Cornbread Stuffing
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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.
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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.
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Comments
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I wanted to try a new cornbread dressing recipe and this was perfect! It was a hit at my Thanksgiving table and turned out even more flavorful than I’d hoped. I followed the recipe exactly as written except I crumbled half the cornbread and cubed the other half – loved the consistency as a result. I used spicy Italian pork sausage and it added lots of flavor and moisture without too much heat. This will be my new go-to recipe at holidays!
Do you use the entire pan of cornbread in the dressing/stuffing recipe?
Yes that’s correct. Enjoy!
I’d like to divide this into 2 separate pans. 1 to cook now and one to freeze for later. How long would I cook for 8×8 pan? And is it necessary to bake both before freezing 1??
Hi Belle, I think the cook time will be 30 to 35 minutes, and it’s fine to freeze the second pan before baking.
Hello,
Can I use Plant base butter and Oat Milk for to substitute for Milk and butter? Have you tried substituting before?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Jackie, I haven’t tried it with those substitutes but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Just made this, and something seems to have gone wrong. The eggs look scrambled through, rather than a custard-y sort of binder. Can’t figure out where I went wrong! Still tastes good, but the texture isn’t right.
Hi Emily, I’m sorry you had a problem with this! It sounds strange as the egg mixture should get absorbed by the bread. Did you make any changes to the recipe? Did you use store-bought cornbread?
Thank you so much for getting back so quickly! I am making my whole thanksgiving from you!
Trying the turkey in the oven for the first time too. Your recipes are amazing!
❤️
Any chance I can buy pre-made cornbread and dry it out instead?
Hi Connie, It will likely be on the sweet side; if you don’t mind that, it will work.
I bought Stonewall Kitchen savory gluten free cornbread mix because some in family are allergic. They also have regular.
Hi Jenn cannot wait to make this for Thanksgiving!
If i prepare the cornbread today will it be fine to prepare the rest Wednesday and then bake Thursday ?
Thank you so much
Melissa
Happy Thanksgiving
Yep!
Two Questions: 1) Can I use beef broth for a guest that doesn’t eat poultry?
2) Can I divide it up to bake in smaller dishes ?
Yes and yes. The beef broth will slightly change the flavor of the stuffing but it will still be good (and make sure you get low-sodium beef broth). Hope everyone enjoys
My mouth is watering looking at this recipe. I really need a different stuffing recipe this year and this looks like IT. Do you think beef chorizo would work with this? I have family that doesn’t eat pork and I feel like turkey sausage wouldn’t have enough fat or flavor, but which substitution would you recommend?
Hi Jay, Beef chorizo would work here. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, thank you for this recipe! I made it for our Thanksgiving last year and I use the top cornbread every time I make your chili recipe! Today, I did both! Thank you! FANTASTIC!
So so delicious. I made this according to the recipe using Gluten Free flour and it was great but I felt like maybe too much cornbread. So for Christmas I substituted 1/2 cornbread for just plain white gluten free bread which I toasted and then cooked in oven to get crispy. It was awesome. Both are great but I preferred 1/2 and 1/2 with regular bread. Jen is a star. she is my go to recipe diva!