The Best Thanksgiving Dressing Recipes For Your Holiday Menu

Whether you call it dressing or stuffing, no holiday meal is complete without this essential turkey side dish.

Cornbread Dressing
Photo: Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

Dressing made from scratch is a quintessential Thanksgiving side dish. Alongside the steamy heap of slow-cooked greens, cheesy mac and cheese, and sweet-and-tangy cranberry sauce lives a spoonful (or two) of the most delicious Thanksgiving dressing. A special treat most enjoyed on this holiday, Thanksgiving dressing is the perfect buffer for all the other side dishes on the plate.

The best Thanksgiving dressing recipe starts with a solid bread foundation, no matter what variation of the recipe is made. Bring family and friends together over some of our favorite Thanksgiving dressing and stuffing recipes and watch it all disappear.

01 of 18

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Southern Cornbread Dressing
Photographer: Brittany Conerly; Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin

Complete with homemade cornbread crumbles, this recipe will be passed down in the family for years to come. This recipe serves 14 to 16, so there's sure to be plenty to serve the whole family and maybe even some leftovers.

02 of 18

Aunt Grace's Famous Cornbread Dressing

Aunt Grace's Famous Cornbread Dressing
Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Made with four different types of bread, this dressing will be the star of the show on your Thanksgiving table. The secret to the best dressing, as noted in this recipe, is to start the prep work two days in advance.

03 of 18

Lacey's Cornbread Dressing

Lacey Chabert's Cornbread Dressing

Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell

Actress Lacey Chabert shares her family's recipe from cornbread dressing which was originally made by her great-grandmother. Though she can make it from memory, she finally got it down on paper so she could keep the recipe alive.

04 of 18

Classic Cornbread Dressing

Classic Cornbread Dressing
Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

This classic recipe calls for homemade cornbread. That might sound like a lot of effort, but it is totally worth it. You can also make the cornbread up to two days in advance.

05 of 18

Herbed Wild Rice Dressing

Herbed Wild Rice Dressing

IAIN BAGWELL

With wild rice, apples, and walnuts, this dressing is full of flavor that many of your guests might not expect. Unlike traditional cornbread dressing, this recipe is more like a salad than a casserole.

06 of 18

Cornbread Dressing

Cornbread Dressing
Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley; Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall

Whether you use homemade or store-bought chicken broth, it's the key to ensuring that this cornbread dressing is moist and not dried out. You'll know it's ready to come out of the oven when the top is golden brown.

07 of 18

Grits Dressing

Grits Dressing Recipe
Laurey W. Glenn

If you've been making the same Cornbread Dressing for too many years to count, it may be time to switch it up and try incorporating another Southern staple, grits, into your dressing.

08 of 18

Karen Rankin's Italian Sausage Dressing with Marsala-Mushroom Gravy

Karen’s Italian Sausage Dressing with Marsala-Mushroom Gravy
Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

We love a make-ahead recipe during the busy holiday season. You can assemble this recipe the day before, just let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

09 of 18

Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Fennel

Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Fennel

IAIN BAGWELL

The large chunks of cornbread in this dressing pair well with mild Italian sausage and fennel. Just make sure the cornbread you're using is a day old, not freshly baked.

10 of 18

Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing

Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing
Vianney Rodriguez/Jason David Page

We didn't think making cornbread dressing could get any easier, then we came up with this slow cooker cornbread dressing recipe, which makes the process infinitely easier to prepare (and a couple of degrees more delicious too).

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Classic Bread Dressing

Cornbread Dressing with Kale and Bacon
Iain Bagwell

Try this sourdough bread dressing instead of your usual cornbread. You might have a new go-to recipe.

12 of 18

Spicy Cornbread Dressing with Chorizo

Spicy Cornbread Dressing with Chorizo

ANTONIS ACHILLEOS; PROP STYLING: KATHLEEN VARNER; FOOD STYLING: EMILY NABORS HALL

Whether you serve it alongside your family's favorite dressing or want to completely swap things up this year, this recipe will bring some heat to the menu. It's flavored with jalapeños, chorizo, and cilantro for a spicy Thanksgiving side.

13 of 18

Best Cornbread Dressing

Best Cornbread Dressing
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

The secret to good dressing is starting with dried cornbread. Let the cornbread dry in a large, opened plastic bag at room temperature for 24 hours.

14 of 18

Cornbread-Wild Mushroom Dressing

Cornbread-Wild Mushroom Dressing
Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch

Use Jiffy corn muffin mix to make your life easier when prepping this dressing recipe. Other than baking the cornbread, the rest of the recipe comes together in one skillet.

15 of 18

Sausage Stuffing

Sausage Stuffing

Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Smoked sausage, such as Conecuh, adds heartiness and an extra layer of flavor to this stuffing recipe. Just make sure to reserve the pan drippings when you brown the sausage as it'll play a role in the recipe.

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Herby Pecan-Cornbread Dressing

Herby Pecan-Cornbread Dressing
Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Nutty and earthy flavors shine in this quintessential Thanksgiving recipe. It's so good you may consider serving it with meats like pork or roasted chicken throughout the year.

17 of 18

Mimi's Cornbread Dressing

Mimi's Cornbread Dressing
Southern Living

Packaged mixes and store bought cornbread vary in sweetness and moisture; so for this savory dressing, make yours from scratch. We guarantee that this simple buttermilk skillet version will give your dressing the best texture and flavor, satisfying even the most discerning of dressing-loving dinner guests.

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Cornbread 'n' Squash Dressing

Cornbread-'n'-Squash-Dressing

Squash casserole and cornbread meet to make your new favorite dressing. Serve with other holiday favorites like green bean casserole or mac and cheese for an unforgettable meal.

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