The BEST Thanksgiving stuffing! Based on my family's classic recipe, it's rich and savory, made with fresh herbs, celery, butter, and leeks.
This stuffing recipe is my favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Based on my grandma’s homemade stuffing, it’s buttery and flavorful, made with celery, leeks (or onions), fresh herbs, and dried bread cubes. As it bakes, it gets crisp and golden on top but stays moist and gooey in the middle.
If you’re looking for a traditional stuffing to complete your Thanksgiving menu, I think you’ll love this recipe. Simple, classic, and SO delicious, it’s hands down the best stuffing recipe I’ve tried. Find make-ahead tips and variations below!
Stuffing Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade stuffing recipe:
- Bread, of course! My favorite type of bread to use in this recipe is crusty sourdough or French bread. A rustic loaf of wheat or white bread works too.
- Butter – For rich, buttery flavor. Use salted butter or unsalted butter plus an extra 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Leeks – For sweet, oniony flavor. If you don’t cook with leeks often, check out this post to learn how to cut and clean them!
- Celery – A stuffing essential.
- Garlic – For sharp depth of flavor.
- Fresh herbs – Rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley fill this Thanksgiving stuffing with a mouthwatering mix of earthy, fresh, and savory flavors.
- Vegetable broth – To moisten the bread.
- Eggs – They add richness and moisture, helping to create the stuffing’s irresistible gooey center.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Stuffing
You can find the complete stuffing recipe with measurements below, but for now, here’s a quick overview of how it goes:
Start by drying the bread. You want it to be dry so that it soaks up flavor and moisture from the other ingredients.
- Option 1 – Plan ahead: Cut or tear the bread into cubes a day or two in advance. Spread it in a single layer on a baking sheet and let it sit uncovered on your counter to dry out.
- Option 2 – Dry the bread in the oven: Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F to dry them out.
Next, cook the veggies. Sauté the leeks, celery, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes.
Then, season the bread. In a large bowl, use your hands to toss together the dried bread, vegetables, and herbs.
Pour 1 1/2 cups of the broth over the bread and toss again. Add the eggs and toss again. At this stage, the bread should be very moist. If it feels dry at all, add an additional 1/2 cup broth.
Finally, bake! Transfer the bread mixture to a greased casserole dish and arrange it in an even layer. Drizzle the top with melted butter, cover, and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
If you’re like me, and you like your stuffing to have a crispy, golden brown top, uncover the dish and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more.
Enjoy!
Stuffing Recipe Variations
- Use onions instead of leeks. Replace the leeks with 1 yellow onion, chopped.
- Use dried herbs instead of fresh. Replace the fresh herbs with 1 to 2 tablespoons mixed dried sage, thyme, rosemary, and/or poultry seasoning.
- Skip the eggs. Add extra broth as needed to moisten the bread before baking.
- Make it vegan. Skip the eggs and use olive oil or vegan butter instead of regular.
How to Store and Make Ahead
You have two options for prepping this herb stuffing ahead:
- A few hours ahead: Follow the recipe as written, stopping right before you bake the stuffing. Cover the baking dish and refrigerate until about an hour before your meal. Bake according to the recipe before serving.
- A day ahead: Fully assemble and bake the stuffing 1 day in advance, but leave it covered for the entire time it’s in the oven. Refrigerate it overnight. The next day, reheat it, still covered, in a 350°F oven until it’s warmed through. Uncover it for the last few minutes of baking to crisp the top.
Leftover stuffing keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or in a covered baking dish in a 350°F oven.
More Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
You could serve this easy stuffing recipe with any meal, but it’s especially perfect for Thanksgiving. Round out your feast with one or more of these delicious Turkey Day side dishes:
- Green Bean Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Best Mashed Potatoes
- Mushroom Gravy
- Or any of these 50 Thanksgiving Side Dishes!
Best Stuffing Recipe
Equipment
- 9x13 Baking Dish (this Staub is pretty for serving)
Ingredients
- 1 small loaf (1 pound) day-old crusty sourdough bread, not sandwich bread
- ½ cup salted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for topping
- 2 leeks, halved, thinly sliced, and rinsed well (2 cups)
- 4 celery stalks, diced (1¾ cups)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh sage
- Heaping ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1½ to 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8x11 or 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Tear the bread into 1-inch pieces* and place in a very large bowl.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 5 minutes, turning the heat to low halfway through. Pour the leek mixture over the bread and sprinkle with the sage, parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Use your hands to toss until coated. Pour 1½ cups of the broth evenly over the stuffing and toss to coat. Add the eggs and toss again. The bread should feel pretty wet. If it’s still a bit dry, mix in the remaining ½ cup of broth. The amount you use will depend on how dense and dry your bread was.
- Transfer the mixture to the baking dish. If making ahead, stop here, cover the dish with foil, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
- When ready to bake, drizzle the 1 tablespoon melted butter on top and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. If the stuffing is still pretty wet, uncover the dish and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes to crisp the top a bit.
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. I’m looking forward to the leftovers.
Made this tonight and it was absolutely phenomenal. Everyone really enjoyed it. This is definitely going to be my go to recipe from now on. Thank you 🙏
I’m glad it was a hit!
Made the full recipe even though it was for only 2 this Thanksgiving. I used dried herbs bc grocery didn’t have fresh so it was a bit on the herby side which was fine by me. Looking forward to leftovers this week.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it is so delicious. I use aquafaba and vegan butter to make it plant based and it’s still fabulous!
Hello!! Making this amazing dish for the 3rd year now- can this be frozen?? One of my kids won’t be home until Sunday and I was to make them a little repeat of Thanksgiving. I have one dish cooked and ready to reheat tomorrow, and one dish that is assembled but not cooked.
Thank you!!! I’ve shared this recipe with at least 25 people 😂
Hi Jenny, we actually haven’t tried freezing it, but I think it might be fine? I’ll for sure have to test that out, I don’t think anyone’s asked yet 🙂
Yes, you can freeze stuffing! I do it frequently. Double wrap it. I do one layer of plastic wrap, then a double layer of alum. foil. Thaw in the fridge. When you reheat stuffing, it comes out of the pan tasting like it was freshly made! Ditto for the turkey & gravy!! Enjoy! P.S. I use within 3 months.
thanks for the tip!
For the bread, about how much should you have when torn and dried out? 2 cups, etc?
Thanks!
Hi Nancy, I’m sorry I don’t have a cup measurement, it would be hard to measure with such large chunks which is why we did it by weight. I would guess it’s about 5-6 cups for a 1-pound loaf.
Hi there this recipe sounds amazing! If I’d like to add mild Italian sausage, do you have any suggestions on how I do so?
Love and Lemons is a vegetarian food blog, so you might not get much help on that here. For what it’s worth, I often add 1 package of Jimmy Dean’s sage breakfast sausage (brown it first), and it is one of my favorite dishes at the Thanksgiving table. It is equally delicious as a vegetarian dish!
I make this every year and do one pan with sausage and one without. Just brown your sausage first, drain it and mix in with everything before baking. I use about 1lb. Hope this helps!
I’m going to try this for thanksgiving. Is it ok to buy sourdough and also french bread? I love sourdough but i’m not sure how my guests will feel. is french bread the safest?
I wouldn’t consider sourdough unsafe, but any country type loaf of bread would be fine. I would probably not do baguette since it might be too crusty.
Hi, could you please help me with how long should I bake this recipe for if I am doubling it?
Hi Lesle, it should be around the same time, maybe a few minutes more if it’s not browned enough in the middle.
Can you put this stuffing inside the bird? If so how does that change the cooking instructions? Thanks!
I love this stuffing! If I need to double the recipe should I double the herbs and garlic as well? I know sometimes doubling every ingredient does not work out correctly. I’m specifically curious about the herbs, garlic and eggs. Please advise. Thank you!
Hi Elyse, you could double everything! I’m assuming you’re still going to bake it in 2 pans (vs one larger one).
I’m planning on making this for Thanksgiving. I live in Florida and was wondering which option is best for drying out bread – leave on stove 1-2 days (so I’d need to do that Tue/Wed) or just bake? If I go with baking – can I make the bread crumbs/chunks ahead of time & store prior to making the stuffing?
Hi Terri, I leave the loaf on the counter for a day or two, tear it, and let it sit on a sheet pan to dry further that morning or the night before. You would only need to toast it in the oven if you have fresh bread the day you’re making the stuffing. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the further explanation. I have half old & may use fresh rustic french bread I made that didn’t rise too well so it’s dense so I’ll toast that if it’s too soft.
This stuffing is amazing!!! I made a homemade loaf of gluten free sourdough which worked perfectly for the recipe. The leeks and herbs were so flavorful. It was so delicious, thank you for the recipe!
Oh I’m so glad it worked well with your GF bread!
I made this tonight and it was a hit! I thought it would be too many leeks but it was perfect!
I’m so glad it was such a hit!
Would you still use two cups of diced yellow onion or shallot in place of the leeks?
My family loves this recipe. I made it years ago and everyone loved it. it is so light and fresh. I make it every year on Thanksgiving.
I’m so happy to hear that!
I made this stuffing for the first time several years ago. It was such a hit that I’ve become famous for “my” stuffing and it’s requested every Thanksgiving! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Hi Sarica, I’m so happy to hear that! Happy Thanksgiving!
Should I use less liquid if I stuff the turkey with this stuffing?
How long can you refrigerate the stuffing before baking?
Hi Sabrina, you can refrigerate it for a few hours. If you’re making a day ahead, we recommend fully baking it, then reheating before serving. Find more details in the “How to Store and Make Ahead” section near the bottom of the blog post!
I had fun hunting down a crusty loaf of sourdough bread & leeks today at the store! I’ve never cooked with leeks until today, and loved how cute & curly they are! This side dish made our dinner complete…and I’m “stuffed”! lol! Your recipes never disappoint.
Hi Susan, I’m so glad you loved the stuffing (and the leeks)!