Classic Bread Stuffing

Classic bread stuffing is almost everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving side dish. Cubes of dried bread mixed with celery, onions and sage are baked in the oven until golden brown. This is the kind of dressing, or stuffing, that your grandma made. It isn’t fancy or “modern” in the least and that is exactly why we love it.

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my 5 ingredient corn casserole and my mashed Hubbard squash recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my Thanksgiving recipes in one place.

If you make a purchase through one of the affiliate links, I make a few pennies at no extra cost to you. Questions? Please see disclosure for info.

Why you should make this recipe

If you love old fashioned bread stuffing, this is a recipe for you. It is simple, basic bread stuffing with celery, onion and sage.

• Simple and straight forward – There is nothing complicated about this classic recipe. It uses common ingredients and basic kitchen equipment.
• Crowd favorite – Almost everyone will list stuffing as their favorite holiday side dish, so make a big batch.
• Make ahead – Stuffing, or dressing, is one of those sides that you can bake the day before, re-heat before serving, and it will still taste fantastic.

Classic bread stuffing

A traditional bread stuffing recipe isn’t complicated, nor should it be. It is holiday comfort food. The variations on stuffing are endless, but a classic bread stuffing with onions, celery and sage is always my favorite.

This is my grandma’s recipe. I added a little more flavor to it, with the addition of some aromatics and butter, but the base of this recipe is hers. This is the bread stuffing, or dressing, that I grew up eating, and it is what I continue to make for all holiday dinners.

Ingredients

This old fashioned bread stuffing recipe is popular for a reason – it is easy to make, requires no fancy ingredients and no special equipment. This is what our grandma’s made – simple, delicious and always a hit.

• Bread – I use a hearty white bread. You can also use a combination of breads.
• Eggs – The eggs in this traditional sage stuffing will serve as a binder to help hold it together and also give it a little lift as it bakes. 
• Sage – Sage is the aroma of Thanksgiving. I use both fresh and ground sage in the recipe.
  • Substitutions: If you are out of sage, but you have poultry seasoning, use it.
• Celery, onions & garlic – These aromatics add a ton of flavor to the stuffing.
• Stock – I use chicken stock, but you can swap chicken for vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian.
• Butter – Butter gives the stuffing a bit of richness.
• Salt & pepper – Everything needs seasoning.

How to dry bread for stuffing

Good stuffing starts with dry bread. If you start with fresh, soft bread, you’ll have a mushy mess on your hands. So, the first step in making stuffing from scratch is to dry out the bread. You have two options for drying out the bread or making it stale.

After you’ve cut your bread into cubes, you can leave those cubes of bread out on the counter for a couple of days or you can toast them in the oven. Generally, I toast mine in the oven because I need the counter space. Also, just drying them out isn’t always enough and they taste a little bland.

Think of how a plain piece of bread tastes and then how a piece of toasted bread tastes. It makes a big difference, and you will taste that difference in the stuffing as well.

How to make

Here’s a quick summary of how to make classic bread stuffing. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe. 

1. Toast – Preheat oven to 275°F // 135°C. Lightly toast the bread cubes, stirring halfway through to make sure they are evenly dried and toasted.
2. Cook – Sauté the onions, celery and garlic in butter. Add the sage.
3. Mix – Combine the toasted bread cubes with the celery, onions and garlic.
4. Add – Whisk the eggs into the stock and pour over the bread mixture.
5. Bake – Cover with foil and bake until golden brown.

Classic bread stuffing FAQ’s

Chef’s Tip:

My best tip for making classic bread stuffing ahead of time is this: measure and/or chop all of your ingredients for the stuffing (except the bread – that is kept separate) and put it on one baking sheet. Wrap it up with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, all that is left is mixing and baking.

Prepping in this way is essential when you are cooking a big meal. There is no measuring, no looking for ingredients when you need them because it is already done. Grab the tray and go. We do this in professional kitchens every day. It is a huge timesaver when you have a lot on your plate, so to speak.

Variations and substitutions

• Fruity – Add in a diced apple for a little sweetness.
• Meaty – Brown a bit of sausage and stir it into the mixture.
• Poultry seasoning – No sage? Substitute poultry seasoning in a pinch.

Serving suggestions

Here are a handful of recipes that will be on our table this holiday season.

• Corn casserole
• Sautéed broccolini
• Parmesan potato biscuits
• Cranberry chutney
• Pumpkin snack cake

Helpful tools and equipment

• Serrated bread knife – A good serrated knife makes all the difference.
• Chef’s knife – For chopping onions and celery.
• Casserole dish – You’ll need something to bake the stuffing/dressing in.
• Liquid measuring cup – Helpful for measuring the stock.
• Baking sheets – Heavy duty pans for toasting bread in the oven.

Please share

If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!

I hope you love this classic bread stuffing recipe as much as we do! Please consider rating and/or commenting.

Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.

​Buy me a coffee? If you ever wondered how you can lend a hand, show a little support or just say “thanks” for the recipes? You can “buy me a coffee” to help me keep the free recipes coming.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or  recipe (other than for personal use) without prior written permission. Thank you!

Originally published in 2011, most recent update 11/9/23.