Apple Cornbread Stuffing
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Savor the flavors of the season with this Apple Cornbread Stuffing. This cozy, Southern-inspired side brings together the best of sweet and savory fall ingredients like tender apples, aromatic herbs, and buttery, golden cornbread.
Whether you call it stuffing or dressing, this dish is a celebration of tradition - and pairs perfectly with roast turkey, glazed ham, or your favorite holiday mains.
Recipe Overview
- Main Ingredients: cornbread, apples, onion, celery, sage, thyme, butter
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Best For: Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Sunday dinner
What I Love About This Stuffing
There's something so nostalgic about the aroma of cornbread, apples, and herbs filling the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning. I love that this recipe strikes a balance between savory and subtly sweet - with the texture of buttery cornbread, the tart bite of apples, and the warmth of thyme and sage.
It's easy to make ahead, endlessly adaptable, and even more flavorful the next day. Plus, it's the perfect complement to my classic Cornbread Dressing recipe - a reader favorite for years.
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Ingredients
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- Olive Oil & Butter: The combination adds rich flavor and helps keep the stuffing from drying out.
- Onion & Celery: Classic aromatics that form the savory base of any great stuffing.
- Apples: Granny Smith or another crisp variety adds tartness and texture.
- Garlic: For depth of flavor - a little goes a long way.
- Sage & Thyme: The quintessential Thanksgiving herbs. Use fresh if you can!
- Cornbread: Use a double batch of Skillet Cornbread for the best flavor and texture, or your favorite mix.
- Milk: Moistens the mixture so it bakes up tender, never dry, but you can also use broth if preferred.
- Parsley: A bright finish that makes the dish as pretty as it is delicious.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Apple Cornbread Stuffing
This classic holiday side is easy to make in just a few simple steps - from baking and crumbling the cornbread to sautéing the apples and herbs, then combining everything for a perfectly golden, flavorful stuffing.
Make-Ahead Tip
For the best flavor and texture, bake the cornbread one day ahead and let it rest, uncovered, at room temperature overnight. This allows it to dry slightly and soak up all the rich flavors when mixed.
If you're making it the same day, just let the cornbread cool before crumbling - it will still be delicious.
Begin by preheating the oven to 325℉ degrees and coating a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
- Step 1: Set your oven to 325°F and lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Then, in a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and apples; cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic, sage, and thyme, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Step 2: Crumble the cornbread and place it in a large bowl.
- Step 3: Add the sautéed mixture to the cornbread. Gently toss to combine, adding milk gradually until moistened but not soggy.
- Step 4: Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and heated through.
For Serving: Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and garnish with fresh sage leaves if desired. Serve warm alongside your Thanksgiving favorites.
Variations
- Make-Ahead: Prepare through step 4, cover tightly, and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking.
- Sausage Apple Cornbread Stuffing: Add ½ pound cooked breakfast sausage for a hearty, savory variation.
- Cranberry Apple Stuffing: Stir in ½ cup dried cranberries for a pop of sweetness and color.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use a gluten-free cornbread mix.
Serving Suggestions
This stuffing pairs beautifully with:
Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, stuffing is cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is baked in a separate dish. Today, most people use the terms interchangeably - this recipe is baked separately but has all the flavor of classic stuffing.
Absolutely. Homemade Skillet Cornbread has the best flavor, but a quality store-bought or box mix works well too.
Tart, firm apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady hold up beautifully during baking and balance the savory flavors.
Yes. Prepare the mixture up to one day in advance, refrigerate it, and bake just before serving. You may need to add a splash of milk before baking if it seems dry.
Cover with foil and reheat in a 325°F oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of broth or milk to keep it moist.
More Stuffing Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this apple cornbread stuffing recipe:
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Apple Cornbread Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- Cornbread Recipe doubled: crumbled *see notes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 celery stalks small dice
- 2 apples like Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dry rubbed sage or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1½ teaspoons dry thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt and pepper (1 teaspoon each)
- ½ cup milk or as necessary for moistening
- 4 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Prepare and bake the cornbread. I like to bake it the day before, but if making it on the day of, let cool slightly. Then crumble and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 325℉ degrees and coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
- Melt butter in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, apples, thyme and sage; cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened. This will not soften much during baking, so if you like them soft, you make want to saute longer. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Place the sauteed vegetables in the bowl with the cornbread mixture.
- Add the sauteed vegetables and apples to the bowl with the cornbread. Stir to combine, and add milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency. I like my stuffing very soft, so I use the entire amount of milk (and sometimes a bit more) depending on the cornbread.
- Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared pan, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until dressing is browned and cooked through.
- Sprinkle with parsley and garnish with sage leaves if desired. Serve.
Notes
Cornbread:
It's always delicious to make your own homemade cornbread. I'm using my all-time favorite Skillet Cornbread recipe. But you can always use a store-bought mix too. You will need 2 recipes for a 9 to 10-inch skillet or 9-inch square baking pan.-
Cornbread:
For the best texture, bake your cornbread one day ahead and let it rest, uncovered, at room temperature overnight. This helps it dry slightly so it holds together better when mixed with the apples and milk. If you're baking the same day, just let it cool before crumbling. -
Apples:
Tart varieties like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady work best. They hold their shape and add a touch of sweetness that balances the savory herbs. -
Moisture Level:
The amount of milk needed can vary based on the cornbread's texture and age. Start with about 1 cup and add more as needed until the stuffing feels soft but not soggy. -
Herbs:
Fresh herbs add brightness, but dried sage and thyme work beautifully too. If substituting, use ⅓ the amount of dried herbs as you would fresh. -
Make Ahead:
Prepare the stuffing up to the point of baking, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Add a splash of milk before baking if it seems dry. -
Storage & Reheating:
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 325°F oven until warmed through, adding a tablespoon or two of milk or broth if needed. -
Variations:
- Add ½ pound of cooked sausage for a heartier version.
- Stir in dried cranberries or toasted pecans for extra flavor and color.
- To make it gluten-free, use a gluten-free cornbread mix.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Our family loves cornbread stuffing -- and not only on Thanksgiving! It's a delightful dish for all who are cornbread fans; it's soft, delicious, and that sweet and tart apple makes a surprisingly irresistible addition!