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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Nov 16, 2022 · 21 Comments

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THE BEST traditional homemade Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe perfectly seasoned with onions, celery, and sage. A simple old fashioned dish that's moist, delicious, and easy to make! Even better than grandma's! Makes a delicious addition to every holiday and Thanksgiving table.

A traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe perfectly seasoned with onions, celery, and sage. Makes a delicious addition to every holiday table.

Cornbread dressing in a glass dish with a sprig of rosemary and a wooden spoon in the middle.

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Southern cornbread dressing is easy to make, but so delicious and makes the perfect addition to the holiday table.

In my Midwestern family, we almost always make my grandma's stuffing for the holidays. But lately I've been embracing my husband's southern roots, so I wanted to give this Southern classic a try. (You can read more about the difference between stuffing and dressing here, if you're curious.)

I have to say, this may be my new favorite holiday dish. (Don't tell my family!) I'm definitely bringing it to my hubby's family Thanksgiving.

Southern cornbread dressing is moist, more like a casserole than the stuff you get it in a box. It's also savory and perfectly seasoned with onions, celery, and sage.

What Kind of Cornbread Do You Use for Southern Cornbread Dressing?

The right cornbread makes all the difference in southern cornbread dressing.

Good cornbread = good dressing.

So it's really important that you use the right cornbread for your dressing.

Good southern cornbread means a salty savory cornbread. Not sweet. Closer to sandwich bread in it's flavor than to the boxed mix cornbread. Plus, slightly crispy edges are a must to give it a little extra color and flavor.

This Southern Skillet Cornbread recipe is what I always use, and it's just perfect for this dressing. Make it, and cut it into 8 slices about two days before you plan to make the dressing.

Cornbread dressing in a glass dish with a rosemary sprig on top on a rustic wood background

Can Southern Cornbread Dressing be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can! Southern Cornbread Dressing is a great make ahead dish!

To make ahead, prepare dressing according to recipe instructions. Don't bake. Instead, cover and refrigerate for up to 2-3 days.

Then just bake on the big day. You may need to add 5-10 minutes to the usual baking time, due to starting with a cold dish.

Alternately, you can prepare the recipe without baking up to 3 months in advance, and cover and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before, then bake.

More Holiday Recipes You'll Love

  • Southern Corn Pudding - one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving and something we make every year!
  • Southern Pecan Pie - family favorite! Super easy recipe for a sweet classic.
  • Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce - simple recipe for classic cranberry sauce with a sweet maple twist.
  • Sweet Potato Casserole - a side dish so delicious, you'll think it's dessert!
  • Creamy Fried Confetti Corn - creamy corn fried with bacon, onions, and pepper makes a rich side that everyone loves.
  • See All Thanksgiving Recipes and Ideas

Southern Cornbread Dressing Video

Cornbread dressing in a glass dish with a sprig of rosemary and a wooden spoon in the middle.

Southern Cornbread Dressing

A traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe perfectly seasoned with onions, celery, and sage. Makes a delicious addition to every holiday table.
5 from 19 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cornbread Dressing, Southern Cornbread Dressing
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 310kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 1 batch Southern cornbread crumbled
  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 4 celery ribs chopped
  • 1½ teaspoons dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 bread slices toasted and crumbled
  • ½ cup milk
  • 3 eggs lightly beaten
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9"x13" baking dish, and set aside.
  • In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 8 tablespoons butter.
  • Add onions and celery to skillet and sautee until tender.
  • Stir in poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add cornbread crumbles and toast crumbles. Stir in chicken broth.
  • Add onion mixture to cornbread mixture, and stir to combine. Test seasoning now and adjust as necessary.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and eggs. Pour into dressing mixture and stir to combine.
  • Transfer dressing mixture to prepared baking dish, and spread gently and evenly.
  • Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into small slivers and scatter on top of the dressing.
  • Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until browned on the top.

Video

Notes

Nutrition facts include cornbread from the recipe linked.
  • Make the cornbread at least one day before (or up to 3 days). Let the cornbread sit out, uncovered to get a little stale. Then crumble before adding it to the recipe.
  • Use this recipe to make your cornbread. And DO NOT add sugar or honey. Regardless of your feelings on sweetened cornbread, it should not be sweetened for dressing.
  • Add all of the seasoning before you add the eggs. This way you can test the seasoning and more of anything you need to.
  • Dressing mixture should be very moist, but not soupy. If your dressing mixture is not wet all the way through after adding all ingredients, add an additional ½ cup of broth.
  • Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare dressing as instructed in the recipe, without baking. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking.
  • Freezer Instructions: prepare without baking. Then cover, label, and freeze for up 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
  • Storage: Store baked dressing covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 711mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 627IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2mg
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Casseroles, Freezer Meals, Recipes, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving Cornbread Dressing, Side Dish, Southern Cornbread Dressing, Thanksgiving Side Dish

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue says

    November 02, 2019 at 11:52 am

    This is literally my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner, love that Southern cornbread!!

    Reply
  2. Beth says

    November 02, 2019 at 12:34 pm

    Stuffing makes Thanksgiving dinner complete! I too love trying new family recipes to put a fun spin on recipes!

    Reply
  3. Tawnie Kroll says

    November 02, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    This looks like it's my family's new favorite dressing, thank you!!

    Reply
  4. Haley says

    November 02, 2019 at 1:55 pm

    This is such a good side dish for the holidays!

    Reply
  5. Alyssa says

    November 02, 2019 at 2:00 pm

    I've been looking for ways to make my Thanksgiving a little more "southern" this year since we moved to Texas. I love this take on traditional stuffing - so much flavor and my family loves cornbread so I know it will be a hit.

    Reply
  6. Yvonne says

    November 03, 2019 at 9:17 am

    I make squash cornbread dressing and it is out of this world. I will have to make this southern Cornbread Dressing tho for a change. I love new recipes and am always looking for new ones to try.

    Reply
  7. Raia Todd says

    November 14, 2019 at 10:50 am

    Forget the turkey. I'm all about this dressing! Haha. Love the cornbread and alllll the butter. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Tayo says

    November 14, 2019 at 10:55 am

    Looks so delicious and I'm sure this will be a big hit at my Thanksgiving table. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  9. Heidy L. McCallum says

    November 14, 2019 at 11:08 am

    A BIG hello from the South! We love Southern Cornbread Dressing and use our family recipe quite often during the holidays so I can see how you fell in love with your husband's family recipe too. Glad to see you embracing his culture and enjoying it! I loved reading this blog post.

    Reply
  10. Shadi Hasanzadenemati says

    November 14, 2019 at 11:45 am

    I tried your recipe last night and loved it! Can't wait to make it again!

    Reply
  11. Katie says

    November 14, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    This was SO good. A few family members of mine lived in the south for a while and they said this totally brought them back!

    Reply
  12. Anna says

    November 22, 2019 at 7:23 am

    Mmm looks yummy! I've never had an opportunity to try cornbread dressing. I was racking my brains what to cook for Thanksgiving dinner. We're literally fed up with this boring turkey, btw, now we try to avoid meat, so this cornbread dressing is a nice idea! I'm gonna make it for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure, my boys will be delighted!
    Thank you for sharing the recipe, Michelle!

    Reply
  13. Cece says

    November 28, 2019 at 7:11 pm

    Made this, and it was good. It reminded me of my grandma’s dressing. ❤️

    Reply
  14. Sarah James says

    October 22, 2020 at 9:43 am

    Your cornbread dressing looks delicious. I've never tried a cornbread stuffing before, looking forward to trying your recipe as a change to our usual sage and onion stuffing.

    Reply
  15. Katie says

    October 22, 2020 at 9:52 am

    Looks so good! I can't wait to try this one.

    Reply
  16. Shadi Hasanzadenemati says

    October 22, 2020 at 10:34 am

    I have everything I need for this dish, can’t wait to make it this weekend!

    Reply
  17. Jessie says

    October 22, 2020 at 10:45 am

    I love stuffing and cornbread but I have never had cornbread stuffing. I am going to try this one this year!

    Reply
  18. Maria says

    October 22, 2020 at 10:59 am

    This is brilliant! I can't wait to try it :p

    Reply
  19. Shanna Allen says

    October 22, 2020 at 11:06 am

    This was my first time trying cornbread stuffing. It was so yummy and moist. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  20. Erika says

    October 22, 2020 at 11:19 am

    Hands down one of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving dinner. I love your version, it looks amazing!

    Reply
  21. Annissa says

    October 22, 2020 at 11:20 am

    There's nothing like a good southern cornbread dressing on turkey day! I'm excited to try your version with homemade cornbread. Tradition at its best!

    Reply

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Hello! I'm Michelle!
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