Julie Clark
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Grandma’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing
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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 homemade 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 menu: Grandma’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing.
This recipe was my Grandma’s classic stuffing recipe and was passed down to my mom. I grew up enjoying this savory traditional stuffing recipe, and now my kids are enjoying the tradition, too!
Ingredients
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.
About the bread cubes
We say to use 13-15 cups of bread cubes. Make sure the bread cubes are tightly 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 cubes.
- 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, sauté 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.
- 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.
- Spread the stuffing evenly in a 9×13″ baking pan or a pretty 2 quart baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
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?
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 instant-read 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you stuff a turkey?
It’s important to spoon the stuffing into the turkey loosely. You don’t want to pack it in. Plan about ¾ cup of stuffing per 1 pound of turkey.
When do you 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.
Can you make stuffing in a slow cooker?
This recipe also works well in the slow cooker. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray, then add the bread cube mixture. Cover and cook on low for about 6-8 hours. Check the internal temperature to make sure it cooks through.
This will help save space for the rest of your Thanksgiving meal.
Grandma’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing
Grandma’s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing. This is a long-time family recipe for simple and savory turkey stuffing. Bake it in the oven or in the turkey!
Servings 10
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 13-15 cups dry bread cubes* about 2 1 pound loaves (We like to use a heavier bread such as French bread so it soaks up more juice)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (I use low sodium broth)
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 2 quart casserole or 9×13" baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large skillet, sauté the onion and celery in the butter over medium-high heat 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 bread cubes and mix. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Spread the stuffing evenly in the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or other fresh herbs such as rosemary if desired.
- Serve warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Video
Notes
*I like to make my own dried bread cubes . Two days before preparing the stuffing, I cut bread into 1″ cubes, then allow them to dry in a big bowl for about 48 hours. Stir the bread cubes once or twice a day so they dry out evenly. They should be dry so they soak up the liquid in the recipe.
*We say to use 13-15 cups of bread cubes. This is homemade dry bread cubes that still have a little bit of softness to them. Make sure the bread cubes are tightly 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 (even dried homemade bread cubes will press down in a little). This will help make sure you have enough bread to soak up the liquid. If you like a drier stuffing or if you use store bought crispy bread cubes, use more.**
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 10, with 1 serving being 1/10 of the recipe. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1029mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1.8mg
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?
My mom is gone now and I lost her recipe. Everyone was so upset about it because we all loved it so much. So I’ve been reading every recipe on Pinterest and this recipe sounds exactly like moms. The only difference is Mom used half torn up homemade biscuits that she let sit out for a couple of days, and half torn up bread. I can’t wait to make this I’ve missed it for so long.
Everyone Raved about this dressing and I had NO leftovers………………….SO delicious!!!
Sounded so good—way too much butter—very greasy—I think it could use half the butter—too bad because it sounded so good and easy.
This dressing was outstanding everyone loved it
I made this recipe last week for Thanksgiving. I followed the recipe exactly except I dried out the cubed bread in my oven since I did not have them to dry my bread out. I also added 2Tbsp of fresh chopped rosemary, thyme and sage along with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. I had family members say “I am a stuffing snob and I LOVE yours!” My husband (first year married, first thanksgiving I cooked) said he liked my stuffing better than his mother’s which was a big deal for me. This is my go to recipe!
This recipe is almost like my family recipe for dressing. The difference is we add equal part of crumbled cornbread. It is mouthwatering. Dressing and giblet gravy is my favorite Thanksgiving dish. I hate to run out of gravy when there’s lots of dressing left 🙁 That’s what happened today. Well the turkey carcass was still in the fridge so I put it in a cake pan sorta broke it up to fit. I added a cup of water and covered it very tightly with foil so steam wouldn’t escape. Baked at 285 for two hours. I wound up with… Read more »
This came out so delicious. The only issue I had was with the salt. I’m not sure if it’s because my poultry seasoning already had salt and also the chicken stock. So I’m making this today and just putting a dash of salt. Otherwise, this had my house smelling stupendous and everyone loved it!!
Thanks so much for sharing! Happy Holidays.
This was stupendous!! I followed the author’s procedure of drying out the bread cubes for 2 days. I cut my cubes half the size of the author’s. I prefer small cubes because it makes it easier to use if you are stuffing inside a turkey. I doubled this recipe. Half of it I stuffed in the Thanksgiving Day Turkey and the other half I prepared in the casserole dish and baked it in the toaster oven while the turkey was cooking in our regular oven. Then once the turkey came out of the oven, I combined the stuffing that came… Read more »
I have looked for a recipe that was close to my grandmother’s dressing. This was a perfect match. My grown children even agreed. My grandmother never wrote it down, I just knew the ingredients. Now I can pass it down to my children. Thank you.
Usesd this recipe for my first ever attempt for homemade stuffing, it turned out amazing! I used half a loaf of French bread I had left over from the night before dinner and about 8 slices of just regular white sandwich bread, left out overnight after I had cut them up into 1″ pieces and mixed just like she suggested every few hours. I wouldn’t go so heavy on the butter I used 1 cup and was still a lot I thought, kept the onions and celery finely chopped. Entire family loved it will absolutely build off this recipe! Thank… Read more »
My family thought the stuffing was very tasty. I am not sure if I had 13 cups of bread cubes. I cut up 1 1/2 loaves of white bread for the recipe and was able to make two 8×8 pans of stuffing with it. It was very good, but next time I think I would cut back on the butter to maybe 1 cup because it tasted a little too buttery for me.
Hi! If you can’t find poultry seasoning, but have fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary, how much do you recommend adding? Thanks!
Is the 1.5 cups of butter a typo? That’s 3 sticks of butter (24 Tbsp)
Was it supposed to 1.5 sticks of butter? (12 Tbsp)
Thanks!
By far the best flavor and consistency of any dressing I’ve ever made or remember eating. This will be my go to every year from now on. Your grandmother knew what she was doing, husband really liked the flavor of the bit I used to stuff the turkey. Thank you!
Grandma’s Stuffing came out delicious! Everyone loved it . Thanks for sharing the recipe.
If I’m doubling the bread, should I also double everything else?