It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without Homemade Cornbread Dressing. Here in the deep south, we just call it Dressing, it is understood to be made with cornbread.
Cornbread Dressing begins with Homemade Cornbread. During Thanksgiving week I start making cornbread early in the week or the week before because it freezes well.
I use my Mom’s recipe and I don’t measure because I have been cooking for many years but I have created a printable recipe you can use with all of the measurements and you will find it as you continue through this post.
The base ingredients are the same, Cornbread and Chicken broth, although different cooks use differing quantities and maybe a couple of bold Southern cooks may add something most of us would balk at.
I worked as a manager at a Home Cooking restaurant we refer to as a ‘meat and two’ place which means we sold One meat and two vegetables for lunch and dinner. Our cornbread dressing was super popular as were our Candied Yams. One thing we did to our dressing that some cooks also do is add leftover biscuits into the cornbread.
At our house, all the guest bring their own to-go plates on Thanksgiving so they can take dressing and other scrumptious Thanksgiving food home with them.
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MAKE THESE HOMEMADE INGREDIENTS A DAY OF SO BEFORE MAKING THE DRESSING
Start by making your Homemade Cornbread a few days in advance. Cornbread freezes well. Just wrap it in foil and write the name and date on the outside. Thaw on the counter for several hours before you are ready to use it. Here is my cornbread recipe.
You can crumb the cornbread by hand or use a food processor like this one (affiliate) which makes the job so much easier and quicker.
Go here for my Homemade Chicken Broth recipe. Learning to make your own homemade chicken broth is a valuable asset to your family. You can use your homemade broth is so many different recipes and you get to control the amount of salt or other ingredients added. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight, skim the fat off the top in the morning and you have fat free broth! There are many benefits to making your own chicken broth.
HOW TO MAKE CORNBREAD DRESSING FROM SCRATCH
See the video below but let me tell you about it first! I threw the camera up as a last minute thought when I was getting ready to mix up the dressing on Thanksgiving morning. I am making a whole lot of Cornbread Dressing for the crowd we host on Thanksgiving but I always send Dressing home with folks so I make extra for that purpose.
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Please watch the video to see how I mix in the ingredients and measure the chicken broth and be sure to give us a Thumbs on on this video on You Tube!
My dressing goes in the oven soupy but it’s tender and moist when done. Personally I do not like dressing which is the consistency of gingerbread or that you can slice like bread.
Print or Download our Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe below
Thanksgiving in the south means Cornbread Dressing which is a favorite for all. Preheat oven to 375° Crumble the cornbread into a very large bowl or roasting pan. In a skillet, melt the butter. Cook the chopped celery and minced onion in the melted butter until tender. Add the celery and onion to the cornbread. Add all remaining ingredients except the broth and stir well to blend. Add broth 1 cup at a time stirring after each until you get your desired consistency. Mixture should be slightly soupy. Pour into baking pan and Bake for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour until golden brown. Outer edges should be firm and a toothpick inserted in center comes out dry. Serve and enjoy! See our Video on How To Make Dressing to see the desired consistency we reach. This nutrition information is not accurate based on uncontrollable circumstances in home kitchens. 
How To Make Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yield
12
Serving Size
1/2 Cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 485Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 131mgSodium 2466mgCarbohydrates 57gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 16g
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IssaIndy says
Mine turned out kind of runny for some reason. I followed every step in recipe. I’ve stirred it up and going to let it sit in oven for a little while longer. Help!
Kim says
Do you use raw eggs in the recipe
Brooke says
How many pans of your cornbread recipe do you use for the dressing?
Shirley says
6 cups of cornbread
Renew Your Space says
It’s great to have dishes to make ahead of time – anything to save time is on my agenda 🙂 I’ll be doing cornbread stuffing, but using my mother-in-law’s technique – with oysters! Sounds gross, but it really makes the stuffing moist and tasty 😀 ~Renee
Shirley Wood says
Now, I’m going to be honest, I have never heard of putting oysters in the dressing! You need to post that recipe, Renee.
Missy Homemaker says
Excellent recipes! Such a smart idea to do as much as you can ahead of time.
Shirley Wood says
Thanks Missy. I have worked in my kitchen this week! I will be thankful for it all the day before Thanksgiving when the real cooking begins!
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai says
Awesome again! I love the make ahead ideas. It will definitely save on the last minute stress. Pinned! 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Shirley Wood says
I have been in my kitchen most of this day making the Cornbread, Chicken broth and the Chicken & Biscuit Dumplings and I am tired! I am so glad to have some of the work completed before the big cooking day! I will be updating the Chicken & Biscuit Dumpling post with pictures soon.
Amanda Smith says
I have never had cornbread dressing, but have been wanting to try it. I would have never thought about Freezing leftover cornbread. There are only three of us, so we often have leftovers. I could Freeze them a couple times and then I will try making it. Thank You!
Shirley Wood says
Let me know what you think when you make it! Normally baking is an exact science but not so much with Cornbread dressing, you can tweak the ingredients to suit your families taste.
Kristen from The Road to Domestication says
I am LOVING this whole “make-ahead” series!!! What a fantastic idea!!!
Shirley Wood says
Thank you, Kristen. I’m actually making one of the recipes today that you featured in your Tastiest Thanksgiving Ever series. My husband and I want to try the Cranberry Relish, not for Make Ahead but just for us 🙂