Homemade Cornbread Dressing

This Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe is so delicious and moist, you don't need to cover it up with gravy!  Perfectly seasoned with onions, celery, sage, and poultry seasoning, this holiday classic is a true Southern delight. 

Serve it as a Thanksgiving side dish or during the Christmas holidays next to your turkey, ham, or roast. Just be prepared for it to steal the show!

This dressing is my family's most favorite holiday side dish.  As a bonus, it's easy to make! My easy cornbread dressing has all the delicious flavors and texture that Southerners expect on their plates.

This traditional dressing contains no bread - just cornbread - and that's the way a lot of us eat it here in the South!  If we added bread, then we would sometimes call it stuffing. Down here, we don't usually stuff our dressing into the turkey, only our mouths!

Need another side dish for your holiday feast? Try my Sweet Potato Casserole, or for a change of pace, try my Southern English Pea Salad!

As I stated earlier, this Southern cornbread dressing is very moist and flavorful. That means there's no need to drown it in gravy, but this Southern gal won't judge if you do.  It is THE ONE holiday side dish that everyone in my family always looks forward to.  Heck, even the Northerners might like this version!

So, what makes this dressing so moist?  I'm about to let you in on a big secret: the addition of a can of cream of chicken soup is the key ingredient!  Without it, you could end up with a fancy pan of cornbread. And the best part is that the secret is something that is SO EASY to use!

Baked Cornbread - First up, you're going to need some cornbread. While you are welcome to make a pan of your favorite recipe, I have two favorites:  (1) Aunt Jemima Self-Rising White or Yellow Cornmeal Mix or (2) Martha White Self-Rising Buttermilk White Cornmeal Mix. I've used both brands and both turn out wonderful!

Tip: When making your own cornbread, whole milk works well.  However, some of my fellow Southerners feel it's an absolute travesty to use anything other than buttermilk when making cornbread in the South. So if you feel you must use buttermilk, use it, girl!  Old school tip:  If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can fake your own by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar to each cup of regular milk. Stir it and allow it to thicken before use.

Minced Celery and Onion - Next up, you're going to need some minced celery and onion for all of that aromatic flavor. Also, this is a Southern dish, so you just know that butter is involved. 

Cream of Chicken Soup and Chicken Broth - You're also going to need chicken broth (homemade or boxed is just fine!) and a can of cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup. It might sound strange, but I swear the soup concentrate gives this cornbread stuffing an absolutely dreamy consistency.

Egg and Butter - You'll use one raw egg to bind the ingredients, and you'll use the butter to saute the onion and celery.  Butter also adds moisture and flavor! 

Seasonings - Finally, round things out with some ground sage, poultry seasoning, and freshly cracked black pepper. If you're not a fan of sage, use half the amount called for or simply leave it out.

Optional Add-in - You can add a couple of chopped, hard-boiled eggs to the dressing before baking.

To ensure you get the best results for this Southern Cornbread Dressing, please follow the actual recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step 1 - Prepare 1 pan of cornbread per the directions on the box/bag (as stated above, I recommend either Aunt Jemima's or White Lily self-rising cornmeal mix).  Let cool, then crumble.

Step 2 - Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 2.5 qt casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray (OK to double the recipe and use a 9 x 13 dish).

Step 3 - Melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the minced onion and celery. Simmer for 5 minutes or until tender.  Remove from heat.

Step 4 - In a large bowl, combine the crumbled cornbread, soup, broth, egg, and seasonings. Add the onion and celery mixture and mix well.

How moist should the dressing be before baking? The dressing should be thick and moist (see picture below). There should not be any excess broth pooling around.

Step 5 - Pour cornbread mixture into prepared dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

How do you know when the dressing is done? The center of the dressing should be set (not jiggly). That said, be careful not to over bake the cornbread dressing, or it may get dry.

My top 3 tips for this Southern Cornbread Dressing!

Try to make the cornbread a day in advance or at least several hours before you plan to prepare the dressing.  It needs time to completely cool so that you can use your fingers to crumble the cornbread.

For this recipe, I prefer to finely mince the onions and celery for the right dressing consistency. However, some family members prefer chopped onions and celery (larger pieces).  This article from Kitchn explains How To Chop, Dice, and Mince an Onion.  I love my little food chopper and use it all the time for chopping and mincing.

I don't recommend using Jiffy cornbread mix because it's just too sweet.  This is a savory dressing which means it is not meant to be sweet.

If you tried this deliciously easy Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe, please be sure to rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

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