Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe (2024)

I strongly recommend reading the article by Kim Severson from which this recipe is drawn. She writes of "schisms," "politics," and indeed the "cultural divide" that is cornbread—and she does so thoughtfully, with refreshing wit, and no manifesto. It takes the recipe far beyond ingredients and teaspoons: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/dining/cornbread-dressing-thanksgiving...

Great idea to include measurements in grams for the butter and cornmeal; how about doing the same for the other ingredients as well? You say the white bread should measure 3 cups but not to pack - if you specified the weight, we would be sure to get it right. Same thing for the onions and celery. I understand this is not the custom in the US, but once a cook starts weighing ingredients, we see how useful it is, and can never go back.

When I make cornbread I use yellow cornmeal and, in place of AP flour, masa harina: gluten free and intense corn flavor. The masa keeps the cornbread from crumbling into tiny crumbs which works well both for dressing and for eating with beans or chicken.

This is actually very close to what I make (my mother's recipe from her mother) but use poultry seasoning instead of the other herbs. Thank you for NOT including flour in your cornbread as many do. My only modification now is for my gluten-intolerant husband and I leave out the white bread. I usually make 2 pans: one regular and one with oysters.

Yep! Just follow the standard quick-curdling method to give your non-dairy milk the buttermilk tang you're seeking: 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar per 1 cup of milk. So, for this recipe, you'd use 2 tablespoons vinegar, add it to the 2 cups of non-dairy milk, stir, and then let it sit for about 10 minutes before using.

Yes! This is pretty close to what I've made for over thirty years. Living in TN, adding pork sausage is important. Chopped pecans. And chopped apple (I make a ton of dressing, so I use one Fugi and one Granny Smith). My grandmother used crumbled Soda crackers, stale biscuits ( b/c nothing was wasted), and a several slices of Wonder Bread, because it "helps build strong bodies twelve ways".

My southern grandmother made a variation on this. Use a bit less liquid so that the cornbread mixture holds together. Form into small patties (pones) about the size of a small burger. Lightly grease a cast iron skillet or griddle and cook the pones until done. Crunchy exterior, moist and flavorful inside. Keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve. Break open with a fork and ladle gible gravy over it.

Then again, I also disagree with the author's recommendation for "fine grind" cornmeal.

Never would use yellow cornmeal. Traditionally yellow corn was reserved to feed the hogs while white corn was preferred for human consumption. As a result, white cornmeal was the cornmeal of choice for Sunday dinner and special occasions.

So much like my mother-in-law's recipe--a family favorite. When the turkey is done, I spoon some drippings over the casserole dish of stuffing before putting it in the oven to heat. It makes a delicious crust and tastes as if it's been cooked in the bird.

This is mostly how my Georgia grandmother made dressing, with the exception of adding, as another commenter notes, biscuits to the cornbread and "lightbread" mixture. My notes from her also made no mention of first sautéeing the onions & I'm pretty sure she didn't. She added only salt & pepper. Good, but I was wanting a little more flavor without going too wild, which I think this recipe will help with. (I will not, however, be making my cornbread with butter!)

This is very similar to the dressing our family makes. We wait until last to add the eggs giving everyone a chance to taste then put their two cents in on the amount of sage added!

My grandmother always made a separate pan of dressing that had oysters in it b/c she liked it, tho' no one else in the family did...

Perfect expression of traditional Southern cornbread dressing. After years of guessing what my mama and grandma did, this recipe delivered their best. NOTE: add 1-2 cans of green chili. Adds moisture and wonderful flavor.

If you grew up in the South, both Thanksgiving and Christmas included cornbread dressing. My wife has her mother's recipe, which was also her grandmother's, written in cursive on an index card that is itself is a family heirloom. The aroma of her cooking up the celery and onions means the holiday has arrived. We always make enough for leftovers that can be a meal unto itself.

Although not traditional, I have started to add finely sliced leeks to saute along with the onions and celery. I find the leek melts into the mixture to provide reinforcement to the allium flavor. I also add some milk or heavy cream to the dressing mixture as well, just like my Mother and Grandmother always did.

Why kosher salt? Which brand? There are significant differences among brands. It would be a lot more straightforward to drop the pretension and use regular, reliable table salt. As far as I know, volumetric measurements of table salt require no adjustment for brand. Or there could be a weight as well as a volume so we don't need to guess.

This is very close to my mother’s cornbread dressing. The only differences she didn’t have fresh sage which makes this recipe better. Lastly, instead of taking the butter mixture from the skillet and pouring it into the batter she poured the batter directly into the iron skillet and that is what I did and it worked perfect. Btw true southern cornbread (without flour) like this one is never going to rise super tall, but it is still outstanding.

Don’t need so much salt

Mixed everything in wok

Closest to my great grandmothers recipe I’ve ever seen written down. Add a tsp or so of poultry seasoning and don’t skip the fresh sage if you’re able, no one in the family had ever used it before and it truly elevated the dish. Happy thanksgiving!

I made Kim's Southern Cornbread Dressing and I had trouble with the cornbread recipe. It came out flat. I read another comment that said the same thing. Perhaps it needed more baking powder. But now the deed is done and what can I do to fix my dressing. Everything's good Except it's very gritty. Thinking I need more bread. Maybe some buttermilk. Eggs and stock/gravy.Suggestions?

This is my grandmother's recipe but elevated with the fresh herbs - SO YUMMY!! Thanks for taking her dressing to the next level. Our family thanks you -

Now this is so, so close to what my mother/grandmother made without a recipe. I like that she used "dressing" and I guess it really is a southern thing.

3 eggs (not 2)2.5-3 cups stock (not 4-5)3 teaspoons better than bullion

White bread produces a slimy and truly disgusting dressing. There is no reason to ever use white bread for dressing and less reason to contaminate an otherwise delicious cornbread dressing by adding white bread to it. Yuk. And putting eggs in it is peculiar. As a born and bred southerner, the best dressing for turkey is always made with cornbread. Cornbread, onions, celery, mushrooms if you like them, chicken broth, seasonings, and you've got it. Dried cranberries are a nice addition.

So I took a hint from another tip and subbed homemade biscuits in for the white bread. Little extra effort, but MAN, it was good. I also used some local to me (New Orleans) andouille. I'd never actually had stuffing I liked until this. Thanks so much!

Bacon grease added a robust flavor. I think it would be bland without it. Also, 450 degrees for 20 minutes is too high. I left it at 450 for 10 minutes and dropped the oven temperature to 350. It was nice as crispy on the outside.