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Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing

G By Our Grannies' Kitchen Updated Jul 2026 4.9 (118 ratings)
Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing
Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing
4.9 / 5
10 servings

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Ingredients

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  • 700 g cornbread, baked a day ahead & dried
  • 4 slices day-old white bread, torn
  • 7 tablespoons (100 g) butter
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 4 sticks celery, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage (or 2 tsp dried)
  • 1 tsp thyme & 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 4 ⅛ cups (1000 ml) hot chicken or turkey stock
  • Salt & plenty of black pepper

Method

  1. Dry the breads. Bake the cornbread a day ahead and leave it out overnight. Crumble it into a huge bowl with the torn white bread.
  2. Soften. Oven to 350°F (180°C, fan 160°C). Cook the onion and celery gently in the butter 10 minutes, then stir in the sage, thyme and poultry seasoning.
  3. Mix it WET. Tip the buttery veg over the bread. Stir in the eggs, then add hot stock a ladle at a time until the dressing is very loose — almost soupy. Season well. Too wet is right.
  4. Bake. Into a buttered 23×33 cm dish. Foil-covered 25 minutes, then uncovered 20 more — set and golden on top, moist inside.
  5. Rest. Ten minutes, then to the table with the turkey and plenty of gravy.
Granny's tip

Make the cornbread plain and unsweetened — this is a savory, sage-forward dish, and sweet cornbread throws the whole plate off.

Tips for moist, golden dressing

Day-old cornbread

Bake it ahead and let it dry. Fresh cornbread turns the dressing to paste.

Too wet is right

The mix should look almost soupy before baking — dry cornbread drinks it all up.

Don't overbake

Golden top, moist middle. Bake it firm and it dries out — pull it while it still gives.

Questions, answered

What's the difference between dressing and stuffing?

Mostly the name and where it cooks. Dressing bakes in a separate dish (golden top, crisp edges); stuffing cooks inside the bird. In the South it's almost always cornbread dressing, baked alongside.

Why is my cornbread dressing dry?

Not enough stock. It should look far too wet — almost soupy — before baking, because dry cornbread drinks a surprising amount. Add stock until loose, and don't overbake.

Can I make cornbread dressing ahead?

Yes — assemble a day ahead (eggs and stock in), cover, refrigerate, and bake on the day, adding ~10 minutes from cold. Always bake the cornbread itself a day or two before.

Should cornbread dressing be sweet or savory?

Savory — heavy on sage, onion and celery, with a plain unsweetened cornbread. Save the sweetness for dessert.

From Granny's Pantry

The know-how behind this recipe:

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