Cornbread Stuffing
This cornbread stuffing is classic, simple, and delicious! Tender cubes of cornbread, tossed with buttery sautéed onion, celery, sage, rosemary, and veggie broth, then baked until perfect … and I really do think this is the perfect cornbread stuffing!
This vegetarian cornbread stuffing is so easy to make, with a simple list of ingredients and not too much effort. It’s one of those easy cornbread stuffing recipes that you’ll want on the Thanksgiving table every year!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Cornbread Stuffing
How to Make Cornbread Stuffing
Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
The Story Behind the Recipe
I’ve been obsessed with the idea of cornbread stuffing for awhile, but I’d actually never tried it. How can that be?! I guess if no one around me was going to make it (woe is me), I was going to have to take care of business myself. Incoming cornbread stuffing situation!
It took me a few tries to make cornbread stuffing well. I wanted a vegetarian cornbread stuffing that accommodated multiple diets at the holiday table, something simple and classic yet still special and delicious.
My biggest problem was sogginess. It turns out that it is really easy to make a soggy cornbread stuffing, and less difficult to make one that is crisp on the top and still cornbread-y when you get to the bottom.
But! I cracked the code on cornbread dressing! I found that you absolutely have to do the following three things for perfect homemade stuffing with cornbread:
Dry your cornbread cubes in the oven beforehand.
Make a fairly thin layer of stuffing – no more than three cubes deep or so. It might be called “stuffing,” but don’t try to stuff it into a smaller pan!
The exact right amount of broth. You do NOT want bunch of broth in your cornbread stuffing situation. Too much broth = soggy.
Why You’ll Love This Cornbread Stuffing
This homemade stuffing with cornbread is vegetarian and easily vegan, yet pleases the carnivores, too. It’s a great flexible side dish that so many at the table can enjoy.
It’s herby, savory, goodness! This cornbread stuffing has a simple list of ingredients, but it’s so good!
And lastly, it’s really easy to make, with a short list of ingredients.
Ingredients
Cornbread – I have yet to come up with the perfect classic cornbread recipe, so until that happens, I go with a store-bought mix. Note that if you’re a vegetarian and you make your cornbread from a box mix, you’ll want to check the list of ingredients. Some cornbreads (like Jiffy) are made with lard. I like to make a chili like my vegetarian three-bean chili a couple of days before it’s cornbread stuffing time, and I can cut out a couple of squares of cornbread to serve with my chili and use the rest for stuffing. Win!
Butter – For sauteeing the veggies. If you’re vegan or dairy-free, feel free to use a vegan brand of butter or olive oil.
Onion, celery, & garlic – Just two simple veggies and aromatic garlic add classic stuffing flavor to this cornbread dressing.
Rosemary & sage – I love an herb stuffing situation, and fresh rosemary and sage bring those amazing stuffing flavors to the table.
Vegetable broth – Grab a low-sodium broth at the store or make your own homemade vegetable broth.
Adaptations/Variations
Dairy-free/vegan cornbread stuffing – This cornbread dressing is almost there already … all you need to do is make sure you have a vegan cornbread (this recipe looks great if you’re looking for homemade) – and swap out the butter for dairy-free butter or olive oil.
Add more veggies – Sauté mushrooms or carrots and add them to the stuffing equation. Some roasted butternut squash would be amazing, too.
How to Make Cornbread Stuffing
First, you’ll dry out your cornbread cubes. You can leave them out on the counter for a few days, but I find the most reliable and fastest method is to spread them on a large baking sheet and bake them at a low temp for 30-40 minutes.
Next, you’ll sauté your veggies and garlic in the butter. Add a bit of the veggie broth to deglaze.
Place the cornbread cubes in a bowl along with the veggie mix, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
Mix it together gently, then add the broth about 1/2 cup at a time JUST until the cornbread has soaked it up but there’s not a large pool of broth on the bottom of the bowl. A little is okay, a lot will give you soggy cornbread.
Spread it in your baking dish and bake until golden brown on top and heated through.
Beautiful!
Tips for Success
Dry your cornbread well – You want the cornbread cubes to be borderline crunchy.
Use the larger pan – You want a thin layer of cornbread stuffing or you risk the bottom of the stuffing turning soggy. So don’t do what I did and think, “oh, an 8×8 pan will totally work!” Because nope! It doesn’t.
Don’t use too much broth – That results in soggy cornbread.
I hope you love this cornbread stuffing recipe as much as we do! This is going to be a staple for us for this Thanksgiving and all the others, until the end of time.
Make-Ahead Tips
I still need to test freezing this recipe, and I’ll update this post as soon as I do. You can likely make this cornbread stuffing up to the point of baking it, seal it well and freeze, then thaw overnight in the fridge before baking it. However, I don’t want to say it is a for-sure homerun because I’m not sure if that extended time sitting before baking will make your cornbread dressing soggy.
What I *do* know will work well is to dry the cornbread cubes up to 5 days before making the stuffing. Sauté the veggies and herbs and place that mix in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days in advance. Then, when you’re ready to make your stuffing, mix it all together in a bowl, place it in your baking dish, and bake. It’ll be fast and easy.
More Stuffing Recipes
Wild Rice & Quinoa Gluten-Free Stuffing
Crock Pot Sourdough Herb Stuffing
Chanterelle & Caramelized Onion Mushroom Stuffing
Cornbread Stuffing
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition
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