Karla Walsh is a Des Moines, Iowa-based freelance writer, editor, and former fitness instructor who balances her love of food and drink with her passion for fitness. (Or tries to, at least!) She holds a double major in magazine journalism and kinesiology from Iowa State University. She also passed her level one sommelier exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers, received her personal trainer certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and group fitness instructor certification through the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). She's covered health, food, fitness, psychology, beauty, and beyond for more than 12 years. In addition to BHG.com, her writing has been published in AllRecipes, Runner's World, Shape and Fitness Magazines, as well as on EatingWell.com, Shape.com, ReadersDigest.com, TheHealthy.com, Prevention.com, WomensHealthMag.com, and more.

Whether you call it "stuffing" or "dressing" varies based on where you live, according to Google Correlate search data. But no matter where you're from, you'll very likely call this Thanksgiving side dish "delicious"—especially if you're starting with one of our best Thanksgiving dressing recipes of all time.

However, in addition to overcooked turkey and lumpy gravy, dry dressing is one of the most common Thanksgiving cooking mistakes.

"A dry stuffing or dressing is usually dry after baking simply because the recipe lacked enough moisture or fat," confirms Bridget Lancaster, executive editorial director at America's Test Kitchen.

To fix dry dressing no matter what the cause or regardless of the regional dressing style you prefer, we tapped Lancaster and Meggan Hill, executive chef of the Culinary Hill Test Kitchen, to help us save our sides.

Thick, pasty dressing no more. These fixes will save the day.

For every four cups of dressing, drizzle the dish evenly with ½ cup warm turkey or chicken broth. Toss to mix it in evenly, cover with foil, and allow the dressing to sit and rehydrate.

Alternatively, to keep warm, return the dish to an oven at a low temperature. After 10 minutes, taste to check the consistency and add more as needed, Hill suggests.

Best for: Any variety of dressing

For extra richness, remember these wise words from Lancaster: "Fat is your friend, including when it comes to dressing. If you've got a jar of bacon drippings, sausage drippings, or schmaltz stashed in the fridge, melt a few tablespoons and brush or pour evenly over the top of the dressing before serving," she says.

Bacon fat really makes oyster dressing sing, Lancaster says. If you're fresh out of those fats, melt two tablespoons butter, and use a pastry brush to coat or a spoon to drizzle this over the dressing, Hill adds, dousing on more as desired.

Best for: Any variety of dressing

"For cornbread dressing, which can bake up especially dry, I like to lean into the tanginess of the buttermilk that I used to make the cornbread," Lancaster says. (By the way, this Buttermilk Cornbread recipe is a terrific base for dressing recipes.)

To fix dry dressing using this method, melt two tablespoons butter into one cup broth. Off the heat, whisk in ¼ cup buttermilk. Start by drizzling ½ cup at a time over the dressing, cover with foil for 10 minutes, then take a taste test to check for texture. Add more as needed. Heavy cream or half-and-half can do the trick, too, if you prefer or are out of buttermilk.

"If you whipped up a fruit-forward dressing recipe that includes diced apples, pears, or dried fruit, stir in ¼ cup applesauce," Hill says. "Taste and add more as needed." But skip this tip if you've assembled a fruit-free dressing, Hill warns, as this may yield an overly-sweet dressing and chances are high that you're not going for that vibe.

Best for: Dressings that call for fruit

For rice-based stuffings, such as our Herbed Wild Rice Dressing Recipe, Hill recommends adding one tablespoon of water or broth for every two cups of stuffing.

"Cover the baking dish or bowl with plastic wrap, then microwave for 1 to 2 minutes," she says, so it steams to moist perfection.

Why reserve the gravy for topping mashed potatoes alone? "This might be my favorite method, as it involves one of my favorite foods of all time: turkey gravy. I make almost a gallon of turkey gravy ahead of Thanksgiving—it can literally cover a multitude of culinary sins—so that I always have plenty on hand for leftovers, and I'm not scrambling to make gravy at the last minute," Lancaster admits. (Follow her lead by making a double batch or more of our Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy!)

If Lancater notices that her dressing is erring on the dry side, she thins out ¾ cup of hot gravy with ¼ cup boiling water and pours this mixture evenly over the dressing.

"Just like the other methods, cover the pan with foil and let sit for several minutes before serving. This can turn dry dressing into the stuff(ing) dreams are made of," Lancaster laughs.

Best for: Any variety of dressing

Get the Recipe: Southern Cornbread Dressing

"Of course, preventing dry stuffing or dressing is always preferable to fixing it. Luckily, this holiday cooking mistake is largely preventable if you follow a few guidelines," Lancaster confirms.

Keep these pointers in mind:

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