Grandma’s Thanksgiving Stuffing

Grandma’s Thanksgiving Stuffing is the ultimate comfort food that transforms any holiday table into a warm family gathering! This classic homemade stuffing recipe features perfectly toasted bread cubes, savory herbs, tender vegetables, and just the right amount of crispy golden edges.

Love More Stuffing Recipes? Try My Thanksgiving Stuffing Balls or this Cranberry Turkey Stuffing Balls next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe creates the PERFECT texture—crispy and golden on top, soft and flavorful inside, with every bite packed with buttery, herb-infused goodness. It’s nostalgic, it’s foolproof, and it feeds a crowd without breaking the bank. Plus, it uses simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.

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Ingredient List

For the Stuffing:

• 16 cups dry bread cubes (about 3 large loaves)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups onion, diced (~1/2-inch pieces)
• 2 cups celery, diced (~1/2-inch pieces)
• 3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme (fresh or dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon sage (fresh or dried)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (to start; more may be needed)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (for garnish, optional)

Substitution Notes:

• Bread: Any kind works. My grandma used whatever was going stale.
• Butter: Don’t even think about margarine.
• Chicken Broth: Turkey stock is great. Vegetable broth if someone at your table doesn’t eat meat.
• Fresh vs. Dried Herbs: Either one. Fresh needs way more though—like three times as much.

Why These Ingredients Work

Dried out bread sucks up all that buttery broth without turning into mush. Fresh bread just gets soggy and gross. Butter makes the onions and celery taste sweet when you cook them down. Those two vegetables are what stuffing is supposed to taste like—there’s no way around it.

Poultry seasoning, thyme, and sage smell like Thanksgiving. Period. The eggs hold everything together when it bakes. And the broth? That’s what makes it actually taste like something instead of just herby bread chunks.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large baking sheets (for drying bread)
• Large saucepan or skillet
• Extra-large mixing bowl
• 9×13-inch baking dish (or similar size)
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon or spatula
• Cooking spray or butter (for greasing)

How To Make Grandma’s Thanksgiving Stuffing

Step 1: Dry the Bread Cubes

Turn oven to 250°F. Chop your bread into chunks—half inch, three quarters, whatever. Spread it on baking sheets. Bake for an hour. Shake the pans around every twenty minutes. The bread needs to be completely dry and hard but not brown. Let it cool.

Step 2: Prep Your Vegetables

Chop onions and celery. I do half-inch pieces but you do you.

Step 3: Cook the Vegetables & Seasonings

Turn oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a big pan over medium heat. Add onions and celery. Cook eight minutes, stirring sometimes. They’ll get soft and see-through. Dump in all the herbs and spices. Stir for thirty seconds.

Step 4: Add the Broth and Eggs

Pour broth in the pan. Stir. Turn off the heat. Beat eggs in a bowl. Stir them into the pan. Heat will cook them enough.

Step 5: Combine Everything

Put dried bread in your biggest bowl. Pour the vegetable mixture over it. Use your hands to mix everything. Don’t crush the bread. Just coat every piece. Should look damp and glossy. Not wet. Not dry. If it’s dry, add more broth slowly.

Step 6: Transfer to Baking Dish

Grease your pan. Dump the stuffing in. Spread it around but don’t press it down.

Step 7: Bake to Golden Perfection

Bake forty-five to sixty minutes with no cover. Every fifteen or twenty minutes, open the oven and stir it gently. That’s how you get crunchy bits throughout instead of just on top. It’s done when the top is golden and your house smells ridiculous. Throw parsley on if you want.

You Must Know

Critical Advice: Dry that bread completely or your stuffing will be nasty. Leave it out overnight if you don’t want to turn the oven on.

Personal Secret: I drizzle extra broth on top right before baking. Quarter cup maybe. Makes it crunchy but not dry. Nobody can figure out why mine tastes different.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• I keep a bag in the freezer all year for leftover bread. Heels, ends, random slices. By November I’ve got enough.
• Start with less broth. You can always add more. Can’t take it back out.
• Stirring while it bakes is non-negotiable. That’s the difference between good stuffing and great stuffing.
• Take your eggs out of the fridge thirty minutes before. Cold eggs don’t mix right.
• Fluff it up in the pan. Packed tight stuffing doesn’t get crispy.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

• Sausage Stuffing: Brown a pound of Italian sausage. Mix it in. Game changer.
• Apple & Sage: Two cups chopped Granny Smith apples.
• Mushroom Lovers: Cook eight ounces mushrooms with the vegetables.
• Nutty Crunch: Toast pecans or walnuts. Throw a cup in.
• Dried Fruit: Cranberries or apricots. Cup of them.
• Bread Variety: Half sourdough, half regular. Or throw in some cornbread.
• Herb Boost: Just add more. Some people are really into herbs.

Make-Ahead Options

You can prep most of this ahead of time.

Make-Ahead (Day Before): Make it through step five. Put it in the greased pan. Cover tight. Refrigerate. Next day take it out thirty minutes before baking. Bake normal but add ten or fifteen minutes.

Freezing: Freeze unbaked for a month. Wrap it really well—plastic then foil. Thaw in fridge overnight. Add fifteen to twenty minutes when you bake.

Time-Saver Tip: Dry bread three days before. Store in a bag on the counter.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Feeds twelve to fifteen. Cut in half for smaller crowds.
• Looks kind of loose and wet before baking. That’s fine. Eggs set it up in the oven.
• Top browning too fast? Throw foil over it.
• Grandma never stuffed it in the bird. She said this way was easier and made more crispy parts.
• Leftover dried bread keeps a week in any container.

Serving Suggestions

Bring it to the table hot. Serve with:

• Turkey and lots of gravy
• Cranberry sauce
• Green beans
• Potatoes
• Salad if you’re pretending to be healthy

Pro Serving Tip: Make sure everyone gets crispy edges. People will fight over them otherwise.

How to Store Your Grandma’s Thanksgiving Stuffing

Room Temperature: Two hours tops. Eggs.

Refrigerator: Container with a lid. Four days. I eat it cold sometimes.

Freezer: Three months in freezer containers.

Reheating Instructions:

• Oven: 350°F covered for twenty-five minutes. Splash of broth. Take cover off last five minutes.
• Microwave: Minute or two for one serving. Stir halfway. Add broth if dry.

Allergy Information

Contains: Wheat, eggs, butter

Allergen-Friendly Substitutions:

• Gluten-Free: Get gluten-free bread. Same process.
• Dairy-Free: Oil or vegan butter instead of real butter.
• Egg-Free: Skip eggs. Add quarter cup more broth. Won’t stick together as well.
• Vegetarian: Vegetable broth not chicken broth.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

My stuffing came out dry—what went wrong?

Not enough broth. Every bread is different. Some soak up more. Add more next time. Should look shiny going into the oven.

Can I make this without drying the bread first?

You’ll regret it. Seriously. If you absolutely have to, toast bread at 300°F for fifteen minutes then cube it. Still won’t be as good.

The top is getting too brown but the inside isn’t done. Help!

Cover with foil. Either your oven runs hot or your pan is too shallow. Stir every fifteen to twenty minutes too.

Can I use store-bought stuffing mix instead of fresh bread?

Sure. Fourteen to sixteen cups. Watch the salt since most mixes already have it. Skip the drying step.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Tell me how it turned out. What’d you change?