Fresh herbs, savory sausage, and homemade cornbread stuffing mean unbelievable flavor in this from-scratch cornbread stuffing recipe. Follow my make-ahead or freezing instructions so there’s one less side dish to worry about on Thanksgiving!
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos and more helpful success tips.
One reader, Natalie, commented: “Could this BE any more delicious? Yum! Made this for Thanksgiving and the taste was so familiar… it genuinely took me back to having dinner at my grandmama’s house, and I haven’t lived in the States for 26 years! It’s safe to say that I will not be waiting until Thanksgiving to make this again. ★★★★★“
Thanksgiving turkey is great and all (and let’s not forget the Thanksgiving pies), but Thanksgiving side dishes are the crown jewels on the table. And whether it’s stuffed into the turkey or served on the side, you absolutely have to make this cornbread stuffing part of your feast.
Salty, savory, herby, and crisp, this stuffing has it all. Plus, it smells incredible as it cooks.
Tell Me About This Cornbread Stuffing
- Texture: Light and moist with bite-size pieces of tender sausage and celery, and big buttery chunks of cornbread.
- Flavor: The recipe is a more flavorful version of my classic sausage & herb stuffing, because I use cornbread instead of regular bread as the base. So many savory, soul-warming flavors to love!
- Ease: This dish is like 2 short recipes in 1. The cornbread comes first, with all the ingredients mixed in 1 bowl. Then comes the stuffing, which comes together in 3 simple steps. Make it in advance for ease and convenience!
- Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes to make both the fresh cornbread and the stuffing (plus overnight cooling time for the cornbread). You can shave off 40–45 minutes by using store-bought cornbread.
Spotlight on Some Cornbread Stuffing Ingredients
- Cornbread: When it comes to cornbread, you can choose either homemade or store-bought. Use your favorite cornbread recipe or pick up a cornbread mix from the store. I love the super simple cornbread recipe below and urge you to try it, too. It’s just like my regular cornbread recipe and comes together in just 1 mixing bowl.
- Herbs: I use fresh herbs including parsley, thyme, and sage for ideal flavor, but you can substitute dried. See recipe below.
- Sausage: This adds savory richness to the dish. For a vegetarian option, replace the sausage with mushrooms or diced butternut squash. You can also use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Pecans (Optional): For extra flavor and texture, you can add pecans. The pictured dish doesn’t include them, but I often make this Thanksgiving side with pecans. Add them when you’re mixing everything together before baking.
Overview: How to Make Cornbread Stuffing (Dressing)
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it so you understand each step before you get started.
Make the cornbread. Preheat the oven. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then transfer the mixture to a baking dish and bake until golden brown. Cool completely.
Cut cornbread into cubes + lightly toast. Slice cornbread into 1-inch cubes. Spread them out on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes to toast them. Lightly toasting the cornbread helps it absorb some of the liquid ingredients, which prevents your stuffing from tasting soggy.
Prepare stuffing. Whisk broth and eggs together in a large bowl.
Cook down the flavors and herbs. Place onion, celery, and herbs into a large skillet. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Add sausage and cook mostly through.
Mix everything together, and then spread into a large greased casserole dish.
Bake until golden brown.
This cornbread stuffing is actually *best* prepped ahead of time because the flavors have more time to settle and mingle together. Store the assembled stuffing in the refrigerator for up to 3 days ahead of time, or freeze for up to 2 months. Bring to room temperature and then bake.
Yes, absolutely. I usually use the homemade recipe below, and you can make it a couple days ahead of time. To save even more time, use store-bought cornbread mix.
If you’re stuffing the turkey, allow the cornbread stuffing mixture to cool completely before stuffing into the turkey.
Cornbread Stuffing Recipe
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Fresh herbs, savory sausage, and homemade cornbread make for unbelievable flavor in this from-scratch cornbread stuffing recipe. Follow my make-ahead or freezing instructions below so there’s one less side dish to worry about on Thanksgiving!
Ingredients
Cornbread
- 1 cup (120g) cornmeal (fine or medium ground)
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
Stuffing
- 2 and 1/2 cups (600ml) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (130g) diced onion
- 1 and 1/4 cups (160g) sliced celery
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound (454g) uncooked mild Italian sausage
- optional: 1 cup (125g) pecan halves
Instructions
- Cornbread: (Prepare 1 day in advance!) Preheat oven to 375°F (191°C). Whisk all of the cornbread ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Bake for 22–24 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Set aside to cool overnight. Do not cover.
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Cut the cornbread into 1-inch cubes. You will have about 7–8 cups of cubes. Spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and bake for 10 minutes, or until they’re slightly crisp. Set aside to cool as you prepare the stuffing. If you’re baking the stuffing on its own and not inside a turkey, turn the oven up to 375°F (191°C).
- Stuffing: In a very large bowl, whisk the broth and eggs together. Set aside.
- Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, thyme, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the casings into the skillet. Break up with a spoon. Cook for about 4 minutes, until sausage meat is just about cooked through.
- Pour sausage mixture into the broth + egg, including any liquid from the skillet. Add the toasted cornbread cubes and pecans, if using. Very gently fold everything together.
- If using to stuff a turkey, allow to cool completely before stuffing. If baking the stuffing separately like I did in these photos, spoon stuffing into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp on top.
- Garnish with fresh herbs before serving, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Before Baking: Prepare the cornbread (step 1) 1 day in advance. You can also chop and toast it 1 day in advance (step 2). To save time, you can also chop the onion and celery 1 day in advance as well. Cover and refrigerate them overnight. You can also prepare the entire recipe through step 5, cover and refrigerate overnight, or freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, and then continue with step 6.
- Freezing Baked Stuffing: Cover and freeze the baked stuffing for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, allow to come to room temperature, then reheat it in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 20–25 minutes, or until warmed through, before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | 9×13-inch Baking Pan
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required in the cornbread recipe. If you don’t have any, you can make a DIY buttermilk substitute by adding 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to make 1 cup total. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using. Whole milk is strongly recommended for moistest, richest texture, but you can use lower-fat or nondairy milk in a pinch.
- Update in 2024: This recipe used to call for 1 chopped pear or apple. If you’d like to add either for a little sweetness, add the chopped fruit to the skillet when you add the sausage in step 4.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally…..going to try this for dinner one night and I see in the picture you presented it is served with a baked potato and what is the meat you were serving it with or what meat beside turkey would suggest serving it with?
Hi Kim, this stuffing pairs well with any meat dish that you’d like to make. Chicken, turkey, pork, anything you’d like!
Sally, would this work with gluten free cornbread? Thank you! I’ve used your cornbread recipe to make GF, and it is good! Wondering if I can make this GF and it still work….? Thanks!
Hi Kelly, we haven’t tested it here, but can’t see why it wouldn’t work! It may be a little more crumbly.
Can I use an 8×8 square pan or a 9 inch cake pan for the cornbread?
Hi Amy! You can use an 8×8 but your cornbread will be extra thick and may change the baking time so just keep your eye on it!
Hi Sally, I love this recipe so much! I’ve made it for the past 2 years and making again this year. I’m curious about buttermilk for baking. Is low fat buttermilk ok or is it best to get whole buttermilk? My grocery has both options and I’m never sure which is best or if it matters. Thanks!
Hi Lexie, either will work in a pinch, but full fat will typically give you the best taste and texture!
Thanks so much for the quick reply! Will get full fat in the future!
Hi sally! Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I definitely want to give this recipe a try. Was wondering if it’s ok to use medium grind cornmeal? I kept looking for fine grind around where I live but couldn’t find any could I use medium grind the same? Thank you!
Hi Maria, it should be OK! Hope it turns out great.
Hi Sally! I just finished everything up to step 4. I want to bake it tomorrow but will letting the raw egg and broth mixture sit in the fridge overnight with the other veggie and cornbread ingredients mixed in be okay? I wasn’t sure if I need to bake it first and reheat tomorrow or if I can do the full bake tomorrow. Thanks!
Hi MK, you can let it sit overnight and bake tomorrow. Hope it’s a hit!
How toasted should the cornbread be? I toasted the cornbread cubes for 15 mins and they are still really soft.
Hi Simone, you just want the cornbread to be lightly toasted — 10-15 minutes should be plenty. It will still be somewhat soft, but not so much so that it becomes mushy when mixed with the other ingredients. Hope this helps!
Thank you. And if I only have ground sage available, what amount should I use?
Hi Simone, 1 teaspoon of rubbed sage is approximately 1/2 teaspoon of ground sage.
Hi Sally,
Can I leave out the meat, fruit, and nuts?
Best
Hi Sean, you could, but the cornbread would lose a lot of its taste and texture. You might consider swapping them for some of the different variations in the post, like using mushrooms instead of sausage, carrots instead of the fruit, etc. Let us know what you try!
Recipe looks wonderful! I think I’ll try it but swap out the nuts for chopped water chestnuts. I love using them whenever I would like to add a crunch without adding flavor. I even add them to tuna salad.
Hi, I have lived in the south since 1983 and until that time had never tasted cornbread stuffing. Not a fan. Almost all damn Yankee’s eat bread stuffing with holiday meals. But everyone on line has to add sausage, oysters and a variety of other ingredients. I traveled for 20 years and lost my touch to just throw things together like I did when I was cooking all the time. I also lost great aunts plain bread stuffing and in trying to duplicate it numerous times I still haven’t figured out the correct measurements. Mine either has too much sage, not enough sage, wrong bread, etc., etc. It’s what we like and the kids are still wanting the stuffing of the childhood. Help?
We have to be careful about sugar content. Would it still taste good if we omitted the fruit? This sounds delicious!
I love your recipes and really appreciate all of the information on freezing!
Hi Patty! You can leave out the fruit if desired.
Seriously amazing stuffing. We are typically a stovetop family, but this is worth the extra effort!
Can I use ground sausage instead of sausage links? Thanks!
Sure can. 1 lb of sausage links (sliced/chopped) works.
Hi Sally,
I notice the cornbread part is different than your favorite cornbread recipe (more honey, no brown sugar). Is there a reason for that in this recipe (flavor? Texture?)
Hi Shira! The cornbread recipes are pretty similar. I reduced the sugar (left out the brown sugar) in this one so that it’s more of a savory cornbread to pair with our dressing. I added 2 Tbsp honey for flavor and moisture, too– since we’re baking it twice. Hope this helps explain things!
This recipe sounds delicious. I do not use any dairy products when serving a meat meal so my cornbread is made with applesauce. It is still a pretty good tasting corn bread, and with almost all of the non-dairy ingredients included, it should be delicious. I’ll let you know how it turns out, Sally. Thanks.
Hi Sally,
I love using pears in stuffing but I seem to always have trouble getting flavorful ones. They can be too hard and never ripen, or they get mussy and flavorless. Do you recommend one type of pear over another? Any advice on how to select them? I’m looking forward to using this recipe, I know it will be delicious.
Happy Holidays!
Hi Kolina, For baking we often use Anjou (red or green), Bartletts (red or green), or Bosc pears. Look for pears that are slightly firm. Your best bet is to purchase your pears, then let them sit in a paper bag for 1-2 days to slightly ripen. Much longer than this and they’ll be too soft.
Hi Sally – what kind of pear you think perfectly fit for this this recipe?
Hi Carolina! I usually use a Bartlett pear.
Hey Sally! Love your blog and all of your amazing recipes! Can I omit the honey from the cornbread recipe? We are not a “sweet” cornbread house 🙂 Thanks!
Absolutely!
I made this for Thanksgiving using bagged cornbread cubes. It was quite a hit! I will plan ahead next year and make the cornbread from the recipe to get the full yummy effect!
Could this BE anymore delicious? Yum! Made this for Thanksgiving and the taste was so familiar… It genuinely took me back to having dinner at my Grandmama’s house and I haven’t lived in the States for 26 years! Its safe to say that I will not be waiting til Thanksgiving to make this again 🙂
Your recipe was amazing! I never made homemade stuffing before and it was so much fun. I substituted onion broth for the chicken broth and it was delicious! Thanks!
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was amazing. Everyone loved it and we’ve almost finished the double batch I made. I added ginger because I may or may not have been doing 2 recipes at once and gotten confused but it was still amazing. As always, you’re the best. I can always trust your recipes to work and make me look great.
Hi,
If I want to replace the sausage with mushrooms as you suggest, what amount of mushrooms would you recommend?
Thank you.
One 8-ounce package of mushrooms would be perfect.
Help! Do you use fine or coarse cornmeal? I know it doesn’t matter too much but I’d like it to be as nice as possible and I’m planning on making this for Thanksgiving 🙂
Hi Natalie! I usually use fine cornmeal.
I’m not a fan of pears, could I sub in carrots (cooked with the celery/onions) instead?
Definitely.
We have a vegetarian in the family, do you think this would work without the sausage and with vegetable stock? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Jenny, you can leave out the sausage and use a veggie broth/stock instead.
Made this for Thanksgiving and even my husband who isn’t a big stuffing fan liked it! Made the cornbread Tuesday. Mixed it all together Wednesday night and cooked it Thursday morning. It was delish. 🙂
So making this for Thanksgiving! Do you think it would be good with apple chicken sausage? Otherwise I was thinking about country style chicken sausage.
Also, I have to omit the nuts for a couple of family members.. do you think that dried cranberries would be good in this as long as I choose a sausage that is not Italian style? Or is that a weird flavor combination? Thanks!
I don’t think it’s weird at all. Dried cranberries would be delicious.
Either would be fantastic! Especially that apple chicken sausage.
Hi, think I’ll make this for Friendsgiving this weekend! What type of sausage do you use?
Typically a mild Italian sausage, but you can really make it with any kind you like best.
If I wanted to make this weekend and freeze would you recommend going ahead and baking first, then freeze? Or freeze after Step 4 and bake after thawing? Thx…I love every one of your recipes!! Especially your PERFECT scones! I have converted many-a-scone haters with those. And now I cannot eat them anywhere else — you’ve ruined me! (In a good way
Thank you Priscilla! You could do it either way, actually. I’d bake it then freeze. Then warm up before serving.