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Stuffing is a staple in American cuisine, especially when it comes to the Super Bowl of eating, which is, of course, Thanksgiving. Created by an economist who wanted to make use of dried-up bread, the original brand of stuffing, Stove Top, was born in the 1970s. Since then, millions of families every year have purchased or homemade stuffing as a side to their perfectly cooked turkeys and mashed potatoes.
As a general rule, a serving of stuffing is about 1/2 of a cup per person. The average box of store-bought stuffing consists of about 6 servings. For every six family members or guests, be sure to buy one box of stuffing. Some guests might eat more, so prepare extra.
Savory, made of carbs, and the perfect side to stuff yourself silly with, stuffing is the perfect complement to the main course of white meat and vegetables. But just how much stuffing do your dinner guests want? To prepare for an upcoming meal or to cook dinner in a rush, keep scrolling to find out everything you need to know about making enough stuffing for a crowd.
How to Measure Stuffing for a Large Group
When serving stuffing at your Thanksgiving dinner, you can figure each person will eat 1/2 of a cup of stuffing.
Based on that estimate, follow the handy chart below to know just how many cups of stuffing you will need to prepare, and how many boxes you will need to purchase. The amount of boxes has been rounded up, so if you only need a certain amount, simply just measure out the cups and leave the remaining stuffing in the boxes for later.
| # of People | Cups of Stuffing | Boxes of Stuffing |
| 4 | 2 | 1 Box |
| 8 | 4 | 2 Box |
| 12 | 6 | 2 Boxes |
| 20 | 10 | 3 Boxes |
| 25 | 13 | 4 Boxes |
| 35 | 18 | 5 Boxes |
| 45 | 22 | 6 Boxes |
| 50 | 25 | 8 Boxes |
If you’re serving more guests than the table above gives calculations for, it’s pretty simple to know how many boxes you need to pick up from the store and how many cups you need to cook in preparation.
Side Note: Boxed Stuffing
Listen, I know we all want to be the people who make everything homemade, but sometimes when cooking for a lot of people, that just doesn’t make sense. I happen to like stovetop stuffing and hey, it makes my life so much easier. Win-win! Just a note, if you opt to order boxed stuffing from Amazon, buy multiple of the individual boxes, ITS ACTUALLY CHEAPER! You can see for yourself here! Check the Current Price of Stove Top Stuffing
Since a regular serving is around one-half of a cup of stuffing, and each box of regular Stove Top makes about 6 servings per box, just pick up one box for every six people you need to serve.
A good rule of thumb when it comes to cooking, though, especially with sides as delicious and affordable as stuffing, is to pick up some extra boxes and throw them in with your regular batch. That way you won’t run out of people’s favorite side. And even if you do end up with extra you will be able to make amazing leftover meals with them, such as Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash, Sausage Spinach Bake, and even Stuffin’ Muffins.
So in case anyone is staying in town and you need something to quickly and easily fix up to feed hungry family members or friends, you can offer up something cheap and delicious on the fly.
When to Make More Stuffing
In some cases, you might know that your family members or friends are a bit more hungry than the average family, or you might not know just how many people you need to feed. If you need more stuffing to satiate their appetite or to keep as a backup plan, simply just make a little extra.
The perfect host or hostess is always ready with a warm plate for anyone who walks in the door and never has to turn anyone down because of a food shortage.
I have to say the best kitchen tool I had this holiday season was my roaster oven. Holy cow, it was awesome. Growing up we always made food assignments so the oven wouldn’t be the bottleneck, but now fewer people come around so we’ve had to get creative. There are rolls, stuffing, turkey, green beans and so much more that we want hot and ready to go at meal time and the roaster oven makes that so easy.
Here is a great roaster oven on Amazon, that will do everything you need. If you want one with a few more features, like a defrost and self basting, this might be the better one for you. (Honestly they are both great options)
Another great option is this Recteq Pellet grill/smoker. (Can you imagine adding that smokey flavor to your side dishes or turkey for that matter?) Seriously, it is so good. A little more pricey than the roaster oven, but man, it makes the food taste good.
In this case, you will simply just need to make double what you normally would make. This means that each person would be allowed 1 cup of stuffing. That way if someone only wants half that portion, it can be kept as a leftover. Follow the helpful graph below as a cheat sheet:
| # of People | Cups of Stuffing | Boxes of Stuffing |
| 4 | 4 | 1 Box |
| 8 | 8 | 2 Box |
| 12 | 12 | 2 Boxes |
| 20 | 20 | 4 Boxes |
| 25 | 25 | 5 Boxes |
| 35 | 35 | 6 Boxes |
| 45 | 45 | 8 Boxes |
| 50 | 50 | 9 Boxes |
When to Make Less Stuffing
Something you may come across when planning your meal is the realization that you might be making too much for your gathering. This can include when you will mostly be having children or teenagers over, who prefer eating less dinner, and more dessert (which is a totally understandable opinion.)
I should also mention, if you are like me and tend to over prepare, leaving you with tons of leftovers, make sure you have enough containers to store everything in. I usually end up putting things in random bowls and covering plates with aluminum foil. It works alright, but when the fridge is already packed, it’s nice to have containers that maximize space. Last year on Black Friday I bought this set of Rubbermaid storage containers, and I LOVE THEM! No more plates for me. 🙂 There are so many options for what size of set you want and they are so great.
Or it can simply be for when you just don’t want to worry about leftovers, or you know that a lot of people at your party have food allergies.
In this case, simply just cut the original measurements in half.
| # of People | Cups of Stuffing | Boxes of Stuffing |
| 4 | 1/2 | 1 Box |
| 8 | 2 | 1 Box |
| 12 | 3 | 1 Boxes |
| 20 | 5 | 2 Boxes |
| 25 | 7 | 2 Boxes |
| 35 | 9 | 2 Boxes |
| 45 | 12 | 2 Boxes |
| 50 | 13 | 3 Boxes |
How to Make Stuffing Go Further
If you don’t have a lot of stuffing to go around, or you know that your guests want to try something different, there are plenty of ways to make stuffing more filling and delicious. Beyond the original, classic recipe that includes dried bread cubes, onion, celery, poultry seasoning, salt, butter, and chicken broth, there are a few different ways to make stuffing go further.
Meat – Chop up some cooked sausage (or chorizo sausage for a spicier version) and throw into the mix for a thick and meaty version of stuffing. If you want more, just add in some sautéed fennel or onions. Bacon is also a fan favorite addition to stuffing. Just cook the slices until crisp, drain, and chop. This is especially popular due to the homey and tantalizing smell of bacon and onion mixed together.
Nuts – Try out something crunchy and hearty by adding walnuts (My personal favorite on Amazon) , chestnuts, almonds, or pecans into your stuffing. Chop them up into tiny portions and sauté lightly in some butter in order to soften them for about two or three minutes before adding them to your stuffing. You can even try combining two varieties like walnuts and chestnuts for a unique taste.
Mushrooms – Adding an earthy flavor, lightly sautéed mushrooms are perfect for anyone who enjoys a little something extra in their stuffing. Kind of like a breakfast omelet, adding a little extra chopped parsley also helps to bring out the taste.
Olives – Using either black olives or green olives is sure to be hit with your family or friends. Add them in before baking and they’ll become one of the best parts of the meal.
Fruit Stuffing – To add a little texture and sweetness, some people like to add fruit like chopped apples, sweetened cranberries (such as Craisins), dates, or raisins.
Spice It Up – A lot of people enjoy their stuffing with just a little extra kick. If you’re in the mood for something spicy, simply just add jalapenos or green chilis to your stuffing mix.
If you want to try out some new recipes, or have always wondered what homemade stuffing tastes like, be sure to check out the video below.
My Favorite Kitchen Products (That I ACTUALLY Use)
| Product | Price | Why I LOVE This |
| 7 Qt CrockPot | Check on Amazon | I use this a ton to get meals going for easy and delicious evening dinners. |
| Mixing Bowls | Check on Amazon | So functional and multi-purpose! From popcorn, to salads, baking, and everything in between! |
| George Forman Grill | Check on Amazon | This is so underrated! I love grilled foods, but don’t always want to cook outdoors. Easy grilled burgers, chicken or veggies anytime! |
| Recteq Bullseye Pellet Grill/Smoker | Check on Amazon | Smaller than most smokers with plenty of cooking surface area, I LOVE this pellet grill/smoker. The quality is great, and the price is amazing for what you’re getting. |
| KitchenAid Mixer | Check on Amazon | This is a staple of the kitchen, and worth having around! These are heavy duty and last a long time. |
