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This Southern-inspired Cornbread Dressing is made with homemade sweet cornbread, mild Italian sausage, sautéed vegetables, and fresh herbs. Buttery, savory, and perfectly moist, it’s one of my must-have holiday side dishes and a unanimous family-favorite.
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This cornbread dressing is the absolute best part of the holiday season. Yes, even better than presents and pie! To make it, toasted cubes of buttery cornbread are mixed with savory Italian sausage and sautéed vegetables before being baked together in one casserole dish. It’s super easy to put together and can be made with or without Italian sausage, and any variety of cornbread including my classic cornbread recipe, sweet cornbread, or even sweet potato cornbread.
Recipe Summary
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Servings: 8
- Special Diets: Nut-free; easily made gluten-free with gluten-free cornbread
- Best For: Thanksgiving, Christmas, holiday potlucks, or comforting Sunday dinners
- Customizations: Add nuts or fruit for texture and sweetness
- Make-Ahead: Assemble a day in advance and bake fresh before serving
Key Ingredients
- Cornbread, of course! Cornbread provides a rich, slightly sweet flavor and tender, crumbly texture. Use your favorite store-bought or homemade cornbread recipe. I like to include my sweet cornbread recipe whenever I include Italian sausage to help balance the savory flavors.
- Italian Sausage: Adds savory flavor and richness. Mild sausage complements the sweetness of the cornbread, but you can use spicy sausage or omit it entirely for a vegetarian version.
- Butter: Aside from the cornbread, butter is the most important ingredient in this dressing recipe. It adds moisture and flavor and helps the top bake up golden and crisp.
- Aromatics (Onion, Celery, and Garlic): These veggies add sweetness, texture, and balance to the cornbread and sausage.
- Chicken Broth: Keeps the dressing moist and flavorful. Use low-sodium broth to better control the salt level.
- Eggs: Helps bind the dressing together, creating a soft, moist center.
- Fresh Herbs (Sage, Thyme, and Parsley): Bring brightness and holiday aroma to every bite. These herbs are what make cornbread dressing taste and smell like Thanksgiving.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the end of this post for a complete list of ingredients and printable recipe.
How to Make Cornbread Dressing
- Toast the cornbread: Arrange the cubed cornbread in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
- Bake until lightly crisp: Toast in a 300°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden and dry around the edges.
- Brown the sausage and vegetables: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the Italian sausage until it begins to brown. Add the chopped onion and celery.
- Add the butter, garlic, and herbs. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and the butter is melted.
- Cook: Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through.
- Add the chicken broth: Bring to a gentle simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.
- Stir in the eggs: Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for one minute before stirring in the whisked eggs.
- Combine: Reserve ½ cup of the cornbread cubes and gently fold the rest into a large bowl with the sausage. Mix well until combined.
- Transfer to a baking dish: Spread the dressing evenly in a greased casserole dish and top with the reserved ½ cup of cornbread cubes.. Cover with foil.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, covered. Remove the foil and bake another 5 to 10 minutes until the top is golden and crisp.
Holiday Prep Made Easy
3 Ways to Make COrnbread Dressing Ahead-of-Time
Bake the Cornbread: You can bake the cornbread up to two days ahead so that it’s ready to go. Let it cool completely, then slice or crumble into cubes and store in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also toast the cubes a day before assembling to save time.
Assemble and Refrigerate Overnight: Prepare the full recipe through mixing, then transfer the unbaked dressing to a greased casserole dish. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Before baking, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, then bake until heated through and golden on top.
Freeze for Later: Assemble the dressing, wrap tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, uncover, and bake as directed, adding 10 to 15 extra minutes if needed.
Flavorful Variations
- Without sausage: Skip the sausage and replace it with an extra tablespoon of butter for a vegetarian version of this recipe. You can also add sautéed mushrooms for texture and earthy flavor.
- With bacon or ham: Add chopped cooked bacon or diced ham for a smoky, savory twist. Fold them in just before baking to keep the pieces crisp.
- With fruit or nuts: For a touch of sweetness and texture, mix in diced apples, dried cranberries, or chopped pecans. These pair especially well with the cornbread’s natural sweetness.
- Spice it up: Use hot Italian sausage or add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to give the dressing a gentle kick.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main difference is how they’re cooked. Stuffing is traditionally cooked inside the turkey or another roast, where it absorbs flavorful drippings from the meat. Dressing, on the other hand, is baked separately in a casserole dish, resulting in a slightly drier, crispier texture on top.
Cornbread dressing has a tender, crumbly texture, while traditional bread-based dressing is more custardy and elastic. According to Serious Eats, this difference comes down to gluten. Wheat bread contains gluten, which gives it structure and allows liquid to soak in and set into a pudding-like consistency. Cornbread, by contrast, has little to no gluten and more fat, so it stays crumbly even when moistened with broth and eggs.
Yes. Freshly baked cornbread can be used, but for best results, let it cool completely and lightly toast the cubes in the oven before assembling. It does not need to be fully dehydrated, but a quick toasting will help provide structure without drying it out too much.
Yes. Allow the dressing to cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat covered in a 350°F oven until warmed through. Add a splash of chicken broth before baking to restore moisture if needed.
Storing Leftovers
Storage: Allow leftovers to cool to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container. Place in the refrigerator and store for up to 4 days.
Reheating: For best results, reheat in an oven set to 350°F (175°C) until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). To prevent it from drying out, cover with aluminum foil. You may also reheat smaller portions in the microwave until heated through.
Tip: If the cornbread dressing seems dry, try adding a splash of broth or a pat of butter midway through reheating.
More Holiday SIdes
If you make this cornbread dressing, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and a star rating below, your feedback helps other readers discover (and enjoy) this recipe too. Thank you so much! 💛
Cornbread Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 cups sweet cornbread, chopped into 1-inch cubes (see notes)
- 16 ounces mild Italian sausage, or breakfast sausage, ground (see notes)
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 white onion, diced
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 2½ cups chicken broth, or chicken stock
- 3 large eggs, brought to room temperature and whisked together
Instructions
- One to two days before: Prepare and bake enough cornbread to give approximately 12 cups of cubed cornbread. I always double the recipe and make a double batch.
- Preheat oven to 300℉ and grease a large 9×13-inch baking or casserole dish.
- Layer the corn bread cubes onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or until they are crusty and dried out. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees f.
- In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, brown the sausage, breaking it apart into smaller pieces as it cooks.
- Once browned, stir in the diced celery and onion. Sauté until the vegetables are tender and the sausage is fully cooked, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the butter, garlic, parsley, sage, thyme, salt, and black pepper, and cook for another minute.
- Increase the heat to high and stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to medium-low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for one minute before stirring in the whisked eggs.
- Reserve ½ cup of the cornbread cubes and gently toss the rest into a large bowl with the sausage. Mix well until combined.
- Spread the dressing out into the prepared baking dish. Top with the reserved ½ cup of cornbread cubes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cornbread: I like to make this recipe using my sweet homemade cornbread. If you prefer a less sweet, southern-style cornbread, try making it with my easy cornbread recipe. Both recipes include buttermilk so you get that rich, buttery, tender cornbread we’ve all come to love. You may also make it with boxed cornbread, such as Jiffy.
- Sausage: The addition of sausage is completely optional. If you prefer a more traditional southern cornbread dressing, feel free to omit the sausage from the recipe.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs add brightness, but dried herbs can be substituted using one-third the amount. You can also substitute using approximately 2-3 teaspoons of my homemade poultry seasoning.
- Moisture: The dressing should be moist but not soggy. If it looks dry before baking, add a splash of broth.
- Make-Ahead: The cornbread can be made up to two days in advance, or you can assemble the entire casserole up to 24 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I dont use cream cheese our sour cream or yogurt is milk enough?
I have not made it that way before, you can give it a try and let me know ๐
My family finished the entire dish, and asked me to make it again. This will for sure be on rotation!
This cornbread dressing was delicious with Turkey breast!