Learn how to make the most delicious sourdough stuffing recipe from scratch. Homemade bread is toasted with butter, then combined with sautéed vegetables, herbs, and broth to create this comforting, good-for-you, side dish for your holiday table.

hands holding a white baking dish full of homemade sourdough stuffing

Today I’m going to share with you my favorite thanksgiving stuffing recipe.

If you are new here, we recently welcomed our newest baby, Daniel (you can find the whole birth story here). So if you watch the YouTube tutorial below on how to make this dish, you will see sweet little Daniel snuggled up in my wrap.

That is how I get anything done, or any food cooked during these newborn days. My babies are happy as a clam, all wrapped up and snuggling me, and I get to have my hands free to feed the rest of my family!

Back to the recipe: it is so delicious. This sourdough stuffing makes me want to eat Thanksgiving and holiday food all year round.

Really, though, it is just darn good farm food.

Why keep certain foods just for the holidays? Yes, this is traditionally served as part of thanksgiving dinner, but I propose we change this.

There really isn’t much better than sourdough bread toasted with butter, fresh herbs, and veggies, is there?

It’s also a great way to use up day-old bread. Rarely does bread last longer than a day around here, but if it does, I know what I’m going to do with it. Side note: I usually use fresh bread; either works.

overhead photo of a hand holding a baking dish rim on a white countertop. The baking dish has sourdough stuffing topped with fresh sage

Tips:

  • If you do not have fresh herbs, you could also use dried. Just use about a teaspoon of each.
  • Some people like to make a sourdough sausage stuffing with mild Italian sausage, this is always an option. 
  • You can make this classic recipe ahead of time and then keep it stored in the fridge and reheat it in the oven come thanksgiving.
  • Make this dairy free (and vegan) by substituting butter for olive oil.

FAQ:

sourdough stuffing topped with fresh sage in a white baking dish on a white and blue plaid towel with a wood spatula resting on top of the towel
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Why sourdough?

Sourdough is a way to ferment grains to make them more digestible and more nutritious.

Fermentation makes the nutrients naturally found in grains more bio-available for your body to absorb. Many people who can’t tolerate gluten can tolerate sourdough, especially if it is long fermented for 24-48 hours. (source).

Can you make this sourdough stuffing recipe vegetarian?

Yes. Use vegetable broth rather than chicken broth, and it is vegetarian. It would be difficult to make this vegan, however, because of the eggs and butter in this recipe. They add so much flavor, and the eggs are used as a binder to help thicken the stuffing and add some moisture.

What is the best bread to use for stuffing?

I like using my homemade whole wheat sourdough bread (link below), but you could use your own favorite sourdough bread recipe. You could also buy a loaf of sourdough from a local bakery, just make sure that what you are buying is the real deal.

Fresh bread or day-old bread will work.

How do you dry out bread for stuffing?

Just bake cubed bread tossed in melted butter, and placed on a baking dish in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes

Should you use stale bread for stuffing?

You can use stale bread, but dry bread works better and faster than waiting for bread to get stale.

Why do you toast bread for stuffing?

This helps the bread dry out so the stuffing mixture can absorb lots of flavor and seasonings without getting super mushy.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Tools you may need:

sourdough bread, eggs, broth, butter on a white countertop. A wood cutting board with celery, onions, and fresh herbs

Ingredients:

Homemade sourdough bread – You could also use store-bought. Check out our family favorite whole wheat recipe.

Butter – Unsalted butter adds so much flavor to this dish. There is nothing like vegetables sautéed in butter, or crusty bread with butter. Use butter from grass-fed cows whenever possible.

Celery and onion – Adds a delicious, savory flavor and a little crunch.

Fresh herbs – Fresh sage leaves and thyme are the classic herbs used for stuffing. You could also use dried herbs if fresh isn’t available.

Salt and pepper

Unsalted Broth – homemade bone broth is simple and super healthy. Substitute vegetable broth if you’re looking to make this recipe vegetarian. You could also use chicken stock, or turkey broth. I use unsalted broth since I make it at home, this allows me to control the amount of salt added to the dish. If you use a store-bought broth you may want to add less salt than what the recipe calls for.

Eggs – Use pastured eggs whenever possible.

hands holding a white casserole dish full of homemade sourdough stuffing topped with fresh sage

How To Make Sourdough Stuffing: 

Prepare and bake homemade sourdough bread,
 if making from scratch.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

butter in a white baking dish

Add half of the butter to a baking dish (or cast iron skillet) and place in the oven to melt.

sourdough bread cut in cubes on a wood cutting board on a white countertop

Cut the crusty sourdough bread into 1-inch cubes.

bread cubes tossed with butter in a white baking dish

Take out the baking dish from the oven and toss the melted butter with the bread.

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway in between so the bread cubes don’t get burnt, but rather get nice and toasty.

Dice onions and celery.

celery and onions sautéing in a skillet

Sauté onions and celery over medium heat in a skillet with the remaining butter until they are a little soft, around 5-10 minutes.

Add salt and pepper.

Pull the toasted bread out of the oven.

eggs and broth in a stoneware bowl with fresh herbs and baking dish of toasted bread in the background

In a large bowl, add bone broth and eggs and whisk together.

Add the vegetable mixture and herbs to the broth mixture and mix well.

toasted cubed bread in a baking dish with broth, eggs, onions, celery, and herbs poured over top

Pour the broth and vegetable mixture over the toasted bread and let it sit for 10 minutes to allow bread to soak up the eggs and broth.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown.

Storage: 

Store leftover stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to two months. Thaw in the fridge and bake to reheat.

Find More Farmhouse Holiday Recipes And Inspiration:

If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate if you could come back, comment on the post, and give it 5 stars! Thanks.

Sourdough Stuffing

4.51 from 196 votes
Simple and delicious sourdough stuffing starts with homemade sourdough bread toasted in butter and combined with veggies and bone broth.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Servings: 8
hands holding a white casserole dish full of homemade sourdough stuffing topped with fresh sage
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Ingredients 

  • 1 small round sourdough bread, 1 pound
  • 1 stick salted butter
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 3 cups homemade chicken broth (unsalted)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons salt (reduce if using salted broth)
  • 1/2 tablespoon pepper

Instructions 

  • Prepare and bake homemade sourdough bread, if making from scratch.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  • Add half of the butter to a baking dish (or cast iron skillet) and place in the oven to melt.
  • Cut the crusty sourdough bread into 1-inch cubes.
  • Take out the baking dish from the oven and toss the melted butter with the bread.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway in between so the bread cubes don’t get burnt, but rather get nice and toasty.
  • Dice onions and celery.
  • Sauté onions and celery over medium heat in a skillet with the remaining butter until they are a little soft, around 5-10 minutes.
  • Add salt and pepper.
  • Pull the toasted bread out of the oven.
  • In a large bowl, add bone broth and eggs and whisk together.
  • Add the vegetable mixture and herbs to the broth mixture and mix well.
  • Pour the broth and vegetable mixture over the toasted bread and let it sit for 10 minutes to allow bread to soak up the eggs and broth.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown.

Notes

  • If you do not have fresh herbs, you could also use dried. Just use about a teaspoon of each.
  • Some people like to make a sourdough sausage stuffing with mild Italian sausage, this is always an option. 
  • You can make this classic recipe ahead of time and then keep it stored in the fridge and reheat it in the oven come thanksgiving.
  • Make this dairy free (and vegan) by substituting butter for olive oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 2534mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 533IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.51 from 196 votes (181 ratings without comment)

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55 Comments

  1. Melissa says:

    I make your einkorn sourdough bread, it’s delicious! Can I use that loaf to make this recipe?

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      Sure thing!

  2. Melissa Ann Bloom says:

    Were just a family of 2 so I have cubed sourdough in the freezer. Would it be ok to use in this recipe or would you not suggest it

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      Yes, that’s fine!

  3. Anna says:

    2 stars
    This came out too salty. Is it supposed to be 2 tsp instead of 2 T of salt?

    1. Lisa Bass says:

      No, 2 Tablespoons is the right amount. My homemade bone broth isn’t super salty though. Maybe your bone broth for the recipe has quite a bit of salt in it?

  4. Anonymous says:

    5 stars
    This was the best stuffing I have mad3 in over 50 years of cooking front scratch!!!

  5. Lauren Kirby says:

    5 stars
    My family plus friends I made this for our recent Thanksgiving. It was a hit and making again for Christmas tomorrow! Thank you!

  6. Myra says:

    I made this for Thanksgiving yesterday. I used my husband’s homemade sourdough everything focaccia. I doubled the recipe because it was a big crowd. It was so soupy and wasn’t absorbing all the broth. After waiting an hour, I wound up making an extra 4 cups of bread crumbs before baking. It did turn out delicious, but next time I’ll use far less broth than is called for.

  7. Chris says:

    I stumbled on to this for this year, and boy am I glad I did. It looks so good in the pan. And I haven’t even put it in the oven yet! I added a tbs of chopped fennel – the leafy fringe part, in addition to the sage and the thyme. Also eyeballed about an extra half cup of broth. I love the idea of toasting my own sourdough croutons. Mmmm… sourdough…

    25-30 minutes later – Yummy! Will be making this again. It was easy and twice as delicious. And my wife loves it.

    1. Lisa says:

      So glad you enjoyed this recipe.

  8. Irena says:

    5 stars
    Made this stuffing today (Thanksgiving). Everyone loved it!

  9. Joan says:

    I thought I saw cranberries in the photo. I love the idea of adding a few handfuls of cranberries to this stuffing.

    1. Lisa says:

      I haven’t tried that, but it sounds delicious.

  10. KC says:

    We are super excited to try this recipe for Thanksgiving. My son is allergic to dairy so we will substitute olive oil in place of butter. How much oil would you use? Thank you!

    1. Lisa says:

      I would use about a 1/2 cup of olive oil.

      1. KC says:

        Thank you so much! We are very excited to try it. I will be sure to come back and give you a review.