Jiffy Cornbread Dressing Recipe With A Southern Twist
This Jiffy Cornbread Dressing is soft and moist in the middle with crisp, golden edges where it meets the pan. It starts with sweet Jiffy cornbread baked and crumbled, then mixed with sautéed celery and onion and enough broth to keep it spoonable, never dry or bready. The Southern twist is the sweeter cornbread base and plenty of sage, which is what sets dressing like this apart from the drier, savory stuffing you’d find up North. It’s the side that disappears first at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I’ve made this dressing every Thanksgiving for years, and it wasn’t right the first few times. My early batches baked up dry because I skimped on the liquid. Now I use the full amount of broth and buttermilk and don’t panic when the mix looks wetter than I expect, because that’s exactly what bakes into a moist dressing with crisp edges.
| Prep Time | Cook Time/Cool Time | Servings | Prep Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | 35 minutes/20 minutes | 8 | Beginner + |
What Ingredients Do I Need To Make The Cornbread Dressing?
Jiffy corn muffin mix. This is the base and the reason the dressing has that signature Southern sweet-and-savory balance. You’ll bake two boxes into cornbread first, then crumble it.
Stale or toasted bread. Five slices of wheat or white, whatever you have. It needs to be dried out, either day-old and stale or toasted, so it soaks up the broth without turning to mush.
Celery and onion. Sautéed in butter until the onion goes translucent. This is the savory backbone that keeps the sweet cornbread from taking over.
Rubbed sage. One teaspoon, and don’t skip it. Sage is what makes dressing taste like dressing instead of just wet cornbread.
Chicken broth and buttermilk. The two together are your moisture. The buttermilk adds a little tang and richness the broth alone won’t give you.
Eggs. These bind everything so it holds together when you cut a square instead of falling apart on the plate.
Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Dressing Vs. Stuffing
Dressing and stuffing are often used interchangeably, but there’s a key difference: stuffing is traditionally cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is baked separately in a dish. In the South, even if it’s never stuffed in a bird, it’s almost always called dressing.
How To Make Cornbread Dressing – Step-By-Step Instructions
If you like stale bread in your dressing, set out five slices of wheat or white to dry ahead of time. To save time, I toast mine for a few minutes until crusty instead.
Start by baking two boxes of Jiffy cornbread. Add both mixes to one 8×8 baking dish, bake per the box directions, and let it cool. Once cooled, crumble it into small pieces and set aside.
Dice the onions and celery, then cook them in a large skillet with butter until the onions are translucent. Add the cooked vegetables to an extra-large mixing bowl, then pour in the chicken broth and buttermilk.
Whisk in the eggs, then add the sage, salt, and pepper.
Add the stale bread and the crumbled cornbread, and mix everything together. Before it goes in the dish, check the consistency. The mixture should look wet and loose, almost too wet, not stiff or crumbly. That’s what bakes into a moist dressing. If it looks dry, add broth a couple of tablespoons at a time until it loosens up.
Pour into a greased 9×13 casserole dish and bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes. It’s done when the edges are golden brown, and the center is set, not jiggly when you give the dish a gentle shake.
Storage, Reheating, And Make-Ahead Instructions
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to four days. To reheat, place in the oven at 350°F and cover with foil to retain moisture. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until hot. If it’s dry, drizzle a little bit of broth over the dressing before baking. Or, place some in a microwave-safe dish, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave in 30-second intervals until hot.
You can make the easy cornbread dressing with Jiffy mix ahead of time, but keep the bread and cornbread separate, as it will soak up the moisture and get mushy.
Expert Tips
Let the cornbread dry out a bit – Day-old or slightly dried cornbread absorbs broth better and gives the dressing a great texture.
Don’t skip the sauté – Cooking the onions and celery in butter first adds way more flavor.
Add some bacon grease to the pan while sautéing the veggies for a smokier flavor.
Fresh or dried sage – I used dried since it’s already chopped and saves prep time. If you’re not big on sage, cut it to half a teaspoon or swap in poultry seasoning rather than skipping it, since it’s what keeps the sweet cornbread from taking over.
Add some meat to the dressing – Popular choices include cooked sausage, shredded chicken, or even crumbled bacon. Just make sure the meat is fully cooked before mixing it in. It adds heartiness and extra flavor without changing the texture too much.
More Sides For The Holiday Table
- Green bean casserole comes together in five minutes and rounds out the plate with something green.
- Sweet potato casserole with pecans and marshmallows brings the sweet side of the table.
- Mashed potatoes are a must, creamy enough to win over the pickiest eaters.
Jiffy Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
Jiffy Cornbread
- 2 – 8.5 ounce boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup milk
Dressing
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2-1/4 cups celery diced
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 5 slices stale or toasted bread wheat or white bread
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
Jiffy Cornbread
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the two boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix to a large bowl.
- Next, add the eggs and milk and mix well.
- Pour into an 8" x 8" baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Allow the cornbread to cool.
Dressing
- REDUCE the oven temperature to 350-degrees.
- Add the butter, diced onions, and celery to a skillet and cook until the onions are translucent.
- Crumble cornbread into pieces while the onions and celery are cooking.
- After the onions and celery cook, add them to a very large bowl.
- Next, pour in the chicken broth and buttermilk and mix.
- Add the eggs to the bowl and mix well.
- Sprinkle in the salt, pepper, and sage and mix.
- Finally, add the stale bread and crumbled cornbread to the bowl and mix well.
- Pour the dressing mixture into a greased 9" x 13" casserole dish and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown on the edges.
This is the first time I have heard about it! So curious about the taste! Thank you for sharing!
Cool Kitchen Utensils
You’re welcome!
Just made mine early. Will reheat at the dinner I made it for. Thanks for the recipe hope everyone likes it.
Hope you loved it!
The first time I made this,it was so good I saved it. Now I’m making it again with some shredded chicken in it. Out of all the recipes I’ve tried this one is the best.
That sounds amazing! How much chicken are you using?
@Julie Pollitt, about 2 med. Breasts
I was wondering, do I need to dry
out the cornbread before I use it?
Hi Linda,
You don’t need to dry out the cornbread before you use it. Just let it cool while you move on to the next parts of the recipe. But, you do need to let the regular bread dry our or toast it.
No NO NO NO!!!! never sweet cornbread for southern dressing.
Sacrilege!!!!
Too funny! You don’t have to use sweet cornbread. 😉
@Ron Mexico, if you don’t like sweet cornbread (and I agree with you), don’t use it. If someone else likes it, they should use it. If you want ketchup on your steak, go ahead. It’s your steak. If you want gumbo without okra, make it that way. It’s your gumbo.
@Ron Mexico, some of us from the south grew up on Jiffy and appreciate a bit of sweetness in the cornbread…not all, but a good percentage. It also adds balance with a bit of sweetness in the dressing. I use a teaspoon of sugar when cooking collards as it’s about the balance of flavors.
This is my go to recipe now. Best dressing. I have just added my spices to my cornbread and accidentally put 1 tbsp of rubbed sage instead of 1 tsp. Will it be too much if so what can I add to fix it?
Hi Kathy,
Add a half of teaspoon of sugar to counteract the bitter flavor. Hopefully that will do the trick.
@Julie Pollitt, thank you. Making now.
Will the dressing be sweet because I don’t want it sweet
It will be a tiny bit sweet because Jiffy is a little bit sweet. But, it’s not overly sweet.
We grew up with sweet cornbread dressing and I always use Jiffy for the cornbread but we also cut up boiled eggs in it too. Does anybody else here do it that way? I don’t see why I can’t add them to this recipe but I’m wondering if I need to add more liquid to compensate for the added ingredients? For this recipe I would probably add 6-8 boiled eggs because we love it that way.
I haven’t done it with eggs, but that sounds great!
How can I make any of these recipes for one person? My Husband past away 5 years ago and I’m still making to much for me
Hi Pat,
The recipe card has a place to adjust the servings if you’d like to make the portions smaller. I hope that helps!
My Southern Mama always used Jiffy. This recipe is so close to her’s but I don’t recall eggs (other than in the Jiffy) or buttermilk. So I don’t use them either. She did, however. add chopped up water chestnuts, and Lots of sage. Makes our holiday meals a memory.
Those sound like great additions! Thanks for sharing your memory with us!
This sounds delicious and easy to make. I will be trying it.
I hope you love it!
Disregard my question. I was looking at the 2 eggs for the cornbread. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! Hope you love it!
Can you make this the day before, refrigerate and then cook the next day? I hate to spend Thanksgiving Day cooking and tried to do as much as possible ahead of time.
I think that would be fine. But, I wouldn’t add the stale bread and crumbled cornbread until right before you bake. That way, they won’t get soggy overnight. Enjoy!