Southern Cornbread Dressing
By Emily Carter ·
Published
Quick answer
Bake a pan of cornbread a day ahead and let it go slightly stale, saute celery and onion in butter until soft, crumble the cornbread into a bowl with the vegetables, sage, thyme and broth, then bake at 375 F until golden and set at the edges, about 40 minutes.
Southern Cornbread Dressing is the true Thanksgiving stuffing of the South. Crumbled day old cornbread soaks up sage scented broth with sweet sauteed celery and onion, then bakes into a pan that is creamy in the middle and deeply golden on top. It feeds a crowd, reheats beautifully, and assembles a day ahead. Emily Carter bakes it in the big 9 by 13 pan every single year, and there are never leftovers.
Why you’ll love it
- Creamy center with a deeply golden, crispy top.
- Classic sage and thyme flavor that tastes like Thanksgiving.
- Make ahead friendly: bake the cornbread two days out, assemble a day ahead.
- Feeds 10 from one pan, easy to double for a crowd.
- Vegetarian as written, with an easy sausage add in option.
Ingredient notes
Cornbread: any good Southern style cornbread works, baked a day ahead and left uncovered overnight. Slightly stale crumb is the goal, since it drinks up broth without turning gummy.
Celery and onion: the aromatic base. Cook them fully soft in butter so no raw crunch survives into the finished dressing.
Sage and thyme: dried sage is the signature Thanksgiving herb here. Two teaspoons is the tested sweet spot, more turns bitter.
Broth: warm vegetable broth keeps it vegetarian. Start with 3 cups and add the fourth only if the crumb looks dry.
Eggs: two beaten eggs bind the dressing so it scoops in neat portions instead of crumbling apart.
The moisture test before it bakes
The dressing is only as good as its moisture going into the oven. After tossing the crumb, vegetables, broth and eggs together, the mix should look like a very thick porridge, moist and spoonable but not soupy. Press a spoon into it: if dry crumb springs back with no sheen, add more warm broth a half cup at a time. If liquid pools at the bottom of the bowl, you have gone too far and the center will bake up soggy. Getting this right takes thirty seconds and decides the whole pan, because the oven can only set what the bowl gives it.
Variations
- Sausage dressing: fold in 1/2 pound of browned breakfast sausage with the vegetables for the classic meat version.
- Oyster dressing: add a pint of shucked oysters with their liquor for the old Gulf Coast holiday tradition.
- Pecan dressing: stir in 1 cup of toasted chopped pecans for crunch against the creamy crumb.
- Spicy: add 1 diced jalapeno with the celery and onion for a gentle background heat.
What we learned testing it
- Three cups of broth versus four: three cups gave a dressing that held its shape when scooped, four cups went a little soft in the middle. Start with three and add more only if the crumb looks dry.
- Sage amount mattered more than expected. Two teaspoons gave the classic Thanksgiving flavor, one teaspoon tasted bland, and a tablespoon turned bitter.
- Baking uncovered the whole time gave the best crust. Covering for the first half kept the top pale and soft with no contrast to the creamy center.
Read how we test recipes.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Makes 1 9 by 13 inch pan (about 10 servings) · 1 hr 30 min total · Easy
Ingredients
Equipment
9 inch cast iron skillet or baking pan · 9 by 13 inch baking dish · Large skillet · Large mixing bowl · Wooden spoon
Instructions
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Bake the cornbread a day ahead
Bake your favorite cornbread in a 9 inch skillet until golden, then cool completely and leave it uncovered overnight. Slightly stale cornbread drinks up the broth without turning to mush, which is the whole secret of good dressing.
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Saute the celery and onion
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the celery and onion with the sage, thyme, salt and pepper until soft and sweet, about 8 minutes. The vegetables should be fully tender with no raw crunch left, since they will not cook much more in the oven.
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Mix the dressing in a big bowl
Crumble the cornbread into a large bowl and add the sauteed vegetables with all their buttery juices. Pour in 3 cups of warm broth and the beaten eggs, then toss gently until everything is moist but not soupy. Add the last cup of broth only if the mix looks dry.
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Bake until golden and set
Spread the dressing into a buttered 9 by 13 inch dish and bake at 375 F for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and the edges are set and pulling slightly away from the dish. Rest 10 minutes before scooping.
Notes
- Day old cornbread is the key. Fresh soft cornbread turns gummy, while slightly stale crumb soaks up broth and stays distinct.
- Warm broth absorbs faster than cold. Cold broth poured over the crumb sits in pockets and bakes up uneven.
- The mix should look moist and spoonable before baking, like a very thick porridge. It firms up in the oven.
- Taste the mix before the eggs go in and adjust the salt. Broths vary wildly in saltiness.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition information is being calculated.
Substitutions
- Vegetable broth
- Use chicken or turkey broth if your table is not vegetarian. It adds a deeper savory note that suits the holiday bird.
- Dried sage and thyme
- Use 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme instead. Add them with the vegetables so their flavor blooms in the butter.
- Butter
- Olive oil works for the saute, though you lose some richness. Keep the butter for greasing the dish either way.
Storage and make-ahead
Cool completely, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat covered at 350 F for 20 minutes, uncovering for the last 5 to crisp the top. Freeze baked dressing for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dressing and stuffing?
Dressing is baked in a dish, stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Southern cooks almost always make dressing in a pan, which gives you the prized crispy top that stuffing never gets.
Can I make cornbread dressing ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble it fully a day ahead, cover and refrigerate, then bake straight from the fridge adding about 10 extra minutes. The cornbread for it should be baked a day before that, so plan two days out.
My dressing is dry. What went wrong?
Not enough broth, or the cornbread was too fresh and never absorbed it. Next time start with the full amount of warm broth and make sure the mix looks like a very thick porridge before it goes into the oven.
Can I add sausage to cornbread dressing?
You can. Brown 1/2 pound of breakfast sausage, drain it and fold it in with the vegetables. Skip the extra salt if your sausage is well seasoned, and note it is no longer vegetarian.
How do I get a crispy top on dressing?
Bake it uncovered the whole time in a buttered dish, and do not skimp on the butter in the mix. The top needs direct heat and fat to brown and crisp.
