Southern Cornbread Dressing is deliciously moist and wonderfully seasoned with sage, onions, and celery. It’s a classic that makes it to the Thanksgiving table year after year.
Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and it’s time to start planning that Thanksgiving menu. This year I want the food to be extra good and special since this is the first year my son has been away at college. I miss him dearly and I know he misses my home cooking. (Note: This post was originally published November 10, 2015. But my son is still coming home for Thanksgiving 😊)
You cook for your boys mamas, and they’ll always want to come home to see you. 🙂
The Thanksgiving side dish that my kids look forward to the most is the dressing.
What Is Dressing?
Dressing is what southerners call stuffing. Typically dressing is made with cornbread. Variations on cornbread dressing are many and varied. Depending on the region of the south, ingredients like pecans, sausage, crawfish, or oysters can be added.
Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe
Probably the most looked forward to part of Thanksgiving dinner, besides dessert, is the dressing and it’s not uncommon for us to have more than one kind. I personally really love this Andouille Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing.
This Southern Cornbread Dressing is a more traditional southern dressing made with crumbled cornbread along with lots of onion, celery, and sage. It’s savory, moist, and delicious.
How Far In Advance To Make The Cornbread
You should make the cornbread a day or two in advance. You want the conrbread to be somewhat dry and stale. This will allow it to absorb more liquid and flavor.
Recipe Tip
Since we typically fry our Thanksgiving turkey, I solely use canned broth to make dressing, but if you have turkey drippings, you could add them to the dressing and it will taste even better.
Along with cornbread dressing we love to have Cheesy Green Bean Casserole, mashed potatoes, and Broccoli Casserole for Thanksgiving dinner. And this year I think I’ll add Savory Sweet Potato Casserole to the list. You can never have too many casseroles! I also always make these Yeast Rolls and Southern Sweet Potato Pie.
Equipment Needed
- Cast Iron Pan– You will need a 9 to 10-inch cast iron pan for baking the cornbread. A 9-inch cake pan or baking dish can be used instead.
- Baking Dish– a 9×13-inch baking dish is a good size.
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Watch the video below to see how easy it is to make Southern Cornbread Dressing.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Equipment
- 9 to 10-inch cast iron pan
Ingredients
Cornbread
- 1 cup self-rising cornmeal, I use Martha White
- 1/2 cup self-rising flour, I use White Lily
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
Dressing
- 8 tablespoons butter, (1 stick)
- 3 medium onion, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pieces toast, crumbled
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients for cornbread. Pour into a lightly greased 9-inch cast iron pan or a 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Before using, crumble into small pieces.
- Heat butter over medium heat in a large pan. Add celery and onion and cook until soft.
- Add sage, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper to onion mixture.
- In a large bowl combine crumbled cornbread and toast.
- Whisk together milk and eggs and add to bowl. Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth.
- Stir in onion mixture. Mixture should be very moist. Add more broth if necessary.
- Transfer to a greased baking dish. Cut butter into small slivers and scatter on top of dressing.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until it turns light brown on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Do you put bell peppers in yours?
Yes, I always have. Not a whole lot but, I have to make a ton of dressing so I usually use about 3 diced in mine.
Can you stuff the turkey with this recipe
yes.
This sounds pretty close to mine, but instead of toast, I add a box of cornbread or chicken Stove Top stuffing and also chopped boiled eggs…
Curious why the boiled eggs?
boiled eggs in mine too! They would be missed if I didn’t use them. Recipe my mom used to make. I also use toast. I can’t make mine as good as she did but it is pretty good.
I use seasoned bread crumbs.
PS- my mom used to take the turkey’s liver and gizzards and use them in the dressing, and it was yummy. When would you introduce these items into the cooking process. Also, you mention using turkey drippings in recipe. Would you use drippings instead of water or broth in recipe? Many thanks!
You can use drippings in place of the broth. I have never used turkey liver or gizzards in dressing so I am not sure about that.
You add gizzards, kidneys, hearts, &/or livers before baking. Like when you add boiled eggs and raw eggs. Never used toast, crackers, or breadcrumbs but couldnt hurt i guess. Not sure what its for. Also add tony chachere lousiana seasoning in place of salt or slap ya mama. Not as salty that way and gives it a cajun kick. But then we like anything with that stuff on it down here.
I see recipe for your Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe, and I was pleased to see it seems relatively easy…….because I am not an experienced cook. My mother recently passed away without leaving me her recipe for her dressing which I loved. I saw you refer to a “Spicy Southern Cornbread Dressing”, but did not see the recipe. Is there a separate recipe for spicy version, or how would I spice recipe up to give it some heat…..without turning everyone at dinner party off? Many thanks! Andy
So sorry your mother recently passed away. If you can find some Andouille sausage, it makes a delicious spicy dressing- https://spicysouthernkitchen.com/andouille-sausage-and-corn-bread-stuffing/
How long and on what temp do you cook the dressing
Thanks for posting. This recipe is very close to my grandmother’s. Did you use white bread or wheat for the toast?
You’re welcome Tami! I used white bread.
It’s important to make the cornbread and biscuit a day ahead and either dry them in the oven at a low heat, like 180 degrees for about an hour, or let them sit in the open in the kitchen for a day or two to lose their moisture before making the dressing.
This is perfect dressing! Cornbread dressing is a big deal in the south and being able to make a perfect dressing is a sign of accomplishment. I did leave out the eggs, and used home made biscuits instead of toast, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. We even tripled it for a party and it was almost all gone and people were raving about it. If you are dressing-challenged, this recipe will not let you down!
Why do so many online cornbread dressing recipes call for toast? I am sure my mother did not add toast to hers, in the mid-south. You have the cornbread so what does toast add to it? I do know my mother used sage which makes it so good. thanks, and hope someone sees this question as it has been over a year since the last posting.
The “toast” is for moisture; if you only put cornbread, your dressing will be dry. Some sort of stale French bread or loaf imparts a texture that cornbread cannot, and it helps the dressing to stay moist even when it becomes leftovers.
It’s to help the texture of the dresssing. I don’t know exactly what it does other than to improve the mouth feel of the dish.
I use the canned bisquits instead of white bread toast.Bake them the day before and let them sit out to get stale
you don’t need toast I don’t add toast and I cook that recipe but i add cream of chicken and/or cream of mushroom
The cream of chicken add sounds like a good idea!
1 can cream of chicken and 1 can cream of celery in ours no toast or bread add an apple and a little bit of chopped pickles.
Cream of Celery is also perfect, with cream of mushroom. I use chicken gizzards, heart, liver : cook and chop up. Plus Poultry seasoning. This is how my Mother made it. And Yes, make your corn bread ahead, tear-up and toast. Egg bread or sourdough bread are also perfect to dry-out and cut up..