Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Cornbread Dressing will take center stage this holiday season. This delicious side dish is made with homemade cornbread, onions, celery, poultry seasoning, and chicken broth and baked until crispy and golden brown.

 

This post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclaimer here.

Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the 
recipe card at the bottom of the post. 
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.

I can't imagine a Holiday season without cornbread dressing. It's the perfect side dish to go along with your favorites, like mac and cheese, turkey, and gravy...oh, you gotta smother it in gravy.

My cornbread dressing recipe is family approved and is quite easy to make. It does require a little bit of prep (you need to make the cornbread ahead of time), but it's totally worth it.

What is cornbread dressing?

Cornbread dressing is a traditional dish made from cornbread, typically served as a side dish or stuffing. The ingredients usually include cornbread, onions, celery, and spices like poultry seasoning and sage. Sometimes bread crumbs are added for texture, and the dressing may be moistened with broth or milk. Cornbread dressing is often baked in the oven until golden brown.

It's best to leave fresh cornbread out overnight to dry out slightly when using it to make the dressing. This ensures that the top is crispy and the dish doesn't get mushy. 

Serve it with a green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and a Thanksgiving turkey for a classic holiday dinner.

Ingredients

You can buy these simple ingredients for this delicious cornbread side dish at your local grocery store. Here is what you'll need:

Cornbread: 

I like to make homemade cornbread for this recipe. It allows me to control the flavor of my dish, but store-bought cornbread can be used if need be. My cornbread recipe includes cornmeal, all-purpose flour, a bit of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, buttermilk, and eggs.

Dressing: 

Once your cornbread is made, you will need these additional ingredients to make the dressing: butter, onions, celery, poultry seasoning, rubbed sage, chicken broth, eggs, salt, and pepper.

How to make cornbread dressing 

Here are the basic steps to make this excellent recipe for your holiday meal.

Prepare the cornbread: 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8x8 baking dish.

Whisk the cornmeal, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl, whisk the butter, buttermilk, and eggs. 

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until smooth. 

Pour the cornbread mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake until the cornbread is golden.

Remove and allow to cool for a few hours or overnight.

Prepare the dressing:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grab a 2.5-quart baking dish and set it aside.

Break the cooled cornbread into small pieces and place it in a large mixing bowl.

Melt the butter in a large skillet, and add onions, celery, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until vegetables have softened.

Add the cooked onions and celery to the crumbled cornbread in the bowl. Add poultry seasoning, rubbed sage, chicken broth, beaten eggs, salt, and black pepper, and stir until combined. Be careful not to overmix.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake until the top is golden brown. 

Expert Tips

These tips and tricks will ensure your dressing is perfect this holiday season.

• Make the cornbread one or two days in advance to let it dry out, so your dressing isn’t mushy.
• The sugar in the cornbread recipe is optional. Omit the sugar if you don’t like any hits of sweetness in your dressing. 
• If you prefer a wetter dressing, add an additional ½ cup of chicken broth or vegetable broth. 
• If you don't have time or cornmeal, you can buy a package of Jiffy cornbread or buy it pre-made from the store.  
• Cook the mix-ins before adding them to the cornbread and baking. This will ensure that they are flavorful and not too crunchy.  

What other ingredients can I add to cornbread dressing? 

You can add your favorite ingredients to this southern-style cornbread. Here are some tasty options you can choose from.

• Cooked chicken or turkey
• Andouille sausage 
• Jalapenos 
• Herbs like thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley, or fresh sage   
• Cream of chicken soup 
• Mushrooms 
• Cranberries 
• Ground sausage 
• Bell peppers 
• Garlic 

How to make your dressing moist every time 

The real difference between a good cornbread dressing and a dry dressing is the perfect amount of moistness. Here are some tips to help you make the perfect side dish.

• Don’t add too much chicken stock to the mixture.  
• Stir just until the mixture is combined, so the cornbread doesn't crumble too much and still has a good texture when it's baked.  
• Be careful not to overbake the casserole since that will make it too dry.  
• This dressing should be slightly moist before baking. There shouldn't be any liquid at the bottom of the bowl.
• It should be moist but not wet when you put it into the baking dish.  

What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing?  

Dressing and stuffing are both served for Thanksgiving but are made differently.

Stuffing is made with bread, celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. The biggest difference is that it's stuffed and cooked inside the turkey while it roasts in the oven. 

Pro: The best thing about it is that turkey juices drip down into the stuffing and make it rich and delicious. 

Con: Since it’s inside the turkey, it may not cook as quickly as the turkey. In this case, the turkey will become dry before it’s cooked to 165 degrees. Also, the stuffing tends to be mushy when prepared this way.  

Dressing is made with cornbread or white bread, celery, onions, garlic, and occasionally, sausage. It's prepared as a side dish, not stuffed and cooked in the turkey. 

Pro: When cooking this side dish on the stove, you control the flavor the whole time. It also has great texture and isn't mushy.

Con: The turkey juices don't add flavor to the dressing, but you can use turkey stock instead of chicken stock in the recipe.  

How to serve cornbread dressing

This southern cornbread dressing is perfect when paired with dishes for your Thanksgiving table. But don't limit yourself to only serving this dish once a year! Make it for a large family Sunday dinner any night of the week.

Serve it with Thanksgiving chicken, southern-style sweet potato casserole, southern green beans, or cheesy scalloped potatoes.

Some other options include southern cornbread, candied sweet potatoes, or this turkey breast recipe. Also, feel free to smother this easy cornbread dressing with gravy!

How to store 

Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Reheat: You can reheat an individual bowl of dressing in the microwave on 30-second increments until warm all the way through.

If you've made this dish a day ahead of time for your holiday table, you can reheat it in the casserole dish in the oven on 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Freeze: Freeze the cornbread stuffing whole in the dish wrapped in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. You can keep this in your freezer for up to three months. Remember to label and date the dish so you know what you've saved when you open the freezer three months later.

FAQs

If you have tried this cornbread dressing recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!