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Home » Classic Southern Recipes

Published: Oct 25, 2016 · Modified: Nov 30, 2024 by Pam

Traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

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Our cornbread dressing is made the classic old fashioned Southern way and will be the hit of your Thanksgiving dinner table! (Video tips included)

cornbread dressing in pan
Jump to:
  • Turkey and dressing is a southern family classic
  • Dressing or stuffing?
  • Ingredient notes and substitutions
  • How to make cornbread dressing
  • Expert tips
  • Advance prep
  • Watch the video for tips on making the best southern style cornbread dressing:
  • Cornbread Recipe
  • Recipe FAQ's
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Classic Southern Recipes

Turkey and dressing is a southern family classic

This is dressing made the way my mother-in-law makes it, and I learned just by watching her. When I decided I wanted to share it with y'all I had to make it and measure each ingredient to have an actual recipe.

I admit that this recipe includes a couple of prepared grocery items - Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix and a canned cream soup. We typically try to stay away from prepared foods in our recipes.

But, this is one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" situations. Everyone loves this cornbread dressing just the way it is, so we don't mess with that.

Dressing or stuffing?

cornbread dressing & gravy

Here in the south, we don't refer to our dressing as stuffing. That's because we don't typically "stuff" the turkey with our dressing. We bake it in a dish separately.

Gravy is made of the pan drippings from the turkey and most folks like to have gravy over their dressing, though not everyone eats it that way. For the basics on "How to Make Gravy from Scratch" you'll want to read this.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

  • Prepared Cornbread. Below you'll find our recipe, but feel free to use your own cornbread recipe, as long as it's not the sweet type.
  • Butter - salted or unsalted is fine. You just may want to adjust the added salt according to taste.
  • Onion - we prefer and recommend sweet onions
  • Celery
  • Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing (use another flavor if you like, but this is the one we have always used)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Sage (you can replace this with poultry seasoning if you like)
  • Cream of Chicken Soup
  • Chicken Stock or Broth (stock has the richest flavor)

How to make cornbread dressing

  1. Make your cornbread and allow it get stale. More on this below.
  2. Crumble the cornbread with your hands in a large bowl.
  3. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet.
  4. Add the celery and onions and cook until partly transluscent.
  5. Add the vegetable mixture and all other ingredients to the cornbread and stir until mixed. Be very careful to not overstir.
  6. Bake at in a 9 by 13 inch pan at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
close up of spoonful of dressing

Expert tips

  • Allowing the cornbread to get stale prevents it from over-absorbing the liquid and being mushy. You can do this by letting it sit out for a few hours if you've just made it, or by making it up to several weeks ahead and freezing it. Then let it thaw uncovered. You can also make it just a few days ahead and refrigerate covered until time to make the dressing. Whether freezing or refrigerating I cut it into pieces and store in a zip lock bag. More below on advanced prep.
  • Do not use a sweet cornbread mix for this recipe. This is a savory dressing recipe and the sweetess would not fit the flavor profile.
  • If your 9 by 13 inch pan is fairly shallow you may have a little more dressing than will fit. In this case you can just put the excess in a loaf or similar sized pan.
  • VERY IMPORTANT TIP: Do NOT overstir when you mix all the dressing ingredients together. Stir only enough to get it all mixed up. Overstirring will remove air and the cornbread dressing will end up being too heavy and dense. Be gentle with your dressing!

Advance prep

chopped celery and onions
  • To cut down on the last minute prep needed I usually make cornbread a week or two ahead and cut it into pieces and freeze it. Just empty it into a bowl early in the morning to thaw and don't worry about covering it. Remember, stale is good!
  • Another trick for saving time the day you're making dressing is to chop the celery and onions the day before. They'll keep just fine in plastic bags in the fridge.
  • I have always preferred to assemble and bake cornbread dressing on the day I'm serving it. But you can assemble and then freeze tightly covered up to a month in advance. Allow to thaw at room temperature and then bake as directed. If it seems dry you may not to drizzle with a little bit more stock or broth before baking.

Watch the video for tips on making the best southern style cornbread dressing:

Need more ideas for Thanksgiving menu? You'll want to include Old Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potato Biscuits, and you can't forget the Fried Turkey Breast. Y'all, these are so good!

If you need some old fashioned summer dish ideas, check out this Summer Slaw recipe.

Cornbread Recipe

  • 3 cups of self-rising cornmeal mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-¾ cup milk (buttermilk is best)

Stir it together and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes in a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, or until brown.

Self-rising cornmeal mix is found in the baking products aisle at your grocery and already has the proper proportions of cornmeal, flour and leavening agents combined. We use it in our Cajun Hush Puppies, Toasted Cornbread, cornbread croutons and Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on an affiliate link and buy something, we may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra. Click here for our full privacy and disclosure policy. As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

If you love our old fashioned enamel baking pan you can get your own right here.

Recipe FAQ's

Does cornbread dressing have eggs?

This version uses eggs only in making the cornbread, but not when assembling the dressing.

Do you cook the vegetables before adding them to the dressing?

Yes! Dressing doesn't take long to bake, and if the vegetables aren't sauteed in butter first they would be crunchy in the dressing.

Is cornbread dressing served with gravy over it?

Gravy is usually offered separately and each person will decide whether to top their dressing with gravy.

📖 Recipe

pan of cornbread dressing.

Traditional Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Pam
It's easier than you think, and your family will love it.
4.49 from 35 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Southern
Servings 10 people
Calories 350 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large recipe cornbread (1.5 times a typical pan of cornbread)
  • ¾ cup butter salted or unsalted
  • 2 cups onion, diced
  • 2 cups celery, diced
  • 2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing
  • 1-½ teaspoons salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons rubbed sage
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 4 cups chicken broth or stock

Instructions
 

  • Crumble cornbread with your hands. No need to completely pulverize it, but don't leave any large pieces (see video).
  • Melt butter in skillet.
  • Saute' onions and celery in butter over medium heat until tender and partly translucent.
  • Stir all ingredients together, being careful not to overstir.
  • Bake in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan at 400 for about 30 minutes

Notes

  • Use your favorite cornbread recipe as long as it's not sweet. For a simple recipe refer to the post.
  • Cornbread may be made in advance, cut up and frozen up to a month ahead of time. Thaw uncovered before crumbling. If cornbread is made right before dressing allow it to sit out and become stale.
  • Crumble the cornbread - not enough to pulverize, but don't leave any large pieces either.
  • Stock has the richest flavor.
  • Adjust salt according to taste and whether salted or unsalted butter is used.
  • VERY IMPORTANT: Do not overstir when mixing dressing ingredients.
  • If your 9 x 13 inch pan is fairly shallow you may have a bit more dressing than will fit. In this case bake the excess in a loaf pan or similar sized baking pan. 

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 7gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 1123mgPotassium: 242mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 598IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 77mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Southern Food Then and Now is all about traditions, regions and the origins of our favorite cuisine! In fact, many people consider this type of cornbread dressing to be soul food, and this article explores the difference between southern food and soul food.

If you're reading this post chances are you love southern food and know others that do too. We've put together this awesome guide, Great Gifts for the Southern Foodie. It has several cast iron cookware choices, books of southern recipes and food history and small items that would make a great gift basket.

We did the homework for you, and have only included items with Amazon 4 stars and above.

If you make any of our recipes we'd love for you to leave us a comment and star rating. If you're into sharing your creations, snap a photo and tag us when you post it to Facebook or Instagram.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sisley White says

    October 23, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    5 stars
    A family favourite recipe and I can see why. It's so delicious!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      October 23, 2020 at 5:51 pm

      Thanks so much, Sisley!

      Reply
  2. Noelle Simpson says

    October 23, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! This brings me back to my southern roots, loved it!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      October 24, 2020 at 2:53 pm

      Awww... thanks for letting us know Noelle!

      Reply
  3. Kelli says

    October 23, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    5 stars
    Stuffing is my FAVORITE part of Thanksgiving and this cornbread recipe looks like a winner! We're not big celery fans here, so I'll probably leave it out. Can't wait to try it out!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      October 24, 2020 at 2:54 pm

      Hmmmm.... it should still be good but the celery isn't really discernable as an individual flavor, so maybe give it a try.

      Reply
  4. Beth says

    October 23, 2020 at 6:12 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so delicious and tasty! I can't wait to make this for my family! They are going to love this!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      October 24, 2020 at 2:54 pm

      Hope everyone enjoys. Thanks, Beth!

      Reply
  5. Chris Collins says

    October 23, 2020 at 6:25 pm

    5 stars
    I'm always on the hunt for new cornbread recipes and this looks right up my street! Can't wait to try it out 🙂

    Reply
    • Pam says

      October 24, 2020 at 2:55 pm

      Thanks, Chris. Though our simple cornbread recipe is included, this is actually a recipe for dressing, or as some people call it, stuffing.

      Reply
  6. Donna Olujani says

    November 28, 2020 at 9:28 am

    This has been the closest recipe I could find to my mother's dressing that she didn't write down. I used her cornbread recipe instead which uses two cups of self rising flour and one cup of self rising cornmeal instead and of all of the bag of stuffing mix. Way more sage and about 1/2 cup more of onion and celery. And kept adding stock after the 4 cups until I reached the right consistency for the uncooked stuffing. Baked it as recipe recommended and it turned out perfectly!!
    Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      November 28, 2020 at 4:19 pm

      So happy to hear it was good and brought back memories for you Donna. Happy Thanksgiving!

      Reply
  7. Carrie Robinson says

    August 23, 2021 at 10:48 am

    5 stars
    Such a perfect side dish for the holidays! 🙂 Definitely saving this recipe.

    Reply
  8. Jenn says

    August 23, 2021 at 10:57 am

    5 stars
    This is my go-to dressing recipe! I love the flavors in this and it is never dry. Terrific on my holiday table!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      August 23, 2021 at 11:09 am

      Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jenn!

      Reply
  9. Kechi says

    August 23, 2021 at 11:23 am

    5 stars
    This cornbread dressing looks so gorgeous and flavorful! I love all the veggies you added. YUM

    Reply
  10. Tavo says

    August 23, 2021 at 12:34 pm

    5 stars
    Very nice recipe! I willñ definitely use it for Thanksgiving!

    Reply
  11. Emily Flint says

    August 23, 2021 at 12:41 pm

    5 stars
    I always know recipes from the South are going to be delicious and this was no exception. Everyone was raving about this dressing and asking for more. I know what will be on my holiday table this year...!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      August 23, 2021 at 2:40 pm

      Yay! Thank you Emily!!!

      Reply
  12. Teodora Grujic says

    August 23, 2021 at 12:50 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for this delicious recipe, I will try it for a weekend family lunch!

    Reply
  13. Sara Welch says

    August 23, 2021 at 1:15 pm

    5 stars
    Enjoyed this with dinner last night and it did not disappoint! So easy and flavorful; the best side dish that pairs with just about anything!

    Reply
    • Pam says

      August 23, 2021 at 2:39 pm

      Awww... thanks so much Sara!

      Reply
  14. Annde says

    September 04, 2021 at 12:01 pm

    My Mom made what she called "muffin bread" (which is cornbread, but lighter) as a basis for her dressing - and, yes, I am from the deep south and we called it dressing - not stuffing. I have not been able to reproduce it and have it taste like hers....tried many times. She used just salt, pepper baking powder (soda?) and buttermilk to make the bread (as best as I can remember) , baked it in a cast iron skillet. She then lightly mixed the "muffin bread" (in a large enamel pot, with the broth from the boiled chicken (usually a "fryer" or young hen), added salt and pepper, cut the chicken into pieces and stuck it into the dressing then baked it. EVERYBODY (city relatives, friends, church friends,,all of them) would always ask her to make her "Chicken and Dressing". One of the best things I have ever tasted. So sad that I cannot reproduce it. If you or any of your readers/followers have or know someone who has the recipe I would love to have it.

    Reply
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