14 Best Thanksgiving Stuffings and Dressings

Everyone loves a good Thanksgiving stuffing or dressing, whether it's cooked inside the bird, in a baking pan, in the slow cooker, or on the stovetop. In fact, for many people, it's considered the best part of their Turkey Day meal!

Dressing can be made with regular bread or cornbread and we've even got an awesome gluten-free stuffing that uses rice and almonds instead of wheat. Stuffing also lends itself nicely to plenty of flavor variations. You can add vegetables, dried fruit, and nuts for extra texture and color, sausage for moisture, and even briny, meaty oysters for mouthwatering umami flavor.

If you choose to cook your Thanksgiving stuffing or dressing in the bird, make sure you follow safe handling guidelines. A stuffed turkey or chicken must be roasted until the stuffing is fully cooked. Even if the poultry breast or thigh registers 165 F / 74 C, if the center of the dressing has not reached that temperature, it must cook until the stuffing is done. And don't remove the stuffing from the turkey before it's finished, because that could contaminate your bird. You'll also need to let your turkey or roast chicken rest for 20 minutes before you remove the stuffing and carve the meat. As with any hot food, refrigerate your Thanksgiving leftovers in shallow covered containers within 2 hours of cooking.