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.
Hi! Can back-sub the ingredients you changed? Onions — how many? Dried herbs — how much of each? And if I use non-sourdough-but nonetheless home-baked bread — same volume or weight? Anything else from original recipe? (I’m trying to find a recipe to suit an old-fashioned sort for his T-giving accompaniment, ergo . . . .) Thanks.
Hi Rede, I would use the same weight of bread and 1 medium yellow or white onion. For the herbs, I would use 1 tablespoon each dried sage and parsley and 1 teaspoon each dried thyme and rosemary. I hope this helps!
Can you double this recipe? If so, how would it change cooking time?
Can you use turkey stock in stead of vegetable broth?
Hi Vicki, yep! You can.
Hi Annie, if you double this recipe, I’d recommend baking the two batches in two separate 9×13-inch pans. In that case, you’d keep the cook time the same!
This is the best stuffing recipe! We’re approaching our fourth holiday season and the only MUST HAVE recipe on our list is this stuffing! This year we do have a gluten free guest and I’m curious: would it be possible to use a high quality gluten free baguette or similar loaf in this recipe?
I’m trying different stuffings to determine which I’ll make this year, and your recipe was delicious! I usually use Bell’s Seasoning instead of fresh herbs (when I can get it – that was my family’s standard choice for stuffing), but using the fresh herbs made a big difference. Looking forward to trying your other recipes – thanks!
Hi Cindy, I’m so glad you loved the stuffing! I agree that fresh herbs make all the difference.
This dressing is by far the best I’ve had, and I’ve made quite a few recipes through the years. The leeks and herbs give it amazing flavor. We couldn’t find fresh sage, so we used dried. I can’t wait to try it with fresh sage next time. I may try replacing some or all of the butter with avocado oil and see how that goes.
Hi Emily, I’m so glad you loved it!
I am tasked to do the turkey and dressing every Thanksgiving…and for 10 years I haven’t done the same dressing twice. This one is changing that, as this recipe was HUGELY loved. Starts with the proper sourdough, but the leeks take it to a new level.
I’ve searched for a good stuffing recipe outside the bird. This recipe came very close.
Hi Kim, I’m glad you loved the stuffing!
I’ve made this stuffing a few times now and it’s always a crowd pleaser! Definitely recommend good quality sourdough when making it to just take it to the next level!!!!
Hi Mariah, I’m so glad you love the recipe!
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Omgomgomg! I’ve been trying 2 new vegetarian stuffing recipes per year for the last 20 years and this was the best ever!!! What a beautiful, unexpected flavour this had! I liked that there were no sweet elements, since the Xmas table has enough sweet on it. The only thing is that I would prefer a crustier texture instead of moist and spongy – but I think that can be accomplished by dehydrating the bread cubes a bit more. I only needed 1 cup of stock. Delicious!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this:)
Hi Annette, I’m so glad you loved it!
Love!
Can you provide your modified recipe with the onion substituting leeks & dried spices instead of fresh ones? Thank you!
Sounds great to me and others!
Can you put this inside a turkey, like traditional stuffing?
Hi Jill, you can, although I prefer to bake it separately to make sure the eggs cook through.
I would love to see if anyone has added nuts or cranberries to this recipe.? We usually have southern cornbread dressing. Wanted to try something different for Christmas a more traditional stuffing recipe. Thanks.!
Delicious! This is the BEST stuffing recipe. It is the 3rd year in a row that I’ll be making this! It’s a hit with everyone; indeed, as mentioned by others, the few leftovers are even tastier! Thank you!
Could I make it without eggs, would I need a substitute?
This was a huge hit and my husband has already asked when we can have it again. I used one huge leek and subbed chicken broth for the veggie but otherwise followed the recipe. Will def make it again (probably this weekend b/c my husband seriously can’t stop talking about it).
Hi Bette, I’m so glad the stuffing was such a hit!
Delicious! I used french bread and dried it completely then added mushrooms when frying the veggies and used vegetarian chicken broth. It was perfect!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Huh? Vegetarian chicken broth???
Phenomenal! This was easy to make and not a belly bomb which was just what I was looking for. I followed your recipe to the letter and the whole family loved it. Leftovers were even better.
Hi Jeff, I’m so glad you loved the stuffing!
This was the best stuffing ever! I made it exactly as written except used dry thyme since that’s what I had. It was exceptional – creamy, crusty, herby, buttery, garlicky – all the things. I made it the night before, refrigerated it unbaked, then baked it covered the next day for 30 minutes, and then another 10 uncovered. Thank you so much. Going into rotation for every year forward.
I have a non-dairy person coming to Thanksgiving and can’t decide whether to use butter or a vegan substitute? The person will have plenty of other dishes, but it would be kind to them if this were dairy free. However, I don’t want to miss a key flavor. What are your thoughts on importance of butter here? Is there a recommended sub? Thank you!
Hi Alison, I often make this with vegan Earth Balance butter and it comes out great.
Best stuffing1 I have never been a stuffing fan, my husband’s family always had stovetop..Over the years I have tried different recipes, but he always went back to stovetop, Have you read the ingredients – Yuck. So this year, I decided to make your recipe . Everyone agreed this is the best they have ever had. I loved it too, for both the flavor and texture. Thank you! This will become a family favorite!
The best stuffing I have ever tasted. It was kicking. My family very hard audience. Everybody loved it.
Thank you,
Ellen
Hi Ellen, I’m so glad the stuffing was a hit!