipe (some people do it the night before). I hope you enjoy!
Hi! Given how insanely expensive fresh herbs are this year, is it possible to use dried herbs? In what quantities do you recommend?
As fresh herbs are insanely expensive right now, what dried herbs can I use? What quantities of dried herbs would you recommend?
Hi Claire, I haven’t made this with all dry herbs, but my suggestions would be:
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground sage
I rarely see dried rosemary in jars, and fresh parsley is pretty inexpensive.
Hope this helps!
Hi Jeanine,
I have never made stuffing before! Could I make this recipe more than one day in advance? – LC
Hi Lisa, yes, you can make it ahead. Up in the text of the post under “stuffing tips” there are make ahead instructions. I hope you enjoy!
Did you change the recipe? I saved a few years ago and it was different.
Hi Jennifer, we re-organized the titles – this stuffing recipe is the older one: https://strong-nights.today/vegan-stuffing/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class=reply>
I love stuffing that’s stuffed into a bird. In what part of the process do I stuff this into the turkey? Thanks.
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was a hit.. Doing it again this year. Thank u for this delicious recipe.
Hi, are all the herbs fresh? Thanks!
yes, all fresh herbs.
Loved the flavor, hence five stars. However I prefer the bread in smaller pieces, plus I am going to add mushrooms. Being a vegetarian I have not found any savory dishes yet to which I added them that turned out to be a bad idea. Again, I love the recipe. Thanks.
Good god this was fantastic!! I’d never made stuffing before, but was feeling sorry for myself because I couldn’t spend Thanksgiving with my family due to the pandemic 🙁 & I came across your recipe. It sounded so good I had to try it, & I’m so glad I did! This was also my first time cooking with leeks (thanks for your extra guidance!) & they came out great. And the fresh herbs really made the dish sing! Now I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks so much for this one! It’s a WINNER!!!
We loved this stuffing/dressing last night for Thanksgiving. I halved the recipe for 3 people (maybe a little more leeks since we love them)
and it was exactly what I wanted. Light fresh and herbaceous which went perfectly with the meal without feeling too hefty and muddled with too many ingredients as sometimes can happen with stuffing. Though we like those as well… Thank you for this lovely recipe!
Can I use onion instead of leeks?
I did! Used a cup and a quarter of yellow onions. Ended up tasting delicious!
I’m avoiding grocery stores in person because of COVID so have resorted to delivery, but twice know I’ve received scallions instead of leeks! Is there a decent replacement for leeks? Maybe shallots?
Hi Julia, you could use the scallions, they’d be fine!
Making ahead for tomorrow — do you have a time estimate for how long to get it heated through? 15 mins? 20? Doing Thanksgiving with my quarantine pod, half of which is vegetarian, so having fun stepping outside my usual Thanksgiving box and doing a vegetarian Thanksgiving!
Hi Nicole, I would assemble it tonight, keep it in the fridge and bake it tomorrow according to the times in step 5 tomorrow (30 minutes covered, 5-10 mins uncovered).
Can you put the best stuffing ever stuffing in the turkey instead of belong on its own in the oven?
Hi Dee, yep it does, my mom makes it both ways every year.
Made this for Friendsgiving and it turned out great! It was my first time making stuffing and I really enjoyed it. I used a Tuscan loaf and it worked just fine. I had to leave it uncovered in the oven for a bit longer to crisp up the top. Definitely recommend!
Looks delicious! Question about the bread..do you recommend tearing the bread first and then letting it sit in a bag or airtight container for a day or so? I imagine it might be harder to hand tear if it’s sitting for a couple of days.
Hi Amber, it’ll work either way!
It looks very yummy and delicious
If you have a dairy allergies, what would you substitute the eggs for?
Hi Kristin, you could skip them. I also have this vegan stuffing recipe: https://strong-nights.today/vegan-stuffing/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class=reply>
JUST Egg in the refrigerator section. Our Whole Foods carry it. I use it instead of eggs and it works beautifully!! I even make Swedish Pancakes with JUST Egg.
One bottle is equivalent to 8 medium size eggs or 6 large eggs.
I try to be vegan…do you have suggested substitute for the two eggs?
Hi Lark, you could skip them. I also have this vegan stuffing recipe: https://strong-nights.today/vegan-stuffing/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class=reply>