Make Ahead Stuffing (5 Ways)
In this post, I am sharing 5 methods for a make ahead stuffing or holiday dressing. This will save you prep time on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other time you want to enjoy the delicious side dish!
In my family (and maybe yours as well), holidays are when we enjoy foods that we typically only make once or twice a year. But there is so much prep and cooking to do on holidays! It’s nice to have a few dishes that you can make ahead of time.
I am always looking for ways to make Thanksgiving and Christmas meal prep easier. Making the stuffing ahead of time fits this scenario perfectly!
Why make ahead stuffing is a favorite
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I like to alternate between this classic make ahead recipe and our family’s chestnut stuffing recipe. However, this post is really more about making any stuffing or dressing ahead of time.
In other words, you can absolutely use your family’s best stuffing recipe and find the method of making it ahead that works best for you.
Ingredients and substitutions
- onion: I like to use a sweet yellow onion, but for a sharper flavor, use white or red onion.
- celery
- unsalted butter: There is plenty of salt from the nuts. If you only have salted butter, that’s fine – just be sure to taste the stuffing before adding any salt.
- chicken stock or broth: I use homemade bone broth so that I can control the sodium in it. Turkey stock and vegetable broth are good substitutes.
- bread cubes: Use something hearty and a bit stale, like day-old sourdough bread or French bread. This make ahead stuffing recipe even works with day-old cornbread.
- fresh herbs: I use 1 sprig of rosemary and about 6 sage leaves. Feel free to include other herbs, like thyme leaves. If you can’t find fresh herbs, dried will work as well. I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon of sage and 1/2 teaspoon rosemary. You can add more if necessary.
- nuts: All varieties of toasted nuts work fine. Popular choices are walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts. You can omit the nuts if you need or want to.
- sea salt and black pepper
Video tutorial
5 ways to make stuffing ahead of time
I’ll explain how to prepare the make ahead stuffing and then you can decide how much or how little of the recipe you want to prepare ahead of time.
- Toast the nuts in a dry skillet. If using, roast the nuts over medium heat in a skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Sauté the onion in a skillet with butter.
- Add the celery and continue cooking. Add the celery when the onions are soft but not browned. Cook until the celery is soft, too.
- Method 1: Cool and freeze for up to 6 months. **See the next section of this post for instructions.
- Method 2: Cube, toast, and freeze the bread as well. **See the next section of this post for instructions.
- Method 3: Assemble and freeze the unbaked stuffing. **See the next section of this post for instructions.
Method 1 – freeze partially cooked stuffing
- Freeze the sauteed vegetables and toasted nuts. Be sure to let the veggies cool to room temperature first! Then, store them with the nuts in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag. I like this container for freezing. This mixture can be frozen for up to 6 months.
On Thanksgiving morning:
- Thaw the frozen mixture in its container at room temperature, or in the microwave.
- Cube the bread. If your bread isn’t stale or day-old, you can spread the cubes out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and dry them out in a 300°F oven for 15 minutes.
- Combine all ingredients, plus the broth, herbs, and spices.
- Bake the stuffing in a casserole dish covered with foil for 30 minutes at 350˚F, then uncovered for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can stuff your turkey with it.
Method 2 – freeze the bread cubes as well
To save even more time, you can cube, toast, and freeze the bread ahead of time.
- Toast the bread cubes on a large baking sheet in the oven at 300˚F. until golden brown, about 10-15 minutes.
- Let the toasted bread cool down, then freeze it for up to 6 months in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag.
On Thanksgiving morning:
- Assemble and bake the make-ahead stuffing by combining the melted butter onion-celery mixture with the bread cubes, vegetable broth, spices, and nuts. Either bake it in a casserole dish or stuff it into your turkey.
Method 3 – freeze the make-ahead stuffing unbaked
Assemble the unbaked stuffing casserole. Combine the onion-celery mixture, cubed bread, broth, spices, and nuts, if using. Then place this in a freezable container or freezer storage bag. The Thanksgiving dressing may be kept frozen for up to 6 months.
On Thanksgiving Day, you proceed as described in the recipe card, by baking your stuffing in a casserole dish or stuffing your turkey with it.
Method 4 – make stuffing up to 5 days ahead
This involves completely preparing the make-ahead stuffing and baking it up to 5 days ahead of Thanksgiving. Bake it in a casserole dish at 350˚F for about 30 minutes covered with foil, then uncover the dish and bake the stuffing for another 10 minutes.
Let it cool down to room temperature, then cover the dish with foil and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Method 5 – make and freeze fully baked stuffing
Just as in method nr 4, you prepare and bake the entire stuffing and let it cool down.
However, in this method, you store it in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Again, on the day you want to serve it, thaw, then reheat it at 350˚F covered with some aluminum foil for about 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the casserole is crispy.
Deciding which method to use
Ultimately, deciding how much of the stuffing to make ahead depends on these things:
- How much freezer, refrigerator, and oven space you have
- What kind of containers you will use
- How much time you want to save on Thanksgiving Day
- Whether you are using it as a casserole or stuffing a turkey with it
Obviously, the method that will save you the most amount of time is refrigerating or freezing the entire baked stuffing. On the other hand, you will need enough space in your freezer or fridge to keep it there.
If you’re short on space but want to save some prep time, you might like to go with method 1. This means that you will still need to assemble and bake the stuffing on the day you want to serve it.
A lot of people have a single oven. By the time you have your turkey or goose in there and maybe a green bean casserole and sweet potato dish, there may not be enough space for the stuffing casserole. If this is the case, you can prepare all the side dishes ahead, including the make-ahead stuffing. Then, bake them all during the time the turkey is resting.
What to do with leftover stuffing
Even though it’s hard to imagine, here’s what to do with any stuffing that wasn’t eaten on turkey day:
- Refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to four days
- Freeze it for up to three months
- You can also use your make-ahead stuffing to make stuffing waffles or stuffed mushrooms.
I hope I was able to show you some simple and easy ways to prep your Thanksgiving stuffing ahead of time so that you can enjoy the day relaxed and not stressed out.
Make Ahead Stuffing
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 1 medium onion peeled and chopped
- 5 stalks celery chopped
- 1 ½ – 2 cups chicken stock or turkey, chicken, or vegetable broth
- 6 cups bread cubes optional: toast at 350℉ until lightly brown
- 1 sprig rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 6 leaves sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts walnuts, pecans, or nut of choice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set the oven to preheat to 350℉.
- Meanwhile, toast the chopped nuts in a dry non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Remove nuts from the skillet and set aside.
- To the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. When butter has melted, add onions and celery. Sauté until onions are translucent and celery is soft, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning.
- Add vegetables, toasted nuts, and all other ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the stuffing into a 2-quart (or larger) oven-safe baking dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350˚F for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until edges of bread cubes are crisp.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute some of the onion and celery for other vegetables like carrots or mushrooms, or omit some.
- If desired, you can include cooked sausage or bacon as well.
- To make this stuffing vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of stock
Nutrition
Other Thanksgiving recipes you might enjoy
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This recipe is great, I just added some pork sausage and it came out perfect. It reheats well.
That is so great to hear and love that you’re experimenting with adding other ingredients ~ Anja
I have never made homemade stuffing, but after seeing this post I’m wondering why on earth I have never done it myself?! These look incredible, and I will definitely be giving them a try.