This Old Fashioned Turkey Stuffing is pure, savory, and delightfully traditional. It skips sweet additions like apples or sausage and relies on simple, classic flavors for a comforting holiday side.
Popular for Thanksgiving and Christmas, this stuffing is also great for Easter when turkey is on the menu. It pairs perfectly with roast turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, cranberry sauce, and your favorite vegetables.
This recipe is my grandmother’s Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing, handed down through generations. I believe its roots trace back to a very old cookbook, and its straightforward, savory profile has been a family favorite for decades.
Also called savory stuffing, this version contains no fruit, sausage, or nuts—just butter, onions, celery, herbs, and dried bread. It’s easy to make in one pot and can be cooked inside the turkey or baked separately as a side. I often do both: some inside the bird for moist, flavorful interior stuffing and some baked to develop a slightly drier, toasted texture; then I combine them for the ideal balance.
Ingredients
For this recipe you will need:
- unsalted butter
- onion
- celery stalks
- dried bread (cubed)
- salt
- black pepper
- poultry seasoning
- dried parsley
The method is straightforward and adaptable. Use whatever bread you have on hand—white, rye, whole grain, sourdough or a mix. If you prefer salted butter, reduce added salt. For lighter or dairy-free versions, choose light butter or a plant-based spread.
Variations & Substitutions
- Bread: Any type works. A mix of loaves adds depth of flavor.
- Butter: Use salted butter if needed, but cut the additional salt in the recipe by two-thirds.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs can replace dried—use about twice the amount if substituting fresh for dried.
- Lighter options: Use light butter and lower-calorie bread for a Weight Watchers–friendly dish.
- Dairy-free: Replace butter with vegan margarine or a plant-based butter substitute.
Instructions
- Leave bread slices out to dry overnight on cookie sheets, turning once. If short on time, dry the bread in a low oven until firm (see notes). Cut dried bread into cubes.
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 cup unsalted butter. Sauté chopped onion and chopped celery in the butter until softened, about 7 minutes.
- Add half of the cubed bread along with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and parsley. Stir and heat until the mixture reduces in volume and the bread softens slightly.
- Melt the remaining 1/3 cup butter and toss with the remaining bread and spices. Pour the melted butter over the bread and stir until softened, about 5–7 minutes.
- Stuff the turkey with some of the mixture if desired. (A 13–15 lb turkey will usually hold only about one-quarter of this batch.) Bake any leftover stuffing separately in prepared pans.
Baking Time (for stuffing baked separately)
- Spray a couple of 9×13 pans with nonstick spray and spread the remaining stuffing evenly.
- Cook the turkey according to your usual method for a stuffed turkey. (One example: 25 minutes per pound for a 10–16 lb turkey, though times vary—follow your turkey recipe.) Do not put the stuffing pans in the oven at the start.
- After the turkey has cooked about 1.5 hours, baste the turkey and use pan juices to moisten the stuffing in the pans (3–4 full squeezes from a baster). Cover the pans tightly with foil and bake 15–20 minutes.
- Remove, baste the stuffing again with more pan juices (2–3 squeezes), re-cover, and bake another 15–20 minutes.
- Remove the pans; the baked stuffing may seem slightly dry. When the turkey is done, remove the stuffing from the bird and combine it with the baked stuffing in a large bowl. Mixing the two creates the perfect moistness and texture.
This two-part approach—some stuffing inside the turkey and some baked separately—gives you both moist, flavorful interior stuffing and the slightly toasted texture from the pans.
Equipment
Basic kitchen tools you’ll need: a cutting board, a large bowl, a mixing spoon, a large pot, and 9×13 baking dishes or casserole pans for the baked portion. A turkey baster is handy for moistening the baked stuffing, and a good carving knife is useful for serving the turkey.
Top Tip
If you don’t have time to air-dry bread overnight, you can dry it in a low oven until firm. Dried but not rock-hard bread works best for absorbing butter and pan juices.
Serving Size
This recipe yields about 10 servings. If you have a large crowd, double or triple the batch—stuffing is one of those dishes people always want more of.
Storage
Make the stuffing the night before and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to three days and freeze well for up to three months in freezer bags. Reheat thoroughly before serving.
Food Safety
- Do not reuse utensils that touched raw meat on cooked foods.
- Wash hands after handling raw meat.
- Do not leave cooked dishes at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
This old fashioned bread stuffing is a timeless classic—simple, savory, and reliable. It’s the kind of recipe that becomes a holiday tradition and keeps families coming back for seconds.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Old Fashioned Turkey Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 5 sticks chopped celery
- 5 loaves dried bread (mixes like rye, white, brown, French are fine), cubed
- 3 tsp salt (adjust if using salted butter)
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp poultry seasoning
- 3 tbsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Dry bread overnight on cookie sheets or in a low oven if short on time. Cut into cubes.
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 cup butter and sauté onion and celery until soft, about 7 minutes.
- Add half the cubed bread and all seasonings to the pot. Stir and heat until the mixture reduces in volume by about half.
- Melt the remaining 1/3 cup butter, toss with the remaining bread and spices, then pour over the bread and stir until softened, about 5–7 minutes.
- Stuff some of the mixture into the turkey if desired. Bake leftover stuffing in greased 9×13 pans and baste with turkey pan juices during roasting, then combine baked and turkey stuffing for the best texture.
Notes
Nutrition
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Easy Green Beans and Mushroom Recipe-
Turnip and Apple Casserole
-
Healthy Corn Succotash
-
Healthy Glazed Carrots (with Brown Sugar)
