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–+ servings

Southern Cornbread Dressing

A classic Southern cornbread dressing baked from scratch with buttery cornbread, sauteed onion and celery, fresh sage, and rich broth for a moist, savory holiday side.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Southern
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients
  

For the cornbread

  • 2 cups yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • ¼ cup bacon drippings or vegetable oil plus more for the skillet

For the dressing

  • 4 slices day-old white bread or 3 leftover biscuits torn into pieces
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 cups yellow onion finely diced
  • 1.5 cups celery finely diced
  • 4 cups chicken or turkey broth warm, plus more as needed
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 3 large eggs beaten
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • salt to taste

Instructions
 

Bake the cornbread

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with a little bacon drippings or oil and place it in the oven to heat.
  • Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl beat the eggs, buttermilk, and 1/4 cup drippings, then stir into the dry ingredients until just combined. Pour into the hot skillet and bake 22 to 25 minutes, until golden. Cool completely.

Make the dressing

  • Reduce the oven to 350°F. Crumble the cooled cornbread into a large bowl and add the torn day-old bread or biscuits.
  • Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until very soft and translucent. Stir in the sage, thyme, poultry seasoning, and black pepper.
  • Scrape the aromatics over the crumbled bread. Pour in the warm broth and the beaten eggs, then gently fold until the mixture is very moist and loose, almost soupy. Add more broth if needed and season with salt to taste.
  • Spread into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered 35 to 45 minutes, until set and lightly golden on top. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

The uncooked mixture should look wetter than you expect — cornbread drinks up liquid as it bakes, and this is what keeps the dressing moist rather than dry. For extra flavor, bake the cornbread a day ahead so it dries out slightly.
Keyword cornbread dressing, Southern cornbread dressing
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