Traeger Thanksgiving Dressing offers a simple, flavorful approach to a classic holiday side dish. Oven space is precious on Thanksgiving, so use your pellet grill as an extra oven to free up room inside and still deliver the comforting, buttery, savory dressing everyone expects.
Homemade Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe
Dressing is one of the highlights of Thanksgiving for many people. Rich bread cubes soaked in buttery, herb-scented broth with sautéed onions and celery—served alongside turkey and gravy—make for a deeply satisfying side. This Traeger Thanksgiving Dressing keeps those classic flavors while using your pellet grill to save valuable oven space.
Using a pellet grill (or any large outdoor pellet smoker such as a Traeger or Camp Chef) at higher temperatures turns it into an excellent outdoor convection oven. Cover the dish during most of the bake to retain moisture and avoid overwhelming smoke flavor, then uncover at the end to crisp the top into a golden, bread-casserole finish.
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Recipe Shopping List
Before you get started, gather the basic ingredients below. Specific quantities are listed in the recipe card further down.
- Salted butter
- Onion
- Celery
- Crouton-style dried stuffing mix (one 13-ounce bag)
- Chicken broth
- Seasoning (use the packet from the stuffing mix or substitute a blend of sage and poultry seasoning)
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How To Make This Recipe
Overview: this summary shows the main steps so you can estimate time and effort. Use the full ingredient list and step-by-step directions in the recipe card below while cooking.
- Sauté: Melt butter and sauté diced onion and chopped celery until tender.
- Simmer: Add chicken broth and seasoning, bring to a gentle simmer.
- Combine: Place dried stuffing mix in a large bowl, pour the hot broth mixture over it, and gently stir to moisten.
- Cook: Transfer to a grill-safe pan, cover tightly with foil, and bake at 350°F in a preheated pellet grill or conventional oven for about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10–15 minutes to crisp the top.
- Serve: Spoon hot, serve alongside turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
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FAQ
What is traditional Thanksgiving stuffing made of?
Traditional dressing or stuffing is bread-based and typically combines dried bread cubes with aromatics like onion and celery, butter, herbs (sage, poultry seasoning), and broth. The mixture is moistened with broth and baked as a casserole. Some people still stuff it in the bird, but many now bake it separately for safer, more consistent results.
Can you make Thanksgiving dressing ahead of time?
Yes. The best approach is to prep components in advance: chop and sauté the vegetables and refrigerate them. On the big day, heat the butter-vegetable mixture with the broth until hot, then combine with the dried bread cubes and bake. This saves time while keeping texture and flavor fresh.
What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing?
Mostly terminology and presentation. Stuffing traditionally goes inside the turkey; dressing is baked separately. Baking the mixture separately avoids potential food-safety issues and helps the turkey cook more evenly.
Do you put eggs in dressing?
Some recipes use eggs as a binder, but they are optional. If you include eggs, ensure the final internal temperature reaches at least 160°F for safety, and avoid mixing raw eggs into the dressing long before baking.
Can you refrigerate dressing before you cook it?
Yes, if your recipe contains no raw egg you can refrigerate it briefly, but it’s usually better to assemble and bake the same day for best texture. Prep the components ahead and combine before baking.
Should dressing be covered when you cook it?
Cover tightly with foil for most of the cook time to retain moisture, then remove the foil for the last 10–15 minutes to brown and crisp the top.
Traeger Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes pair great with this dressing
Variations & Substitutions
Dressing adapts easily to added ingredients. Consider mixing in one or more of these:
- Wild rice or other cooked grains
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Cooked giblets (if you enjoy them)
- Caramelized onions
- Dried cranberries or chopped apples for sweetness
- Cooked sausage, chorizo, or other proteins
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Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes
Build a full holiday menu with complementary dishes such as smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, grilled dinner rolls, apple crumble pie, and holiday spritzers. Leftover turkey makes an excellent turkey noodle soup.
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Yield: 8 servings
Traeger Thanksgiving Dressing
Traditional Thanksgiving dressing made on a pellet grill to save oven space. Cover during most of the bake for moist bread, then uncover to crisp the top.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 stalks celery, washed and chopped
- 13-ounce bag dried crouton-style dressing mix (such as Franz)
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Seasoning packet from the dressing mix or a substitute (see notes)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and chopped celery and cook until tender, about 10–15 minutes.
- Stir in the seasoning packet (or substitute seasoning) and add the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Place the dried crouton mix in a large bowl. Pour the hot butter-and-broth mixture over the croutons and gently stir to moisten evenly.
- Spray a grill-safe baking dish lightly with cooking spray and transfer the stuffing mixture into the dish. Cover tightly with foil.
- Place in a preheated pellet grill or oven at 350°F. Cook for 35–40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10–15 minutes to brown and crisp the top.
- Remove from heat and serve hot alongside your Thanksgiving mains and gravy.
Notes
Dressing Seasoning Mix Substitution: Mix 1 teaspoon ground sage with 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning to replace a seasoning packet if your stuffing mix does not include one.
Nutrition Information (estimate)
Calories: 241 per serving • Total Fat: 16g • Saturated Fat: 7g • Sodium: 677mg • Carbohydrates: 21g • Protein: 4g