Take your holiday table up a notch with this Jiffy cornbread dressing! A Southern staple, this dish brings together soft buttermilk cornbread, a touch of sweetness, and perfectly balanced seasonings. It’s a simple yet flavorful twist on traditional dressing, and it pairs beautifully with roast turkey, ham, or other festive favorites.
This Jiffy cornbread dressing recipe is a fantastic way to enjoy the comforting flavors of homemade stuffing with minimal effort. The use of Jiffy cornbread mix makes it incredibly simple to prepare while keeping that classic Southern dressing texture—moist on the inside with crispy golden edges.
Unlike traditional white bread-based stuffing, Jiffy cornbread stuffing brings a subtle sweetness that complements savory ingredients like sautéed onions, celery, and fresh herbs. You can keep it classic or customize it with sausage, mushrooms, or even a touch of cream of chicken soup for extra creaminess. Whether you prefer it as a side dish for roast turkey or alongside a comforting bowl of ham and greens, this dressing is guaranteed to be the star of your holiday spread!
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Why We Love This Jiffy Cornbread Dressing Recipe
- It’s a popular side dish for the holidays.
Whether it’s for Thanksgiving day, Christmas, or a side with turkey tenderloin oven, this easy cornbread dressing recipe is a classic that everyone seems to love. - Very little prep time.
It only takes an hour, with most of that time spent in the oven. Plenty of time to clean up and complete other prep for dinner! - It’s customizable.
The sausage and broth can be switched out to suit the flavors of the meal, so there’s plenty of room for customization.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cornbread: This southern dressing casserole recipe starts with a base of jiffy skillet cornbread. It’s moist, fluffy, and just a tad tangy. However, you can use store-bought alternatives, or even dairy free cornbread.
- Broth: We prefer chicken broth, but vegetable or mushroom broth, and even chicken stock all serve the same purpose.
- Eggs: This is a necessary ingredient. Eggs act as a binder and keep the Jiffy cornbread dressing together.
- Poultry Seasoning: This convenient premade seasoning is a combination of sage, thyme, onion powder, rosemary, marjoram, nutmeg, and sometimes garlic powder. If you have all of these seasonings separately, just mix them together for an easy substitute!
- Sausage: The savory, rich taste of breakfast sausage is preferred for a Southern dressing recipe. Although, any sage flavored sausage is a good substitute.
Recipe Variations
- Make it heartier: Add cooked sausage, bacon, or diced ham for extra protein and smoky flavor.
- Vegetarian twist: Skip the meat and mix in sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, or chopped pecans for texture.
- Cheesy goodness: Stir in shredded cheddar or parmesan to the cornbread mixture before baking.
- Spicy kick: Add chopped jalapeños or a dash of cayenne pepper for a bold twist.
- Classic Southern flavor: Use crumbled Jiffy cornbread mix combined with white bread for a traditional texture.
- Creamier texture: Add an extra can of cream of chicken soup or a splash of heavy cream for a richer dressing.
- Herb-infused: Enhance the flavor with a generous sprinkle of fresh herbs like sage, thyme, and parsley.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Baking Sheet
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 9×13 Baking dish
- Medium sized skillet
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden or silicone mixing spoon
- Aluminum foil
How to Make Jiffy Cornbread Stuffing
- Cube the cornbread before starting.
You’ll save a lot of time while crumbling if you take the time to cube the cornbread.
It also helps to create even crumbles that dry evenly in the oven, which’ll prevent those burnt, unpleasant bits. - Take the time for tender veggies.
Be sure to saute the veggies in a large skillet and don’t cut that time short — you don’t want hard, crunchy celery bits in your jiffy cornbread stuffing!
Go ahead and throw the celery and onions in at the same time.
- Avoid soggy stuffing.
So that you’re not oversaturating the crumbles, add the broth just a bit at a time. Adding it all at once makes it too wet too fast and it will be mushy by the time cooking’s complete.
Besides that, you may not even need that much liquid. Some people prefer that cornbread stuffing be less moist, especially if it’s going to be baked inside of a turkey or chicken.
- Uncover the casserole dish for a few minutes.
While we’re on the subject of soggy stuffing, don’t forget to uncover the dish during the last few minutes of baking!
That final broil makes the top layer crisp and delicious while keeping the inside moist and fluffy.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
If the casserole has dried out, add a bit more stock before you reheat it. Adding just a little moisture will bring it back to life.
Serving Suggestions
Sometimes the side dishes steal the show, and this Jiffy cornbread dressing recipe is no exception! Pair it with sweet potato casserole for a comforting holiday spread or serve it with a slice of roast turkey and cranberry sauce for the ultimate Thanksgiving meal.
For a well-rounded feast, consider adding mushrooms and dumplings, Instant Pot mashed potatoes no drain, or Instant Pot broccoli—they’re all easy, time-saving options that let you focus on prepping the main course. If you love stuffing variations, try our chicken and stove top stuffing casserole and sourdough bread stuffing for a different take on this holiday classic.
And don’t forget dessert! A warm serving of pumpkin pie or pecan pie is the perfect sweet finish after a plateful of this Southern staple.
Recipe FAQs
If your holiday stuffing comes out a little drier than you’d hoped, you can rehydrate with a bit more broth. Pour it over the stuffing, with a bit of melted butter if desired, cover, and stick it back in the oven for just a bit.
The biggest difference between the two is that stock runs thicker and has a stronger, more potent flavor than broth.
At the end of the day, you can use either.
It’s a minor difference: stuffing is cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is cooked separately–more like a casserole.
As a result, dressing usually has more liquid added to it to prevent drying out.
Jiffy cornbread dressing is best eaten within 3 to 4 days. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container storage and reheat in the oven to restore the texture.
Consider Making These Other Thanksgiving Recipes…
If you tried this jiffy cornbread dressing recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Jiffy Cornbread Dressing
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- non-stick cooking spray
- 9×13 Baking dish
- medium sized skillet
- large mixing bowl
- wooden or silicone mixing spoon
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 4 cups crumbled cornbread *see Notes
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup chopped celery
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- 2 eggs beaten
- 8 ounces chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces ground breakfast sausage cooked and drained
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Crumble cornbread cubes into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, until dry.
- Increase oven heat to 400°F. Prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish by greasing with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onion to melted butter and sauté for about 7 minutes, until the celery is softened and the onion is translucent.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, broth, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Blend well. Stir in cooked sausage and sautéed vegetables. Using a wooden or silicone mixing spoon, gently fold in crumbled cornbread. Spread cornbread dressing in prepared baking dish.
- Cover pan with foil and bake at 400ºF for 25 – 30 minutes, then remove aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve while warm.
Notes
- If using homemade cornbread, bake 1 batch of our Jiffy buttermilk cornbread recipe. Either an 8-inch pan of prepared cornbread or homemade cornbread from 1 box Jiffy muffin mix equals 4 cups of cornbread crumbs.
- I cut the bread into 2-inch cubes first, so it’s easier to crumble.
- Jiffy cornbread dressing is best eaten within 3 to 4 days. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container and reheat in the oven to restore the texture.
- How do I fix dry cornbread dressing? If your holiday stuffing comes out a little drier than you’d hoped, you can rehydrate with a bit more broth. Pour it over the stuffing, with a bit of melted butter if desired, cover, and stick it back in the oven for just a bit.
- Is it better to use broth or stock for holiday stuffing?
The biggest difference between the two is that stock runs thicker and has a stronger, more potent flavor than broth.
At the end of the day, you can use either. - What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing? It’s a minor difference: stuffing is cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is cooked separately–more like a casserole. As a result, dressing usually has more liquid added to it to prevent drying out.
- How do I store and reheat leftovers? Jiffy cornbread dressing is best eaten within 3 to 4 days. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container storage and reheat in the oven to restore the texture.
- If the casserole has dried out, add a bit more stock before you reheat it. Adding just a little moisture will bring it back to life.
- Make it heartier: Add cooked sausage, bacon, or diced ham for extra protein and smoky flavor.
- Vegetarian twist: Skip the meat and mix in sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, or chopped pecans for texture.
- Cheesy goodness: Stir in shredded cheddar or parmesan to the cornbread mixture before baking.
- Spicy kick: Add chopped jalapeños or a dash of cayenne pepper for a bold twist.
- Classic Southern flavor: Use crumbled Jiffy cornbread mix combined with white bread for a traditional texture.
- Creamier texture: Add an extra can of cream of chicken soup or a splash of heavy cream for a richer dressing.
- Herb-infused: Enhance the flavor with a generous sprinkle of fresh herbs like sage, thyme, and parsley.
Nutrition
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Harriet Young says
Really tasty and really easy – this is a great dish. Thank you!
kushi says
This dressing sounds so flavorful and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Fay says
I like this a lot, delicious! Thank you!
Paula says
What a great idea to make cornbread dressing with the box mix! This was easy and so good!
Heather says
A beautiful and easy dressing for Thanksgiving, the prep is so easy too! Not a drop left, I’ll be making this again over the coming holidays! Thank you!