Turkey Dressing Recipe

Turkey dressing in a white casserole dish with a serving spoon.

This Turkey Dressing Recipe is the ultimate holiday side! It's a golden, buttery, herb-packed crowd-pleaser! With sautéed onions, celery, and fragrant herbs mixed into crisp bread cubes and baked to perfection, it’s the cozy, flavorful companion every turkey dinner deserves.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 55

Resting Time 10

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings

Calories 303

Author Kim

Ingredients

For the dressing

1 loaf bread or 2 baguettes (about 21 ounces and 10-12 cups)*
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing baking dish)
1 cup onion finely diced
2 medium stalks celery finely diced
2 teaspoons garlic minced
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
½ teaspoon marjoram leaves
3 ½ - 4 cups turkey stock, chicken stock or broth
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1 loaf bread or 2 baguettes (about 21 ounces and 10-12 cups)* should be stale. Either leave out overnight or place cubes in the oven at 300ºF, tossing on the baking sheet occasionally until they are crisp or about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Butter a 9x13-inch (2-3 quart) casserole dish; set aside.
Melt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced 1 cup onion and 2 medium stalks celery and sauté for about 8 to 10 minutes and until tender. Add the minced 2 teaspoons garlic, ¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves, 1 teaspoon ground sage, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves and ½ teaspoon marjoram leaves; cook for 1 minute more. Remove skillet from heat. Transfer to a very large mixing bowl.
Place bread cubes in the bowl with the onion mixture. Add 2 large eggs, 3 ½ - 4 cups turkey stock, chicken stock or broth, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper to the bowl. Stir well to completely coat the bread and combine all ingredients. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

*Many different types of bread can be used for stuffing. My bread of choice is usually bakery sliced bread, French bread, or sourdough bread. Sandwich bread will also work fine.

**Make-Ahead: The stuffing can be prepared in the baking dish in advance. Cover it with foil or plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. When you’re ready to bake, remove stuffing from fridge and place it on the counter for about 30 minutes, to take away some of the chill. Cover with foil and follow baking instructions.

The recipe was originally published November 21, 2018. It was republished with helpful tips and new photos on November 6, 2025. At that time my gravy recipe was also in the recipe card. Here is my gravy recipe.

Nutrition