Best Make Ahead Stuffing (Crisp Top, Soft Center)
This tried-and-true make-ahead stuffing bakes up golden and crisp on top, soft and savory inside. We walk you through bread choices (we use challah), delicious add-ins, and make-ahead tips so it’s stress-free on the big day. Keep it classic or add your own twists for crunch, sweetness, or smokiness.
What’s New (2025): We’ve modified our bread-drying instructions, added clearer broth tips so your stuffing isn’t too dry or soggy, more make-ahead options, and easy add-ins and variations.
What to expect
This is the homemade stuffing that shows up on our table every year – the same one my mom made, with just a few of my own tweaks. After 40+ years, it’s still the dish everyone asks for first at Thanksgiving.
At its core, it’s a classic: toasted bread cubes, onion, celery, broth, and savory seasonings like sage and thyme. From there, you can make it your own with add-ins. My family’s favorites? Chopped hot dogs for smokiness (they work!), water chestnuts for crunch, and apples for a hint of sweetness.
It’s simple, flexible, and guaranteed to be one of the best dishes on the table. Play around with the ingredients to suit your taste. I’ve shared plenty of substitution and variation ideas below.
Ingredient notes – tailored to your taste
- Toasted bread: Challah is our favorite – see substitutions for other options. No need for stale bread since you’ll be drying and toasting it in the oven. Avoid very soft sandwich bread – it can get mushy unless you toast or dry it really well.
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic.
- Broth: Chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth/stock all work well to moisten the stuffing.
- Celery: This is traditional for a classic stuffing
- Seasonings and herbs: Poultry seasoning brings classic stuffing flavor (a mix of sage, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg, and black pepper). Lots of chopped parsley for a pop of color and freshness.
Substitutions
- Bread: White bread, whole grain, French, or Italian bread all work well.
- Butter adds a delicious richness, but you can swap it for a neutral oil if you prefer.
- Seasonings: If you don’t have poultry seasoning, use a mix of dried herbs (see recipe notes). You can also add chili flakes for a touch of heat.
Variations
- Veggie add-ins: Water chestnuts for crunch (my fave), mushrooms for umami, red peppers for color.
- Eggs: Many recipes use eggs as a binder. We skip them and add extra broth for moistness. If you want a more custardy middle, whisk in a couple of eggs with the broth.
- Fruits: A diced apple (unpeeled) adds a hint of sweetness. Raisins or dried cranberries (about 1/2 cup/85 grams) work too.
- Smoky touch: My mom always added chopped hot dogs for a bit of smoky flavor, and so do I – quirky but it works! Sausage or veggie hot dogs make great substitutes.
- Vegetarian option: Use vegetable broth and omit hot dogs or use a plant-based hot dog.
- Texture tweak: Spread stuffing in a shallow pan for extra crispy edges, or bake in a deep dish for a softer center.
Step by step instructions
Tips
- Dry the bread in a low oven (250–300°F/121-149C until it’s crisp all the way through, about 20-30 minutes. This helps them soak up broth evenly and prevents a soggy stuffing. No need for stale bread when you do this step.
- Add broth gradually, tossing as you go. Bread should feel moist but not soggy – no liquid pooling. It will dry a bit more in the oven.
- I like to add a splash of turkey drippings before baking. Or dot the top with butter to create a lovely crispy crust.
- It’s best not to stuff the bird. Timing is tricky and the meat can easily overcook by the time the stuffing reaches a safe temperature.
- Cook add-ins such as mushrooms before baking (except apples and water chestnuts)
Shortcuts
- Bread cubes: Skip cutting and toasting – grab a bag of plain toasted bread cubes at your local grocery store (often sold around the holidays).
- Veggies: A food processor chops onions and celery in seconds. I do this all the time.
- Protein: Hot dogs work as a shortcut to sausage – they’re already cooked, so you get smoky flavor without the extra step.
- Garlic: Use frozen minced garlic cubes or the jarred kind to save peeling and chopping.
Make ahead and storage
- Prep ahead: Assemble the stuffing (unbaked) up to 2 days in advance. Keep it well covered in the fridge.
- Space saver tip: Transfer the unbaked mixture into zipper-lock bags to save fridge space. On baking day, just dump into a greased casserole dish.
- When to bake: Bake the stuffing while the turkey is resting before carving – perfect timing.
- Freezer option: Freeze unbaked stuffing up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed, adding a splash of broth if it looks dry.
- Leftovers: Refrigerate cooked stuffing for up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 325°F/163°C (15–20 minutes) or microwave until hot.
What to serve with stuffing
Stuffing isn’t just for turkey and Thanksgiving. It’s fabulous alongside:
- boneless roast pork with gravy,
- pork roast sous vide,
- cedar planked grilled whole chicken.
- And of course, sous vide turkey breast.
For a Thanksgiving holiday table, pair it with a few other traditional side dishes:
- mashed potatoes,
- 5 minute cranberry sauce,
- green beans with potatoes and bacon,
- green beans with panko crumbs.
Finally, don’t forget the gravy!
- Our make-ahead turkey gravy from scratch (a labor of love).
- Or, try our quicker 8-minute chicken gravy without drippings or
- Or the fastest 5-minute Better Than Bouillon gravy
Recipe FAQ
It really depends on where you are from. In the southern US, dressing is the term of choice. In the north, most of the rest of the US and Canada (where I am from), it’s called stuffing. Mostly, the terms are interchangeable, but technically, dressing is cooked inside the turkey and stuffing is cooked in a separate dish.
I always prefer to cook my stuffing separately. It gets nicely browned on top and the turkey doesn’t take as long to cook. When you stuff a turkey, the meat often overcooks while waiting for the stuffing to reach a safe temperature. If you do want to stuff your turkey, though, here is a great video from Fine Cooking on how to stuff a turkey. Do not stuff a turkey ahead of time for safety reasons.
Too dry: Drizzle in a bit more broth, tossing gently, and let it absorb before adding more.
Too wet (before baking): Mix in extra bread cubes to soak up liquid and adjust seasoning.
Too wet (after baking): Pop it back in the oven uncovered for a few more minutes to dry out.
Yes. Freeze unbaked stuffing up to 1 month ahead. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake as directed. Cooked stuffing can also be frozen, but the texture is best when frozen before baking.
Spread the stuffing in a shallow baking dish or even a sheet pan. More surface area = more golden, crunchy bits.
Other stuffing recipes (in 30 minutes)
- vegetable quinoa stuffing
- vegetarian stovetop stuffing
- chicken stuffing bake (one pot) – save time with a big shortcut if you have leftover make-ahead stuffing.
Check out these other delicious Thanksgiving side dishes – traditional, nontraditional, under 30 minutes or vegetarian.
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!
Best Make Ahead Stuffing
Ingredients
The Basics
- 16 slices bread, Note 1
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth, Note 2 (or more if needed)
Vegetable Mixture
- 1/2 cup butter – 1 stick (or neutral olive oil /canola oil)
- 1 large sweet onion (or 2 medium)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 stalks of celery
- 1 cup chopped red peppers and/or mushrooms (optional)
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoon ground poultry seasoning, Note 3 (or more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste (or more) depends on saltiness of broth used
Great optional add-ins (I use all)
- 8 ounces one small can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
- 2 hot dogs of cooked sausage any kind, cut into 1/2 inch/1.27 cm pieces adds a nice smoky flavor
- 1 apple, cored and chopped, skin on
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra butter or drippings from turkey or less if you prefer
Instructions
- PREPARE BREAD CUBES: Toast bread slices in 300F/149C oven for 20-30 minutes until crsip all the way through and nicely browned. Timing will depend on thickness of bread. Rip or cut toasted bread into 1/2 inch/1.27 cm pieces.
- PREPARE VEGETABLE MIXTURE: While bread is toasting, cut celery, onions and any other vegetables you are using into large chunks and place in food processor. You might need to do this in two batches. Process until finely chopped. (Alternatively, chop vegetables finely with a knife). Melt butter in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add vegetables, garlic and seasonings. Sauté until tender and most of the liquid from the veggies has evaporated, about 8-10 minutes.
- ASSEMBLE: Place bread cubes in large bowl. Add vegetable mixture, chestnuts, hot dogs (if using) and parsley. Add enough broth a bit at a time (allow time for bread to absorb broth) to moisten well. Stuffing should be quite moist but not mushy. Mix until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings. (I often add more poultry seasoning). If you're baking right away, mix in diced apple now. Note 5 to make ahead.
- BAKE: Heat oven to 350F/177C. Grease/spray with oil a large casserole dish or 9 x 13 pyrex dish. Spoon stuffing into prepared baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover, drizzle with turkey drippings or dot with butter if desired. Bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until lightly browned on top. Sprinkle baked stuffing with fresh herbs before serving. Alternative: add stuffing loosely into the turkey cavity before roasting turkey (not ahead of time). Here's a video on how to stuff a turkey. I think doing a separate stuffing casserole is the better option though.
Recipe Notes
- Bread options: Any kind of bread will work although I don’t like multigrain as much. Challah (my preferred choice), French bread, Italian bread, plain white, etc). Shortcut: Buy store bought toasted bread cubes, about 5-6 cups/~200 g)
- Broth options: Vegetable broth or stock.
- No poultry seasoning? Use ¾ tsp sage, ½ tsp thyme, ½ tsp marjoram (or oregano), ¼ tsp rosemary, plus a pinch of nutmeg and black pepper.
- Variations:
- Veggie add-ins: Water chestnuts for crunch (my fave), mushrooms for umami, red peppers for color.
- Eggs: If you want a more custardy middle, whisk in 2 eggs with the broth, then add to unbaked stuffing.
- Dried fruits: Add raisins or dried cranberries (about 1/2 cup/85 grams) work too.
- Vegetarian option: Use vegetable broth and omit hot dogs or use a plant-based hot dog.
- Texture tweak: Spread stuffing in a shallow pan for extra crispy edges, or bake in a deep dish for a softer center.
- Make ahead and store:
- Prepare unbaked stuffing up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate, covered. To save space, I put the stuffing in a ziploc bag. Freeze it for up to 1 month. Bake as directed (add a splash of broth if dry). Mix in diced apples (if using) just before you bake the stuffing.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in microwave or in a 325F/163C oven, covered.
Best stuffing ever! But I didn’t pulverize the veggies. I left them chunky.
So glad you liked it! I chop the veggies finely in the processor, but of course you can just dice them and cook them a bit longer. There is no right or wrong.
This looks and sounds amazing!! I can’t wait to try it this Thanksgiving!
It’s my favorite part of Thanksgiving 🙂 Hope you like it!
Using this for my stuffing recipe this year, making ahead and love the ziplock bag idea , love the ideas & herbs used , all A+ from me !!
I’ve been making the stuffing forever – in fact, I’ll be making it today ahead of TG as well. Hope you like it!
You mentioned garlic in the instructions but I don’t see it listed in ingredients how much do you use?
Sorry Sean. My mistake. You will need 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 3 teaspoons). I’ll add them to the list of ingredients. Thanks for the catch.