Easy Homemade Turkey Stuffing Recipe for the Holidays (2024)

Our traditional homemade stuffing recipe is easy & comforting. Cook inside turkey for a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Make it ahead the night before to make prep easy!

I love homemade stuffing. In fact, I was raised on it. And I’ll be honest. I’m not that picky. Stove Top is great. Homemade stuffing is great. Give me more stuffing. Fork it over, as they say.

So this post truly comes from the heart. Making my own turkey stuffing had me a little nervous at first but now it’s one of my favorite easy Thanksgiving sides to make.

Try this roasted butternut squash for another tasty side dish.

You see, I never actually made my mom’s homemade stuffing until a few years ago, when I cooked my very first turkey.

I was totally overwhelmed and almost caved, but my family threatened encouraged me to make the real thing. So I did! And you can too.

This easy stuffing recipe was seriously the easiest part of my Thanksgiving dinner meal prep and would also be delicious in these leftover turkey eggrolls.

Keep it Simple and Easy with Traditional Stuffing

Tradition is important to me, especially during the holidays. I do love trying new recipes and making fun little Thanksgiving treats with my kids.

But when it comes to the big meal, I’m all about the comfort food. (see also: slow cooker spicy meatballs)

There are probably a million different ways to make homemade stuffing, but today I decided to share our family recipe (with permission from my Mama). Thanks Mama!

Classic, traditional stuffing cooked inside the turkey is so easy and simple. You’ll wonder why you ever made it any other way.

The holidays are a time for nostalgia and I have no shame in admitting the fact that some of my best memories are directly related to food.

As I type, I can almost smell this delicious homemade stuffing warm and fresh from the oven. Yes, it’s that good!

And really, if you’re going to the trouble of roasting your own turkey, you might as well stuff it! Should that be on an apron? I kinda feel like that should be on an apron.

Of course you CAN bake this stuffing recipe in a casserole dish and it’s still good. But nothing beats the flavor after roasting in the turkey.

How to Make Stuffing from Scratch

Homemade stuffing is so easy to make. You will need the following ingredients:

• White Bread
• Onion
• Celery
• Sage
• Egg
• Butter
• Garlic Salt

Chop the vegetables by hand or using a chopper and melt the butter. You will also want to whisk your egg. Then simply tear your bread into small pieces (this is the fun part!) and squish it all together

Can You Make Stuffing Ahead of Time?

I love that you can make our stuffing recipe ahead of time because the holidays are busy enough. I’m down with any way I can cut down on cooking Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.

This stuffing is so easy to make ahead because it’s really just a bunch of chopping when all is said and done.

Prepare your ingredients the night before and once your stuffing is mixed together, cover it and put it in the fridge.

Then, when it’s time to cook your turkey, just add your pre-made stuffing and you’re ready to roast.

Then you’ll have plenty of time to do things like make these fun Thanksgiving crafts for kids. My favorite is the thankful tree! Everyone can do it.

Some people prefer casserole style stuffing. My family tradition has always been to actually stuff the turkey, so that’s how I make it. Letting the stuffing cook inside the turkey is so easy and simple, I really can’t imaging making it any other way.

When you cook your stuffing inside the turkey, you eliminate the need for broth in the recipe because the turkey does all the work.

You can still scoop it out an serve the stuffing in a pretty dish at the table if you want to. It’s a win all around.