12 Best Stuffing Recipes for Your Thanksgiving and Christmas (2024)

Good stuffing can make or break your holiday dinner, but so many of us leave it to the last minute before deciding what we’re doing. Here are 12 quick and easy stuffing recipes to get you out of a jam this Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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Table Of Contents

  1. Oyster Dressing Grand-Mère
  2. Artichoke
  3. 12 Best Stuffing Recipes for Your Thanksgiving and Christmas

Holiday dinners. We all look forward to them, starving ourselves all morning to make room for the turkey and all of those wonderful sides and desserts. And what about the stuffing? Probably one of the most underrated sides of the whole meal. The right stuffing could add just enough pizzazz to an otherwise average Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Here are a few delicious examples, if you’re looking to switch up your recipe this year.

Toasted Bread, Sage & Onion

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This easy stuffing recipe is proof that sides are best when kept simple. Made with just a handful of ingredients including toasted bread cubes, fresh sage, and diced onion, this easy vegan stuffing makes completing your holiday dinner a breeze, while satisfying even the strictest of diets.

Cranberry & Pear

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This is a sweet classic favorite, cranberry stuffing but with a twist. It has all of the usual ingredients such as celery, seasoning, pecans and of course cranberries. But with an added sweet touch, adding chopped pears to an already mouth-watering side.

This creates a sweet and savory stuffing perfect for all holiday dinners. This could be just what your missing for your perfect holiday dinner this year.

Check it out here

Caramelized Onion & Cornbread

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If you’re looking for a more savory twist to your favorite holiday side, this would be a perfect go to recipe. Adding soft, browned onions and sage to really give your stuffing the flavor it needs.

Such a simple recipe that will go great with that turkey and gravy this year. The smell alone will have everyone’s mouths watering!

Check it out here

Poblano Peppers, Cornbread & Pumpkin Seed

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This Southwestern-Style stuffing will add just the kick your holiday dinner needs. A unique blend of sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, and roasted Poblano will have your entire family begging for the recipe.

Add the perfect pizzazz to your holiday meal with this amazing, flavorful twist.

Oyster Dressing Grand-Mère

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Are you a sucker for the unusual? Want a stuffing recipe that’s not quite like the rest? Well look no further because this stuffing is the crazy recipe you’ve waited for your entire life for. Mixing things up with oysters, scallions, and cayenne pepper, this recipe will send your taste buds on an adventure.

Check it out here

Peach & Italian Bread

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From that cooking genius Martha Stewart comes another deliciously sweet surprise. She takes the traditional savory seasoned stuffing, and adds peaches and orange juice for a stuffing that is sure to bring everyone back. Nothing like that sweet and salty mix to put a smile on the whole families face, while adding the perfect taste to an already amazing dish.

Check it out here

Tortilla Chips & Chorizo

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Are you a nacho lover? Do you have an obsession with queso and tortillas? Crave an “out-there” stuffing recipe that you can eat any day of the year? Well look no further. This interesting stuffing is a nacho lovers dream. Using tortilla chips, chorizo, and queso fresco to bring in a new flavor to this holiday favorite.

It is definitely a conversation starter.

Check it out here

Cornbread, Wild Mushroom & Pecan

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This fantastic, mouth-watering recipe is by far a favorite in my household. It takes the traditional cornbread and pecan-based stuffing and adds the savory flavor of wild mushrooms and just a bit of white wine. This creates a slightly different texture adding the chewy mushrooms but the taste will blow you away.

If you want a fun, new recipe that will not disappoint, give this one a try!

Check it out here

Artichoke

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If you prefer a more simple recipe, but still want a savory, sweet stuffing to ‘wow’ the family with. This apple walnut stuffing is a perfect fit. It takes your basic boxed stuffing, adds some onions, apples, and celery (as well as the seasonings of course) and you have a quick, delicious stuffing everyone will love.

A quick fun recipe for that last minute go-to, or even just a simple one for all families to enjoy.

Check it out here

Whole Grain Bread & Leeks

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Do you prefer any healthier options on your stuffing recipe this year? Well, if you are trying to not completely ruin your diet and need a whole wheat version of that holiday favorite, look no further. This recipe is vegan friendly and dairy free. Not to mention super simple to make!

It calls for whole grain bread, leeks, celery, and olive oil, making it a perfect healthy option for all of you stuffing lovers who desire something diet friendly.

Check it out here

Rosemary, Fig & Hazelnut

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Here is, yet another healthy twist to our favorite holiday side. If you prefer a more flavorful recipe that is still vegetarian friendly, you will love this stuffing. It adds rosemary, garlic, hazelnuts, and just a bit of Tawny port for a sophisticated and healthy holiday side.

Though a bit more work than some other healthy options, it is still a delicious and healthy alternative!

Check it out here

Ground Beef & Walnut

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Of course, there may be some who don’t even know how to start making a holiday stuffing. Perhaps, you are a first timer, making the family dinner on your own this year. Or, maybe you’ve never even heard or tried a holiday stuffing and you are eager for your first experience. Either way it is a delightful food to try and to cook.

The great thing about stuffing is it’s changeable. You can experiment with it. There are so many different things you can do with it, so many flavors. You can start simple with just the basics or you can add fruits and odd vegetables. Maybe even throw in some peppers or fun seasonings. It’s a fun and delicious side dish that has a recipe for every taste and occasion.

If you would like a common recipe and guide to get started you can check this one out here!

Check it out here

Challah Apple & Thyme

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This delicious stuffing is made with challah, unsalted butter, celery, onion, Granny Smith apples, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, chicken broth, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Make it part of your Thanksgiving menu.

Check it out here

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12 Best Stuffing Recipes for Your Thanksgiving and Christmas (2024)

FAQs

Should I put an egg in my stuffing? ›

Broth: Chicken broth keeps the stuffing moist without making it soggy. Eggs: Two lightly beaten eggs help hold the dressing together and add moisture.

What's the difference between stuffing and dressing for Thanksgiving? ›

"Stuffing is cooked in the cavity of the turkey, so the juices soak into the ingredients, making it more flavorful. Dressing gets cooked on its own and needs extra liquid to make it flavorful." So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

In what did recipes did people originally use stuffing? ›

The earliest documentary evidence is the Roman cookbook, Apicius De Re Coquinaria, which contains recipes for stuffed chicken, dormouse, hare, and pig. Most of the stuffings described consist of vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts, and spelt (a cereal), and frequently contain chopped liver, brains, and other organ meat.

Is it better to make stuffing with fresh or dry bread? ›

Any attempts to make stuffing with soft, fresh baked bread will result in a bread soup with a soggy texture. Follow this tip: Stale, dried-out bread makes the best stuffing.

Can you leave uncooked stuffing out overnight? ›

If stuffing is prepared ahead of time, it must be either frozen or cooked immediately. To use cooked stuffing later, cool in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours.

How many cups of stuffing do I need for 10 people? ›

In order to fill the cavity of the bird you are stuffing, you should make 3/4 cup of stuffing per person. You may not be able to fit all the stuffing into your turkey. If this is the case, then you can even make a casserole to fill up your guests!

How much stuffing do you need for 25 people? ›

3/4 cup of stuffing per person should be plenty.

What do southerners call stuffing? ›

But for the Thanksgiving side dish in the South, the term dressing was adopted in place of stuffing, which was viewed as a crude term, during the Victorian era. Although dressing and stuffing are interchangeable terms, the signature ingredient of this Thanksgiving side dish in the South is cornbread.

What is stuffing called when it's not in the turkey? ›

Stuffing and dressing are commonly used as different names for the same thing—a dish consisting of bits of bread (or other starchy things) and various seasonings. The dish can be made by stuffing it (hence the name) inside a turkey or other bird that will be roasted, or by baking or cooking it separately.

Which dish was not eaten at the first Thanksgiving? ›

Potatoes. Whether mashed or roasted, white or sweet, potatoes had no place at the first Thanksgiving.

Do black people call it stuffing or dressing? ›

The stuffing mixture may be cooked separately and served as a side dish, in which case it may still be called 'stuffing', or in some regions, such as the Southern US, 'dressing'. This is from Wiki. Basically, everyone except a tiny percentage of Black people with family in Alabama calls it stuffing.

What is Christmas stuffing made of? ›

Starting with dried sourdough bread, celery, onion, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, chicken broth and eggs. A whole stick of butter goes in the pan adding onions, herbs and garlic (sausage is optional). Eggs combine everything together before going in the oven on a baking dish.

Why does stuffing taste so good? ›

As it cooks, the herbs in the stuffing infuse into the bird, giving it a lot more flavor. The turkey, in turn, drips all its delicious juices into the stuffing as it cooks, moistening it and making it taste great.

How do you keep stuffing from falling apart? ›

The stuffing should be moist but not wet. If there is a puddle of broth at the bottom of the bowl, you've added too much. Add more bread to soak up the excess moisture. If the mix is still dry and crumbly, add more liquid and toss gently until it starts to clump together.

What is traditional stuffing made of? ›

Turkey stuffing was popularized in the early days of Thanksgiving, as it is written in many 16th-century Boston area documents. Stuffing most often uses dried bread, herbs, and vegetables that are reconstituted with liquid, stuffed into the turkey cavity, and baked until it is firm and finished cooking.

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