No, you don’t need to make everything from scratch on Thanksgiving. In this holiday edition of our taste test series, we’re sharing the supermarket staples worthy of your holiday spread. Take a task or two off your plate by substituting boxed versions—we’ve found the best options.
It wasn’t until I was an embarrassing number of years into my alleged adulthood that I learned there are people out there who actually make stuffing themselves from scratch. Those people, I learned, spend hours tearing, dicing, preheating, melting, mixing, and roasting. And the stuffing they labor over is delicious.
Delicious, but also different. Homemade stuffing is decidedly not boxed stuffing, and sometimes I find myself craving that very specific taste I grew up on, looking forward to the occasions when it would appear under roast chickens, and of course, in a great big baking dish on Thanksgiving.
Boxed stuffing is just more convenient than homemade, and when you’re fretting over the rest of an extensive meal, convenience goes a long way. To make sure you get the best one, we tried seven boxed stuffings in a blind taste test. We tested both cornbread stuffings and traditional preparations, and judged them all on texture and flavor. The highs were high, the lows low, but in the end one boxed stuffing came out on top.
The Mushy Loser: Trader Joe’s Cornbread Stuffing Mix
What’s inside: Although it's a cornbread stuffing, the Trader Joe’s mix has both toasted white bread and cornbread croutons. Besides a spat of spices for seasoning, the ingredients list here is relatively simple—“I might just take this one home with me,” said food editor Shilpa Uskokovic.
The verdict: Unfortunately, despite Shilpa’s tentative endorsement, tasters were put off by the appearance of Trader Joe’s cornbread stuffing: Bright, mustardy yellow, with perfectly square, processed looking cubes of bread. It bordered on liquidy—almost like a bread soup—in the pan, and first bites didn’t point to much improvement. Recipe production assistant Carly Westerfield said it tasted like it had been stored in plastic bins, and associate cooking editor Antara Sinha also noticed a “plasticky aftertaste going on.” Trader Joe’s stuffing mix was zero for three, but the nail in the coffin was the look of betrayal in food editor Jesse Szewczyk’s eyes as he looked up after taking his first bite.
The Gummy and Grainy: Pepperidge Farm Corn Bread Classic Stuffing
What’s inside: Both Pepperidge Farm stuffing mixes had similar ingredients lists, and both require you to add in additional ingredients, something most other mixes didn’t ask. Here, cornmeal is the second ingredient after enriched wheat flour, which suggests there’s quite a bit of it in the mix.
The verdict: Good stuffing has a lot of boxes to check: It’s got to be crispy on top, tender underneath, flavorful but not overpowering. Pepperidge Farm’s cornbread stuffing didn’t satisfy a single one of those requirements. Carly described it as “so neutral,” and Antara called it “so gummy.” It was also “so grainy,” according to culture editor Karen Yuan, likely because of the amount of cornmeal included.
The Perplexingly Peppery: Whole Foods Traditional Stuffing Mix
What’s inside: To Shilpa, Whole Foods’ stuffing mix taps into wellness culture. “It’s giving “wears Vibram shoes—the ones with all the toes—and goes on Turkey Trots,” she said of its label, with organic ingredients like “cracked rye” and “cracked wheat.”
The verdict: If our tasters had to use one word to describe Whole Foods’ stuffing mix, it would be seedy. The stuffing was rife with tiny seeds that got stuck in our teeth as we bit through mushy spoonfuls. Its seasoning wasn’t very robust either—Carly described its flavor as that of “the ghost of herbs past.” Antara noticed that “all the dehydrated bits didn’t reconstitute very well” and that it was “super peppery.” Our consensus was that the peppery flavors could be tempered with some roast turkey and mashed potatoes, but we’re after a stuffing we can call “the best,” not “seedy and pepper but not bad.” Onward!
The None Too Neutral: Kroger Chicken Flavored Stuffing Mix
What’s inside: The ingredients here are a small mystery that left Shilpa “riled up.” Two separate doses of caramel color, and two types of hydrolyzed proteins (soy and corn) mean that Shilpa is “leaving this one on the shelf.” That is to say, those types of ingredients don’t impart as much flavor as the unprocessed ones they’re meant to mimic.
The verdict: It wasn’t our favorite, but Kroger’s chicken flavored stuffing mix put up a good fight. After we fluffed it in the saucepan as instructed, it took on a nice airy texture, and avoided the dreaded gumminess that’s the downfall of so many boxed stuffing mixes. The trouble cropped up in the flavoring; namely, there wasn’t much of it. It was troublingly bland, and what flavors we could detect were “corn,” according to Karen, and something akin to “rye,” according to Carly. Not downright offensive, but not as herbaceous and comforting as we’re after.
The Better Bite: Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing
What’s inside: Shilpa describes this ingredients list as basic, with “no bits and bobs that might bring texture.” That’s because Pepperidge Farm stuffing mixes ask homecooks to add their own onions, celery, and chicken stock. It makes your prep more difficult than other boxed stuffings which don’t ask for extra ingredients, but your effort is rewarded by a far superior texture in each bite.
The verdict: The bring-your-own chunks of celery added a crunch that our tasters enjoyed, which made it stand out among its peers, and from its Pepperidge Farm’s cornbread counterpart. Antara made note of the strong flavors, mostly of rosemary and thyme, as well as “a little sweetness,” which she enjoyed. For associate cooking and SEO editor Zoe Denenberg, though, it was simply too soft and gummy. In the end, it was the mush-factor that everyone agreed disqualified Pepperidge Farm’s Herb Seasoned Classic stuffing from taking the silver medal.
The Buttery Bonanza: Stove Top Traditional Sage
What’s inside: The ingredients list here, as Shilpa said, “really be doing the most.” She noted many texture elements (carrots, celery) and not one but three herbs: parsley, sage, and rosemary. The often maligned high fructose corn syrup also makes an appearance.
The verdict: It’s often said that we eat with our eyes first, and Stove Top’s Traditional Sage stuffing was far and away the most visually appealing. Tasters appreciated that there was a a decent crunch in each bite, but we were most impressed by its seasoning. While she found other options too mild, to associate food editor Rachel Gurjar, this one had a “defined flavor.” Each bite was sage-heavy, which makes sense, but tasters also noticed another flavor, akin to savory movie-theater popcorn.
The Aromatic Favorite: Stove Top Savory Herb
What’s inside: Unsurprisingly, both Stove Top stuffing mixes had similar ingredient lists, though MSG (monosodium glutamate, on the ingredients list) is only present in this version.
The verdict: Our winning stuffing blew most of its competitors out of the water. It was a flavor bomb of comforting, herby notes, and while it was well seasoned, it wasn’t so salty that you’ll be diving for your water glass. Antara particularly appreciated that she could still see “distinct chunks of bread,” which gave this stuffing a relatively homemade feel, and tasters unanimously agreed that the texture of the bread chunks made for a springier stuffing with a lovely browned crunch over the top.