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This cornbread dressing starts with the best homemade cornbread mixed with savory country sausage, aromatics, and fresh herbs for the best Southern cornbread dressing recipe.
There are lots of dishes that make up a quintessential Thanksgiving meal. Of course, the usual suspects are roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing. But if you’re from the South, what I call stuffing you may call dressing, and you probably make it with cornbread and sausage. This cornbread dressing begins with a batch of my homemade cornbread that gets mixed with a flavorful mixture of country sage breakfast sausage, celery, onion, plenty of savory herbs, chicken stock, and eggs. If you’re looking to deviate from your usual stuffing recipe and try something new this year, you’ve gotta try this super delicious cornbread dressing.
In This Post
Why You’ll Love It
- This cornbread dressing recipe is easy to make and loaded with amazing flavor
- You can approach this recipe in stages and easily make the cornbread ahead of time, or the dressing ahead of time
- It’s flavorful, moist, and never dry
What is Cornbread Dressing Made of?
This cornbread dressing recipe is divided into two parts: The cornbread, and the other savory ingredients.
For the cornbread, you’ll need:
- Cornmeal—I recommend a medium grind yellow cornmeal so your cornbread has more texture
- Flour—mixed with the cornmeal, it helps yield a soft and fluffy texture
- Granulated sugar—for just the right amount of sweetness
- Baking powder—for leavening
- Kosher salt—always, for flavor
- Baking soda—for leavening, and neutralizing the acid in the buttermilk
- Butter—butter gives this cornbread moisture, fat, tenderness, and flavor
- Buttermilk—for moisture and tenderness ( recommend using a good quality, full-fat buttermilk)
- Eggs—for the best moisture, binding, texture, and lift in this cornbread
For the dressing:
- Butter—don’t hold back on the butter here, it delivers so much flavor to this dressing
- Bulk ground pork sage/breakfast sausage—I like using country breakfast sausage here (feel free to add some red pepper flakes to spice it up if you want), but you could use turkey or chicken sausage if you wanted (just remove it from the casing first)
- Onion—gets sautéd with celery and herbs in butter to give this cornbread dressing so much awesome savory flavor
- Celery—for awesome savoriness
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper—always, for flavor
- Fresh herbs: Celery leaves, roughly chopped (if your stalks don’t have enough leaves, just supplement with extra parsley, sage, thyme, and parsley
- White wine—nothing fancy, but it should be a wine you would drink (for this recipe, I suggest a dry white wine)
- Eggs—help bind the dressing together
- Chicken stock—hydrates the dressing and also lends salt and flavor–you can use storebought or even better, homemade, if you have it
- Cornbread—either homemade or store-bought
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Cornbread Dressing
You can use store-bought cornbread for this cornbread dressing, but I like to plan ahead and make my own. If going this route, I suggest making the cornbread a day or two before to save time and simplify.
Make the cornbread:
- Bake the cornbread in a skillet or baking dish. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven, and preheat to 425°F. (You can also use a buttered 9 or 10-inch glass baking dish.)
- Bring cold ingredients to room temp. Bring the eggs and buttermilk to room temperature and melt 5 tablespoons of butter, setting it aside to cool. This helps the mixture combine and not seize up with a chill.
- Combine your dry ingredients. Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda to a large bowl and whisk to evenly combine.
- Combine your wet ingredients. To a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs then add the room temperature buttermilk, stirring well. Add the egg mixture to the large bowl and stir it a few times. Add the cooled butter and mix just until everything is combined.
- Let it sizzle. Once your oven and skillet have preheated, use a hot pad to carefully remove the skillet (if using). Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and swirl it around the skillet to coat. Working quickly, pour the batter into the skillet (it will sizzle), smooth the top, and place the skillet in the oven. If using a baking dish add the batter to a buttered baking dish. Bake until the top is golden and the edges brown and pull away from the pan.
Make the cornbread dressing:
- Dry out your cornbread. It’s the same deal as when you’re making stuffing. Cornbread is really moist and we want to dry it out first by toasting it in the oven so that it absorbs the liquid without disintegrating. Toast diced bread in a 300°F oven for about 25-30 minutes (or until completely dried out).
- Brown the sausage. Brown the sausage with a little butter, breaking it up into smaller chunks. Drain the sausage and set aside.
- Prep your baking dish. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F and liberally butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Sauté your veggies and deglaze with white wine. In the same skillet you cooked the sausage, add 1 stick of butter over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion until it becomes golden brown. Season with salt, pepper, celery leaves, sage, and thyme. Add the celery and continue sautéing with the onion then add the white wine and then cook for the wine to reduce.
- Hydrate the cornbread. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs then add the chicken stock. Add the parsley and cornbread cubes and toss very gently taking care not to let the cornbread crumble.
- Bake until golden brown. Transfer the cornbread dressing to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. If you like it more crisp, remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more, or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature of a thermometer reads 160°F.
FAQs and Recipe Tips
- What is the difference between cornbread dressing and stuffing? Though often used interchangeably (depending on what region you’re from), there is a small difference between dressing and stuffing. Historically, the basic concept of the dish doesn’t change too much—a baked mixture of cubed bread mixed with sautéed veggies and herbs. “Dressing” is more of a Southern thing, while “stuffing” tends to be more Northern. Often in the South, you’ll see dressing made with cornbread instead of bread. Variations abound including sourdough bread or cornbread dressing, ones made with dried fruits and nuts, sausage, rice, or even oysters. But no matter the ingredients, the biggest difference is whether you stuff your mixture inside the turkey to bake (stuffing) or bake it in a baking dish (dressing).
- Do you cover your dressing when baking? Both! I cover my dressing with foil for about 25 minutes and then continue baking without the foil for about 15 minutes more to get the top nicely golden brown.
- Make your cornbread a day or two in advance. I strongly recommend this as it will save you time.
- If you prefer a softer cornbread dressing, cut smaller chunks. I like my cornbread dressing to have a bit more texture, which is why I slice my cornbread into 1-inch chunks. However, if you want a mealier, more compact dressing, simply cut your cornbread chunks into smaller pieces, and/or use a spatula to break them up a bit when you’re mixing them with the chicken stock and egg mixture.
How to Make Cornbread Dressing Ahead of Time
This cornbread dressing can easily be made ahead of time. I recommend making the cornbread one day, then on the next day, assembling the dressing, covering, and chilling for up to 8 hours before baking.
How to Store Dressing
This cornbread dressing will keep stored in a baking dish covered with foil, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze this cornbread dressing for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator completely before reheating gently in the oven.
Reheating Tips
For reheating leftover stuffing, I suggest drizzling a little bit of chicken stock over it before reheating it in the oven (covered), at 325°F, for about 15 minutes, or until completely warmed through. Then, remove the lid or the foil and heat for about 5 minutes more.
What to Serve with Cornbread Dressing
- How To Cook THE BEST Juicy Turkey
- Juicy Roast Turkey Breast
- Turkey Gravy Recipe
- How to Make the Best Potato Salad
- The Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Savory Crumble
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Cornbread Dressing
This cornbread dressing recipe features the best homemade cornbread mixed with country sausage, aromatics, and plenty of savory herbs. You can easily make it in advance to save time on Turkey Day.
Print
Servings 10 -12
Calories 413kcal
Ingredients
For the cornbread:
- 1 cup medium grind yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , divided
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk , at room temperature
- 2 eggs , at room temperature
For the dressing
- 1 stick + 3 tablespoons butter , at room temperature, (divided)
- ¾ pound bulk ground pork breakfast sausage
- 1 large sweet onion , finely chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups medium-diced celery , from about 6 stalks
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup celery leaves , roughly chopped (if your stalks don’t have enough leaves, just supplement with extra parsley)
- ¼ cup fresh roughly chopped sage leaves
- ¼ cup fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup parsley leaves , roughly chopped
- 1 batch of cornbread , cut into 1-inch chunks (or if using storebought, 1 pound and 11 ounces –about 8 cups)
Instructions
For the cornbread:
- To a large bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda, and whisk to combine. To a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggs then add the room temperature buttermilk, stirring well. Add the egg mixture to the large bowl and give it a few stirs. Add the cooled butter and mix just until everything is combined.
- Once your oven and skillet have preheated, use a hot pad to carefully remove the skillet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and swirl it around the skillet to coat. Working quickly, pour the batter into the skillet (it will sizzle), smooth the top, and place the skillet in the oven. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the top is golden and the edges brown and pull away from the pan. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
- First, preheat oven to 300°F. Spread cornbread cubes out in a single layer on a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper (you may need to use two sheet pans), and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until completely dried out, tossing intermittently so the pieces toast evenly. Transfer the sheet pan to a cooling rack and let the cornbread cool completely.
For the dressing:
- While the cornbread is toasting, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the sausage and cook until browned, for about 7-10 minutes, breaking it up into smaller chunks using a wooden spoon or spatula. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Increase the oven temperature to 350°F and liberally butter a 9×13-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of butter.
- In the same skillet, add 1 stick of butter over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes, until starting to become golden brown (I like to give it a headstart so it gets a bit more brown and has more flavor). Season with salt, pepper, celery leaves, sage, and thyme. Then add the celery and continue sautéing with the onion, stirring occasionally for about 5 more minutes. Add the white wine and then cook for about 5 minutes more to let the wine reduce. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well, then whisk in the chicken stock. Add the parsley and cornbread cubes and toss very gently, using a spatula, taking care not to let the cornbread crumble.
- Transfer the cornbread dressing to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil (or a lid) and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking for about 15 minutes more, or until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature of a thermometer reads 160°F.
Nutrition
Serving: 6g | Calories: 413kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1050mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 828IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 3mg
More Thanksgiving Recipes to Try
- Cranberry Sauce
- Easy Dinner Rolls
- The BEST Traditional Stuffing
- The Best Homemade Mac and Cheese
- My Favorite Ambrosia Salad
- Green Bean Casserole with Onion Rings
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