This Cornbread Sausage Stuffing is savory, a little sweet and crisp around the edges. Cubes of cornbread are tossed with browned sausage, onion, celery and herbs, then baked until golden on top and tender in the middle.
It starts with two boxes of corn muffin mix, one of the cheapest items in the baking aisle. When every part of the holiday meal seems to cost more this year, that’s a welcome shortcut that still tastes completely homemade.
The key is drying out the cornbread first. Day-old cubes soak up the broth without turning mushy, so bake the cornbread a day or two ahead and leave it out.
In the South this would be called dressing, since it bakes in a dish instead of inside the bird. Whatever you call it, it tends to be the first side to disappear.
Ingredients and Swaps
- Cornbread: Two boxes of corn muffin mix, baked and cubed, or 8 cups of leftover or store-bought cornbread. Our Homemade Cornbread works too. Bake a double batch.
- Sausage: Pork breakfast sausage. Sage sausage is especially good here.
- Onion, celery and garlic: The classic stuffing vegetables.
- Eggs and broth: They bind the stuffing and keep it moist.
- Poultry seasoning: Or 1 teaspoon each of dried sage and thyme.
Tips for Cornbread Stuffing
- Dry the cornbread. Stale, dry cubes soak up broth without turning to mush. Leave them out overnight or toast them.
- Fold gently. Cornbread is fragile. Stir just until moistened.
- Add the broth gradually. The mixture should be moist, not soupy.
- Bake covered, then uncovered. Foil heats it through, and the last stretch uncovered crisps the top.
Prices are from Walmart’s and ALDI’s websites for stores in Columbus, Ohio, checked in October 2026. Ohio’s grocery prices are within about 1% of the national average, so you may pay more or less depending on where you live, and prices change often. Here’s how we price our recipes.
Cost: Ingredients – $7.55 from Walmart, $7.51 from ALDI · Per Serving – $0.75 to $0.76
Cornbread Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
Method
- A day ahead, bake the cornbread according to the package directions. Cool, cut into ¾-inch cubes and leave out uncovered to dry. (In a hurry, toast the cubes at 350°F for 15 minutes.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until cooked through. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Melt the butter in the same skillet. Cook the onion and celery for 6–8 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and poultry seasoning for 1 minute.
- Add the cornbread cubes and vegetables to the bowl with the sausage. Whisk the eggs with the broth, salt and pepper, pour over the top and fold gently until moistened.
- Spread in the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 15–20 minutes more, until golden on top and 165°F in the center.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.
Notes
- The corn muffin mix needs eggs and milk; check the box and add them to your shopping list.
- Use 8 cups of cubed leftover or store-bought cornbread instead of the mix.
- For a less sweet stuffing, replace half the cornbread with cubed day-old sandwich bread.
- Add ½ cup dried cranberries or a diced apple for a sweet and savory version.
Make-Ahead & Storage Tips
- Bake and cube the cornbread up to 2 days ahead and leave it out, uncovered, to dry.
- Brown the sausage and cook the vegetables a day ahead. Combine everything with the eggs and broth just before baking.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3–4 days. Reheat covered at 350°F with a splash of broth.
- Freeze baked stuffing for up to 1 month.
Cornbread Stuffing Questions
Can I make it without sausage?
Yes. Leave it out, add 2 extra tablespoons of butter and use vegetable broth for a meatless stuffing.
Can I bake it inside the turkey?
We recommend baking it in its own dish. It cooks evenly and the top gets crisp.
What other stuffings do you have?
Classic Stuffing from a boxed mix, and small-batch Sausage and Apple Stuffing.
