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Home » Food » Recipes » Side Dishes » Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

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Southern cornbread dressing
Southern cornbread dressing
southern cornbread dressing in a casserole dish

This old fashioned southern cornbread dressing recipe has been enjoyed in our family every Thanksgiving since I can remember. It is so simple and delicious, and perfect alongside oven roasted turkey breast!

Southern cornbread dressing in white oval casserole dish with green towel

This is my mother’s recipe. She adapted it from her mother and her Aunt Laura, so there’s no telling how many generations this goes back! It is true old fashioned cornbread dressing.

Here in the southeastern USA, it is tradition to make authentic southern cornbread dressing to go with our turkey on Thanksgiving.

And y’all, side note: Don’t miss my mom’s oven roasted turkey breast! These two dishes go together SO well. Our family counts down to Thanksgiving every year when we get to enjoy them!

oven roasted turkey breast on carving board with knife

My mouth is literally watering as I look at these pictures…LOL!

But back to the southern cornbread dressing! We do not stuff ours inside the turkey, but we prepare it in it’s own casserole dish on the side. I prefer it this way. It is just simpler, and I cannot imagine it tasting any better.

How to make southern cornbread dressing

First, gather your ingredients.

Ingredients

For tastiest results, always use the best quality ingredients you have access to. For this southern cornbread dressing recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

  • Cooked cornbread
  • Sliced white bread
  • celery
  • onion
  • butter
  • eggs
  • chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • salt and pepper
  • cooking spray (or oil or butter to grease the casserole dish)

You can use my skillet corn bread as a base for this recipe. I have also made a pan from the White Lily cornbread mix, and it works great! But the cast iron skillet is a must. That crispy crust makes the dressing taste amazing.

Assembling southern cornbread dressing

Once your cornbread is baked and cooled, you just rip it up into chunks with your hands.

cornbread torn into chunks in a white bowl

You will also need some sliced white bread. Sometimes my mom will use biscuits instead of the white bread. You can totally do this too! She has used sliced white bread in the last few years, though, because it is just simpler. And it still tastes great!

Just mix your ripped up bread, celery, onions.

mixing celery, onion and bread in a bowl with wooden spoon

Then pour over the melted butter next, and stir it into the bread mixture. Next, pour over the egg and broth mixture, and stir until well-combined.

mixing ingredients to make southern cornbread dressing in a white bowl with wooden spoon

Then transfer to a casserole dish.

Baking

So what time and temperature is best to cook cornbread dressing? Bake the southern cornbread dressing in a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until it is golden on top, about 45 to 50 minutes.

BEST southern cornbread dressing white oval casserole dish

It’s funny, as I was talking to my mom, I realized that she rarely follows a recipe exactly. A lot of her instructions are “just add more until it looks right.” Or “cook it until it’s done.” LOL!

So I tried to put some structure for y’all, with actual measurements and times. 🙂

Frequently asked questions

Can I make southern cornbread dressing ahead and freeze it?

Yes! My mom does this almost every year. To freeze it, just perform all recipe steps, right up until you pour the uncooked mixture into the casserole dish. From there, just cover it well, and stick it in the freezer.

When it comes time to prepare it, you will want to take it out of the freezer a day or more ahead of time. You want to fully thaw it prior to cooking.

The best way to do this is to let it sit in a refrigerator for three days or so. However! We have also let it sit on the kitchen counter to thaw quicker than that. It can thaw in about 12 hours, give or take, depending on the temperature inside your house.

How do I make this vegetarian?

This recipe is easy to make vegetarian. Simply substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth/ stock instead.

Can I use this recipe to make chicken and dressing?

Yes! Simply add your cooked shredded chicken to the mixture, and stir it in prior to baking. My easy shredded chicken recipe and my Instant Pot shredded chicken would both work great for this.

How long does cornbread dressing keep in the refrigerator?

About 5 days in a sealed container. It makes a great leftovers!

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This southern cornbread dressing has been enjoyed in our family every Thanksgiving since I can remember. It is so simple and delicious, and perfect alongside oven roasted turkey breast! | APinchOfHealthy
5 from 3 votes
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Southern Cornbread Dressing

This southern cornbread dressing has been enjoyed in our family every Thanksgiving since I can remember. It is so simple and delicious, and perfect alongside oven roasted turkey breast!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cornbread dressing recipe, southern cornbread dressing recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 10
Calories 262 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces corn bread crumbles (weighed on a food scale, or 4 cups)
  • 4 slices white bread, torn (I used Sunbeam)
  • 2 celery stalks very finely minced
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion very finely minced
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 3.5 cups chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • cooking spray, oil or butter to grease the casserole dish

Instructions

  1. Tear the white bread and cornbread into chunks.

  2. In a large bowl, combine the bread chunks, onions, celery.

  3. Pour the melted butter over the bread, onions, celery, and stir.

  4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, and stir in the chicken broth, salt and pepper.

  5. Pour the egg and broth mixture over the bread/ celery/ onion mixture, and stir to combine.

  6. Transfer to casserole dish that has been greased or sprayed with cooking spray.

  7. Bake at 375 for about 45 to 50 minutes minutes.

Recipe Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

To freeze it, just perform all recipe steps, right up until you pour the uncooked mixture into the casserole dish. From there, just cover it well, and stick it in the freezer. 

When it comes time to prepare it, you will want to take it out of the freezer a day or more ahead of time. You want to fully thaw it prior to cooking.

The best way to do this is to let it sit in a refrigerator for three days or so. However! We have also let it sit on the kitchen counter to thaw quicker than that. It can thaw in about 12 hours, give or take, depending on the temperature inside your house.

Nutrition Facts
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Amount Per Serving
Calories 262 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 96mg32%
Sodium 546mg24%
Potassium 114mg3%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 455IU9%
Vitamin C 0.8mg1%
Calcium 94mg9%
Iron 1.3mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy on November 7, 2017.

(Visited 53,486 times, 1 visits today)

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lynette says

    November 21, 2022 at 8:57 am

    5 stars
    Delish! Had to make it twice one christmas break when my son was home. A real hit!

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 22, 2022 at 11:04 am

      Amazing to hear Lynette!❤️

      Reply
  2. Shelley says

    November 8, 2020 at 11:17 am

    This sounds so good, it is going on the list for this year’s Thanksgiving Dinner menu! I remember my mom used to saute the onions and celery in the butter when making her Yankee stuffing. Since that aroma was so wonderful, and the caramelizing of the veggies adds a depth of flavor, I will do that with this recipe. I agree on the sage.

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 9, 2020 at 1:10 pm

      You can absolutely do that if you prefer, Shelley. We actually used to do that too, until my mom tried it one year without. I hope y’all enjoy it!

      Reply
  3. Numan says

    November 14, 2019 at 10:41 am

    nice post about southern dressing,thanks

    Reply
  4. Brenda Burns senburns@aol.com says

    November 28, 2018 at 1:09 pm

    I revise my recipe every year! Two questions on this recipe:
    1: What size casserole dish do you bake it in? Seems that 9×13 might be too small? You don’t give a size in the recipe directions.
    2: I see you don’t add sage but that is a ‘must’ ingredient for us….Will it still be good if I add sage to it?

    Reply
    • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

      November 29, 2018 at 11:31 am

      I used a corningware white 2.5 Liter baking dish. 9×13 works great too, and I have used that in years past.If y’all love sage, go ahead and add it. My family happens to have the opposite preference, so I leave it out. If you like it, it would be delicious in this recipe, though.

      Reply
      • Beth says

        November 24, 2021 at 11:22 am

        Marjorie, and so it continues on through the family! Never ever put sage in the dressing!
        I’m doing the prep work for this very recipe right now, and going to use your mom’s recipe for roasting a turkey breast!

        Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

        Beth

        Reply
        • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

          November 24, 2021 at 2:10 pm

          I am so glad, Beth! Oh yeah, totally on the same page with no sage. 😉👌🏻 Happy Thanksgiving to you!💖

          Reply
  5. Adriene Hughes says

    November 21, 2018 at 9:19 am

    5 stars
    Today I am making cornbread stuffing for the first time because I had leftover Mixi type cornbread I made a few days ago. I used wheat bread instead of white but had other ingredients. Thanks for sharing your family recipe and I am excited to make it myself!

    Reply
  6. Shelby Brushwyler says

    November 21, 2017 at 12:34 pm

    Do you dry out the cornbread for this? Like make it a couple of days before?

    Reply
    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      November 21, 2017 at 2:15 pm

      Hi Shelby! You can, but the ones in these pictures used bread made the same day. So either way works.👍🏻

      Reply
      • Shelby Brushwyler says

        November 22, 2017 at 11:35 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
      • Beth Mitchell says

        October 29, 2018 at 10:03 pm

        5 stars
        You certainly can make it ahead but you don’t need to. Ive been using this recipe for years and years. It was Mama Lena’s. I never used celery but our family loves it. absolutely no sage, ever!

        Reply
        • Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says

          October 31, 2018 at 7:45 am

          That is right, Beth! (for those reading this, Mama Lena is my great grandmother!) I love how this recipe has been passed down in our family.💖 I think Aunt Laura started using celery, and them my mom did too. But YES, absolutely no sage for us either.👌🏻 Love and miss you!

          Reply
  7. Laurie says

    November 23, 2016 at 11:20 am

    This is very similar to my Mom’s recipe, but we sauté the onions and celery in the butter. So yummy!

    Reply
    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      November 24, 2016 at 7:29 am

      Funny! 🙂 I think my mom used to do that too. Then she figured out if you mince them up fine enough, you can skip that step. Happy Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  8. Karly says

    November 8, 2016 at 10:10 am

    As both a stuffing and cornbread lover, I just can’t believe I’ve never thought to make something like this. I am SO glad I stopped by and found this gem! Need to try it ASAP!

    Reply
    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      November 8, 2016 at 12:31 pm

      I hope you enjoy it Karly! We have enjoyed this every Thanksgiving since I can remember.

      Reply

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I am a home cook, recipe developer, coffee drinker, wife and mom of two. My recipes are simple and tasty. I enjoy lots of fresh, healthy food, plus full treats without guilt. Thanks so much for stopping by! Read more here.

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