Traditional Herb Stuffing is very easy to make and filled with fresh, flavorful herbs. It’ll be a hit on any Thanksgiving table!
Herb Stuffing Recipe
Thanksgiving is next week.
Let’s read that again & let it sink in because I just couldn’t believe the calendar.
Thanksgiving is next week.
I typically leave the stuffing to my husband, who usually makes a jazzed up version of the classic box recipe, but this year, we’re going from scratch.
If you want to try a new stuffing recipe for your Thanksgiving table, I’ve got just the recipe for you. This homemade Traditional Herb Stuffing is so good and really easy.
Your guests will be impressed and your bellies will be happy.
If you need more oven space, try my slow cooker stuffing.
Why this is the best turkey stuffing
- Easy Recipe – It’s a great way to use up stale bread.
- Family Favorite – Once you try making stuffing from scratch, you won’t want the shortcut boxed version.
- Perfect for holidays – Not just for Thanksgiving, this is a staple for Christmas, Easter, any holidays or special dinner.
Helpful Tools
- 9 x 13 baking dish – I love that this one has a lid for easily storing leftovers (if there are any!) or transporting to another house.
- A good set of knives – A good knife for chopping the bread & onion.
- Herb Stripping Comb – you use a lot of fresh herbs in this dish & an herb stripper will come in handy
What’s in stuffing?
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Dinner Rolls – I like to use Rhodes frozen dinner rolls. You’ll have to bake them first. Any dried/stale bread will work, like my one hour dinner rolls.
- Butter – Use salted in this case.
- Onion – I like to use a yellow onion because it has a mild flavor.
- Celery
- Fresh Parsley
- Fresh Sage
- Fresh Rosemary
- Fresh Thyme
- Chicken or Vegetable Stock – You could easily make this dish vegetarian if you use vegetable stock.
- Eggs – Two large eggs will act as a binding agent.
What is stuffing made of?
To make this herb stuffing, you’ll need dried bread, butter, onion, celery, fresh herbs, eggs, and chicken or vegetable stock.
Herbs for Stuffing 🌿
If possible, use fresh herbs. Dried herbs are more potent than fresh so keep that in mind if using dried.
The herbs I like to include in my stuffing are:
- Parsley – fresh parsley has a clean, almost peppery taste.
- Sage – also slightly peppery, fresh sage has hints of lemon & mint.
- Rosemary – a little goes a long way with rosemary because it has a strong smell and taste. It also has peppery, minty, sage-like flavor.
- Thyme – thyme is a great balance between savory and sweet, floral and woodsy, minty and earthy.
How much liquid do you put in stuffing?
The bread crumbs in stuffing should be moist, but not dry, and not wet. In this herb stuffing recipe, we use 1.5 cups of either chicken or vegetable stock.
Is it ok to prepare stuffing the night before?
Thanksgiving is known for being a busy kitchen day so it helps to prep what you can the night before. Prepare and bake it the day before then just warm it up for the big meal.
Should you put egg in your stuffing?
The egg acts as a binder in this stuffing recipe to hold everything together. I’ve never tried to make it without egg.
Should stuffing be moist before baking?
Yes, your stuffing should be moist before baking, but not wet! Too much liquid and it will be soggy. Not enough and it will be dry. 1.5 cups of liquid works perfectly in this recipe.
Is stuffing unhealthy?
Stuffing isn’t exactly health food, but it’s also not the worst thing on the table. It’s carb loaded with the bread, but you need carbs for energy!
Can I use a loaf of bread?
Yes! If you want to use a loaf of bread instead of rolls, that will work as well. One French loaf should be about 10 cups of chopped cubes.
What to serve with it
Serve this Traditional Herb Stuffing for Thanksgiving along with Slow Cooker Turkey Breast, Cheesy Asparagus Puffs and Pretzel Turkeys.
Then, if you have leftovers, turn this stuffing into air fryer turkey & stuffing egg rolls!
More favorite side dishes for your Thanksgiving table
- Mini Sweet Potato Pies
- Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole (without canned soup!)
- Butterscotch Bundt Cake
- Roasted Zucchini
- Quick & Easy Wheat Rolls
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Homemade Brown Gravy
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Classic Cranberry Sauce
- Turkey & Stuffing Egg Rolls – for the leftovers!
Traditional Herb Stuffing
Video
Ingredients
- 12-13 dinner rolls (or 1 French loaf) cut into 1" pieces – about 10 cups
- ¾ cup butter salted
- 1 large onion about 2.5 cups, chopped
- 4 stalks celery about 1.5 cups, chopped
- ½ cup parsley chopped
- 2 Tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- 1 Tablespoon rosemary chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1.5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
To prepare the bread crumbs
- Arrange bread cubes on baking sheets. Bake at 250° F for about 60 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.12-13 dinner rolls (or 1 French loaf)
To make the stuffing
- Preheat oven to 350° F and spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, add the onions and celery and saute until soft, about 10 minutes.¾ cup butter, 1 large onion, 4 stalks celery
- In a large mixing bowl, toss sauteed vegetables with bread cubes. Add parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and toss again.½ cup parsley, 2 Tablespoons fresh sage, 1 Tablespoon rosemary, 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper
- In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth and eggs. Add to the bread cube mixture and toss until well combined.1.5 cups chicken stock, 2 large eggs
- Pour bread cube mixture into the prepared pan and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, and bake another 20 minutes or until crisp.
Notes
- Egg: Acts as a binder to hold everything together—recommended for best texture.
- Moisture: Stuffing should be moist, but not soggy. Too much liquid will make it wet, not enough will make it dry.
- Liquid Amount: Use 1.5 cups of chicken or vegetable stock for perfect moisture.
- Parsley: Fresh, clean, slightly peppery flavor.
- Sage: Peppery with hints of lemon and mint.
- Rosemary: Strong flavor, minty and sage-like, use sparingly.
- Thyme: Balanced, with a mix of savory, sweet, floral, and earthy notes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
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If you made this recipe, I’d love to know how it went in the comments section below.
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The combination of spices and vegetables in this was delicious! The one thing I changed though is I swapped the dinner rolls out for a loaf of sourdough bread just to give it that extra punch. It was fantastic and will definitely become a yearly Thanksgiving staple for my family!!
Oooh, great idea with the sourdough – I’ll have to try that.
How many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Nicole – it will depend on how generous your servings are, but it makes about 12 one cup servings.
Hi can this be made ahead of time?
Hi 🙂 yes, I usually make it the day before. If you’re doing a few days before, I would freeze it.
I would like to swap out the rolls for a loaf of French bread, do you know how many cups of the bread you use? I want to have the correct liquid ratio
One loaf should be equal to 12-13 rolls….about 10 cups.
Hi! Just wondering how you go about reheating this if you pre-make it a day before to make it seem fresh from the oven?
I would put it in the oven on low (300ish°) to heat through.
I make my stuffing as you do only I mix in mashed potatoes in to help keep it moist.this is common in Atlantic Canada. I also use salt and pepper and summer savoury .
I never heard of the mashed potatoes trick – thanks for sharing!
Hi! I got the Rhodes bread rolls. Your directions say to bake for 60 mins at 260° but the bag says to bake for 13 minutes at 350…
Do I prepare them per the bag directions and then bake them for an additional hour?
Hi, yes, you take the prepared rolls & bake them for an hour (you’re essentially just drying them out).
Just wondering how you got 1h 10 min total time when there are 1h 50 min just in baking time for this recipe?
It was auto-calculated & didn’t include the drying out of the bread. I just updated it.
This was yummy. I used stale / toasted white bread. I put 1/2 inside my bird and the rest in 8×8 pan. The herbs ratio was I needed most, this was spot on! I prefer them fresh and I will say, it makes it so much better. Thank you!
Happy to hear that!
This was delicious using whatever breads I found cleaning out the freezer – some brioche, some roles and even some cornbread I had made a few nights before. I added about 6-7 oz. of chicken sausage to it. My caterer friend even commented on how good it was, claiming that she was a “stuffing snob” and she really loved it! It was just about gone at our multi-family Christmas dinner. Thanks!
I love that! Thanks, Julie 🙂
hi! i made this the other week for a friendsgiving and it turned out great! a friend who usually doesn’t like stuffing even said it was amazing and asked for the recipe! i wanna make it again this week but was wondering if it can be altered to be vegan for my sister and friends? i can substitute the butter with a vegan one, but was wondering what to do about the egg, can i just omit it?
Happy to hear that! I’d do vegan butter, vegetable broth, and probably aquafaba (chickpea juice) for the egg. It helps bind it all together. Let me know if you try!
Is it possible to make this in advance and freeze it until needed.
Yes, that should work fine.
Delicious! I love this combination of fresh herbs. I used ciabatta bread, and made it a little healthier by decreasing the butter to 1/2 cup and adding some chopped red pepper and mushrooms along with the onion and celery.
Oooh ciabatta 😍
I used a French loaf but only got about 8 cups of cubed bread in the end. I panicked and threw 3 slices of bread in the oven to add in lol. Hopefully this all works out, it’s in the oven now!
ha, I hope it worked out! I made a batch on Wednesday that looked perfect but then it got left in the oven too long yesterday for reheating – it wasn’t pretty.
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving this year and it was a major hit! I used white bread that I had set out to dry all night long. I will be making this again, FOR SURE! Perfect flavors for Thanksgiving, thank you, Melissa!!!
So happy to hear that! You’re welcome 🙂