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Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving in my house without this Wild Mushroom Stuffing. It’s the one recipe I make every single year, and it’s honestly the most underrated dish on our table. Even people who swear they don’t like mushrooms love it.
There’s something about the combination of hearty rosemary bread, buttery sautéed vegetables, and earthy wild mushrooms that turns basic stuffing into something incredible.
Krissy’s Notes
I’ve tested a lot of stuffing recipes over the years, but this one has become my forever favorite. It’s rich and flavorful without being heavy, and it has that perfect mix of crispy top and moist center. Every bite tastes like Thanksgiving comfort food at its best.
The secret? The mushrooms. I use Costco dried wild mushrooms, which have this amazing deep flavor you just can’t get from fresh ones. They rehydrate beautifully and infuse the broth with a subtle earthiness that makes this wild mushroom stuffing recipe taste like you’ve been perfecting it for years.
If you’re planning your Thanksgiving menu, this pairs perfectly with Savory Herb Turkey Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Homemade Cranberry Sauce.
What You’ll Need To Make It
You can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here’s what makes this stuffing stand out.
You’ll need rosemary bread, butter, onion, celery, fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, and thyme), dried wild mushrooms, broth, egg, and parsley. I like using rosemary bread because it adds a fragrant, savory note and holds up beautifully once soaked in the mushroom-infused broth.
If you can find it, Essential Baking Company’s Rosemary Loaf is my go-to. It’s sturdy, flavorful, and perfect for stuffing.
How to Make Wild Mushroom Stuffing
Full directions are in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick overview.
Step 1: Rehydrate the mushrooms. Heat the broth until steaming, then pour it over the dried mushrooms. Cover and let them soak until softened.
Step 2: Sauté the vegetables. Cook onion, celery, and herbs in butter until golden and fragrant.
Step 3: Combine. Add the rehydrated mushrooms (and their broth) to the skillet, stir to combine, and cool slightly.
Step 4: Mix. Toss the bread cubes with the cooled mixture, egg, and parsley.
Step 5: Bake. Transfer to a buttered casserole dish, dot with butter, and bake until golden and crisp on top.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
Thanksgiving is all about make ahead prep and enjoying the leftovers. Every year I look forward to eating this leftover stuffing with some Thanksgiving Turkey, Homemade Green Bean Casserole, and Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes.
To make ahead: You can prepare the stuffing up to the baking step a day in advance. I do this every year. Cover and refrigerate overnight, then bake just before serving.
To store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat: Warm in a 350°F oven until heated through and crispy again on top.
Learn From Me
This is my tried-and-true Thanksgiving stuffing, and after years of making it, I’ve learned a few things worth sharing.
The biggest tip: dried mushrooms are notoriously hard to cut. I’ve tried chopping them dry, running them through a blender—you name it—and none of it works. The pieces are too tough and often end up too big, which makes them chewy after rehydrating.
Here’s what does work: Use a pair of clean, sharp kitchen shears to cut them into very small pieces before rehydrating. It makes all the difference. The smaller pieces soak evenly, stay tender, and distribute perfectly throughout the stuffing.
This one trick took my stuffing from “good” to “unbelievably good.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the reader questions I’ve gotten about this recipe with my responses.
Yes! Use about 8–16 ounces of fresh mushrooms and cut back slightly on the broth since fresh mushrooms release moisture as they cook. A mixture of wild mushrooms will give you the best flavor. If you can find them, chanterelles and morels are my favorite.
Definitely. This will make Thanksgiving day so much easier. Assemble everything in advance and refrigerate overnight. Bake the next day for the best texture.
Porcini, chanterelle, morels, or mixed wild mushrooms all work great. Costco sells a big container of mixed dried mushrooms that are perfect for this recipe.
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Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried wild mushrooms
- 3 cups chicken stock or turkey stock if you have it
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for greasing pan
- 2 cups yellow onion diced (1 large onion should give 2 cups)
- 2 cups celery diced (8 small stalks should give 2 cups)
- 4 tablespoons fresh minced herbs sage, rosemary, thyme
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley stems removed, minced
- 16 ounces bread Essential Baking Company Rosemary Loaf recommended, see note below
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Prepare baking dish: Heavily grease 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Rehydrate mushrooms: Heat 3 cups chicken stock to a simmer. Cut 1 ounce dried wild mushrooms into very small pieces with kitchen shears. Remove the chicken stock from heat and add the dried mushroom pieces. Cover, and allow the mushrooms to rehydrate and soften. Once the mushrooms have softened, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a cutting board, cut them into small pieces, and return them to broth.
- Sauté vegetables: Melt 8 tablespoons unsalted butterin a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups yellow onion (diced), 2 cups celery (diced), and 4 tablespoons fresh minced herbs (not the parsley). Stir to coat in the melted butter and then sauté until they start to turn golden brown, about 5-10 minutes, stirring only to prevent burning.
- Combine: Add the rehydrated mushrooms and the broth to the skillet with the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and then remove the pan from the heat and set it aside. Allow the mixture to cool enough such that the mixture is cool to the touch.
- Mix stuffing: In a large bowl, combine 1 large egg (beated) with 1/4 cup fresh parsley. Add 16 ounces bread and toss the mixture to coat. Pour the cooled vegetable and broth mixture over the bread and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to the prepared buttered baking dish and dot the dressing with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake the stuffing, covered, for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue cooking for another 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and crispy. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you let the cubbed bread dry out or put it in the oven once cubbed?
I’ve done it both ways and either method works perfectly.
Hi, can you make the stuffing the day before?
You bet! I just made it today. Just get it to the point where you place it in the buttered baking dish, cover, and refrigerate. Then just bake it tomorrow!
Hi. I’m wiped out so could be missing it but when do I add the rest of the herbs? From what I am reading, I add one tbsp of sage and thyme with onions and celery but not sure about the rosemary or the rest of the others? Thank you!,
Hi Lisa, It was a typo in the recipe. I’m so sorry! Correcting it now. Hope it still turned out for you!
What kind of wild mushrooms did you use? I have either porchini or chanterelles available at my local stores. I checked three different places, and I’m not sure which route to go! This is my first time making mushroom stuffing, but it sounds delightful! Thanks in advance!
I’m a sucker for chanterelles, so I would go for those. I’ve used all kinds, though, and they all turn out great. This year I’ll be using the variety I got from Costco. I don’t even remember which kind were in there, but they were the most affordable.
Oh yes!!! I forgot I saw some wild mushrooms at Costco!! I forget if they were fresh or frozen though. If fresh, should I use less chicken broth? About how much? I’m going today to get the rosemary bread, so hopefully they still have the mushrooms!
My Costco didn’t have that Rosemary bread this year, but they did have a three-pack of Thanksgiving flavors but I believe they were cranberry. Instead I got a loaf of rosemary bread at Trader Joe’s. The dried wild mushrooms I got from costco were in a big container. At first they were outside the produce area but then they moved them to one of the aisles with the pickles. If you use fresh mushrooms, I would cut back on the broth a bit since they fresh mushrooms will release moisture.
Hi, Krissy! I did see the mushrooms you talked about, but went with the dried Chantrelles instead! I’m so excited to try them as I never have before! I just have one last question, and I hope you are able to get back to me soon.
Do you think this dish might be something I could put together tonight and bake tomorrow, or would you recommend waiting? Maybe even just putting the veggies and the bread in the baking dish tonight, then adding the broth and baking tomorrow? I’m trying to get as much done today as I can. My mother in law will be in our kitchen most of the day tomorrow.
HI Marissa, So sorry I didn’t reply right away, I took a few days off for the holiday. I hope it worked for you! I actually made the entire stuffing the day before minus the baking part. I was really worried it would come out soggy. It ended up being almost soggy on the bottom and super crisp on the top… a combination that I actually LOVED. Please let me know how yours turned out!
I want to make this and was gifted some dried morel mushrooms but can’t figure out how much to use! Using conversion calculations I think I’m to use about 2 tablespoons—before reconstituting.. any help would be appreciated!
That sounds about right. They pack a lot of flavor so you don’t need a ton. Let me know how it turns out!
Now a year later and I’m looking at your recipe again to make a list—and realize I didn’t respond to your comment! Sorry. this is the best stuffing and now my go-to recipe—everyone loves it!
Could this be made with fresh wild mushrooms? If so, how much would you recommend?
Absolutely! I might do the same this Thanksgiving. The quantity would just be a matter of preference. I could see myself adding 8-16 ounces.
This stuffing is the best. I make a vegan version of it using olive oil instead of butter in case you have other vegan readers. My husband is NOT a vegan and he can’t get enough of it. Thank you for a great recipe!
As a fellow blogger, can I say that your style of writing in this post is so authentic and and amazing?
Good work lady.
I am totally trying your stuffing recipe this year. I still haven’t landed on a ‘wowerful’ recipe for it yet. Which sucks, because it’s my 3rd favorite. (After the mashed taters&gravy and pumpkin pie.)