My Grandma’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing has stood the test of time. This buttery, savory, melt-in-your-mouth stuffing is the best stuffing recipe around!
Stuffing….or dressing? Which is it in your house? What is the difference between the two?
It’s simple…stuffing is “stuffed” inside the bird. Dressing is usually baked on the side. My mom usually stuffs the turkey. I usually stuff the turkey AND bake dressing on the side.
Call this recipe whichever you’d like and bake it whichever way you prefer. You’ll love this best turkey dressing (or stuffing) recipe either way!
Grandma’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing Recipe
Are you all so excited that Thanksgiving is almost here? I think I love Thanksgiving more than Christmas. And one reason why? The food, of course! It’s all about the corn casserole, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.
Today we are sharing with you one of our classic family recipes that without fail, ends up on our Thanksgiving table: Grandma’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing.
This recipe was my Grandma’s recipe and was passed down to my mom. I grew up enjoying this savory Thanksgiving turkey stuffing, and now my kids are enjoying the tradition, too!
What spices do you put in turkey stuffing?
Our recipe has just a few key seasonings: poultry seasoning, salt and black pepper. You’ll also get flavor from the butter, onion, celery and chicken stock, but for the most part, all that savory flavor comes from poultry seasoning.
What does poultry seasoning have in it?
We use a pre-mixed poultry seasoning that you can buy in the spice aisle at the grocery store. You can mix your own if you’d like. It generally has sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, a touch of nutmeg and black pepper.
How do you make traditional stuffing?
If you’ve never made Thanksgiving turkey stuffing before, you may think it is difficult. Our recipe is very simple, though and calls for just a handful ingredients: bread, butter, onion, celery, chicken broth, eggs and spices.
You’ll want to start this recipe about two days beforehand. Cut fresh bread into 1″ cubes and put them in a big bowl. I like to use a heavier white bread (such as French or Italian bread). You can also use dried hot dog/hamburger buns. Sometimes I throw in whole wheat bread. Use whatever kind of bread you prefer.
**Note: We say to use 13-15 cups of bread cubes. Make sure the bread cubes are slightly packed into the cup. Don’t drop them in so there is a lot of air around them, but press them down into the cup. This will help make sure you have enough bread to soak up the liquid. If you like a drier stuffing, use more bread crumbs.**
Leave the bread cubes sitting out for about 48 hours so they dry out. Stir them once or twice a day so all of the bread dries out evenly. If you run out of time, dry the bread cubes in the oven preheated to a low heat.
When it comes time to make the stuffing, saute the onions and celery in butter over medium heat until the veggies are tender. This is the best aroma ever. Of all the smells of Thanksgiving dinner cooking, this is the one that always starts it all off. There’s just nothing better!
Why Put Eggs in Stuffing?
Pour this mixture over the dry bread cubes, then add the chicken stock, eggs and spices.
Why add eggs to bread stuffing? Many of you have asked this question. The main reason is because my grandma did it, my mom continued making stuffing this way, and there is just no better stuffing. 🙂 Simple, right?
I’ve never not put eggs in stuffing, but also, the eggs act as a bit of a binder. They prevent the stuffing from being crumbly.
Is it safe to stuff a turkey?
Mix it all up well and you’re ready to either stuff the bird or bake the stuffing in a casserole dish. It’s a big debate over who likes to stuff the turkey and who doesn’t.
Here’s my answer: Do what you’d like.
Are both methods safe?
Yes. If you stuff a turkey with bread stuffing, make sure the center of the stuffing cooks to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll need a long thermometer to go through the turkey and test it. But it is safe to eat if cooked to the correct temperature.
**Our Thermoworks ThermaPen tests the internal temperatures of meats, breads and cakes INSTANTLY. This probe thermometer is AMAZING. Get it here.**
I like both stuffed turkeys and unstuffed. I prefer my stuffing just a little crispier, so cooking it in a casserole dish allows the top of the bread to get a little toasty. And who doesn’t like herbed, buttered, toasted bread?!
For food safety guidelines as far as stuffing the turkey, you can read some info from the USDA here.
How to Stuff a Turkey
It’s important to spoon the stuffing into the turkey loosely. You don’t want to pack it in. Plan about 3/4 cup of stuffing per 1 pound of turkey.
When to Stuff a Turkey
For food safety reasons, stuff the turkey immediately before you place it in the oven. Have the oven preheated and ready to go. Stuff the turkey, then pop it in the oven.
Grandma’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing
Ingredients
- 13-15 cups dry bread cubes* (We like to use a heavier bread so it soaks up more juice)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 1/2 cups butter
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- In a frying pan, saute the onion and celery in the butter for 10-12 minutes, or until the onion and celery are tender.
- Place the bread cubes in a large bowl. Pour the butter, onion and celery mixture over the breadcrumbs and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Put the stuffing in the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this Thanksgiving turkey stuffing recipe as much as my family has over the past decades. Just read the reviews below to see how many people have loved this! It’s continually one of our most popular holiday recipes and we thank you for that.
Q: Do you have a recipe that has stood the test of time?
Looking for a cute way to serve stuffing? Take a look at these cute platters and dishes!
- “Let the Stuffing Begin” Casserole Dish and Spoon
- “Happy Thankstuffing” Serving Bowl and Spoon
- “Let the Stuffing Begin” Serving Spoon
My Mother passed a few years ago. Although she showed me many times how to make her Thanksgiving dressing, I was never able to recreate her holiday magic. She was the type of cook who didn’t have a recipe, she just added what she thought the dish needed. I found your recipe last year and literally cried when I tasted my Mom’s dressing. Thank you so much for sharing your Grandma’s recipe. I make a double batch to make sure we have plenty for leftovers! As a side note, I don’t stuff the bird or put it in the oven.… Read more »
This is nearly my EXACT recipe…old timer’s favorite. The only ingredient not listed here that I use is…..a tiny itty bitty smidgen of Allspice. Yes, allspice. Not enough to overpower the dish but JUST enough to lend a warm nutty aroma and with the onions and celery scents, the allspice smells like you have never smelled it before. It’s amazing and my stuffing is one of the top reasons why my husband married me (or so he tells me).
I leave out eggs! You can make & bake day before seasonings are. better.
When you say bread crumbs you mean cut up bread or like bread in the food processor?
This sounds yummy! I’m going to cook my turkey thighs on top of the stuffing.(I don’t like white meat) Have a great Thanksgiving!
Wouldn’t the drippings from the turkey be a better substitute for chicken broth?
My mother in law gave me this recipe the first year Rick and I were married. She didn’t even have it written down but was able to come up with the amounts for an 8 lb turkey. Over the years our turkey size has increased to…..as big as we can get! And I just keep increasing the dressing amounts. The original recipe in her handwriting is stained and worn but we love it. It has been passed on to all 3 of our kids.
can you prepare this a day ahead?
This is like my mom’s too except she mixed regular bread and cornbread. She also added sage seasoning.
I am going to try this tonight!
This recipe is similar to mine and hubby loves it. We make a ton of it so we have enough to stuff the bird and do some in the crockpot
We were feeling crazy one year and added dried cranberries and cashews. OMG you can’t believe how yummy it was, a little bit of sweet, salty and savory!
This stuffing looks incredibly easy and I love that it’s so classic! It has “family Thanksgiving” written all over it!
Can you put this dressing in the crockpot
My family adores stuffing!! And I can only imagine the aroma of this one baking away on Thanksgiving Day.
As for the packaging, I’ve actually been searching out cartons as opposed to cans. Love!
This stuffing recipe was a HUGE hit at our Thanksgiving meal yesterday! The entire batch was polished off and it was widely complemented 🙂 I did use 1 cup of butter instead of 1 1/2 cups and it turned out great! This is a recipe that will become a regular part of my Thanksgiving and Christmas menu repertoire! Thank you so much!!
I cook my onions & celery slowly in just one stick of butter and then use a generous sprinkling of butter buds to cutdown on fat. My family loves it!
After i bake and let cool completely can i freeze it..Then thaw in fridge the day before?
Absolutely delicious! I had too much for the turkey so I baked a separate dish too. I can’t believe how delicious it was. I have always used prepackaged stuffing but never again. This was awesome! Thanks for sharing.
I cook the gizzard, heart and neck to make the broth. Than I chop up heart and gizzard for dressing. I don’t use butter, I cook sausage and then remove from pan and cook celery and onion in grease. I use poultry seasoning and sage. My stuffing is very moist before cooking or stuffing turkey. I use white bread. No salt.
OMG, my mouth dropped after reading your grandmothers’s ingredients, because this is exactly the ingredients I use when making my Thanksgiving Dinner. Yours looks amazingly yummy!
My recipe!! Learned this when I was young & it’s a tradition. My only differences are adding 1 bag of the Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix, blue bag. Helps my seasonings be perfect & it’s how I learned. No other brand or type tastes as good. & eggs, I’ve never used them before but it makes sense & I’ll use them this year. Oh my, I’m craving this yummy goodness now!
Does this recipe make enough to stuff the turkey as well as a 9/13 casserole dish? Also, has anyone ever tried using sour dough bread for the cubes?
Do u really need 3 sticks of butter
Great dish but way too much salt and pepper! I would half both of them and add a few different spices!
What kind of bread do you use? White, wheat, both? Is it loaves from the deli, sliced sandwich bread, or do you make your own?