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.
Don’t mess with the recipe. 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.
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.
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.
- 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.
Gluten-Free Cornbread Dressing – Use gluten-free certified ingredients in the cornbread and gluten-free bread.
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
- 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.
- Gluten-Free Cornbread Dressing – Use gluten-free certified ingredients in the cornbread and gluten-free bread.
- 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
Originally published November 2017. Updated with step-by-step photographs and additional recipe storage information.
This has become my go-to recipe.
Thanks, Angela. I’m so glad to hear that.
I opened my big mouth and volunteered myself to help cook for a friend’s wedding and her groom wanted dressing. I found your recipe and cooked this at the wedding and now I believe I am engaged to about 4 people. No one could believe I had never made it before and I had people begging me for the recipe. This is amazing dressing!!! Thank you so much for sharing your grandmother’s love with us.
That is quite an accomplishment, Robin. I never thought about engagements occurring due to this dressing recipe. I’m so happy everyone loved it. My grandmother would have loved this story.
I love this recipe. My husband likes his with chicken. I debone chicken thighs after boiling them. I double this recipe (big family), then add 3-4 cups of the chicken. It’s great!
When you say two stalks of celery do you mean two sticks/ribs or branch? There is confusion all over the internet about what is considered a stalk of celery. It says on Google Americans say stalk and mean a stick/rib or branch but it really means a bunch the whole bag. Please clarify. Thank you.
Pam, you are right about the confusion. The entire head of celery and the individual ribs are both called stalks by some people. In this recipe, I use two ribs of celery. Hope you enjoy!
Do you spray the pan before placing in dish to bake?
Melissa, I don’t spray or butter the pan. There is enough butter in the dressing that is not necessary. Hope you enjoy!
I used cooked breakfast sausage in a similar recipe, my daughter loves it
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. It came out perfect! I will add more sage next go around, just my personal preference. Entire family devoured it.
I’m so glad everyone loved it, Wanda. Thanks
If I have condensed cream of chicken soup how much do I use in place of the homemade?
You would use 2 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup. Do not dilute. My homemade cream of chicken soup makes 4 cups. I use 2 cups of my homemade soup for 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup. Hope you enjoy!
I have used your recipe for several years because we LOVE it. It is perfectly moist and delicious. I do add 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning. Thanks for sharing your Grandmother’s recipe with us. Have a great Thanksgiving!
I’m so glad your family loves my grandmother’s dressing recipe, Candace. Hope you and your family have a very happy Thanksgiving.
I have made your dressing every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for many years. It is very much like how my mother used to make it. My granddaughter LOVES it!! I cook a while chicken and put pieces of it in the dressing as well as using the broth. I lay prices of chicken on the top of my pan and put several pats of butter too. Scrumptious!!!
Thank you, Judith. So happy to hear that you have been using these recipes for so long.
If I need to use Jiffy cornbread mix, how many boxes do I make to equal your scratch cornbread recipe so I have the right amount for the dressing? Thanks in advance for the info!
Karen, I have never used Jiffy cornbread mix so I can’t tell you how much to use.
I am trying your recipe because it looks as much like my “Memaw” and Mom’s recipe that I can remember. I talked to my Mom to ask her is she added Cream of Chicken soup. Like almost all of her recipes the answer is “sometimes….sometimes not.” I forgot to buy some, so I am making mine without the cream of chicken soup. I’m crossing my fingers!!
Are the eggs just mixed in raw or are they boiled and mixed in
The eggs are mixed in raw, Michelle. Hope you enjoy!
When you say mix it up 2 days before, do you leave it uncooked? Or cook everything and then refrigerate??
You wrap it tightly and store in the refrigerator uncooked, Hilary. Hope you enjoy!