My Grandma’s Cornbread Dressing Is Simple, Moist Perfection (No Other Recipe Tops It)

My Tennessee grandmother, fondly known by family members of all ages as Nannie June, was always happy to feed hungry visitors. In her heyday, she cooked up large spreads every Sunday afternoon and every holiday, or anytime the occasion called for it. 

I remember bowls of tomato and cucumber salad (grown by my grandfather), creamed corn, pinto beans with ham hock, and crispy fried chicken. When Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter rolled around, the number of dishes would double, and some platters would have to move from the dining table to the sideboard to make room for table settings. And while Christmas called for a big glazed ham and coconut cake, Thanksgiving was the real eating holiday.

One dish I associate the most with my grandmother is her cornbread. I think it’s because I have such vivid memories of this tiny woman pulling the piping-hot cast iron skillet from the oven, tilting it so the oil coated the bottom, and pouring the batter into the sizzling pan. Upon my request, she’d pull out the heavy pan with the corn cob-shaped indentations and make crispy corn sticks just for me. 

She used her homemade cornbread to make cornbread dressing every Thanksgiving (we Southerners call it dressing whenever it’s cooked outside of the bird), a dish we simply had to have every year. One year, some of the family gathered at my sister’s apartment for the holiday and, while attempting to flip the cornbread out of the skillet and into the bowl, I somehow managed to wedge it between the window blinds. It just hung there, suspended, as we all cackled. I’ve yet to live that one down.

While the official family recipe is scant (“1 small skillet egg cornbread, onion, celery, 2 cups herb stuffing mix, 3/4 stick of butter, hot stock to moisten, bake”), I pieced together the details from memory and by questioning my family. It’s a fluffy, crumbly dressing, the cornbread giving the mixture a buttermilk-y flavor to go with the savory broth, buttery vegetables, and herbs. I added a bit of fresh herbs, but otherwise left it untouched. It’s just as I remember it.

Over the years of eating and then making this recipe, I’ve learned a few things.

1. Use Martha White Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix, if you can find it. My family insists on making cornbread with this mix. In fact, my grandmother’s go-to cornbread recipe is the one on the back of the sack. Martha White is an old-school brand that was advertised on the Grand Ole Opry, and holds a special place in many-a-Southerner’s heart. If you have trouble finding it (as I do), use your favorite self-rising cornmeal or add a little flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to finely-milled cornmeal to make your own (see Recipe Notes for specifics).
2. Use your favorite store-bought herb stuffing. My grandmother specifically calls for Kellogg’s Croutettes Stuffing Mix in her recipe, but this product is sadly no longer available. I use Stove Top Savory Herb Stuffing Mix instead.
3. Add the broth gradually (and taste as you go). When mixing everything together, you’re looking for a very moist texture but not so moist that liquid pools at the bottom of the bowl. Add the broth gradually until you reach a saturated mixture with no crunchy bits, using your hands to gauge the moisture level — my grandmother always had her hands wrists-deep in the dressing bowl. Give it a taste (there’s no raw egg, so it’s safe) and add seasoning as needed. This will vary depending on how salty your cornbread, stuffing mix, and broth are.
4. Make the cornbread in advance. Save yourself some time and effort on Thanksgiving day and make the cornbread a day ahead. While fresh, piping-hot cornbread is a must when you’re serving it as a side dish, leftover cornbread is perfect for dressing.

At Kitchn, our editors develop and debut brand-new recipes on the site every single week. But at home, we also have our own tried-and-true dishes that we make over and over again — because quite simply? We love them. Kitchn Love Letters is a series that shares our favorite, over-and-over recipes.