Sourdough Stuffing

5 from 1 vote

Updated Dec 01, 2025

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This Sourdough Stuffing is incredibly flavorful and has the perfect balance of textures. The top is crispy with a soft, tender middle without being mushy. It will be a go-to recipe for your Thanksgiving table year after year.

Sourdough stuffing in a glass 9x13 pan with a gold spoon inside and next to a brown cloth napkin.

Save & Summarize

This is a classic stuffing recipe made with a loaf of crusty homemade sourdough bread. This sourdough stuffing is soft, but not too soft and mushy, with a crispy top. It is full of fresh herbs, sautéed onions, and celery, enhanced by the richness of eggs and milk. Dried cranberries add a touch of sweetness, while Parmesan cheese adds a rich, nutty flavor.

It’s everything you love about traditional stuffing, but with a few extra flavors to take it to the next level. Trust me, as someone who grew up hating stuffing, I’ve never been more obsessed with a recipe!

Side dishes are my favorite part of Thanksgiving, and no holiday table is complete without classic recipes like Sourdough Sweet Potato Casserole, Sourdough Corn Casserole, Veggie Sourdough Macaroni and Cheese, or Sourdough Dinner Rolls. Or you can make Thanksgiving-inspired focaccia recipes such as Sweet Potato Sourdough Focaccia, Cranberry Orange Sourdough Focaccia, or Stuffing Sourdough Focaccia.

Reasons you will love this recipe
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
Instructions to make Sourdough Stuffing
Recipe Tips
Storage for leftover stuffing
How to make Sourdough Stuffing ahead of time
Recipe FAQ
More sourdough sides
Sourdough Stuffing Recipe

Reasons you will love this recipe

Full of fresh herbs and veggies – This Sourdough Stuffing is full of herby and savory flavor that is the perfect addition to your holiday table.
Use up old bread – It’s a great use for stale, dry bread or a loaf you have in the freezer.
Make-ahead side dish – You can prepare the stuffing ahead of time and bake the day of Thanksgiving to save time and energy in the kitchen the day of.
Hint of sweetness – Dried cranberries are an optional ingredient, but they add a pop of sweetness that complements the savory flavors beautifully, which makes the best stuffing! If you love cranberries, don’t miss my Cranberry Orange Sourdough Scones.

Important Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients for sourdough stuffing on a white background.

Stale sourdough bread cubes- It is important to use stale bread because it will soak up the liquids and not become soggy. If you use fresh, soft bread, the stuffing will have a really mushy texture. See the instructions below to get the perfect texture for your bread.
Vegetables – A blend of fresh onion, celery, and garlic.
Butter- Lots of butter to give the stuffing a rich, buttery flavor. Either salted or unsalted butter will work.
Fresh herbs- the recipes called for fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. If you do not have fresh, you can substitute with a teaspoon of dried instead.
Chicken broth– You can replace it with turkey broth, chicken stock, or even beef, bone, or vegetable broth. Whatever you have on hand or prefer!
Dried cranberries- the cranberries are optional. However, I highly recommend! They add a lovely sweetness that complements the herby flavors so well.
Parmesan cheese- freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. You can omit it if you are making this dairy-free.

See all the ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below.

Instructions to make Sourdough Stuffing

Sourdough bread cut into one inch cubes for sourdough stuffing.

Prep the bread

Step 1: To make stale bread, the day before you make the stuffing, chop up a loaf of sourdough bread into 1-inch cubes. Place the bread crumbs on a large pan uncovered, to dry out overnight. Alternatively, you can chop up a loaf and place it in the oven at 300°F for 15-20 minutes or until dry. Let cool while prepping the stuffing mix.

Butter sautéed with onion, celery, and garlic for sourdough stuffing.

Make the stuffing

Step 2: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Finely chop the onion and celery and add to the butter. Cook for 5-8 minutes until softened.

fresh herbs added to butter and vegetable mixture for sourdough stuffing.

Step 3: Mince garlic and fresh seasonings if you are using them, and add it to the pan along with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

Melted butter with herbs and vegetables for sourdough stuffing.

Step 4: In a bowl mix together chicken broth, whole milk, and large eggs. Remove the pan from the heat and add the liquids to the mixture to incorporate.

Parmesan cheese added on top of unbaked sourdough stuffing in a 9x13 pan.

Step 6: If the bread fits in the pan you can toss the bread and cranberries into the pan to incorporate. If not, add the bread and cranberries to an extra large bowl and pour the mixture over top, and stir until the bread is moistened.

Spray a 9×13 baking dish and dump the stuffing mixture into the pan. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes covered, followed by 20-25 minutes uncovered to crisp the top. Remove from the oven when the stuffing is golden brown and serve.

Recipe Tips

The bread should be somewhat moist before baking, but not soaking, or have a lot of extra liquid in the pan.
This is not a mushy stuffing. It does clump somewhat, but not like mushy stuffing does. If you prefer it to clump more, just add more liquid.
The recipe calls for fresh herbs, which bring so much flavor and freshness. However, in a pinch, you can substitute dried herbs instead.
If you would like to make this recipe dairy-free, you can replace the milk with more broth, swap for plant-based butter, and omit the parmesan cheese.
Use a good Bread knife to easily cut the sourdough bread into cubes.

Storage for leftover stuffing

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, you can microwave or add to the oven to warm through. You can also freeze the stuffing for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the stuffing thaw in the fridge and then reheat in a 350F degree oven until warmed through.

How to make Sourdough Stuffing ahead of time

If you would like to make your homemade stuffing ahead of time to save some work in the kitchen on the day of Thanksgiving, you can absolutely can! You can prep the stuffing 1-2 days ahead of time and then bake fresh on Thanksgiving. To do so, follow the instructions and prep everything until you add it to a 9×13 pan. Instead of baking, cover the prepped stuffing in a 9×13 pan and refrigerate. When you are ready to bake, pull the stuffing out of the fridge and preheat the oven. If you are using a glass pan, let the stuffing sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature and then bake. If you are using a non-glass or metal pan, you can bake directly from the fridge.

Recipe FAQ

What bread should I use in stuffing?

I recommend using a white, crusty loaf of bread for stuffing. My favorite to use is a loaf of homemade sourdough bread. Both my beginner-friendly Overnight Sourdough Bread and Same Day Sourdough Bread recipes are great options. Because you are using stale bread to make the stuffing, you can make your sourdough loaf ahead of time, you will at least want day-old bread. Or if you bake same day you can toast the bread in the oven to dry it out for the recipe. You can even use sourdough bread that has been previously frozen. Or if you are in a time crunch you can buy a loaf of store-bought crusty bread instead of making it from scratch.

How do I dry out sourdough bread for stuffing?

Air dry method
The day before you are going to make the stuffing, you can cut the fresh bread into 1″ cubes and then spread the cubes out on a large baking pan or cookie sheet. Allow the bread to sit uncovered overnight to become stale.

Oven method
The oven method can be done on the same day that you prepare the stuffing. Cut the bread into cubes and spread it out on a large baking pan or baking sheet. Add the bread cubes to a 300°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until dry. Then let it cool while you are preparing the stuffing.

How do I get my sourdough stuffing to clump together more?

This recipe clumps somewhat, but is a looser stuffing to avoid a mushy stuffing. However, if you want stuffing to stick together more, add more moisture by adding a little extra broth and an extra egg.

Can you stuff the turkey with this stuffing?

While I have never done this you should be able to add this stuffing to your turkey. However, if you like the tops of your stuffing crispy I would bake it separately.
To stuff the turkey with stuffing you will want about 3/4 cup of stuffing for every 1lb of turkey. Be sure the temperature of the middle of the stuffing reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Can I make this Sourdough Stuffing recipe dairy-free?

Yes! To make it dairy-free, replace the milk with more broth, use plant-based butter, and omit the parmesan cheese.