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.
About what size should the bread pieces be torn into?
Hi Kelly, about 1-inch pieces
Doubling this recipe for aa large crowd and making it for the 1st time. A cup of butter seems like a lot. Wondering if I should use less. Thanks.
You should definitely use all the butter!
Hi Susan, I would double it if you’re doubling the recipe – it’s a lot of bread to cover.
Hi – I’m having trouble finding leeks, what would you recommend I substitute (and in what quantity)? Thanks very much for the help!
Hi Anna, you could use a chopped yellow onion, just cook it a little longer until its softened and browned on the edges (about 8 minutes). Or you could use 1 bunch of scallions, I would cook them a little less than the leeks listed. Hope that helps!
I would like to try this vegan and add some more veggies. If I add mushrooms would I need
To change any of the other ingredients?
Thanks
I’m not love and lemons but I say sure! I’d salute them in butter with some salt first to remove the moisture.
Hi Mayana, I think mushrooms would be fine here. You might enjoy taking a look at this recipe that’s both vegan and uses mushrooms: https://strong-nights.today/vegan-stuffing/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class=reply>
This is an excellent recipe. Made it for Friendsgiving. However – why or why do recipes always so far underestimate prep time? Does everyone have a sous chef chopping away in their kitchen? It took me well over 30 minutes to gather the herbs and chop them, plus the other vegetables!
Unbelievably delicious! I grew up on sausage dressing but my husband doesn’t care for sausage, so I was on the hunt for a different dressing recipe. I always have a loaf of homemade sourdough on hand, so I thought I would give this a try, not expecting to love it myself. Boy, was I ever wrong! The delicate flavor of the leeks paired with the fresh sage & parsley was out of this world! I did have to use dried rosemary and thyme and used a full teaspoon of each. I can’t wait for my husband to try it tomorrow night with our salmon dinner. A great dressing recipe to add to your collection, especially when you want a luscious yet delicate flavor profile. YUM
I haven’t tried making this recipe yet, but do you think a yellow onion can be subbed for the leeks?
Also curious if dried herbs can be used instead of the fresh?
Hi Kelsey, A yellow onion would work great here. I would use fresh sage and parsley if possible, but you could use 1/2 tsp each dried rosemary and thyme instead of the fresh.
What happens if you make this without the eggs? Has anyone tried?
Hi Susan, I think this should be fine. Without the eggs, I would recommend using the full 2 cups of stock or a bit more, if you feel like the stuffing needs it, to moisten the bread before baking.
Do you think nuts could be added to this dish? If so, which one might be best? Thx!
Yes! Pecans or walnuts.
This was delicious! Decided to up my stuffing-game this year and was not disappointed. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Best part of Xmas dinner!! Stumbled upon this recipe while looking for vegan stuffing recipes. While not vegan I subbed plant based butter and flax egg for egg… it was absolutely amazing with the leeks and fresh herbs. This is the only stuffing I’ll ever make now.
Hi Jenn, I’m so glad you loved it and I’m happy to hear it was a success with the vegan subs!
Can this go inside the turkey also while turkey is cooking,,,thank you
WOW! This is the best stuffing recipe! Delicious!
Made this for the first time for Friendsgiving yesterday. There were only six people, but I made 12 servings because… stuffing! I made sure to use fresh herbs since they are so key to the taste of this dish. Definitely a keeper, and will be done again the next time we crave dressing (could be tomorrow).
Thanks!
I made this for our Thanksgiving dinner last night. It was delicious. Creamy inside, crunchy on top as I baked it uncovered for 10 minutes at the end. The fresh herbs really made it for me and were a nice contrast to the other rich dishes. I had a beautiful sliced sourdough on hand so used that by tearing it into chunks the night before and letting them dry over night. Tearing really was a nice change and made it look really beautiful too. Thank you!
Wow. Just wow. That’s sensational, rich, and flavorful stuffing. It was hard to stop picking at it before serving. Amazing recipe!
(I used butter-flavored margarine instead of butter and left out the sage because I didn’t have)
This recipe is amazing!!! Definitely the best item on our Thanksgiving plates. The leeks and rosemary add great flavors.
Omg..it is the BEST..didn’t have all fresh herbs (next time)..wow it’s a keeper..
I’m not planning on baking my stuffing until tomorrow. Is it safe to crack the eggs, mix them in, and just have raw egg refrigerate in my batter for over 24 hours?
In the notes above, it says to bake covered the day before. On Thanksgiving day, heat covered at 350 degrees until heated through, uncover the last few minutes. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Marissa, yes, it’s safe for 24 hours.
I bought a ciabatta loaf. How do I make sure not to use too much bread?
Hi Susanna, a medium sized ciabatta loaf should work just fine.