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Whether you’re looking for the best garlic and herb stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or you just love stuffing and want to indulge in a tasty, homemade stuffing recipe, this one is perfect. Bread cubes combine with onion, celery and garlic, along with rosemary, thyme and sage, plus butter and chicken broth to make this a delicious side dish for turkey, chicken or anything else you want. This easy garlic herb stuffing has become my go-to—it’s so flavorful and comforting that I can’t imagine the holidays without it!
It’s always worth making extra stuffing. Not only is this garlic and herb stuffing perfect for your roasted turkey but it’s also amazing in turkey or chicken sandwiches.
In a turkey dinner kind of mood? You might also like this sheet pan turkey dinner, leftover turkey fried rice, or leftover turkey stroganoff.
Why You’ll Love It
Simple to prepare: Whipping up your own stuffing recipe isn’t any harder than making up a boxed stuffing mix. And it’s so worth it!
Tastes so fresh: Fresh vegetables and fresh herbs help ensure this stuffing has an incredibly fresh flavor.
A versatile side dish: Pair it with chicken or turkey, enjoy it in sandwiches or try it as a deliciously different side with steak or pork.
Classic Herb Butter Stuffing Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Bread: Chopped into 1-inch cubes and toasted, air dried or stale.
Vegetables: Onion, celery and garlic, for those wonderful flavors that are so good in homemade stuffing.
Fresh herbs: Fresh thyme, fresh rosemary and fresh sage are aromatic, bold-tasting herbs.
Chicken broth: To add both moisture and flavor.
How to Make the Best Stuffing Recipe
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Sauté the vegetables: Melt the butter in a large skillet, add the onions and celery and sauté over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook a little more. Take the skillet off the heat and let the onion celery mixture cool.
Add the bread cubes and broth: Put the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl with the sauteed vegetables, kosher salt and pepper, and herbs. Add the broth, bit by bit, tossing to moisten all the bread cubes.
Bake the stuffing: Grease a baking dish or casserole dish. Transfer the stuffing mixture into the prepared baking dish, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Discard the foil, add more butter to the exposed tips of the bread cubes and bake until golden brown and crispy. Serve this classic stuffing recipe hot, garnished with fresh parsley or other herbs if liked.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free bread and gluten-free chicken broth.
Vegetarian version: You can use chicken or vegetable stock or broth, as preferred.
Bread: Use bakery-style crusty bread, Italian bread, sourdough bread, French bread or any other kind you prefer (or a mixture of more than one kind). Cut it into larger cubes if you like bigger chunks of bread in your stuffing for Thanksgiving.
Make the stuffing fluffier: Whisk 2 eggs into the broth before adding it. You might need another 10 to 20 minutes baking time if doing this.
Fresh herbs: Sub dried herbs instead.
Unsalted butter: Use salted butter instead and slightly decrease how much salt you add to the stuffing recipe.
Serving Suggestions
With your Thanksgiving dinner: Pair it with your Thanksgiving ham and turkey.
In turkey or chicken sandwiches: This stuffing is so good in Thanksgiving leftovers sandwiches, or these hot turkey sandwiches.
As a side to other meats: Try it with pork chops or an Italian steak.
How to Store Thanksgiving Herb Stuffing
Store: Let leftovers cool and then keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze this stuffing uncooked, after combining all the ingredients. I like to shape it into balls, freeze them on a tray and then put them in a freezer bag. You can also freeze cooked stuffing in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight or reheat from frozen.
Reheat: You can reheat it from frozen at 350°F in a foil-covered dish for up to an hour or until hot. Crisp it up for 10 to 15 minutes without the foil and serve.
Top Tips
Don’t use too much broth: The bread cubes need to be moistened only, not submerged. You might not need all the broth.
Check it’s done: The stuffing is done when it’s 165°F in the middle. Check it using a digital thermometer.
Use dried bread cubes: Use toasted bread or air dried bread (you need 13 cups of dried bread which should be around 15 cups of fresh depending on the type of bread used). Stale bread works too.
Buttery Herb Stuffing FAQs
Cut fresh bread into 1-inch cubes and air dry on the counter overnight or for a day or so. Alternatively, cut it into cubes and bake in a single layer at 275°F for 25 minutes or until toasted, stirring halfway through. To skip the drying and toasting, simply use stale bread which is already dry enough.
Yes, you can make it up to 24 hours ahead. Follow all the steps until the part where you bake it and then keep the stuffing in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let it warm up to room temperature for half an hour before transferring the mixture into a greased baking dish and baking.
Our Favorite Buttery Herb Stuffing Recipe
Garlic and Herb Stuffing
Equipment
- Baking Sheet if Toasting Bread Cubes
- Baking Dish 9 x 13-Inch
Ingredients
- 1½ Loaves bread, stale, air-dried or toasted and cut into 1-inch cubes (should make 13 cups)
- 2 Tablespoon fresh sage, minced (or ½ Teaspoons dried)
- 2 Tablespoon fresh thyme, minced (or ½ Teaspoons dried)
- 2 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced (or ½ Teaspoons dried)
- 1 Cup unsalted butter
- 1 onion, larg, diced
- 5 Ribs celery, diced
- 6 to 8 Cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Cups chicken broth, more as needed
- melted butter, or oil, for greasing
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- parsley, or herbs freshly chopped for optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Melt 1½ sticks of the butter in a skillet over a medium heat and then add the onions and celery.
- Sauté for 5 to 8 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute or 2 until fragrant.
- Take the skillet off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Add the cooled vegetables and bread to a large mixing bowl. Add the minced herbs, salt and pepper.
- Mix well to combine.
- Pour in half the broth, ensuring it drizzles over the bread, and mix with a spatula, wooden spoon or your hands.
- Add more of the broth, a bit at a time, tossing the bread cubes to moisten them all. Stop adding broth when the bread is moist (don’t make it too wet).
- Now put the bread mixture into your greased baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and dab the rest of the melted butter over the bread tops.
- Bake uncovered for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the tops of the bread cubes are golden and crispy.
- Sprinkle over fresh herbs if liked and serve alongside roasted chicken or turkey, or with steak or another meat.
Notes
Check it’s done: The stuffing is done when it’s 165°F in the middle. Check it using a digital thermometer.
Use dried bread cubes: Use toasted bread or air dried bread (you need 13 cups of dried bread which should be around 15 cups of fresh depending on the type of bread used). Stale bread works too.
Nutrition
This gorgeous garlic and herb stuffing is a mixture of melted butter, fresh bread, fresh sage, thyme and rosemary, vegetables and chicken or vegetable broth. It’s an easy stuffing recipe with the best savory flavors that’s just perfect as a Thanksgiving stuffing or you can make this stuffing recipe anytime. Make extra – leftover stuffing is also delicious so I usually double this recipe.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This is hands down the best stuffing I’ve ever made or had!
So great to hear you liked it! Is so easy to make, too.