Southern Cornbread Dressing

Southern Cornbread Dressing is a savory and delicious addition to any Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday table. Flavored with sage, garlic, onions and celery. This is sure to taste just like grandma would make!

Cornbread dressing is a must- have for any southern Thanksgiving dinner and it’s pretty simple family recipe to make from scratch.

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Just take me to the recipe! To find the printable recipe card, just scroll on down to the very bottom. Otherwise, read on to get the step by step photos and my tips for making the best Thanksgiving dressing. 

Rather you call it dressing or stuffing, it is an iconic Thanksgiving dish to serve with the classic turkey dinner. 

How to Make Southern Cornbread Dressing

1. Make the Cornbread: Preheat oven to 425° and place a cast iron skillet in the oven to get hot. 
2. Add cornmeal, all purpose flour, baking powder and kosher salt to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add milk, vegetable oil and an egg. Mix until combined. 
3. Carefully remove the iron skillet from the oven when it has preheated. Add 1 tablespoon butter and coat the skillet. Pour batter into skillet and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to cool completely. 

4. Make the Dressing: Lower oven temperature to 375°.
5. Toast 4 slices of bread and cut into 1 inch pieces. Set aside. 

6. Add butter to a large skillet with diced onion, celery and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes.

7. Add heavy cream and continue to cook just until cream starts to bubble. Set aside.  

8. Crumble cornbread into a large bowl and add toast. 

9. Top with vegetable and cream mixture. 
10. Add the broth mixture to cornbread mixture and stir until well combined. Add an additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth if the mixture is dry. Stir in seasonings. 

11. Add to cornbread mixture and stir until well combined. Add an additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth if the mixture is dry. Stir in seasonings. 

• Mixture should be really moist but not “soupy”. 

12. Spray a baking dish with non stick cooking spray. I am using a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Fill with dressing mixture and spread evenly. 
13. Bake the Cornbread Dressing: Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour. Remove cover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until top is browned and dressing is cooked through. 
14. Serve immediately. 

Tips for Making Cornbread Dressing

• Time Saver: Make the cornbread a day in advance, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil after it cools. 
• Bread Crumbs: Pepperidge Farm seasoned bread crumbs are also great for making the classic side dish. 
• Cream Soup: Many dressing recipes call for cream of chicken soup, if that’s what you like, go right ahead. I’ve used cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of celery. These days I like to use heavy cream instead. It’s delicious either way. 
• When is the best time to bake cornbread dressing: Bake cornbread dressing early Thanksgiving morning, refrigerate it while you bake the turkey and then pop it back in the oven to warm up before your dinner time.
• Storage: Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Store in a freezer bag up to 3 months. 
• Reheat: Place dressing on a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes or until heated through. Leftover dressing always tastes better the next day.

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes to Try

• Garlic Mashed Potatoes are a classic side for any meal and delicious enough for your Thanksgiving feast.
• Angel Rolls are one of the most fluffy and delicious holiday dinner rolls for your holiday meals and always a family favorite.
• Green Bean Casserole is a must-have for the Thanksgiving table made with simple ingredients. It is the perfect side dish for holiday dinners.
• The Best Macaroni Salad is a staple for all of our holiday dinners. Maybe not the most traditional but it’s our favorite recipe with turkey or ham.
• Southern cornbread dressing is often the favorite Thanksgiving side dish and we also love classic Chicken and Dressing, Cornbread and Wild Rice Dressing and this Sausage and Cornbread Dressing too. 
• For more ideas, check out our Easy Thanksgiving Dinner menu.

Add this Cornbread Dressing Recipe to your Thanksgiving menu or to any holiday meal for family and friends. It’s the southern classic made completely from scratch.

If you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave a comment and a five star review. Help us share on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!

Print Recipe

4.70 from 26 votes

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Southern Cornbread Dressing is a savory and delicious addition to any Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday dinner. Flavored with sage, garlic, onions and celery. This is sure to taste just like grandma would make!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cornbread dressing, cornbread stuffing, dressing, stuffing

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Milisa

Ingredients

For the Cornbread:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

For the Dressing:

• 4 slices sandwich bread white or wheat
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 onion
• 3 stalks celery
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425° and place a 10 inch cast iron skillet in the oven as it preheats.
• In a large mixing bowl, add cornmeal, all purpose flour, baking powder and kosher salt and stir to combine. Add milk, vegetable oil and an egg, mixing well. 
• Using pot holders, remove the skillet from the oven when it has preheated. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in bottom of skillet.
• Pour batter into skillet and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven to cool completely. 
• Lower oven temperature to 375°.
• Lightly toast 4 slices of bread and cut into 1 inch pieces. Set aside. 
• Place a large skillet over medium- low heat. Add butter with diced onion, celery and garlic. Cook over until vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, stirring just until cream starts to bubble. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a large bowl, crumble cornbread completely. Add toast and vegetable and cream mixture. 
• In another bowl, whisk together 2 cups of chicken broth and eggs. Stir into cornbread mixture. Add an additional 1/2 cup of chicken broth if the mixture is dry. Stir in sage, salt and pepper.
• Spray a 4 quart casserole dish or 9 x 13 baking pan with non stick cooking spray. Fill with dressing mixture and spread evenly. 
• Cover with foil and bake for one hour. Remove cover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until top is browned and dressing is cooked through. 
• Serve immediately. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 1025mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g