Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
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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 help 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.
Table of Contents
Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe
For our cornbread 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
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
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 it 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 omit them 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, but 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 is browned and is set, about 30 – 45 minutes.
Recipe Variations
Southern Chicken and Dressing Recipe – Mix about 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken into the dressing mixture and bake as directed for a delicious cornbread dressing with chicken recipe.
Southern Turkey and Dressing Recipe – Stir about 2 cups of cooked, shredded turkey into the dressing mixture and bake as directed.
Storage Tips
To store leftovers: Wrap 9×13 pan(s) with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Make ahead cornbread dressing: Prepare the dressing without baking and store it in the refrigerator two days ahead or the freezer up to 3 months in advance. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator two days before you are ready to serve to ensure that it is fully thawed. Bake as directed.
To freeze unbaked cornbread dressing: 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 the dressing as directed.
To freeze baked cornbread dressing: 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.
Expert Tip!
Oven space is at a premium on holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas! Here are a few tips that may help with your cornbread dressing:
- Bake your dressing early in the morning. When done, wrap it well and store it in the refrigerator as your turkey roasts.
- While the turkey rests from roasting, place your dressing back into the oven to reheat thoroughly.
More Favorite Holiday Side Dishes
Frequently Asked Questions
Cornbread dressing is cooked in a baking dish, while stuffing is traditionally “stuffed” or cooked inside the cavity of the turkey.
Making sure your cornbread dressing is done is essential. To test doneness, shake the casserole dish lightly. If the center of the dressing moves, then the dressing is not cooked through in the center. Continue baking in 5-minute intervals until the cornbread is cooked through.
Yes! Adding cooked chicken or turkey to your dressing is another family-favorite recipe! See how to make Chicken and Dressing or Turkey and Dressing in my Recipe Variations above.
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 or other soft leftover bread
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground 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
Recipe Variations
Southern Chicken and Dressing Recipe – Mix about 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken into the dressing mixture and bake as directed for a delicious chicken dressing recipe. Southern Turkey and Dressing Recipe – Stir about 2 cups cooked, shredded turkey into the dressing mixture and bake as directed.Storage Tips
To store leftovers. Wrap 9×13 pan(s) with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. To make ahead cornbread dressing: Prepare the dressing without baking and store it in the refrigerator two days ahead or the freezer up to 3 months in advance. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator two days before you are ready to serve to ensure that it is fully thawed. Bake as directed. To freeze unbaked cornbread dressing: 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 the dressing as directed. To freeze baked cornbread dressing: 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.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
When ur preparing it and everything mixed together is it supposed to be real liquidity? And also I crumbled the cornbread and biscuits kind of fine is that ok? Or should that have been bigger pieces?
Yes Jennifer it sounds like you did it just fine.
It will seem sort of “liquid-y” when it’s just mixed and ready for the oven. Just check the recipe instructions when making sure it’s done. Enjoy! xo
Robyn, never mind. I discovered in copying your recipe down by hand, I inadvertently failed to include butter in the list of ingredients to combine into the dressing. So, the problem was not in your recipe but in my haste to write it down. Sorry to have bothered you with this. Happy Thanksgiving!
No problem at all, Sherry! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! xo
Am about to make your cornbread dressing – made Grandma Verdie’s cornbread and chicken stock yesterday. Will be making your homemade cream of chicken soup shortly. Am so excited to use your recipes for today. However, as I am reading the dressing recipe, I see it calls for 1/2 cup of butter, but I don’t see where/how to use it in the recipe directions. Is it just for melting to put in the 9×13 pans for cooking. I am hoping like hick you are not knee deep in cooking this morning and are able to receive this and post back your answer here post haste. Regardless, am wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful I found all of these recipes (all 4) for our Thanksgiving Dinner.
Hi Sherry!
I am so excited for your Thanksgiving! Grandmother’s Dressing and Sweet Potato Casserole take center stage for me! 🙂 For the butter, it is all mixed in step 2 of the recipe. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving! xo
I love this recipe I’ve been making it since 2015 my family loves it, my mom just call ask can i make a pan for her.
Shay, I’m so happy your family loves this dressing.
Can you add Owens sausage to this recipe
I have never added sausage to my dressing, Connie.
Yes its awesome i add the hot and mild together.
You could also use 1 or 2 sleeves of saltine crackers or slices of bread.
Can the 3 slices of bread or biscuits be omitted? I’ve made my cornbread but do not have any bread on hand.
Hi Ivy,
The bread helps to lighten the texture of the cornbread dressing. I’ve not made it without the bread, but would believe that it may be a little bit more dense than the recipe.
Yes darling.. you can skip that.. Kelly Henderson; )
I was wondering if it would be ok to use one of those big aluminum pans instead of two 9×13 baking pans. Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’ve made this for years and I find that it’s better to split into the pans for the best results. I hope you enjoy it Amy! Thanks! xo
I’m still a little confused. Do I only make one 12 in skillet of cornbread to make the dressing recipe?? Doesn’t seem like that would be enough to make 2 9×13 in pans as it states. Please confirm. Thanks!
Hi Leesa,
You are correct – you will only make one recipe worth of the cornbread as noted in the recipe. Hope you enjoy it! xo
Can stuffing cubes be used in place of white bread or biscuits? If so, how much?
I’ve not used stuffing cubes, Brenda. I’m so sorry.
Greetings Robyn!
I have a question with regard to this wonderful recipe! I made the cornbread today and I do add chopped smoked ham and oysters as everyone loves oyster dressing. It turns out beautifully! The one question I have is whether you think I could make this in the slow cooker. I wasn’t sure due to the low temperature using seafood. I only have one large oven and am making the turkey and two dressings. If you don’t think the slow cooker is a good idea, I could make it in the oven a day early. I know it’s late notice so if you don’t respond in time, no worries! I hope that you and the family have a blessed Thanksgiving.
🦃🍁🦃🍽
Warmly,
Jan (from Seattle)
Hi Jan,
Yes, I believe that you absolutely can cook this in the slow cooker. I hope you have a fabulous Thanksgiving! xo
This recipe was so helpful! I just made my 2 pans and they turned out perfect! I’ve always made 2 pans but created 2 separate mixes. This was a time saver combining it all at once and pour into 2 pans! Genius! LOL
Tips I found helpful: If not making broth/soup from scratch, 2 cans of 10.5oz cream of chicken soup and one 32oz box of broth worked great. I worried it was too soupy, but I baked at 350 on bottom rack for 30 minutes and it is delish!!
I’m so glad it was helpful, Kym. Enjoy! xo