Cornbread Stuffing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Add a little Southern flair to your Thanksgiving feast with this golden, savory cornbread stuffing that’s loaded with rich sausage and fragrant herbs.
This Southern-style cornbread dressing has a rich, almost spoon bread-like consistency with a perfectly toasty, golden top. It’s a bit more time-intensive than my traditional stuffing recipe since it starts with homemade cornbread (no shortcuts here—store-bought cornbread is too sweet and just doesn’t work). But the good news is that you can spread the prep over a few days. The cornbread itself is intentionally dry and plain, so don’t worry if it tastes a little bland—once combined with sausage, eggs, and butter, it transforms into something wonderfully flavorful and rich. For Thanksgiving, I recommend baking the stuffing in a separate dish from the turkey for the best results.
What You’ll Need To Make Cornbread Stuffing
- Eggs – Used in both the cornbread recipe and stuffing to bind and give structure.
- Whole milk – Adds moisture and richness to both the cornbread and the stuffing.
- All-purpose flour – Provides structure and a tender crumb in the cornbread.
- Yellow cornmeal – The key ingredient that gives the cornbread its signature texture and flavor.
- Sugar – Adds a touch of sweetness to the cornbread to balance the savory stuffing.
- Baking powder – Leavens the cornbread, making it light and fluffy.
- Salt – Enhances the flavors in both the cornbread and the stuffing.
- Unsalted butter – Adds richness to the cornbread, used to sauté the vegetables, and keeps the stuffing moist.
- Pork sausage (hot or mild/sweet) – Adds savory richness and, if using hot sausage, a bit of spice to the stuffing. You could also use chicken or turkey sausage.
- Yellow onions – Adds sweetness and depth of flavor to the stuffing.
- Celery – Provides crunch and flavor to the stuffing.Garlic cloves – Adds aromatic, savory flavor to the stuffing.
- Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, and sage) – Infuses the stuffing with fragrant, earthy flavor.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – Keeps the stuffing moist and adds a savory, rich flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the cornbread. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.
Add the milk and whisk until evenly combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk well.
Add the milk mixture and the melted butter to the dry ingredients.
Whisk until smooth.
Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
Bake in a 350°F-oven until lightly golden around the edges and set, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, 20 to 30 minutes. (Cornbread can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.)
Cut the cornbread into 1-inch squares. Place the cut cornbread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 250°F-oven until lightly toasted, about 1 hour.
Cool the cornbread on the baking sheet, about 15 minutes.
To make the stuffing: Place the sausage in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.
Cook, stirring and breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the largest bowl you have (it needs to fit all the cornbread), leaving the fat in the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and 3 tablespoons of the butter to the pan.
Cook until the vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Off the heat, mix in the herbs then add the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the sausage and mix to combine.
In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, broth, and salt.
Add the dried cornbread cubes to the sausage and vegetable mixture and pour the egg mixture over top. Fold the mixture a few times with a large rubber spatula, being careful not to break up the cornbread too much. Let the mixture sit, folding carefully a few times, until the cornbread is saturated, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the soaked cornbread mixture to a greased baking dish, and make sure that the sausage and vegetables are evenly distributed. Try to arrange some of the larger pieces of cornbread on top; it looks prettier. Dot the top of the stuffing with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter.
Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 35 minutes. Serve warm.
Make-Ahead Instructions
The cornbread can be prepared up to two days ahead of time. Cut it into cubes and let it dry out on the countertop overnight instead of toasting it in the oven. If you’d like the assemble the stuffing in advance, prepare it up until the point of baking, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate up to a day ahead of time. When ready to serve, bake as directed, allowing a few extra minutes in the oven.
You May Also Like
Cornbread & Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
For the Cornbread
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1¼ cups yellow cornmeal
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the Stuffing
- 1 lb bulk hot or sweet pork sausage
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh herb blend (I use equal parts thyme, rosemary and sage)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Cornbread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Butter and flour a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking pan or spray with a nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk and whisk until evenly combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk mixture and the melted butter to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake until lightly golden around the edges and set, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C) and set the oven rack in the middle position. Cut the cornbread into 1-in (2.5-cm) squares. Place the cut cornbread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 1 hour. Cool the cornbread on the baking sheet, about 15 minutes.
For the Stuffing
- Place the sausage in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to the largest bowl you have (it needs to fit all the cornbread), leaving the fat in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery, and 3 tablespoons of the butter to the pan. Cook until the vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Off the heat, mix in the herbs. Add the vegetable mixture to the bowl with the sausage and mix to combine.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the milk, broth, and salt.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9 x 13-in (23 x 33-cm) baking pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- Add the dried cornbread cubes to the sausage and vegetable mixture. Pour the egg mixture over top. Fold the mixture a few times with a large rubber spatula, being careful not to break up the cornbread too much. Let the mixture sit, folding carefully a few times, until the cornbread is saturated, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the soaked cornbread mixture to the prepared pan, making sure the sausage and vegetables are evenly distributed. Try to arrange some of the larger pieces of cornbread on top; it looks prettier. Dot the top of the stuffing with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 35 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I tasted the cornbread and am worried I did something wrong. Is it supposed to be a bit salty? I guess I thought it would taste sweater. I’m pretty sure I followed the recipe to the tee. I’m making the stuffing today.
Hi Rebecca, Yes it should be a bit salty and kinda dry/plain – it is not sweet. No worries!
Thanks for your reply. The stuffing was very good, but I think I’m going to add more sugar/ less salt. I like a sweeter dressing.
Hi Jen, do you think it would be OK to use sourdough or challah bread for this stuffing? No-one likes cornbread in my family!
Hi Alison, I would check out my easy sausage & herb stuffing instead. It’s easy and delicious. 🙂
Is it possible to leave out the sausage? I was thinking of making this without any meat.
I SK, I wouldn’t recommend this without the sausage as it contributes so much of the flavor. If you’d prefer to go meatless, you may want to give this Challah and Wild Mushroom Stuffing a look.
Hi Jen!
Can I replace the yellow cornmeal with Buttermilk white cornmeal
Mix from White Lily?
Thanks!
SL
Hi Steph, I don’t recommend it as I believe that product has leavening in it. Sorry!
Can I make ahead and freeze?
Bake first and then freeze? Or just to the point before baking?
Hi Nancy, I haven’t frozen this, so I can’t say for sure how it will impact it. That said, I think you could get away with freezing it before baking. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I have a family cornbread recipe that I love. How many cups of cornbread does your recipe yield so I can sub in the correct volume of my recipe? Thank you!
Hi Janice, Honestly, I’m not sure…I didn’t measure when I was testing the recipe. But if you wanted to wing it, you’d need enough cubes to fill a sheet pan in a single layer. That said, I really recommend sticking with the cornbread recipe here; it’s intentionally dry and plain so that holds up well and complements the flavors in the stuffing. I’ve tried the dish with other cornbread recipes and it doesn’t turn out as well. Hope that helps!
Could I actually stuff the turkey with this stuffing. Our family prefers the turkey with the stuffing cooked inside the bird not as a casserole.
The same question for your herb and sausage stuffing recipe….they both look so delicious. It is such a treat receiving your weekly emails…thank you for your inspirations! Ps. Love your cookbook!!
Dale Anne
Glad you are enjoying the cookbook! 🙂
I wouldn’t recommend using this stuffing inside a turkey- it’s got a souffle-like texture and I fear that if you push it into the turkey cavity, it will just come out too mushy. You can use the herb and sausage stuffing in a turkey; you may want to cut the broth back a little as the turkey cavity will add a decent amount of moisture to it. Hope that helps!
Can I make this gluten free by using one of the gluten free flours?
Hi Karen, I haven’t made a gluten-free version of this, but I suspect it should work. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you make it this way!
How is this cornbread for serving as is? I’m looking for a good basic cornbread recipe. Thanks.
Hi Eileen, I definitely would not use this as cornbread – it’s intentionally dry and plain. Instead, I’d recommend this recipe (which you can make in an 8-inch pan and cook for 30 min, if you’d like).
Can I make and bake on Tuesday night and warm up in the oven on Thanksgiving?
Hi Karen, I think it would be much better if you assembled it on Tuesday and refrigerated it, then baked it on Thursday.