27 Stuffing Recipes That Make Thanksgiving Thanksgiving
First, let’s get semantics out of the way. What’s the difference between Thanksgiving stuffing and dressing? Technically speaking, the first is cooked inside the turkey cavity (sorry), whereas the second is cooked separately in a pan. Most cooks use the terms interchangeably, though.
Whatever you call it, we can all agree that no Thanksgiving meal is complete without this highly loveable side dish. Unlike store-bought mixes, which are often loaded with unidentified poultry seasoning, homemade stuffing recipes allow you to tailor the amount of salt and spice to your taste. Plus, they’re extremely easy to make from scratch. Most classic stuffing recipes rely almost entirely on pantry staples, like day-old bread, onions, celery, and fresh sage—oh, and lots of butter. Our Simple Is Best Stuffing has dominated reader reviews since 2012, making it a tried-and-true choice for your Thanksgiving dinner. But if you feel like branching out, there are many types of stuffing out there: try a spicy stuffing with chorizo and chiles, an Italian riff with toasted pine nuts and dried fruit, or a gluten-free version with crispy wild rice. And, of course, we’ve got lots of make-ahead options to free up oven space on the big day. All there’s left to do is cook that bird.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi1/27Simple-Is-Best Stuffing
No need for sausage or other fancy add-ins—one of our very best stuffing recipes is also the simplest. Instead of the typical dried bread cubes, tearing a loaf of crusty bread into craggy chunks adds lots of texture to this simple stuffing, seasoned with the ever-classic blend of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski2/27Cornbread Dressing With Sausage and Corn Nuts
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro3/27Make-Ahead Sausage and Caramelized Onion Stuffing
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones4/27One-Skillet Mushroom Cornbread Stuffing
This gluten-free stuffing recipe starts with a simple cornbread batter, studded with tuscan kale and mushrooms. Baking it in a large skillet helps the edges get extra crispy, but if you want a more traditional look, go for a 13-x-9” casserole dish.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Pearl Jones5/27Crispy Black Rice and Chinese Sausage Dressing
For a flavor-packed, gluten-free twist on Thanksgiving dressing, swap dried bread cubes for crispy-chewy black rice, then add in Fresno chiles, miso, maple syrup, and crunchy peanuts.
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott6/27If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It Stuffing
Buttery cubes of sourdough mixed with fennel, turkey stock or chicken broth, and fresh herbs yields a reliably crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving side dish, year after year. Using fresh, not dried herbs really makes a difference here; add any leftover sage or thyme to the turkey roasting pan.
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski8/27Cornbread Stuffing With Sausage and Collard Greens
Don’t have the patience to wait for bread to dry out? Toast cornbread cubes low and slow in the oven. This step helps the croutons absorb the herby cream mixture.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng9/27Chorizo and Calabrian Chile Stuffing
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski10/27Wild Rice Dressing
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food styling by Susie Theodorou, Prop styling by Sophie Leng11/27Stuffing Biscuits
Okay, so it’s not technically stuffing—but these Stuffing Biscuits pack all the requisite flavors into cute, pre-portioned packages. We suggest making extra for leftovers sandwiches.
Photo by Laura Murray12/27Cornbread Stuffing Fried Rice
Leftover Thanksgiving stuffing? Make stuffing fried rice, complete with aromatic ginger, fresh scallions, and brussels sprouts. Your leftover turkey sandwich could never.
Alex Lau14/27The BLT Oyster Stuffing
With oysters and bacon in the mix, this stuffing has major star power—and just might outshine the Thanksgiving turkey.
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Sophie Strangio15/27Cornbread and Salami Dressing
Elizabeth Cecil16/27Winter Panzanella With Stuffing Croutons
Toasted stuffing croutons add heft to a sweet, slightly bitter chicory salad, an ideal post-Turkey Day meal.
Alex Lau17/27The New Classic Stuffing
“The essential things for a stuffing are onions, celery, and sage,” says Claire Saffitz. “Those are the flavors of Thanksgiving.” (So say we all.) Accordingly, this stuffing recipe forgoes the customary four-herb blend, highlighting the fresh sage and aromatic vegetables.
19/27Kale Dressing
Cut down on prep work by making a big batch of the slow-cooked Tuscan kale for this side dish a couple of days ahead. Have some for dinner and refrigerate the rest for mixing with the dressing ingredients come Turkey Day.
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott20/27Rye, Kale, Mushroom, and Pumpkin Seed Stuffing
Channel fall flavors with malty rye bread, meaty mushrooms, and toasted pumpkin seeds in this almost-vegan side (hint: Swapping chicken stock for vegetable would do the trick).
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott25/27Cornbread, Chorizo, Cherry, and Pecan Stuffing
We recommend making your own cornbread for this sweet and savory stuffing recipe, but if you’re in a pinch, store-bought is fine.
