📖 Food facts
Can You Make Stuffing the Day Before?
Yes, with one catch: USDA says never to mix raw stuffing and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Here are the three ways that work.
By Americanized · Edited by JP Lambiase · October 19, 2026
Yes, but not raw and assembled, because USDA says never to refrigerate uncooked stuffing. Prep the parts ahead and mix them just before baking, or bake the stuffing fully, refrigerate it within 2 hours and reheat it to 165°F. You can also mix it raw, freeze it right away and bake it from frozen to 165°F.
Why not mix it the night before?
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) calls stuffing an excellent medium for bacterial growth. Soaking dry bread with broth and raw eggs makes exactly that kind of moist mixture. FSIS's rule is short: do not refrigerate uncooked stuffing. If you prepare it ahead, freeze it or cook it immediately.
Some recipe publishers disagree. America's Test Kitchen's cornbread dressing lets you refrigerate the assembled, unbaked dressing for up to 24 hours and add 15 minutes to the bake. We follow FSIS, the safer rule.
Method 1: prep the parts, mix on the day
FSIS says the dry and wet ingredients can be prepared ahead and chilled separately, as long as you don't combine them until just before the stuffing goes into the dish. America's Test Kitchen's bread stuffing says the same: cook the onion mixture up to 2 days ahead, assemble just before baking.
For our New England sage bread stuffing, that means drying the bread cubes two nights ahead (or in a 225°F oven), cooking the onion, celery and herbs up to 2 days ahead and chilling them, then beating the eggs into the broth on the day. Toss everything together, put it straight into the hot oven and bake until the center reads 165°F.
Method 2: bake it the day before
Bake the stuffing all the way to 165°F, then cool it in shallow containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. FSIS says cooked stuffing keeps 3 to 4 days.
To serve, reheat it to 165°F in an oven set no lower than 325°F, or in the microwave. FSIS recommends covering leftovers as they reheat to hold in moisture; uncovering for the last few minutes is our tip for bringing back some crust. Our Thanksgiving planner can slot the reheat into the oven schedule around the turkey.
Method 3: freeze it raw
FSIS says it is safe to freeze uncooked stuffing. Combine the ingredients, spread the mixture in a shallow container and freeze it immediately. Do not thaw it: bake it from frozen until the center reaches 165°F, which will take longer than the recipe says.
Never put frozen stuffing in a slow cooker. If you want to serve from one, reheat the stuffing in the oven or microwave first, then keep it in a preheated slow cooker on the buffet. Every other style, from cornbread to wild rice, is in our stuffing hub, and the naming fight is in stuffing vs dressing.
Questions people ask
Can I stuff the turkey with stuffing I made yesterday?
No. FSIS says never to stuff whole poultry with leftover cooked stuffing, and not to cool stuffing before spooning it into a bird. More in is it safe to cook stuffing inside the turkey.
Can I make stuffing in a slow cooker?
FSIS says yes, if you start on high for at least 1 hour before turning it to low and cook until the center reaches 165°F. If those steps were skipped, it says to discard the stuffing.
Is store-bought premixed stuffing safe?
FSIS says not to buy premixed stuffing that is uncooked. Cooked, refrigerated stuffing is fine to buy; reheat it to 165°F before serving.
How long can stuffing sit out after dinner?
Refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking, FSIS says, and within 1 hour if it is above 90°F. Then use it within 3 to 4 days.
Parts of this history are disputed. Where sources disagree, we say so.
Sources
- USDA FSIS, "Stuffing and Food Safety" (Internet Archive copy, September 23, 2026)
- USDA FSIS, "Leftovers and Food Safety" (Internet Archive copy, October 8, 2026)
- America's Test Kitchen, "Oven-Baked Bread Stuffing with Sage and Thyme" (August 21, 2007)
- America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Country), "Classic Sausage-Herb Cornbread Dressing" (August 6, 2019)
More food facts
Cook it
New England Sage Bread Stuffing
Dried French bread cubes tossed with onion and celery cooked in butter, sage, thyme, marjoram and parsley, chicken broth and eggs, baked covered until fragrant and then uncovered until a golden crust forms.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
A pan of cornbread baked, crumbled while hot and mixed with sausage, onion, bell pepper and celery, poultry seasoning, broth, milk and eggs, then baked in ridges with butter brushed on top until crisp outside and almost creamy inside.
Italian-American Sausage and Fennel Stuffing
Oven-dried white bread cubes tossed with browned sweet Italian sausage, onion and fennel cooked in butter, fresh thyme, marjoram and sage, chicken broth and eggs, baked covered and then uncovered until golden.
Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling
Half mashed potatoes, half stuffing: boiled potatoes beaten with milk, eggs and parsley, mixed with onion and celery cooked in butter and buttery toasted bread cubes, and baked until crusty on top.
Weeknight Crispy Skillet Stuffing
A half-size, one-skillet stuffing for any night: baguette cubes toasted in a hot oven, soaked in broth and egg with browned onion, celery, sage and thyme, crisped on the stove and finished in the oven with a golden crust on top and bottom.