Cornbread Dressing

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

9 Comments

5 from 4 votes
12 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
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Southern Cornbread Dressing is a classic Thanksgiving dinner side dish. It comes together in just 1 hour and can even be made ahead of time.

You just can’t beat a Classic Thanksgiving Dinner (and Dessert) complete with traditional sides like Mashed Potatoes and Stuffing and of course, a perfectly Roasted Turkey.

Sabrina’s Cornbread Dressing Recipe

My Southern Cornbread Dressing is rich and buttery, made with cozy flavors and cornbread cubes. This simple step-by-step dressing recipe is one that will replace the store-bought stove top stuffing mix for good! You can make it ahead of time in parts so the morning of your holiday party you just have to assemble and bake.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Southern Cornbread Dressing is a classic Thanksgiving dinner side dish. It comes together in just 1 hour and can even be made ahead of time.
Yield 12 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Cooked dressing on plate with turkey and mashed potatoes
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons butter , plus more for baking dish
  • 1 yellow onion , finely chopped
  • 3 stalks celery , finely chopped
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 cups cornbread , recipe, cut into 1-inch cubes

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish with butter.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large pan on medium heat.
  • Add celery and onions and stir, cooking until translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
  • In a large bowl whisk together chicken broth, milk, sage, thyme, salt, pepper and eggs.
  • Add in the cornbread cubes and vegetables and toss gently until well coated.
  • Pour into baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 1012mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 3mg

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About this Recipe

Savory Southern Cornbread Dressing is full of herby, chicken flavor that just melts in your mouth. It’s the perfect Thanksgiving Dinner side dish and ready in just an hour. You can prep your stuffing the night before and then bake it while your turkey rests and is carved, so everything is ready to serve hot and fresh together. It’s such an easy recipe, you can make it anytime you are craving holiday comfort food!

Chef’s Note: Southern Cornbread

If this is your first time making Southern-Style Cornbread, you may be surprised that it is not a sweet cornbread. It also has a tougher crumb that won’t get mushy when baked in the savory chicken broth and egg mixture. 

Can this be made ahead of time?

  • You can make this dressing ahead before baking and store assembled in the refrigerator up to 2 days. The longer it sits in the broth mixture, the creamier your dressing will be.
  • Freeze cooked Cornbread Dressing for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before reheating in the oven.

How to Store

  • Serve: Baked stuffing can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it needs to be stored. Cool completely before freezing or refrigerating.
  • Store: Place cooled leftovers into an airtight container, or cover baking dish tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dressing for up to 4 days and reheat in the oven, adding a little broth if dried out.
  • Freeze: Once cooled, wrap baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for a tight seal. Freeze Cornbread Dressing for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Alternative Cooking Techniques

Slow Cooker

No need to sauté the veggies, just dump everything except the butter in the crockpot and give it a stir. Dot the top of your dressing mixture with the butter (cut into small pieces), and cover with the lid. Cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours, until dressing is tender and cooked through.

One Pan Skillet

This Cornbread Dressing recipe is baked like a casserole but you can make it a one-pan dish by cooking in an extra large skillet. Simply sauté veggies in a large cast iron skillet, toss with dressing like usual, and pour everything back into the skillet. Bake uncovered in the skillet, checking after about 35 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. 

Frequent Questions

Can I use a pre-made stuffing mix?

You can use boxed cornbread stuffing mix (the pre-cooked bread pieces) if you don’t have time to make homemade cornbread. If you want to use a cornbread mixture, get the whole cornmeal type and not the cake-like mixes for muffins or sweet cornbread. In other words, don’t use Jiffy or Martha White Cornbread for this dressing, it will be too crumbly and your stuffing will be soupy.

Can I make cornbread in advance?

If you have leftover cornbread you can store it in the freezer or fridge to bake ito this recipe later. Prepare the Cornbread Recipe and chop into bite sized pieces. It will freeze for up to 6 months, or refrigerate up to 1 week, in a heavy plastic storage bag.

Variations

  • Sausage: Sausage is delicious in Cornbread Stuffing! Brown ground sausage and drain the grease before folding into your stuffing mixture and baking.
  • Seasonings: Use any poultry seasonings you like such as marjoram, rosemary, or oregano. Try this easy Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning and serve your stuffing with a roast chicken.
  • Creamy: For an ultra rich and creamy Cornbread Stuffing, add a can of cream of chicken soup to your dressing before baking. You could also swap out the milk with buttermilk or add ½ cup unsalted melted butter.

More Thanksgiving Stuffing Ideas

Collage with cornbread side and title in a center banner

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Going to try this for Thanksgiving. I have Jimmy Dean sage sausage. Do I need to make an adjustment to the seasonings or should I buy plain sausage? Thanks.

    Reply

    1. I’m probably too late with this comment. Sorry Amy. I’m guessing that you cut seasonings in half but having never tested this recipe with Jimmy Dean sage sausage, that is, full disclosure, a guess. People’s tastes are all so different, some really enjoy a spicy well seasoned dressing!

      Reply

  2. So delicious!!! One of the easier recipes I’ve found. I ended up adding dried cranberries and bacon and it was so good!! Thank you!

    Reply

  3. I”m going to give this a go! In the past, I’ve tried making a different recipe and I wasn’t a fan, but your ingredient list looks much better! Thank you!

    Reply

  4. We are the weird family that eats Thanksgiving dinner all the time! I make this at least once a month because it’s one that all of my kids will eat!

    Reply