Don’t think that the homemade stuffing can be the star of the show? You just haven’t found the right recipe yet! Hopefully, this recipe for my Famous Homemade Stuffing will change your mind about how delicious (and easy!) a stuffing recipe can be.
My Famous Homemade Stuffing
Every year for any major holiday I’m asked to bring 2 things, the dessert and my famous homemade stuffing. After deciding many years ago that the boxed mixed stuff will never work for us this recipe has developed, and we just love it.
The reason I’ve put off posting it for so long is that I don’t have amounts for anything. It’s just one of those “by taste” recipes. So, really, it’s more of a “guideline” than a recipe. But you should see that as a plus since it’s so much more easily adaptable to your own family’s tastes!
Ingredients in Homemade Stuffing from Scratch
- Bread. You’ll need at least 1/2 loaf of Homemade Bread. You can use store-bought bread too if that’s what you have. Use a hearty variety so it holds up well.
- Apples. Any nice sweet variety will do for this recipe. Something like a Fuji apple will also stay nice and crispy but you can use a Gala as well.
- Onion. A must-add item to give it great flavor!
- Egg. This will help with flavor and coating the bread and rice well.
- Salt. You can also add pepper or any other spices you like. We like salt, pepper, and sage.
- Rice. This is the secret ingredient! Rice will add so much to this stuffing recipe as well as help keep it frugal.
- Chicken Broth. You can use homemade or store-bought but something with great flavor is helpful here.
Start with a half loaf of fresh bread. (Note that you can use Gluten Free Bread. It will work great in this recipe!) Use one small loaf from the store if you don’t have homemade. You want about 1 lb of bread in this recipe. Place pieces of the bread out on the countertop and let them begin to dry overnight. Once the bread is dry, break it into small pieces the size of croutons. Place these in a very large bowl.
If you don’t have the time to let it dry, tear it into pieces first stick it in the oven for a little bit. Take it out when it’s dry but not totally hard and crispy.
Cook the rice. Try and use freshly cooked rice in this recipe, not day old rice so it won’t get so hard. In the large bowl mix together your bread cubes and the cooked rice.
Use butter or oil and begin to fry a medium-sized onion in it.
Cut up at least 1 or 2 medium-sized apples. You won’t need them just yet but you will in a minute. We use our Rada Utility Knife to cut apples. It’s the best!
In the meantime, your onions should be about cooked through by now so add in the apples and fry together. You don’t want to fry the apples too long, just a few minutes.
In a small bowl, mix together the egg, chicken broth (about 1 c. or more depending on how moist you want the stuffing to be) and the salt or any spices you might like. We like to add sage.
Pour the chicken broth/egg mixture over the bread and rice mixture. Let it soak in for a couple of minutes. Add in the apple/onion mixture and mix together. If the mixture doesn’t seem moist enough, add a little more broth, remember that some of the moisture will cook out in the oven.
Lightly grease a large cookie sheet and pour the whole mixture onto it. Bake it at 350F for about 20 minutes. You will want to use a spatula and stir it around occasionally. You want to watch it bake carefully because if you cook it too long it will get too dry.
Yum. This could really be a meal all unto itself. Enjoy!
Need to print this to add to your Recipe Binder? Get the Homemade Stuffing recipe below:
Homemade Stuffing Recipe
How to make your own frugal stuffing to go with your Thanksgiving turkey!
-
bread
at least 1/2 loaf of Homemade Bread -
2
apples
any nice sweet variety -
1
medium
onion -
1
egg -
salt
and pepper or any other spices you like -
1
cup
rice
uncooked -
1
cup
chicken broth
-
Start with a half loaf of fresh bread. Use one small loaf from the store if you don’t have homemade. You want about 1 lb of bread in this recipe. Place pieces of the bread out on the countertop and let them begin to dry overnight.
-
Once the bread is dry, break it into small pieces the size of croutons.
-
If you don’t have the time to let it dry, tear it into pieces first stick it in the oven for a little bit. Take it out when it’s dry but not totally hard and crispy.
-
Cook the rice. Try and use freshly cooked rice in this recipe, not day old rice so it won’t get so hard.
-
Use butter or oil and begin to fry a medium-sized onion in it.
-
Cut up at least 1 or 2 medium sized apples. You won’t need them just yet but you will in a minute.
-
In a large bowl mix together your bread cubes and the cooked rice.
-
In the meantime, your onions should be about cooked through by now so add in the apples and fry together. You don’t want to fry the apples too long.
-
In a small bowl, mix together the egg, chicken broth (about 1 c. or more depending on how moist you want the stuffing to be) and the salt or any spices you might like. We like to add sage.
-
Pour the chicken broth/egg mixture over the bread and rice mixture. Let it soak in for a couple minutes.
-
Add in the apple/onion mixture and mix together.
-
Lightly grease a large cookie sheet and pour the whole mixture onto it. Bake it at 350F for about 20 minutes. You will want to use a spatula and stir it around occasionally. You want to watch it bake carefully because if you cook it too long it will get too dry.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Stuffing Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 126
Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 0.3g2%
Trans Fat 0.003g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.3g
Cholesterol 20mg7%
Sodium 19mg1%
Potassium 128mg4%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 55IU1%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 17mg2%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Do you make your own homemade stuffing? Have you tried this recipe?
Merissa Alink
Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.
This recipe was originally published on Little House Living in December 2011, it was updated in November 2025.
