Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Gluten Free Stuffing with onion

Share:

My savory gluten free Thanksgiving Stuffing (dressing) with carrots, cranberries, apple and sage is always a hit. It’s so full of autumnal flavor and color that it’s hard to resist. This recipe for gluten free Thanksgiving Stuffing made with delicious homemade gluten free bread is so easy, but it looks truly gourmet with all these yummy ingredients.

You can use my gfJules Bread Mix, make one of my gluten free loaf bread recipes from scratch, or consider this an opportunity to get rid of that rock hard gluten free store-bought loaf in your freezer! Another option: make this with my gfJules Gluten Free Cornbread Mix, if you’re more of a cornbread stuffing kindof family.

There’s no wrong answer, as long as you start with the best ingredients! You can see from the pictures below that I’ve even used some of my homemade gluten free pumpernickel bread. See what I mean? Lots of options — none of them wrong!

gluten free stuffing with sage
I like using at least two different kinds of gluten free bread for contrast in the cubes. This stuffing is made with a gluten free pumpernickel bread and my gfJules Bread Mix.

Note that I’m calling this deliciousness “STUFFING” but I’m really referring to what’s technically called “DRESSING” because the recipe doesn’t call for STUFFING it into a bird. This is a SIDE DISH. If you want to stuff it into a turkey, you’ll need to reduce the liquids because the turkey adds its own liquids to the bread, and be sure to cook it until both the bird and the stuffing reach 165F.

Follow the directions below to dry out the bread cubes before proceeding with the stuffing recipe.

gluten free croutons
Use any kind of gluten free bread you prefer — even gluten free pumpernickel!

 

Modify any ingredients or herbs that don’t suit your tastes and make this recipe your own. I like adding apples and cranberries, nuts and lots of fresh herbs, but feel free to leave any of those mix-ins out if your crowd won’t like them or you don’t have those ingredients on hand.

Gluten free stuffing with spoon

Remember: it’s important that you stuff your bird with GLUTEN-FREE dressing! If the turkey is dressed with gluten-full stuffing instead, the turkey will have had contact with gluten and you should not eat the turkey or that dressing.

Luckily, this gluten free stuffing recipe is delicious enough that everyone at the table will love it in the bird or as a side dish. For more tips on how to have both a safe and tasty gluten free Thanksgiving, hop to my comprehensive post here.

Blessings to you and yours, as we give thanks for good gluten free stuffing, and so many other things this Thanksgiving!

Gluten Free Stuffing with carrots

 

gluten free stuffing with sage

Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Yield: serves 8-10
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Savory Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing with carrots, sage, apples and cranberries has all the colors and flavors of fall in one iconic dish! | gfJules

Ingredients

  • 6 cups gluten-free bread cubes
  • 2 cups chopped and peeled apples
  • 1 cup chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 tsp. rubbed (fresh) sage
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 6 Tbs. butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
  • 1 1/2 cups ± gluten-free vegetable broth (Imagine Foods® Organic Vegetable Broth, Massel 7 bouillon, Celifibr® Bouillon Cubes, and Savory Choice Concentrated Broths are currently gluten free)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 225-250º F.

Cube bread spread in a single layer onto one or two cookie sheets. Bake until crunchy, stirring every half hour or so, for a total of 90 minutes (depending on how dry your bread was before you put it in the oven, you may need less time in the oven to dry the cubes, so keep checking periodically).

Remove the dry bread cubes from the oven and turn up the temperature to 375°F.

In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter, then add the carrots, celery and onion, cooking until tender (about 10 minutes).  Add the herbs, salt and pepper and stir, cooking for another 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Combine the dried bread cubes, chopped apple, nuts, berries and flaxseed in a very large bowl.  Stir in the carrot-onion mixture until well-mixed. Add cooking stock of choice to the large bowl and stir, adding more stock as necessary to make a moist stuffing. Spread mixture into a lightly oiled 3-quart baking dish. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and drizzle over the top of the stuffing.

Cover with foil and bake at 375º F for 25 minutes; remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the top is golden-brown and the stuffing is not soggy.

Make ahead options:

Bake the bread cubes and wait for the cubes to cool before packing them in zip-top bags to keep the moisture out. Prepare the stuffing the next day.

Or assemble the stuffing the night before, cover and refrigerate: when ready to bake, place a rack in the middle of the oven and bake covered for 25 minutes at 375°F. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes or until top is lightly browned. If you are baking straight from the refrigerator, add 10 extra minutes to total baking time.

Notes

If you want to use this "dressing" recipe as "stuffing" to go into the bird, reduce the liquids added by approximately 1/3-1/2, depending on how juicy your bird is and how dry your crumbs are. Use your best judgement. The turkey adds its own liquids to the bread, and be sure to cook it until both the bird and the stuffing reach 165F. If the turkey has reached 165F before the stuffing has, remove the stuffing and cook separately until it reaches 165F so you are not overcooking the bird.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules

Delicious gluten free stuffing can be a year-round side dish; don’t save it for only special occasions!

Pin for later!

Savory Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing with carrots, sage, apples and cranberries has all the colors and flavors of fall in one iconic dish!

Savory Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing with carrots, sage, apples and cranberries has all the colors and flavors of fall in one iconic dish! | gfJules
Thanksgiving stuffing made with delicious homemade gluten free bread is so easy! Tailor the additions to your taste, and you'll have a new favorite recipe! #glutenfree #Thanksgiving #glutenfreestuffing

Gluten Free Stuffing

Share:

IN 2023 FOR THE 7TH TIME!

Featured In

gfJules Award Winning Products

Leave a Comment

The maximum upload file size: 8 MB. You can upload: image. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

  1. Hi Jules! What is the flax seed meal for? I don’t have it and I really never would use it again. Is there anything else I can substitute?

    Reply
    • Hi Simone, if you can do eggs, add 1-2 eggs instead. The flax, when added with the broth, helps to thicken the stuffing a bit, and hold it together. The eggs will do the same thing. Happy Thanksgiving!
      ~jules

      Reply
    • Hi Carrie, you’ll want to cut back on the amount of broth added to this stuffing recipe if it’s going into the turkey, as the juices from the turkey will seep into the stuffing as well. I’d suggest halving the liquids or maybe going with 2/3 the amount. You can always add more if the bread crumbs are just way too dry, but you don’t want them to be over-saturated. Other than that, follow the guidelines about cooking the stuffing and the bird until they reach 165F. If the turkey is done first, you can always scoop out the stuffing and microwave it or stick it back in the oven in a pan covered in foil to bake until it reaches 165F separately. Enjoy the recipe and Happy Thanksgiving!
      ~jules

      Reply
  2. I wish you would make some of your recipes easily shareable on FaceBook I know we could copy the URL and post it, but if you could find a way for a person to click the FB icon and share I think a lot more people would be more inclined to share some of your recipes which would give you more publicity! Just a thought. I enjoy getting your recipes and info in my email. Keep up the good work. You’re amazing!

    Reply
    • Hi Margie, thanks so much for your kind words and also for the suggestion! We have now added those sharing buttons thanks to you! I hope you find them useful and that you SHARE lots!!! 🙂
      Happy baking!!!!
      ~jules

      Reply
  3. Have made gramas pie crust several times. So good so easy to roll and work with. Love it and so does my celiac husband. Have always hated to make a crust and now no problem. Thanks Jules.

    Reply
    • Hi Debbie – I know you and I were corresponding on my Gluten Free Thanksgiving post, but just in case you didn’t see my response, I’ll repost it here for you!
      As for oyster dressing, believe it or not, I actually toyed with the idea of adding that recipe into my ebook! I didn’t think many people would want it so I didn’t bother. Maybe I’ll put it on the blog though — just for you and me! 😉 My family has it every year because my grandmother always made it — I think it was just for my dad. LOL! Now that he lives with me, I make it for him every year, which means I had to figure it out for myself, because of course, grandma never wrote her recipes down!!! So basically all I’ve done is take my cornbread stuffing recipe and add oysters that I’d DRAINED WELL, but I’ve found that the key was to take the liquid from the jar of oysters (I’ve bought oysters and steamed them and added them and it was useless — no flavor — you have to buy a can/jar of oysters in liquid) and use the liquid from the oysters to make the cornbread! So offset the liquid in the cornbread with that oyster “juice” (reduce the sour cream ingredient by the liquid you use). It adds all the flavor. So you have to think ahead a bit, but it’s worth it! I hope that helps! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Debbie! Let me know if you make the oyster dressing!!
      ~jules

      Reply
      • Thank you! I had not seen the post,so thank you for reposting 🤗
        I’ll try it for sure & let you know. Have you tried reg gf bread?
        Thanks again!!!

        Reply
        • Sure! You can use either cornbread stuffing or regular gluten free bread stuffing and the same technique for adding the oysters to the breadcrumbs to make the stuffing. Let me know how you like it!
          ~jules

          Reply
          • Hope you had an Awesome Thanksgiving! Wanted to let you know how my oyster dressing turned out! Son- in-law said to keep the recipe! He really enjoyed it!!! Took leftovers home with him🤗. Also made the pull apart rolls . They were very easy & soooo good!!! They even looked like the picture you posted when I removed them from the oven! Thank you for helping to allow my family enjoy their Thanksgiving meal🤗

          • FANTASTIC, Debbie!!! I’m so happy to hear it, and even the gluten free oyster dressing was a success! Maybe I should write that recipe down! 😉
            Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! I’m thrilled your family had a wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. Blessings to you and yours!
            ~jules

    • Hi Joyce, in this gluten free stuffing recipe, you can omit the flaxseed meal without need for substitution. It’s really there for flavor and nutrition and just a bit of binding. I don’t think you’ll find any need for adding anything in its place. Enjoy!
      ~jules

      Reply
    • Hi Andryea – yes! You can absolutely make my cornbread mix then follow the directions to make the cubes and the rest of the stuffing recipe. Or you can make or buy gluten free bread and do the same thing. Just depends on whether you prefer cornbread stuffing or regular bread stuffing. ENJOY!
      ~jules

      Reply
        • Hi Andryea, if you want to do the full 6 cups, you’ll likely need two containers of cornbread mix. You can also halve the recipe to use just one container, if that fits with your serving needs.
          ~jules

          Reply
  4. No one could believe how great this stuffing was. They certainly didn’t know it was gluten free until we told them. You’ve done it again Jules. Thank you so much for all you do!

    Reply
Skip to Recipe