Türkiye the The centerpiece of any Thanksgiving uniform. But for me this indulgent autumn holiday means amazing sides: buttery mashed potatoes, rich gravy, baked macaroni and cheese, and warm dinner rolls. It’s hard to choose a favorite when presented with so many tempting options, but if I had to choose, I’d choose to fill it up in a heartbeat.

This delicious combination of cubed bread, veggies, broth, and spices can be utterly delicious when executed correctly. And it turns out I’m not the only one who feels this way. in 2023 questionnaire In a survey that asked respondents to share their favorite Thanksgiving appetizers, stuffing received the second highest number of votes mashed potatoes.

Luckily, for anyone who doesn’t have the time or motivation to make stuffing from scratch this Thanksgiving, there’s a wide variety of easy box mixes that require just a few ingredients and a few minutes of your time to prepare. So which of these blends is definitely the best? I recently set out to answer this question by trying all the brands I could find at a few grocery stores near me: Stove Top, Pepperidge Farms, Trader Joe’s, Aleia’s, Bell’s, Great Value (Walmart’s house brand), and Chef’s Cupboard (Aldi’s house brand).

Some of these brands offer several different types of fillings, so I’ve chosen the most basic versions of each I could find. I prepared each filling on the stovetop according to package directions and evaluated them based on taste and texture. I’m happy to report that the majority of these blends are quite delicious, and one clearly stands out as the best of the best.

Here’s what I thought of each option, ranked from least favorite to absolute best.

Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Stuffing Mix

Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving):
Calorie: 210
Oil: 11 g (Saturated Fat: 3.5 g)
Sodium: 370mg
carbohydrates: 24 gr (Sugar: 5 gr)
Protein: 4 grams

Trader Joe’s is selling a product Cornbread Stuffing MixThe only slightly traditional blend the retailer currently offers is gluten free version. The preparation method requires only boiling water, butter and a sachet of spices included in the box before mixing in the gluten-free croutons and letting them steep for a few minutes. A 12.4 ounce box cost me $6.49.

Appearance: Very emotional and unexpectedly green in colour. The dry croutons that came in the Trader Joe’s package were also much darker in color than advertised on the box.

Taste: Totally stinky. As soon as I poured the dry croutons into the mixture of water, butter, and spices, I was greeted with a sour chemical smell that quickly spread throughout my apartment. And when I finally got the courage to try a bite, it tasted worse than I expected; It was soapy and incredibly bitter, almost stinging my tongue. Even though it had a March 2024 “expiration date”, it was very clear to me that the package I purchased was expired. I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s most of the time, but this is probably the worst experience I’ve ever had with an item from the chain.

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Aleia’s Cook Top Spicy Poultry Stuffing Mix

Nutrition (per 1 oz serving):
Calorie: 110
Oil: 2g
Sodium: 150mg
carbohydrates: 21 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 3 g)
Protein: 3 grams

Aleia’s Cook Top Spicy Poultry Stuffing MixThe second of the two gluten-free varieties I tried also requires boiling a mixture of water, butter, and the contents of the spice packet before mixing it with the croutons. A 5.5 ounce package cost me $4.99.

Appearance: It was quite similar in color to the padding advertised on the bag, but the texture was much softer and stickier. The package of dry croutons had a ton of fine crumbs inside, which makes me suspect that most of the larger pieces of bread were crushed before purchasing.

Taste: Much tastier than Trader Joe’s stuffing, but still not so delicious that I would buy it again. The texture of the filling was inexplicably soft on the outside, but even though I followed the instructions thoroughly, it was still a bit hard in the middle. I wouldn’t mind the unpleasant texture so much if it at least tasted good, but I was disappointed in that regard as well. I detected a very mild chicken flavor but it was in dire need of more salt and herb flavor.

Bell’s Traditional Stuffing

Nutrition (per 1/3 cup serving):
Calorie: 100
Oil: 1.5g
Sodium: 540mg
carbohydrates: 19 g (Fiber: <1 g, Sugar: 1 g)
Protein: 3 grams

Bell’s Traditional Stuffing It just requires the addition of water, butter, and optional celery and onion. A 12 ounce package cost me $3.69.

Appearance: Overall it’s pretty dull. The color was quite uniform and beige, and the bread pieces were smaller and stickier than I like in the filling.

Taste: Other than Aleia’s and Trader Joe’s versions, Bell’s filling had the most disappointing texture. pieces of bread WeLuckily it was wet, but it was also pretty soft in a way I didn’t appreciate. The filling also tasted quite salty, which is saying something to me because I have a very high sodium threshold. The filling would be much better if Bell replaced some of the salt with other flavor enhancers like herbs and spices.

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Stove-Top Savory Herb Stuffing

Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving):
Calorie: 150
Oil: 5 g (Saturated Fat: 1.5 g)
Sodium: 500mg
carbohydrates: 21 g (Fiber: <1 g, Sugar: 2 g)
Protein: 3 grams

Delicious Stove Top Stuffing with Herbs It directs you to boil butter or margarine and water, then add the croutons and let them absorb the liquid. A six-ounce box cost me $2.99.

Appearance: Just from its appearance, I can tell that Stove Top’s herb filling will live up to its name. The mixture was heavily flecked with plenty of aromatic green bits. While the croutons absorbed liquid much better than the bottom three brands in this taste test, the entire mixture was slightly stickier than higher-grade fillings.

Taste: A total plant-a-palooza. While it’s hard to pinpoint all the different flavors in this Stove Top option, I detected notes of thyme, parsley, and maybe even some rosemary. These herbs were nicely balanced with what seemed like the perfect amount of salt. I would rank the Stove Top even higher if the texture were less soft; This wasn’t an issue for the three higher-ranked options on this list. However, this is still a super delicious stuffing that’s easy to prepare and miles above the bottom three options.

Chef’s Cabinet Chicken Stuffing Mix

Nutrition (Per 1/6 of a carton serving):
Calorie: 176
Oil: 9 g (Saturated Fat: 5 g)
Sodium: 400mg
carbohydrates: 21 g (Fiber: <1 g, Sugar: 2 g)
Protein: 3 grams

This is Aldi brand Chef’s Cabinet Chicken Stuffing Mix It calls for a combination of boiling water and butter into which you stir a bag of seasoned croutons. A six-ounce box cost me $0.99.

Appearance: Darker and sturdier than the slightly sticky Stove Top version. This herb-filled Aldi option seemed to absorb the water and butter perfectly without softening it too much.

Taste: Salty, herby and very forward thinking. This super affordable option has a great filling that packs that super delicious kick that I really crave. Meanwhile, the bread itself was moist and soft all the way to the middle without becoming overly mushy. While I thought the Chef’s Cabinet and Stove Top fillings were pretty equal in terms of flavor, the superior texture in Aldi’s version led me to rank it higher.

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Great Value Chicken Flavored Stuffing Mix

Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving):
Calorie: 180
Oil: 5 g (Saturated Fat: 2 g)
Sodium: 480mg
carbohydrates: 21 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g)
Protein: 4 grams

Büyük Value’s Chicken Flavored Stuffing Mix It directs you to boil water and butter together before mixing it into the dried bread. A six-ounce package cost me $0.88.

Appearance: It’s not much different from Aldi stuffing. The croutons had plenty of green herbs and held up pretty well during the baking process, so mushyness was minimal.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Taste: The differences between the Great Value and Chef’s Cupboard stuffing weren’t that noticeable. However, I ultimately decided to give the Great Value just one step above the rest because the texture was just as good and had a slightly stronger flavor. Overall, this stuffing was savory, salty, herby, and truly delicious.

Pepperidge Farm Herb Spice Stuffing Cubes

Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving):
Calorie: 90
Oil: 1g
Sodium: 360mg
carbohydrates: 18 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 2 g)
Protein: 3 grams

Pepperidge Farm’s Herb Spicy Cube Stuffing It says to sauté chopped onions and celery in butter, stir in chicken broth, add croutons and steep for five minutes before bringing the whole mixture to a boil. A 12 ounce bag cost me $3.79.

Appearance: Pepperidge Farm’s stuffing option stood out well. To start, the bread cubes were the largest and most uniform in size of the options I tried. Even after soaking them in the hot broth, the shapes remained completely intact and did not become too soft.

Taste: Delicious, satisfying and an undeniable success for first place. The croutons were moist but not soft; The sautéed vegetables and broth gave the stuffing a fresh, subtle flavor that other options lacked. My only criticism of this option was that it was a little too salty, but I can easily fix that next time by using a lower sodium broth and then adding more salt as needed. Overall, this Pepperidge Farm stuffing was the most time-consuming and labor-intensive option I tried. But the superior taste proves that the extra effort is well worth it.

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