Saltine Cracker Turkey Stuffing Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving

Saltine cracker dressing recipe is a retro, mid-modern, in-the-bird stuffing made with a cracker mixture. This Thanksgiving side dish is a family recipe, a delicious, moist, savory stuffing, which is a holiday tradition in our family for generations.  The cracker dressing recipe is stuffed into the turkey cavity, and any extra is put in a casserole dish as an extra side. 

The saltine crackers are crushed, mixed with black pepper, celery, onions, fresh parsley, poultry seasoning, and milk. You mix it all in a large bowl and can add some melted butter if you want. This is our favorite stuffing to put into the Thanksgiving turkey.  

Our family dressing to be cooked on the side is an old-fashioned southern cornbread dressing, and you can find our recipe in this blog post. Cornbread Stuffing – Copycat Liberty Tree Tavern Recipe

Family Tradition of Cracker Stuffing

You may have never heard of a saltine cracker stuffing or dressing for your Thanksgiving dinner, or you may have a memory of your Grandmother making this vintage recipe. This is the best stuffing for your Thanksgiving dinner if you are not a fan of a heavier bread stuffing.

This saltine cracker stuffing is one of our family recipes passed down to me by my mother-in-law. It was passed down from her mother when she was a little girl. It is a holiday tradition whenever we make a roasted turkey. 

Moist, light, and fluffy, much lighter than most bread stuffings. Light and airy, full of flavor, saltine cracker stuffing with the traditional poultry seasoning taste of a saltine cracker stuffing. You can make this stuffing gluten-free by using gluten-free saltines.

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Why You Will Love This Recipe:

Saltine cracker stuffing or dressing is a retro, mid-modern, in-the-bird stuffing. Delicious and most. Perfectly made in the turkey cavity or a casserole dish as an extra side. Moist, light, and fluffy, much lighter than most bread stuffings. Light and airy, full of flavor, saltine cracker stuffing with the traditional poultry seasoning taste of a saltine cracker stuffing.

Our family recipe does not have any meat in the stuffing, but you can make the saltine cracker stuffing with sausage included if you like. This recipe is also called a milk cracker stuffing recipe, as milk is one of the main ingredients to make the recipe extra moist.

Before I was married, I had never heard of saltine cracker stuffing for a Thanksgiving turkey. Stuffing on Thanksgiving day was never one of my favorite dishes; however, once I was in her due to the saltine cracker recipe, it became one of my favorites.

This dressing is full of flavor but more crunchy than a lot of soggy dressings. If traditional stuffing is not your favorite, you might want to give this one a try. It looks a little strange mixed in the bowl, but once it is removed from the bir,d it is moist, flavorful, and delicious.

Make a large batch of the stuffing, use it stuffed in the turkey, and add the rest to a buttered casserole dish. Melt butter to drizzle on the top and cook at 350° F for about 45 minutes until golden brown.

Ingredients For Saltine Cracker Turkey Stuffing (Dressing):

• 4 sleeves of Saltine Crackers crushed
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1/2 bunch Fresh Parsle,y chopped
• 2 Onions chopped
• 4 eggs beaten until foamy
• 1 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
• 1 to 2 cups of Milk to make the dressing moist
• Black Pepper to taste

How to Make an Old-Fashioned Saltine Cracker Stuffing for Your Turkey: 

1. Place the Saltine Crackers in a large ziplock bag and crush them by using a rolling pin. Or pulse the saltine crackers in a food processor (be careful not to process too much, you want a coarse crush).
2. Chop the celery, onions, and parsley.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. 
4. In a very large bowl, mix all the crackers, celery, parsley, and onion together, stir in the eggs, and add milk to make a moist mixture.
5. Stuff in your turkey and bake for the amount of time for the size of your turkey.
6. If you have more stuffing than what fits in the bird or do not want to put this in your bird, you can put this in an oiled baking dish and cook at 350° for 40 minutes. You may have to add some additional milk to keep the mixture moist before you bake it. Always test to make sure the middle is cooked well done.

Prepare Saltine Cracker Stuffing Ingredients the Day Before:

One of the ways I like to make the process of making Thanksgiving run smoothly is I preparing as much as the night before. All the ingredients for saltine cracker stuffing can be prepared ahead of time and placed in plastic Ziploc bags in the refrigerator. Then, on the morning of Thanksgiving, you mix all of the ingredients together and stuff in the bird.

The saltine crackers used in this recipe, instead of other bread, have to be crushed, and this can take some time. As with many side dishes, this is one that is easily prepared the day or two before for easy preparation on Thanksgiving morning.

I would recommend that you always purchase fresh saltine crackers from the grocery store, and don’t use the boxes of crackers that you have had for a while. The fresher the cracker, the more flavorful the stuffing for the Retro Mid Mod Cracker Stuffing Dressing Thanksgiving Turkey.

Traditional Green Bean Casserole Another Make-A-Head:

Another make-ahead casserole that is a family traditional recipe and a traditional recipe of many families is the Traditional Green Bean Casserole. Check out the recipe by clicking here.

Supplies Needed:

• Food Processor
• Large Mixing Bowl
• Large Mixing Spoon
• Egg Beater
• Casserole Dish

Bake and serve in style this holiday season! This Porcelain Baking Casserole Set for Oven is perfect for all of your favorite recipes.

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this Year?

Check out my 20 Tips for Hosting a Stress-Free Thanksgiving post. Stay organized and plan well to have fun and enjoy the day.

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