Grandma's Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2024)

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An old fashioned cornbread dressing recipe like Grandma used to make. Made the southern way in a big casserole. Simple ingredients, yet big flavor! It's a perfect side dish for your holiday meal.

Grandma's Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (1)

For Thanksgiving dinner, if you gave me a plate just filled with my grandma's cornbread dressing, I would be a happy woman. Of course I love everything else that graces our Thanksgiving table (turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, rolls, etc), but the cornbread dressing is what really does it for me.

I've had a lot of dressings/stuffings in my thirty nine years of life, but I have yet to find a recipe that is as delicious as my grandma's cornbread dressing. With simple ingredients of cornbread, bread, onion, celery, eggs, salt, pepper, sage, and chicken broth, it just goes to show that simple flavors and down home cookin' recipes can still be the most delightful. I hope you enjoy this much loved family recipe.

Cornbread Dressing vs Cornbread Stuffing

People have different names for that bready concoction that shows up next to the turkey on Thanksgiving. Is is dressing or is it stuffing? What's the difference?

They both contain some kind of stale bread, some vegetables, spices and herbs, chicken or turkey broth, and sometimes eggs or meat. Sometimes you will even see some kind of fruit or nuts depending on the variation.

There is, however, one major difference in dressing and stuffing.

Dressing is baked separately in a casserole dish.

Stuffing is, like the word explains, stuffed into the turkey while it cooks.

I much prefer dressing to stuffing for several reasons.

  1. I think there is less risk of food borne illness when cooking the dressing outside of the bird.
  2. It is difficult to time it right where the turkey and stuffing are both done at the same time, especially with a large bird.
  3. I like the taste of dressing better, especially cornbread dressing.
  4. Last but certainly not least, that's how Grandma did it and I'm not one to mess with perfection. We often enjoy the familiarity of what we grew up eating and dressing is what I have grown to love.

Ingredients Needed

To make cornbread dressing you only need a handful of simple ingredients.

Grandma's Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2)

prepared cornbread: The most important part of this recipe is the cornbread. Instead of simply bread for our dressing, we are using half bread, half cornbread. Bake your cornbread a day or two before assembling and cooking your dressing. This helps it to be dried out and soaks up the chicken stock.

bread: Any bread will do: white bread, wheat bread, sourdough, gluten-free. You just need plenty of it and you want the bread cubes dried out as well. Stale old bread works great for this.

salt and pepper: I'm a huge proponent of salt and pepper. Every recipe has to be salted properly to taste good. Don't be afraid to add salt. My homemade broth is mildly salted. If you are using a store-bought broth, go for low sodium so that you don't risk over salting.

sage: The star seasoning of this dish is dried sage. Don't go thinking this won't be flavorful because there's no poultry seasoning or rosemary. It will be; trust me. Sage is all you need.

onions and celery: The onions and celery add tons of flavor as well as some texture. Do not skip them. There is no need to sauté onion and celery ahead of time in a skillet. Just finely chop them and throw them in. The cooking time is long enough that they get tender inside the casserole.

chicken broth: If you really want to make this special, boil a whole chicken or chicken parts to get your broth the day before. You can even use a cup of the chicken meat in the dressing itself. That's how Grandma does it. You could use a store-bought broth if you are in a time crunch, but trust me, the homemade version will be so much better and more nutritious.

To boil the chicken, place it in a stockpot and cover with water and add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about an hour. After chicken is cooked through, remove chicken and strain broth through a fine mesh sieve. You can see a cooking demonstration video in my post on how to get multiple meals from a whole chicken.

eggs: Use large eggs and not small or medium. Lightly beat them before pouring into the dressing mixture.

What kind of cornbread do you need for cornbread dressing?

You need a single batch of a savory cornbread for this recipe. It doesn't have to be buttermilk cornbread.

Do NOT use a sweet cornbread mix like Jiffy. You want it to have a savory taste.

I like to use my homemade cornbread recipe. It uses simple ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen already and doesn't require buttermilk. It is a moist cornbread though, so you will need to let it dry out at least overnight. If you are in a time crunch, you may need to cut the cornbread into cubes and toast it in the oven a bit to dry it out a little. Don't worry if it is not super dry.

If you want to use a boxed cornbread mix instead of homemade, my grandma likes to use Martha White's hot rise mix.

I prefer to use my homemade recipe because it doesn't have the extra additives that a boxed recipe contains. I think they both taste very similar though.

How to make grandma's cornbread dressing

Grandma's Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (3)

  1. Prepare cornbread (either homemade or Martha White hot rise mix) and let dry out a day or two.
  2. Cut or tear bread into ½ inch cubes and dry out bread overnight on a baking sheet. Toast on a large baking sheet if you are in a time crunch.
  3. The next day, heat oven to 400 degrees f.
  4. Crumble cornbread into little bits.
  5. Combine cornbread, bread cubes, salt, pepper, sage, finely diced onions and celery in an extra large bowl and mix together.
  6. Add five cups of the broth and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed before adding the eggs.
  7. Whisk eggs and stir them into the cornbread mixture.
  8. The cornbread mixture should be very wet in consistency. Add the additional cup of broth if needed.
  9. Pour into a well greased, 10 x 15 inch casserole dish and spread out in pan.
  10. Bake covered, at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
  11. After the elapsed time, uncover and shake the dish. If it jiggles, it is not done. If it is firm, it is done.
  12. If it doesn't look set, uncover, and bake for additional time until it is firm but still moist on the inside. This could take 5-20 minutes more depending on how deep your casserole dish is or how dry your bread was in the beginning.

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Grandma's Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (4)

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4.20 from 5 votes

Grandma's Cornbread Dressing

Southern cornbread dressing using simple no fuss ingredients. An old fashioned recipe just like Grandma made.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword holiday

Prep Time 1 day day 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 15

Author Tara Buss

Equipment

  • 10x15 casserole dish

  • extra large mixing bowl

  • chef knife

Ingredients

  • 1 batch prepared cornbread homemade recipe in notes; or use Martha White hot rise recipe
  • 10 slices bread sandwich style white, wheat, or sourdough all work
  • cup onion finely chopped
  • cup celery finely chopped
  • 4 tsp dried sage
  • 2 tsp salt If your broth is salted start with less
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 6 eggs lightly whisked
  • 5-6 cups chicken broth for homemade instructions see notes

Instructions

  • Prepare cornbread (either homemade or Martha White hot rise mix) and let dry out a day or two.

  • Cut or tear bread into ½ inch cubes and dry out bread overnight on a baking sheet. Toast on a large baking sheet if you are in a time crunch.

  • The next day, heat oven to 400 degrees f.

  • Crumble cornbread into little bits.

  • Combine cornbread, bread cubes, salt, pepper, sage, finely diced onions and celery in an extra large bowl and mix together.

  • Add five cups of the broth and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed before adding the eggs.

  • Whisk eggs and stir them into the cornbread mixture.The cornbread mixture should be very wet in consistency. Add the additional cup of broth if needed.

  • Pour into a well greased, 10 x 15 inch casserole dish and spread out in pan.

  • Bake covered, at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

  • After the elapsed time, uncover and shake the dish. If it jiggles, it is not done. If it is firm, it is done. If it doesn't look set, uncover, and bake for additional time until it is firm but still moist on the inside. This could take 5-20 minutes more depending on how deep your casserole dish is or how dry your bread was in the beginning.

Notes

Homemade cornbread recipe:

  • 1 cup cornmeal, medium grind
  • 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 ½ cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 4 tbsp melted butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil (for greasing dish)

Whisk together dry ingredients. Add milk, egg, and butter and whisk to combine. Pour in greased 8x8 baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Homemade broth:

To boil the chicken, place it in a stockpot and cover with water and add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about an hour. After chicken is cooked through, remove chicken and strain broth through a fine mesh sieve.

Grandma's Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my cornbread dressing bland? ›

Avoid bland dressing by making sure to include plenty of onions, celery, and herbs in your recipe. Now is not the time to go easy with the sage, thyme, and pepper. The dressing should taste different from your cornbread.

How do you keep cornbread dressing from drying out? ›

Bolster it with warm broth

For every four cups of dressing, drizzle the dish evenly with ½ cup warm turkey or chicken broth. Toss to mix it in evenly, cover with foil, and allow the dressing to sit and rehydrate. Alternatively, to keep warm, return the dish to an oven at a low temperature.

Why is my cornbread dressing gummy? ›

Why is my Cornbread Dressing gummy? Adding too much liquid can result in a gummy-like texture. Baking it longer, using less liquid, and more stirring can help avoid a gummy texture.

How wet should dressing be before baking? ›

You want your stuffing moist but not soggy and certainly not dry. The bread in the stuffing absorbs moisture, but if it's dry (as it should be, see above), it takes some time for the liquid to settle in. I suggest adding a little at a time, say 1 cup of broth for every 4 cups of dry mix.

How do you fix bland cornbread? ›

One of the simplest ways is to bring in more flavor and depth is by adding ⅓ cup of sour cream to the batter, which makes the cornbread extra moist and a little tangy. Another tangy option: Add ⅔ cup of buttermilk, which also makes the cornbread super tender.

How do you fix tasteless stuffing? ›

Fruit, especially dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, figs and apricots can seriously improve a dreary box of stuffing. That bit of sweetness plays beautifully with other flavors on the table. I've found that fresh fruits like apples and pears are stellar as well.

Is it better to use broth or stock for dressing? ›

You can use either stock or broth for keeping dressing moist or as a basis for gravy, but a strong flavor will give you better results.

Should you add eggs to stuffing? ›

Broth: Chicken broth keeps the stuffing moist without making it soggy. Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture. Water: You can add a few tablespoons of water, if you'd like, to achieve your desired consistency.

How do you get the sweet taste out of cornbread dressing? ›

If you're using store-bought or pre-made cornbread as the base for your stuffing, consider countering any excessive sweetness by adding salt and other seasonings to achieve balance. A dash of cayenne pepper or a sprinkle of sage can mitigate the sweetness.

Is it okay to make cornbread dressing ahead of time? ›

You can refrigerate the cornbread dressing in an airtight container if you want to use it within the next three to four days. Before refrigerating, make sure to let it cool to room temperature.

How do you know when the dressing is done? ›

(Generally speaking, this should take roughly an hour) You'll know it's done when the top is golden brown and the dressing has soaked up the liquid (I check this by poking the dressing with a fork all the way through to the bottom of the pan and gently pulling a bit of it aside to see how well the liquid is absorbed ...

What temperature should dressing be cooked to? ›

Cook until the center of the dressing reaches 165 degrees. When checked with a food thermometer. Never place frozen dressing or other frozen food in a slow cooker, it will not reach proper safe temperature fast enough.

How do I know if my stuffing has enough liquid? ›

We recommend adding stock a little at a time--1/2 cup to 1 cup, depending on how much stuffing you're making--and waiting for the bread to absorb the liquid before adding more. Once the bread is moist but not sitting in a pool of stock, it's ready.

Why is my dressing mushy? ›

If the stuffing came out too wet and soggy (aka bread soup!) try not to over mix it, otherwise it'll turn into mush. Curtis Stone says to pour it on a large sheet tray and spread it out. Bake it on high heat to crisp it up, but make sure it doesn't burn.

What can you add to cornbread for flavor? ›

10 Mix-Ins for Classic Cornbread
  • Bacon and scallion. ...
  • Green chile and cheddar cheese. ...
  • Crumbled sausage and poultry seasoning. ...
  • Fresh corn and basil. ...
  • Pepperoni, parmesan, and black pepper. ...
  • Spicy shrimp and creole seasoning. ...
  • Brown sugar and pecan. ...
  • Cranberry and maple syrup.

Why put egg in dressing? ›

Eggs add richness to the stuffing, and makes it cohere better. I'd use two eggs per pound of bread. I'm a no egg person - and I still stuff the bird (but also do a batch out of the bird). me, too, Chem - I make a boatload of dressing (we never stuff the bird) specifically so I have leftovers to eat with gravy.

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