Cornbread Dressing Recipe

fluffing cornbread dressing with a serving spoon.

4.91 from 33 votes

This Southern cornbread dressing is a classic holiday side made with crumbled homemade buttermilk cornbread, sautéed onion, celery, and garlic, and plenty of sage and fresh parsley. Baked to a golden brown on top with a soft, moist center, it's perfect under a ladle of turkey gravy. I crumble the cornbread by hand into big and small pieces, so every scoop has tender bites and crisp golden edges.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings:

Calories: 412.73kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

Cornbread:

1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all purpose flour*
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
cold butter to grease the skillet

Cornbread Dressing:

cooked cornbread from above crumbled
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion
1 long stalk of celery
3 garlic cloves
2 eggs
1 cup chicken stock warmed
2 tbsp unsalted butter melted
2 tbsp fresh minced parsley
1 tsp dried sage (2 tsp if using fresh sage)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp salt to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cornbread:

Preheat oven to 400°F and generously rub a 10-inch skillet with butter all over the bottom and up the sides.
Combine all the dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk together.
In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
Slowly pour in wet ingredients into dry ingredients while whisking and whisk until evenly incorporated.
Spread cornbread batter evenly in the skillet and bake for 20-22 minutes. (Until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.)
Let cornbread cool for about 10 minutes in the skillet and then turn it over onto the cutting board.

Cornbread Dressing:

Prepare the vegetables while cornbread is baking.
Set oven to 350°F and rub a 9×13 baking dish with butter all over the bottom and up the sides.
(Tip: if you want to make it more buttery, you can place a few thin slices of butter over the bottom of the baking dish. Then, spread the dressing over the top.)
Dice onions and celery and mince garlic.
Preheat a cooking pan over medium heat and add butter. Saute onions and celery until soft. Add minced garlic and saute for a few more minutes. Take off heat.
Crumble cooked cornbread in a large mixing bowl. (I like to leave some pieces larger and some smaller for the best dressing texture.) Add sauteed vegetables, salt, garlic powder, pepper, sage, and parsley.
Whisk eggs, warmed stock, and melted butter in another bowl and pour it all over the cornbread mixture. Mix everything together well.
Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the middle is set.
Expert tip: since cornbread dressing can be dry when overcooked, I would recommend to start checking the internal temperature 25 minutes, especially if it's spread thin or using a metal baking dish. Check at the very center of the dressing. Internal temperature of cornbread dressing should be at 165°F.
Tip2: If you notice the top is browning too fast while the center is not done, loosely tent the top of the baking dish with a sheet of foil.

Video

Notes

*Gluten Free Notes: if you need to make this cornbread dressing gluten free, use all purpose gluten free flour to make the cornbread. Remaining ingredients should already be gluten free but double check the packaging to make sure.
Make ahead options: Prepare everything up to the step of baking and wrap the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate it overnight. (No longer than 1 day!) To bake it the next day, set the dish on the counter to warm up while the oven is preheating and then bake for about 30 minutes.
Fresh or day old cornbread: Personally, I prefer to use freshly baked cornbread because it gives the cornbread dressing more moisture. If making ahead and using day old cornbread, I recommend adding about 1/2 cup more of chicken stock.
Omitting garlic: if you are not a fan of garlic flavor, you can simply omit the garlic cloves or lessen it to just 1.

Nutrition