Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2024)

By: Author Julia Jordan

Posted on - Last updated:

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In this post I’ll be sharing a tried and true Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe.

Southern Cornbread Dressing is a comforting, classic dish for holidays or that special family dinner anytime of the year. This is the favorite dish for some of my family members during the holidays and a must have!

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (1)

Awesome Cornbread Dressing Recipe

I begin by preparing my cornbread the day before and storing until ready to use.

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2)

It is a great time saver on the day of to make up the dressing recipe the day before needed and store in the refrigerator. The day of I take it out give it a stir and pour into a baking dish to bake. It is a real time saver and will be much appreciated after you’ve been cooking for days..

Let’s make the Southern Cornbread Dressing!

Start by cubing and toasting 8 slices of white bread. Next, add to a large mixing bowl and crumble in 1 sleeve of butter crackers (optional).

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (3)

Cube up the cooked cornbread you’ve made previously and add it to the bowl.

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (4)

Dice celery and onion and add to a skillet with 1 stick of butter and cook until the vegetables are soft and translucent.

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (5)

Soul Food Holiday Dressing

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (6)

for the next step, add the celery and onion and all that melted butter over the bread mixture in the bowl

Next, add half of the chicken stock and stir to combine. This will begin to break down the bread cubes.

Add the diced boiled eggs, and the beaten eggs. Stir to combine well adding the remaining chicken broth.

Then, add the seasonings and continue to stir until everything is combined.

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (7)

This is what the batter will look like, very moist and it already smells so good.

When ready to bake pour the batter into a baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake. This is how the dressing will look when it is done.

Ingredients:

  • 8 Slices White Bread – Cubed and Toasted lightly
  • A Sleeve of Butter Crackers – crumbled (optional)
  • Cake of Cooked Southern Cornbread (recipe follows)
  • Chopped Celery
  • Large Onion – Chopped
  • 2 Boiled Eggs – Diced
  • 1 Stick of Butter
  • 7-8 Cups of Chicken Stock (NOT Broth)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Sage
  • poultry seasoning
  • 6 Eggs Beaten Lightly

Bake 350 degrees 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on desired firmness. Some people like a moist loose dressing and others prefer it baked a bit firmer.

Cornbread Recipe:

  • 2 Cups of Self-Rising Cornmeal (I prefer stone ground, white cornmeal)
  • 1 Cup of Plain Flour
  • 2 Eggs Beaten Lightly
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 Cup Buttermilk

Combine all ingredients well, pour batter into an oven heated cast iron skillet or baking pan and Bake cornbread at 400 degrees until browned ~ 20-25 minutes

Printable Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

Make ahead tips:
~ Make cornbread for your dressing the day before, wrap until ready to use
~ Make the dressing recipe the day before and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake

Old Fashioned Southern Cornbread Dressing

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (9)

Gobble till you wobble Y’all! Happy Holidays!

Shortcut Version

• 1 Cake of Cornbread

• A package of Savory Herb Stove Top Stuffing

• 2 Cups of Chopped Celery

• A Large Onion – Chopped

• 1 Stick of Butter

• 4 Cups of Turkey or Chicken Stock (NOT Broth)

•A can of Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1/2 tsp Pepper

• A teaspoon of Sage

• 1 tbsp. Poultry Seasoning

• 5 Eggs Beaten Lightly

Dice the celery and onion and add to a skillet with 1 stick of butter and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and translucent.

Add to a mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well to combine. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour until desired firmness.

Yield: 1 Dressing Side Dish

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (10)

Southern homemade cornbread dressing, the official side dish of the holiday table

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 Slices White Bread - Cubed and Toasted lightly
  • 1 Sleeve Butter Crackers - crumbled (optional)
  • 1 Cake of Cornbread (recipe follows)
  • 2 Cups of Chopped Celery
  • 1 Large Onion - Chopped
  • 2 Boiled Eggs - Diced
  • 1 Stick of Butter
  • 7-8 Cups of Chicken Stock (NOT Broth)
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Pepper
  • 1 tsp Sage
  • 1 tbs poultry seasoning
  • 6 Eggs Beaten Lightly

Cornbread Recipe

  • 2 Cups of Self-Rising Cornmeal (I prefer stone ground, white cornmeal)
  • 1 Cup of All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Eggs Beaten Lightly
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 Cup Buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Prepare Cornbread Recipe
  2. Combine all ingredients well, pour batter into an oven heated cast iron skillet or baking pan and Bake cornbread at 400 degrees until browned ~ 20-25 minutes
  3. Dressing Recipe
  4. Start by cubing and toasting 8 slices of white bread. Add to a large mixing bowl and crumble in 1 sleeve of butter crackers. Next cube up the cornbread you've made previously and add to the bowl.
  5. Dice celery and onion and add to a skillet with 1 stick of butter and cook until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
  6. Add the celery and onion and all that melted butter over the bread mixture in the mixing bowl.
  7. Add half of the chicken stock and stir to combine. This will begin to break down the bread cubes.
  8. Add the cubed boiled eggs, and the beaten eggs. Stir to combine well and adding the remaining chicken broth.
  9. Add seasonings and continue to stir until everything is combined.
  10. Spray a casserole dish and add the dressing mixture. Bake 350 degrees 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on desired firmness. Some people like a moist loose dressing and others prefer it baked a bit firmer.

Notes

(Alternate) Shortcut Version

• 1 Cake of Cornbread

• 1 pkg Savory Herb Stove Top Stuffing

• 2 Cups of Chopped Celery

• 1 Large Onion - Chopped

• 1 Stick of Butter

• 4 Cups of Turkey or Chicken Stock (NOT Broth)

• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1/2 tsp Pepper

• 1 tsp Sage

• 1 tbs Poultry Seasoning

• 5 Eggs Beaten Lightly

Dice celery and onion and add to a skillet with 1 stick of butter and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and translucent.

Add to a mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well to combine. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour until desired firmness.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 562Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 162mgSodium: 506mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 2gSugar: 18gProtein: 30g

See it at:
Weekend Potluck
Meal Plan Monday
Full Plate Thursday

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Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (11)

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Author of Julia's Simply Southern

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (18)

About Julia

Hey Y'all! I'm Julia, the cook and writer behind the recipes here at Julia's Simply Southern. I began my website so that I could share easy to follow recipes that anyone can use to put a home cooked meal on the dinner table. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Follow me on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make Paula Deen cornbread dressing? ›

In a large bowl, whisk together broth, soup, eggs, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper; stir in vegetable mixture. Crumble cornbread into broth mixture and stir until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake until center is set, 45 to 55 minutes.

What is the difference between cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

She notes that Northern cornbread is sweeter, lighter, and more cake-like than Southern cornbread. Not surprisingly, it includes sugar (or molasses, in the earlier centuries), unlike traditional Southern cornbread.

Is it OK to make cornbread dressing ahead of time? ›

A great make-ahead recipe: You can make this Thanksgiving side dish up to a day in advance, and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. The leftovers are good for up to 4 days so you can enjoy leftover cornbread dressing with your turkey leftovers the next day.

Is stove top stuffing the same as dressing? ›

"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

How do you keep cornbread dressing from getting gummy? ›

If your dressing doesn't turn out right, don't fret. You can usually fix it. If you find your stuffing is too dry, add additional warmed broth to it, stir well, and return to the oven, checking periodically. If the stuffing is overly wet and too gummy, cook it uncovered for a bit longer, checking periodically.

What is the difference between cornbread stuffing and cornbread dressing? ›

To understand the difference between the two, all you have to do is look at the cooking method. Stuffing is stuffed (literally) inside the cavity of the turkey, while dressing is roasted in a separate casserole dish.

Why do Southerners not put sugar in cornbread? ›

Sugar in the cornbread interferes with the flavor of the vegetables. Don't put sugar in your cornbread! Traditional cornbread isn't sweet, but many favorite recipes have sugar in them.

What is cornbread called in the South? ›

It is commonly called "cornbread" in the Southern United States and is not known by a different name in this region. Cornbread is a simple bread that is made by mixing cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and milk to form a batter, which is then baked in the oven.

Which makes better cornbread white or yellow cornmeal? ›

Southerners, on the other hand, tend to prefer white cornmeal. Many people believe that it is because, in the old South, families used white cornmeal as it more closely resembled “fancy” European wheat flour. In any case, today it remains a main component in traditional Southern buttermilk cornbread.

Why is my cornbread dressing mushy? ›

If your cornbread dressing is mushy, be sure you baked it in a wide enough pan. Plenty of surface area will help the top crisp and the bottom bake completely. Also, be sure you measured your ingredients properly and didn't add too much liquid.

Why is my cornbread dressing dry? ›

"A dry stuffing or dressing is usually dry after baking simply because the recipe lacked enough moisture or fat," confirms Bridget Lancaster, executive editorial director at America's Test Kitchen.

Can you leave cornbread out overnight for dressing? ›

Be sure to leave enough time — the cornbread needs to sit out overnight to harden slightly before you make the dressing.

Why is stove top stuffing banned in some countries? ›

Making stuffing with Kraft Stove Top Stuffing takes a mere five minutes. But the popular mix contains the preservatives BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), which have raised concerns due to suspicions of potential carcinogenic properties and their potential to hinder blood clotting.

What do Southerners call stuffing? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

What is the difference between stuffing and dressing black folks? ›

The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish, in which case it may still be called 'stuffing', or in some regions, such as the Southern US, 'dressing'. This is from Wiki. Basically, everyone except a tiny percentage of Black people with family in Alabama calls it stuffing.

What is cornbread dressing made of? ›

Add sautéed onion and celery to the crumbled cornbread. Stir in chicken stock, eggs, sage, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour dressing into the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until dressing just starts to turn golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Why is my cornbread dressing bland? ›

Avoid bland dressing by making sure to include plenty of onions, celery, and herbs in your recipe. Now is not the time to go easy with the sage, thyme, and pepper. The dressing should taste different from your cornbread.

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