Stuffing can really make or break your Thanksgiving meal. Trust me, I once sat through a very heated holiday dinner where my uncle forgot to put the dressing in the oven until well after we started eating. He is still earning back our trust.

Stuffing should be taken seriously! Chances are, most people at your table are going to reserve a lot of plate real estate for stuffing. And while a homemade stuffing is ideal (like our gnocchi stuffing and croissant stuffing), more than likely a box of store-bought stuffing is going to be the plan for a busy cooking day like Thanksgiving.

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Alison Dominguez

So I decided to taste-test as many stuffings I could get my hands on to see which ones were the best. I wanted to see which brands held up to nostalgia and could also fool anyone into believing it was made from scratch. I tried seven in total. Here are the only three I’d serve at my holiday table.

Stovetop’s Savory Herbs

It’s admittedly been years since I had my end-all-be-all favorite boxed stuffing as a kid, Stovetop’s Savory Herbs. And you know what? It really holds up.

As the name suggests, this boxed stuffing mix is Big-S Savory and loaded with herbs and a buttery, peppery backbone. It gets perfectly crispy around the edges. It’s both nostalgic-good, but also delicious enough to keep a box on hand for after Turkey Day, if not just to make these sausage stuffing bites.

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Mackenzie filson

Kinder’s Brown Butter & Herbs Stuffing Mix

Here is where the fooling comes in, with Kinder’s Brown Butter & Herbs Stuffing Mix. One bite of this garlicky, nutty stuffing had me say out loud, “Oh, this is deluxe.”

Not only that, but this might be the easiest stuffing of them all, with no less than three different ways to prepare and serve it. There’s a sausage-spiked version, skillet-made version, and and ultra-savory version with leeks. In short, if you’re really in the mood for a homemade stuffing experience, but you’re running out of prep time, Kinder’s stuffing will trick everyone into thinking you made this fully on your own.

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Mackenzie filson

Mrs. Cubbison’s Traditional Stuffing

While the Kinder’s is great for when you want to still eat like a Thanksgiving maximalist, some of us want to go the easiest (but no less delicious) route. In which case, Mrs. Cubbison’s Traditional Stuffing will take you there.

I’ve long been a fan of their herby, buttery croutons, so I’m not surprised that Mrs. Cubbison’s Traditional Stuffing is yet another one of their products I’ll always keep on hand. The bread base is just the right amount of toasted and caramelized, making for a stuffing that’s tender and crispy around the edges (no mush here). Plus, it’ll even free up some space in your oven since it can be made in the slow-cooker, too.

box of mrs cubbisons traditional seasoned stuffing for slow cooker usepinterest

Mackenzie filson

Headshot of Mackenzie Filson

Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine and if wine was an astrological sign she’d be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She’s never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn’t eat in one sitting.


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