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Southern Cornbread Dressing makes a comforting, classic dish for the holidays! This cornbread dressing recipe is moist, delicious and so easy! An heirloom family favorite recipe that makes the perfect side dish!
Cornbread dressing could easily take center stage at my family’s table during the holidays, especially at Thanksgiving. On that special day, the cornbread dressing really rivals the turkey for attention.
There’s just one rule.
No stuffing in this house, and no funny stuff in our dressing. I think I’d no longer be allowed to make it for my family if I “messed” with this traditional family cornbread dressing recipe.
But you know, every family makes their recipes a little bit differently, and that’s what makes family recipes so special, I think! The special touches to suit your family’s taste preferences lets you know that those recipes were made with tons of love and care for each person who would gather at the table to enjoy them.
This recipe makes enough for two 9×13 dishes. You can easily half the recipe to make just one, or use the freezer-friendly instructions to prepare one to bake now and one to freeze and bake later.
Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
For our dressing, we use my Grandmother Verdie’s recipe that she got from her own mother. It is a definite heirloom family recipe that my family treasures! It is so incredibly moist and tender and so delicious! Once you taste it, you’ll understand why it is a must-have family favorite recipe.
Southern Cornbread Dressing Ingredients
To make it, you’ll need the following ingredients.
Cornbread – It starts with a skillet of southern buttermilk cornbread. While it only takes 30 minutes to make, you can also easily make it ahead if you’d like. You can prepare it up to two days ahead and keep covered tightly on the kitchen counter until ready to make your dressing.
Biscuits or Bread – Likewise, we use leftover biscuits from the day before, but you can also use sliced white bread as my Grandmother showed me one day when Granddaddy had grabbed the last couple of biscuits she’d stashed away for her dressing as a “snack.” The bread works perfectly, too!
Seasonings – Salt and pepper add so much flavor to this dressing. If you like the flavor of sage in your dressing, include it as well.
Eggs – You’ll need three large eggs for the full recipe. If you are making a half recipe, use two eggs.
Onion – You’ll need one medium diced onion. The onion adds so much flavor to the recipe. If you do not care for onions, you can simply omit or do as I do and have one pan with onions and one without. 🙂
Celery – Two diced stalks of celery are perfect in this recipe.
Butter – The butter not only adds flavor, it adds moisture to this cornbread dressing as well. You will slice the butter so that it mixes more easily into the dressing.
Cream of Chicken Soup – I prefer to use my homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe, but you can absolutely use store-bought if you like.
Chicken Stock or Broth – You will need a good bit of chicken stock or broth. It adds so much moisture to the dressing! If you do not have enough in your dressing, it will make for a dry dressing. Here, again, you can use homemade or store-bought chicken stock or broth, whichever you prefer.
How to Make Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Crumble. Crumble your cornbread and biscuits or bread into small pieces in a large bowl. You’ll want to use the largest bowl you have so that you can really mix this up well. A large stockpot also works well if you do not have a large enough mixing bowl. As a child, this was the part Grandmother let me help her with in making the dressing. It is one of my fondest memories in the kitchen.
Mix. Now add in the salt, pepper, sage (optional), onion, butter, cream of chicken soup and chicken stock or broth. Mix well until all of the ingredients are well combined and the mixture is smooth.
Bake. Pour the mixture into two 9×13 baking dishes and bake until the cornbread dressing browned and is set throughout about 30 – 45 minutes.
Other Favorite Holiday Recipes
Here’s the recipe for my family’s Southern Cornbread Dressing. I sure hope you love it as much as we do. We always like to finish it off with a drizzle of giblet gravy or turkey gravy!
Southern Cornbread Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 full recipe Southern Buttermilk Cornbread
- 3 buttermilk biscuits or 3 slices of sandwich bread
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage optional
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1/2 cup butter sliced
- 4 cups cream of chicken soup
- 6 cups chicken stock or broth
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Mix. Crumble all of the cornbread and biscuits (or white bread slices) into a very large bowl. Add salt, pepper, eggs, onion, celery, butter, cream of chicken soup, and chicken stock. Stir until well-combined.
- Bake. Pour dressing into two 9×13 baking dishes and bake until lightly browned, about 30 – 45 minutes. To test doneness, shake casserole dish lightly. If the center of the dressing moves, then the dressing is not cooked through in the center. Continue to bake until the dressing is set throughout.
Notes
How to Store Dressing Recipe:
Wrap 9×13 pan(s) with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.How to Freeze Southern Dressing Recipe:
If unbaked, wrap 9×13 pan(s) with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To bake, remove from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator. Then bake as directed. If baked, allow it to cool completely, then cover the 9×13 pan(s) with plastic wrap and foil (or store in an airtight, freezer-safe container) and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat.MAKE AHEAD CORNBREAD DRESSING:
Prepare the dressing without baking and store it in the refrigerator two days ahead or the freezer up to two weeks in advance. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator two days before and bake on Thanksgiving Day.Additional Make-Ahead Tips!
– Make cornbread for your dressing the day before. Wrap it up tightly until ready to mix your dressing.– Mix up all of your dressing up to two days ahead of the big day. Wrap it up tightly and place in your refrigerator.
– Freezer-Friendly – prepare without baking up to two weeks in advance, wrap tightly and freeze. Thaw in refrigerator two days in advance and bake on Thanksgiving Day. Day of Tips:
– Bake your dressing early in the morning and then place it in the refrigerator. While your turkey is resting, place your dressing back in the oven to reheat thoroughly.
Nutritional Information
Make-ahead Cornbread Dressing Tips:
– Make cornbread for your dressing the day before. Wrap it up tightly until ready to mix your dressing.
– Mix up all of your dressing up to two days ahead of the big day. Wrap it up tightly and place in your refrigerator.
– Freezer-Friendly – prepare without baking up to two weeks in advance, wrap tightly and freeze. Thaw in refrigerator two days in advance and bake on Thanksgiving Day.
Day of tips:
– Bake your dressing early in the morning and then place in the refrigerator. While your turkey is resting, place your dressing back in the oven to thoroughly reheat.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
I make mine with, somewhat, more ingredients. Chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, eggs, sage, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, geen onions, green peppers, onions, celery, chicken, cornbread. Everyone loves it bc it is so flavorful & moist. I’m from south MS.
Thanks, Lisa, I’ve never had the dressing with green peppers. It’s amazing how many variations there are to cornbread dressing, isn’t it?
This is very much like my recipe except I saute the celery & onions in the butter before I mix it in with the cornbread.
Thanks, Barbara, for telling us how you make your dressing.
Soooooo good!!!!! Needed recipe for dressing because no one could make it exactly like my MIL did and this recipe completely fills that void. Everyone raved over it. Love it and can’t wait to eat it again!!!
Oh, that is great, Lorri. I love that it is like your mother-in-law made and everyone loved it.
My mother always made the old fashioned dressing for holidays. Years later when she had dementia I had no idea how I would be able to pull over dressing from another recipe. By that time she had no clue she’d ever made dressing before. I found your recipe and get compliments every time I cook it! Thank you for such a great recipe that tastes like I remember mama’s dressing tasted❤️
Sandra, I’m so happy my grandmother’s dressing recipe tastes like what your mother used to make. I feel so fortunate that we have my grandmother’s recipes. Such happy memories!
This is the best dressing you will ever eat!!! I mix it up and taste for seasonings. I prefer a little more seasonings than called for. This is MY dressing go to!!
Patricia, thank you. Love that this is your dressing go to!
The best recipe I have for a cornbread dressing that is moist, not soupy or dry. The flavor is not overpowered with seasonings. This is just a good, down-home cornbread dressing.
Thanks so much, Elaine! This is the cornbread dressing that has been a favorite in my family for generations. I’m so glad you like it, too.
Your recipe is almost identical to mine. I hard boil my eggs but my mother n law used raw. ( it made for a fluffier dressing.) And I saute the chopped celery and onions in butter before adding to the dressing.
I made this and absolutely addictive. But I thought to moist. cooked mine 30 extra minutes and still wet and I thought a little salty. I let my friend try it and she absolutly loved it. I just don’t know how its going to go over with other people. Please give me a hint to be not so wet and not cook so long…please advice
Sherrie, this will be a moist dressing but should not be really soupy. It will be soft and won’t get really firm. Also, make sure you use 2 9×13 pans. It will take a long time to bake in one pan. Hope everyone enjoys it!
Best dressing my family and friends love it I make it every year at Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Thanks, Candy. I’m thrilled that everyone loves this dressing.