Texas toast is baked with butter, onions, celery, a bunch of fresh herbs, and chicken broth to create the best Homemade Stuffing recipe! There’s no better side dish for your heartiest fall/wintertime dinners.
Easy Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
The most essential part of a Thanksgiving dinner? That would probably be the turkey. It is the star of the table, after all and yes, I do have a recipe for how to cook a perfect Thanksgiving turkey! But, hey, stuffing really is essential too! And, a lot of the time, it feels easiest to just go to the store, grab a box of it, and check that item off of the Thanksgiving to-do list.
Now, while there’s nothing wrong with that, I highly recommend that you try this Easy Thanksgiving Homemade Stuffing recipe this year instead. It’s SO simple, it serves a large crowd, and it won’t take you all that long to throw together….but the flavor pay off is incredibly worth it! You won’t find a better classic homemade thanksgiving stuffing recipe than this!
This Thanksgiving stuffing recipe starts with thick Texas toast, which you’ll bake until it’s nice and crispy. Combine that with buttery onions, fresh herbs and celery, pour in some chicken broth, bake for 40-45 minutes, and boom – you’ve got beautifully golden stuffing that everybody will want seconds from!
What You’ll Need
None of the ingredients listed here will shock you. Comforting, traditional stuffing is the name of the game today. Here’s what you’ll need to round up:
- Bread: I like to use cubed Texas toast for my stuffing. The thick slices make perfect nice big cubes of stuffing.
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter because we’ll add in more salt later, but if all you have is salted butter, use it! Just be careful how much salt you add later.
- Onion: You can use white or yellow, whatever you like.
- Celery Stalks: Slice your celery into ¼ inch pieces before you begin.
- Seasoning/Herbs: Use a mix of salt, pepper, minced garlic, chopped fresh sage, chopped thyme, and chopped parsley.
- Eggs: Lightly beaten eggs will hold your bread cubes, onion, and celery together.
- Broth: I use chicken broth, but you could use vegetable broth, beef broth, etc. Turkey broth is the best if you happen to have it!
How to Make Homemade Stuffing
Though I always associate stuffing with Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas dinners, it can totally be made with any cold weather meal. It goes with literally any protein you can think of. (Steak, beef tips, chicken, pork chops, salmon, etc.)
While you mull all that over, these are the steps to creating the best homemade stuffing:
Preheat the Oven to 300°F: Place cubed pieces of Texas toast on a non-stick cookie sheet/baking pan, and bake until dry and crispy. Stir the cubes occasionally (about every 8-10 minutes). It may take 40-60 minutes to toast 1 whole loaf of Texas toast. Let everything cool completely, then place the cubes in a large bowl to be coated with seasoning.
Turn the Oven Heat Up to 350°F: In a large stovetop skillet or pan, melt the butter and cook the onions, celery and garlic for 4 minutes until softened.
Season the Bread Cubes: Pour the vegetable and butter mixture over the toasted bread cubes and toss to coat. Add the salt, pepper, sage, and parsley to season, then toss the bread cubes once more.
Add Eggs and Chicken Broth: In a separate small bowl, whisk the eggs until well broken up. Pour the eggs over the bread evenly. Then pour the chicken broth evenly over the bread cubes. Stir/toss gently to coat all the bread cubes without breaking down their shape.
Bake the Stuffing: Place the cubed bread mixture in a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Cover with tin foil. Place the dish on the middle rack of the oven at 350°F and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top.
Can I Make this in Advance?
Yes! You can totally make your stuffing 1-2 days in advance if you like. Simply prepare everything up until the last step, and then cover the casserole dish and place it in the fridge. Before baking the stuffing, remove the dish from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
In a pinch, you could also bake it ahead of time, refrigerate it, and then just reheat before eating. However, I think it’s best baked fresh because you get that perfect mixture of crispy top and edge pieces with soft center pieces!
Tips for Success
Before you begin, I’ve got some tips on how to deal with Texas toast that could be helpful when prepping this homemade stuffing:
- Do I Have to Use Texas Toast? No, any dried bread should work. You can, for example, use a loaf of French bread cut into cubes instead.
- Can I Toast the Bread Ahead of Time? Yes, toasting the cubes of Texas toast can be done the day or two before to help with preparations the day of. I always do this to save time, just store the toasted bread in an air tight container until you’re ready to use it.
- Can I Use an Air Fryer? Toasting the cubed Texas toast can also be done quickly in an air fryer. Just place the cubes in the basket on 300°F and – every 5 minutes – toss or stir the cubes until dried and crispy. Should take about 10 to 12 minutes per batch. 1 load of Texas toast would usually be 2-3 batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- How to Dry the Bread Cubes: If drying and crisping your Texas toast cubes in the oven, use 2-4 cookie sheets to spread the cubes thin across the surfaces to allow the process to move more quickly.
Serving Suggestions
This homemade stuffing is best served alongside all of the classics! I’m talking mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, roasted vegetables, etc. Oh, and turkey. That too.
Also, if you feel the need to throw in some dried cranberries, dried cherries or nuts, go for it! I generally stick to the classic version of stuffing since some of my family can be a little picky, but those add-ins would definitely be a delicious addition!
How to Store Leftovers
Store any leftover stuffing in an airtight container for 2-3 days. You can reheat it at 350°F (just like in the original directions), with a little extra chicken broth if you think it’s necessary.
Can I Freeze This?
Definitely. You can freeze your homemade stuffing in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating again.
The Best Homemade Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Texas toast, cubed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
- 2 cups onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks sliced into ¼ inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Place cubed pieces of Texas toast on a non-stick cookie sheet/ baking pan and bake until dry and crispy. Stir occasionally, every 8-10 minutes. This may take 40-60 minutes to toast 1 whole loaf of Texas toast. Cool completely. Place in a large bowl to be coated with seasoning.
- Turn oven heat up to 350°F. In a large stove top skillet or pan, melt the butter and cook the onions, celery and garlic for 4 minutes, until softened.
- Pour the vegetable and butter mixture over the toasted bread cubes and toss to coat. Add the salt, pepper, sage and parsley to season and toss bread cubes once more.
- In a separate small bowl whisk the eggs until well broken up. Pour the eggs over the bread evenly. Then pour the chicken broth evenly over the bread cubes. Stir/ toss gently to coat all the bread cubes without breaking down their shape.
- Place the cubed bread mixture in a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Cover with tin foil.
- Place on the middle rack of the oven at 350°F and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until browned on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Categories:
More THanksgiving Dishes to Try
Looking for more easy Thanksgiving recipes? I’ve got you covered:
- How to Cook a Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- The Best Green Bean Casserole
- Instant Pot Mashed Maple Sweet Potatoes
- Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
- Corn Casserole
- Fried Apples
- Homemade Cranberry Relish
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do you know how many ounces of bread you use? We don’t have Texas toast here in MA & the bread I have is 16 ounces & I wasn’t sure if I should use just 1 loaf or maybe a loaf & a half? (I did a Google search &/Texas toast seems to be 20 or 24 ounces) thanks!
20 oz will be perfect! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I will share with you that my Mom and my Grandma never used eggs in the dressing. If they wanted a sweet dressing (always with duck), then they would add apples and raisins. To serve with turkey, always with 1 pound of sausage, fully cooked. Otherwise the recipes are similar. Love dressing!!
Can I make this a day ahead and re-heat? If so what would your suggestion for heat time?
You can, but it won’t be as good. Instead I would recommend prepping it the day before – all the way up until the baking step. Instead, cover and refrigerate it until the next day. Then bake before serving. This way it’s fresh and delicious!
The only Texas toast I can find in my store is the ones in the refrigerated section these are buttered and the other has buttered with garlic. So, can I use one of these if I can’t find a loaf?
No! I wouldn’t recommending using garlic bread. If you can’t find Texas toast, I would use a loaf of French bread and cut it into thick slices and then into good sized cubes! :-)
Great Idea! We are now a two person household. I always baked my stuffing INSIDE the turkey–thus stuffing. Outside in a baking dish was called “dressing”. Either way, this looks like a great recipe. I like the idea of freezing so the I can use some for multiple meals over the course of the holidays. Thanks so much….. We always add some chopped apple to ours, so I might make that addition….
What exactly is Texas toast? I now live in England and have never heard of it here or in New Jersey, my home state.
It’s just a nice thick sliced bread!
I live in New Jersey and I’ve heard of Texas Toast but the frozen kind. I’ve never heard of it being in loaf form.
You can also use french bread or any other good bread you like! They sell Texas Toast here (not frozen) in the bakery and in the bread aisle.
Hello, This does look delicious. I have a really stupid question for you. Where in the grocery store would I find texas toast? I don’t have a problem using french bread but I would like to have options. Thank you.
Hi Bonnie! Here in Florida I can find it two places. I can find it with the regular sandwich bread in the bread aisle and in the bakery!
It’s in the frozen section! I think they also have a plain one too! My mom went to heaven in Sept 94 and I have always cooked her dressing recipe etc. This year I’m trying new recipes like this one, so much easier! Happy Thanksgiving!
Is it possible to stiff the turkey with this recipe?
Yes, but I would not use any eggs and would use more broth to make up for the lack of eggs. The issue with cooking stuffing inside a turkey is that the stuffing doesn’t get cooked all the way, or if it is cooked to the proper temperature, then you have overcooked the turkey on the outside. So knowing that, we know the eggs in the stuffing – used to hold it together – would be a bad idea inside the bird. So that’s why I cook my stuffing outside the turkey these days! Hope this helps!