[Photographs: Vicky Wasik, J. Kenji López-Alt]
Some people call the dish we're about to discuss stuffing. Others call it dressing. A third group splits the difference, asserting that it's stuffing when it's cooked in a bird and dressing when it's cooked and served as a separate dish. I'm going to mostly stick with the term "stuffing" here, for simplicity's sake, but what really matters is that stuffing/dressing—essentially a savory bread pudding, usually flavored with homey, earthy, cold-weather-appropriate ingredients like sage, sausage, fennel, or chestnuts—is just damned delicious. It provides a rich, custardy component in the mashup forkful that's so common on this holiday: spear a bite of turkey, dab it with a bit of cranberry sauce, stuff it inside half a Parker House roll, but the connective tissue that binds them all has to be stuffing.
For no good reason that I can think of, people don't tend to eat stuffing except on the big end-of-year holidays—and it's my personal belief that if you're only going to eat a dish once a year, you ought to make it good. We can help you with that. Here are 12 of our best stuffing recipes, from a classic sage, sausage, and cornbread combination, to a vegan stuffing that will please even fully committed omnivores, to a potentially addictive garlic knot–stuffing hybrid.
Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing (or Dressing)
[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
Among the first choices you'll face in making homemade stuffing: What kind of bread to use? We've found that white bread takes on a more custard-like texture than whole-grain bread, and that it isn't necessary for the bread to be stale—just dry. Baking fresh bread in a low oven dries it out perfectly for this stuffing, flavored with the old-fashioned, deeply savory, classic-for-a-reason combination of sage and sausage.
Get the recipe for Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing (or Dressing) »
Slow-Cooker Sage and Sausage Stuffing
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
If you're not cooking your stuffing in the bird and are running low on oven space, enlist your slow cooker for some of the moistest-inside, crispiest-outside stuffing you'll ever have. Add nuts or dried or fresh fruit along with the bread cubes for greater variation in texture and flavor.
Get the recipe for Slow-Cooker Sage and Sausage Stuffing »
Sage and Sausage Stuffin's (Stuffing Muffins)
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
A brilliant way to portion your stuffing ahead of time: pour our Classic Sage and Sausage Stuffing mixture into a muffin tin, which carries the extra advantage of giving you a higher ratio of crisped edges to moist interiors. One batch of stuffing should make at least 20 stuffin's.
Get the recipe for Sage and Sausage Stuffin's (Stuffing Muffins) »
Stuffing Waffles
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
If you've got a waffle iron handy and a special fondness for the browned exterior on your stuffing, have we got a stuffing recipe for you. Waffling your stuffing mixture is an amazingly reliable way to get it super crispy, with just a little bit of tender center, and the deep pockets in the resulting waffle are perfect for collecting pools of gravy.
Get the recipe for Stuffing Waffles »
Cornbread Dressing With Sausage and Sage
[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
For a successful cornbread stuffing, we recommend using unsweetened Southern-style cornbread, lightly toasted. We keep the flavoring simple with sausage and a mix of herbs and aromatics, but feel free to experiment with additions like mushrooms or chestnuts.
Get the recipe for Cornbread Dressing With Sausage and Sage »
The Best Vegan Stuffing
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
Calling for butter, eggs, chicken broth, and sausage, our traditional stuffing recipe (like most out there) isn't exactly vegan-friendly. Believe it or not, you can make a stuffing that's not only completely vegan but incredibly tasty, too. We start with browned mushrooms to give it a meaty, umami punch, replace the chicken stock with homemade vegetable stock, and add pecans for crunch.
Get the recipe for The Best Vegan Stuffing »
Liver Stuffing
[Photograph: Robyn Lee]
By puréeing sautéed chicken livers with the stock used to soak your bread, you'll wind up with a stuffing richer and meatier than any sausage version. Bonus: You can serve the leftovers cold for a snack that's uncannily similar to pâté.
Get the recipe for Liver Stuffing »
Chorizo and Green Olive Stuffing
[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]
Much like stuffing, paella is a communal dish that's humble, satisfying, and celebratory all at the same time. Taking its inspiration from the Spanish mainstay, this stuffing variation is spiced with saffron (though do be sure to use the good stuff) and smoked paprika, and studded with green olives and dried Spanish chorizo.
Get the recipe for Chorizo and Green Olive Stuffing »
Popeye's Buttermilk Biscuit Stuffing
[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]
Last year, we challenged ourselves to make a fast food Thanksgiving dinner that was fun, whimsical, and, most of all, delicious. We have an unapologetic love for Popeye's tender, buttery biscuits, so they were a natural choice as a stuffing base. Bake them in the oven until they're dried out, then add Italian sausage, fennel, herbs, and aromatics for a creamy stuffing that's a lot more than you thought fast food could be.
Get the recipe for Popeye's Buttermilk Biscuit Stuffing »
Pull-Apart Stuffing Rolls
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
They're like garlic knots flavored with stuffing ingredients, and yes, that is exactly as good as it sounds. We make them by combining pizza dough with sausage, onion, celery, and sage, then baking them to moist, flavorful perfection in a casserole dish. Store-bought pizza dough is a fine substitute for homemade if you're short on time.
Get the recipe for Pull-Apart Stuffing Rolls »
Stuffing Fritters
[Photograph: Joshua Bousel]
Turning the concept of stuffing into more of a hush puppy–like appetizer, our light, savory fritters are flavored with onions, celery, apples, and herbs, though you can incorporate whatever seasonings and ingredients you like. Sausage, cranberries, nuts, and mushrooms are all good possibilities.
Get the recipe for Stuffing Fritters »
Latke-Crusted Turkey Stuffing Fritters With Liquid Cranberry Core and Schmaltz Gravy
[Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt]
A couple of years ago, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah happened to overlap, and, well, let's just say we went a little crazy with the culinary mashups. There won't be another Thanksgivukkah in our lifetimes, but don't let that stop you from making these wonderfully over-the-top fritters—which concentrate almost literally all the best flavors of Thanksgiving (sage and turkey sausage stuffing and cranberry sauce) into small balls, coated with the best flavor of Hanukkah (potato latkes) and topped off with a rich gravy. The spirit of Thanksgivukkah lives on in them.
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