Once You Make Stuffing Ahead of Time, You’ll Never Go Back!
As far as Thanksgiving side dishes go, it doesn’t get more classic than stuffing.
The only downside? Homemade stuffing can be time-consuming, especially when you’re preparing a whole Thanksgiving spread.
Learning to make stuffing ahead of time is a game changer for holiday dinners! 🙌🏼
Homemade bread cubes, aromatic veggies, and fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, and parsley create an herbaceous, flavor-forward stuffing. Once baked, this stuffing is perfectly tender with a deliciously crispy golden brown topping.
It’s a classic, irresistible side dish that pairs perfectly with other Thanksgiving staples like Roasted Turkey, Fluffy Mashed Potatoes, and Creamy Sweet Potato Casserole.
The best part? You can prepare this stuffing up to 3 days in advance. At dinnertime, just pop it in the oven until it’s beautifully golden brown and perfectly creamy-yet-crisp.
Cheers to stuffing your turkey day with delicious eats, not tons of to-dos! 🦃😘
Love the idea of a Make-Ahead Thanksgiving? ⇢ You’re in the right place! 🙌🏼 Check out my free Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Guide for a stress-free holiday!
How to Make Stuffing Ahead of Time
Preparing Thanksgiving stuffing ahead of time consists of 3 key steps: preparing dried bread cubes, assembling the stuffing, and storing for later.
How to Make Homemade Bread Cubes
For complete control over the flavor and texture of the stuffing, I love prepping bread cubes from scratch. It’s an entirely hands-off process, but it requires a little planning–if store-bought is easier, go for it!
Prepare homemade bread cubes. A soft loaf, like French or Italian bread, works best. Slice or tear the bread into small cubes. Then, either 1.) Let them dry out at room temperature for a few days, or 2.) Quickly toast them in the oven—whichever suits your Thanksgiving prep schedule!
Make Ahead Stuffing Assembly
Soften onions and celery in melted butter, then stir in finely chopped water chestnuts, garlic, fresh herbs, and poultry seasoning. Add turkey or chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Why? ⇢ A good broth infuses the veggies with poultry flavor and provides much-needed moisture for a make ahead stuffing.
Add the dried bread cubes to your largest bowl, then spoon some of the herbed chicken broth over them. Tip! ⇢ Work spoonful by spoonful here until you reach just the right texture. The bread cubes soften as they mix with the veggies and herbed chicken broth, but they shouldn’t get super soggy.
Store for Later
Transfer the mixed stuffing to a greased baking dish. Once completely cooled, cover with plastic wrap and foil. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Tip! ⇢ Feel free to bake and serve the stuffing in the same casserole dish for extra convenience (and fewer dishes! 🙌🏼).
Can you freeze stuffing to reheat later? ⇢ Yes! You can assemble this stuffing entirely, then freeze it for up to 3 months. I like to portion it into freezer containers for easier thawing. For step-by-step instructions, check the Recipe Notes below!
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You’ll be so grateful for your make-ahead stuffing on Thanksgiving Day—after few quick finishing touches, all you have to do is pop it in the oven!
Finishing touches. Prepare a binder for the stuffing by whisking eggs into a little chicken/turkey broth, then pour the mixture over the stuffing just before baking. Why? ⇢ This binder adds richer flavor and creates a custardy texture as it bakes. It’s so good!
Bake the stuffing covered for about 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 20 minutes longer, or until the top is golden brown and slightly crispy. Tip! ⇢ If you love extra-crispy stuffing, feel free to finish the stuffing under the broiler for a few minutes – just be sure to keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
I can’t wait for you to try this Make Ahead Stuffing recipe! It’s insanely delicious, with next-level classic flavor, but it’s so simple to make – especially when you prep it ahead of time. I think you’ll love it just as much as we do!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about and seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy Thanksgiving!
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Classic Make Ahead Stuffing (3 Days Ahead)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Reheating Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: serves 10–12 1x
- Category: Side Dish Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes
- Method: Stovetop, Oven, Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Make Ahead Stuffing recipe is a classic mix of homemade bread cubes and aromatic veggies. Loads of fresh herbs take its flavor completely over the top, while eggs create an almost custardy texture.
Prep it up to 3 days in advance and pop it in the oven just before dinner.
The result is a classic Thanksgiving stuffing with incredible herbaceous flavor and a creamy-yet-crisp texture that everyone at your Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or holiday table will love. It’s perfect alongside roast turkey, mashed potatoes, and any other Thanksgiving sides – just don’t forget the gravy!
And if you love the idea of a make-ahead Thanksgiving, be sure to check out my complete Make-Ahead Thanksgiving guide. ♡ Happy holidays!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces soft French or Italian bread, sliced or torn into ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 8 tablespoons)
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 4 large ribs celery, diced
- 8 ounces whole water chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped (see Recipe Notes)
- 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped hardy fresh herbs (e.g. a combination of rosemary, sage, and thyme)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning
- 1 ¼ cup chicken or turkey broth
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- for reheating: 2 large eggs beaten and whisked into ¾ cup chicken or turkey broth
Instructions
- Prepare bread cubes. First, you’ll prepare the bread cubes. There are a couple different approaches you can take in preparing the bread cubes, each of them work well. Take your pick from the bullet list below. Once the bread cubes are prepared (time varies based on option chosen) transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
- Option #1: Make-ahead bread cubes at room temperature: 2-3 days before you plan to assemble your make ahead stuffing, slice or tear the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Set the cubes on a baking sheet, spreading them out in an even layer. Set aside, uncovered, for 2-3 days or until the bread is dried out. (Tip! ⇢ Provided I’m not planning on baking anything, I like to set the baking sheet of bread cubes in the oven to keep it out of the way.) Once dried, transfer to an airtight bag and set aside until you’d like to prepare your make ahead stuffing.
- Option #2: Day of bread cubes in the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice or tear the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Set the cubes on a baking sheet, spreading them out in an even layer. Transfer to the oven to toast until dried out, 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool before mixing the bread cubes in the stuffing.
- Option #3: Store-bought bread cubes: Let the store do the work! Buy a bag of prepared bread cubes. You’ll need 16 ounces for this make ahead stuffing recipe.
- Cook the aromatics: Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once melted, add the onions and celery, seasoning with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the water chestnuts, garlic, fresh herbs, and poultry seasoning. Cook 1-2 minutes longer, until fragrant. Add the chicken/turkey broth. Increase the heat to medium high to bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove from the heat for stuffing assembly.
- Mix the stuffing: Place the dried bread cubes in a large bowl. Spoon the herbed chicken broth over the bread cubes, mixing well between additions to prevent the bread from getting soggy. The herbed chicken broth should rehydrate the bread cubes such that they’re softened, but not soggy.
- Store for later: Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish. Set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, tightly cover the baking dish with plastic wrap then foil. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour before you’d like to finish them in the oven. Remove the foil and plastic wrap. Pour the egg mixture over the stuffing, stirring well to combine. Tightly recover with foil. Transfer to 350 degree F oven and bake the stuffing for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and return to the oven for 20 minutes longer, or until golden brown and warmed through. If an even crispier top is desired, finish the stuffing under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
- Serving: If desired, transfer the warm stuffing to a large bowl or serving dish. Top with a sprinkling of finely chopped fresh herbs as desired, and serve alongside your roast turkey or roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Enjoy!
Notes
Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Best bread for stuffing: We love to make this stuffing recipe using a softer French or Italian-style loaf. For an even heartier stuffing with slightly more crunch and crispy edges, try using a heartier loaf like sourdough or a “country” style French or Italian bread.
- Water chestnuts are an aquatic tuber (named after their chestnut-like appearance) indigenous to Southeast Asia. They are very mild in flavor, but have a wonderfully refreshing crunchy-crisp texture – my family loves to add it to softer dishes like stuffing for extra texture. Canned water chestnuts are readily available in most conventional grocery stores – find them in the “International” aisle near other Asian ingredients. If you prefer not to use water chestnuts, simply omit.
- Vegetarian or vegan Stuffing: While naturally meatless, this make ahead stuffing recipe is easily made vegetarian or vegan with a couple of adjustments. For a vegetarian stuffing, opt for vegetable stock or broth in place of chicken/turkey broth. Take it a step further to make vegan stuffing by using your favorite high-quality plant butter and egg substitute in place of unsalted butter and eggs.
Storage, Reheating, and Freezing:
- Storage and Reheating: Leftover reheated make ahead stuffing (i.e. prepared through Step 5 of Recipe Directions, above), will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
- Freezer Instructions: You can also freeze leftover stuffing. Transfer leftover stuffing to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
Recipe by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Photography by KJ & Company, Kate Poskochil
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