This sourdough stuffing recipe is the best Thanksgiving side and easier than you think! Dried homemade sourdough bread, combined with sausage, sauteed vegetables, and savory herbs, creates a comforting, hearty side dish for your holiday table.

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You might be asking, can sourdough be used for stuffing? YES! This classic recipe, straight from my grandma’s kitchen, has a hearty texture, crispy top, and a robust interior.

Growing up, my family was never one to use boxed stuffing. My grandma was old school and prioritized cooking and baking from scratch. It was the best! But the memories that bring the brightest joy are the holidays! Festive foods, special cookies, and a table set with an outrageous amount of food for our humble family.

I know I can’t be the only one who thinks the array of side dishes are the best part of the Thanksgiving meal. Some might argue that pies are, but let’s be honest, desserts are in their own category. Sweets can’t really compete with vegetables, can they?

Among the many sides, there’s one that stands head and shoulders above the others: the Thanksgiving stuffing! To me, it’s the perfect side dish.

Sure, other sides like sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes are good, but for me, they just don’t satisfy in the same way sourdough stuffing does. Full of savory sausage, earthy flavor from the bits of onion and celery, all wrapped in a seasoned sourdough bread, what’s not to love?

Why You’ll Love Sourdough Bread Stuffing

Simple – Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know how to make sourdough stuffing from scratch. You’ll master this easy side dish, made with simple ingredients, with just a few simple steps, proving that making stuffing from scratch is easier than you think.
Sourdough – Tangy sourdough bread elevates the earthy hints of celery and poultry seasoning for an iconic and delicious flavor. Use homemade sourdough bread or store-bought sourdough.
Texture – Homemade sourdough stuffing retains the individual pieces of bread for a light texture with great mouth feel, contrasting the pudding-like stuffings made with a beaten egg and milk mixture.
Scale – Easily scale this easy sourdough stuffing recipe to suit your crowd, regardless of size. Doubling the recipe easily feeds my extended family during our Thanksgiving meal, but it’s also easy to cut in half. When in doubt, I always err on the side of having more because it’s just that good! Plus, the leftovers are divine! A healthy serving of leftover stuffing and a fried egg makes the best post-Thanksgiving breakfast.

How to Make the Best Sourdough Stuffing Overview

cubing slices of sourodugh bread on a cutting board with a sharp knife

cooking sausage, diced onion, and celery in a large braiser

Dry slices of sourdough bread until they’re stale and dry, but not hard. Cut into 1-inch cubes, add to a large mixing bowl, and toss with poultry seasoning and salt.
Brown the sausage with the onion and celery in a large skillet until they’re soft and tender, about 20 minutes.
Pour the meat and vegetables, along with the juices, into the bowl with the seasoned bread cubes. Stir the mixture to distribute the ingredients, lifting from the bottom of the bowl.
Adjust. If the stuffing is too dry, add milk, a little bit at a time, until the stuffing is soft, but not soggy. If the stuffing seems too wet, add some bread crumbs to soak up the extra liquid.
Pour into a greased 9×13 baking dish, cover with foil, and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350F/C. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown.

lifting a spoonful of sourdough stuffing from a large bowl

Store

Allow the sourdough stuffing to cool to room temperature before placing it in an airtight container or covering the baking dish with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm the stuffing in the oven at 350F/C for 20 minutes, or until heated through. Keeping the stuffing covered with foil prevents it from drying out as it bakes.

Homemade Stuffing FAQs

Do I have to Make Sourdough stuffing with sausage?

The secret to the flavorfulness of this sourdough stuffing recipe with sausage lies in the sausage. While you can opt to leave the sausage out, you’re then creating a completely different side dish with different flavors and textures. Instead, choose to substitute a chicken or turkey sausage in place of pork sausage if you can’t have pork.

What’s the Difference Between Stuffing and Dressing?

As the name suggests, sourdough stuffing is stuffed inside the cavity of the turkey. While sourdough stuffing for turkey becomes softer as the turkey releases its juices as it cooks, it also has an added dimension of flavor. Sourdough stuffing dressing is made of the same mixture, but baked in a casserole dish rather than inside the turkey.

What is the best bread for stuffing?

The best stuffing bread has a neutral flavor and enough texture to withstand the added liquid from the vegetables and meat. My sourdough sandwich bread is the ideal choice, but if you’re not up for making your own, buy a loaf at your local bakery. I find that a thick, crusty bread, like a boule, is too chewy. If that’s all you have, cut the bottom crust off and save it for breadcrumbs.

How do you dry out bread for stuffing?

My go-to method is using stale, leftover sourdough bread, leftout to dry overnight. The bread is dry but not crispy or hard. If you’re wondering, is it better to make stuffing with fresh or stale bread, opt for stale, day-old bread every time. If you’re using fresh sourdough bread, plan ahead and leave it out to dry. To hasten the process, elevate the bread on cooling racks for plenty of air flow.

dried cubed sourodugh bread in a large metal mixing bowl

Sourdough Stuffing Recipe Tips

I always use milk to hydrate the stuffing if it feels too dry, but you can always use chicken broth or vegetable broth for an added savory flavor.
I find making the sourdough stuffing a day in advance gives the stuffing time for the moisture to soak into the dried bread and creates a consistent texture throughout the stuffing. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight.
Keep it simple and use dry herbs instead of fresh herbs.
When drying, arrange the bread with the ends slightly overlapping. This keeps it elevated and allows plenty of airflow for all sides of the bread.

sourdough stuffing in a white baking dish

If you try this Sourdough Stuffing Recipe and love it, I would love it if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @LockremHomestead.

Sourdough Stuffing Recipe | Best Thanksgiving Side

Leisha Lockrem

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 40

Drying Time 8

Total Time 9 15

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings

Calories 341.5 kcal

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Equipment

large mixing bowl
skillet
sharp knife
Cutting Board
9×13 baking dish

Ingredients

1 loaf sourdough sandwich bread
1 lbs pork sausage
1 medium onion dice
6 stalks celery trim the ends and dice
2 tsp poultry seasoning
¾ cup whole milk as needed

Instructions

To dry the bread, arrange slices of fresh bread on a clean work surface. Leave out for 8 hours. I do this step overnight.
The next morning, cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Add the cubed bread to a large bowl and toss with salt and poultry seasoning.
Brown the pork sausage with diced onion and celery in a large skillet over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and the sausage is fully cooked.
Pour the sausage, celery, onions, and all of the juices over the bread cubes. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture is even distributed, lifting from the bottom of the bowl.
Adjust the stuffing. If the stuffing is too dry, add milk, a little bit at a time, until the stuffing is softened and still holds its shape, but not soggy. If the stuffing seems too wet, add some bread crumbs to soak up the extra liquid.
Grease a 9×13 baking dish. Pour the stuffing mixture into the prepared baking dish, cover with a piece of aluminum foil, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown.