Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe (2024)

This gluten-free Thanksgiving stuffing is so good! Skip the boxed and packaged brands filled with unhealthy ingredients. Make it with homemade dried bread cubes, aromatic vegetables, milk or broth, egg and herbs. No one will ever guess it's gluten-free. I'll show you how, step-by-step. What would the holiday be without a classic stuffing on the Thanksgiving table?

For faster turkey roasting and food safety, it's better cooking it separately. And yes, it still has great flavor. Our family original recipe used wheat bread, not gluten-free, so make it either way. With good GF bread, no one would ever know it is gluten-free these days.

Why You'll Like This Recipe

• Because it tastes totally terrific.
• No one would ever guess it's gluten-free.
• No boxes or bags.
• Cooked separately from the turkey (better for food safety)
• If you've never made stuffing, let me show you how.

Recipe Ingredients

Stuffing or dressing? The terms are interchangeable. I've gone into a lot of detail so anyone can make this, step-by-step. It's all from scratch.

• Gluten-free bread: Since stuffing is all about the bread, good fresh bread is essential. The best I've found is from Canyon Bakehouse. What type of bread? I use their Mountain White bread or the Heritage Honey style. If you can't find it, choose the best gluten-free sandwich bread possible. Gluten-free sourdough is good too.
• Leek: Related to onions, garlic, and shallots, leek gives another layer of depth of flavor and mild, sweet oniony taste. Use the white and light green parts only and discard the tough dark green tops.
• Fennel: Provides a lightly sweet anise (licorice) flavor when cooked. It has a wonderful taste, trust me!
• Celery: The base for so many recipes and an essential ingredient.
• Onion: Use sweet, yellow or brown onions. All work. Another essential stuffing component for great flavor and moisture.
• Garlic: For this recipe it's worth chopping fresh garlic cloves.
• Fat: Use either unsalted butter, ghee, or olive oil. An oil and butter combo is nice. Do not use vegetable oil.
• Liquid: Use dairy milk, chicken broth or bone broth, or turkey broth.
• Egg: Gives moisture, adds richness, and helps stuffing hold together.
• Herbs: Use fresh herbs or dried, or a combination. Buy fresh parsley (Italian parsley) for fresh garden flavor and herbal balance. Thyme is a must-have herb for stuffing, as well as sage. Use ⅓ the amount of dried for fresh. Some people prefer a blend called poultry seasoning. If you do that, I suggest using a little fresh too, especially parsley.

Please see the recipe card for measurements, including salt and ground black pepper. See photos below for how to prep leek and fennel if you are unfamiliar with them.

Chef's Tip: While you're buying groceries for stuffing, pick up turkey pieces to make homemade turkey broth for using in soups and sides. You can use it in gluten-free Thanksgiving stuffing in place of milk, and for the best turkey gravy.

Substitutions and Variations

• Add finely chopped or ground cooked sausage, about 8-12 ounces.
• If you like cheese, add grated Parmesan cheese, either to the mix before baking or over the top for browning.
• This recipe works for wheat bread as well.
• For for a vegan option, use vegetable broth or almond milk.
• For dairy-free or vegan, choose a vegan butter such as Miyoko's Creamery (very tasty).
• For egg-free or vegan, skip the egg. It will still taste great.

Recipe Instructions

Start by drying the bread. Why dry the bread? Drying the bread allows it to soak up all of the wonderful flavors while cooking. Making your own is far superior to a gluten-free stuffing mix from a box or bag, and so easy

Step 1: Start by cutting then drying the bread cubes either on the counter overnight or in the oven. See details below for each method.

Step 2: Chop all of the vegetables; onion, leek, fennel, and celery. For more detail on chopping vegetables, see photos below.

Step 3: Cook the vegetables in oil or butter until soft, translucent and still moist.

Step 4: Add your dried bread cubes to the veggies bowl and stir together. Whisk the egg and liquid together and add to the bowl with the herbs, salt and pepper. Spoon stuffing mixture into a buttered or oiled casserole dish.

Step 5: Bake the stuffing. Place stuffing in an oiled or buttered large baking dish such as a 9″ x 9″ casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until hot and golden, 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15-20 minutes for a golden brown top. If you like cheese, sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top.

Drying Bread for Bread Stuffing: Two Methods

First cut bread cubes. Lay slices of bread out on a cutting board and trim off the crusts and discard along with the heels. Trim the slices into ¾-inch bread cubes.

Counter Top Method

Spread the cubes out on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer (they need air circulation) and allow them to stand uncovered 24 hours to dry.

You can do this several days ahead. When dry, package the dry cubes in an airtight container or plastic zip bag until you are ready to continue the recipe.

Oven Method

Set the oven for 225° F oven and bake the cubes for 35-40 minutes. They will dry more as they cool. When cool, package in an airtight container and reserve to make the stuffing.

How To Prep the Vegetables

How to Chop Leeks

Instead of just onion and celery, adding fennel, leek and garlic gives more flavor in the “aromatics” department, plus good texture and depth of flavor. If you are not familiar with how to cut a leek or fennel bulb, read below and check out the photos.

For leeks, trim the dark green top of off and discard (or save for making stock or broth). Trim off the root end. Slice the light green and white part of the leek in half lengthwise and run under cold water to dislodge any sand or grit. Chop the leek crosswise into thin strips or half moons.

How to Chop Fennel

Start by chopping the celery-like stalks off the top (see photo) and save the fluffy part that looks like dill for garnish and adding to salads. The stalks are good for making green juices (or toss).

Next, trim a thin slice off the bottom of the fennel bulb. If the bulbs are white and clean with no brown spots on the outer layer, cut the bulb in half top to bottom, then slice into long strips. Cut the strips crosswise into a small dice.

If the bulb is brown in spots, use a vegetable peeler to clean up the outside. You can peel off the outer layer but that wastes a lot of the bulb.

Some recipes also tell you to trim out the triangle shaped core but for this recipe you don't have to, especially with smaller bulbs.

For the garlic, simply peel and chop fine.

A pan: You need a large 12-inch fry pan, saute pan, or large skillet. To double the recipe for a crowd, you'll need a larger pan, like the 6-quart saute pan. They are big to store, but really handy for big jobs. Alternatively cook the vegetables in batches.

Rimmed baking sheet: To dry the bread cubes, a rimmed baking sheet (half sheet size). They are a great investment for your kitchen. Don't buy cheap, flimsy ones (they warp). Buy heavy ones like this one or this brand gets good ratings.

Large mixing bowl: to mix it all together before baking.

Make Ahead Tips

• Trim and dry bread cubes a few days ahead and store in an air-tight container
• Clean and chop your leek and fennel a day ahead and refrigerate until needed
• Pull your casserole dish out and put a sticky note in it that says stuffing.
• If you're using vegetable broth, make homemade. It's way better than store-bought and super easy. Make it a week ahead and freeze it.
• Make stuffing in the morning, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temp (about and hour) before baking, then keep hot until serving time.

Chef's Tip: Another BIG make-ahead tip; if you've never dry-brined a turkey, it's super easy with delicious results! Read my step-by-step post here on How to Dry Brine a Turkey. Start Sunday or Monday of Thanksgiving week.

Serving Suggestions

What to serve next to that glorious bird? Try these side dishes. If you are not roasting a turkey, they work along side other mains.

• Mashed sweet potatoes
• Sour Cream Mashed Gold Potatoes
• Baby Green Beans
• No-Cook Cranberry Sauce
• Lemon thyme Brussels sprouts (made stove top)
• Here's my homemade gluten-free cornbread stuffing for a change.

For more Thanksgiving side dishes, take a look at this category page for more ideas or this recipe roundup post about GF and DF Thanksgiving Sides.

Leftovers

Leftover Thanksgiving stuffing is terrific for breakfast Friday morning with eggs. Stuffing lasts in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I've never tried freezing it because there is never any left!

Reheating

To heat leftover stuffing, bake covered in a 350°F oven until heated through and 165°F internally. How long depends on how cold it is out of the refrigerator. Start with 30 minutes. For faster heating, allow the dish to stand at room temperature for an hour before hand.

Recipe FAQs

More Terrific Fall Recipes

While we're getting ready for Thanksgiving, we still need to eat! Here are some easy recipes to have in your arsenal as we lead up to the big feast.

⭐️Did you Make This Recipe?

If you make this recipe, please add your comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating! They really help other readers. If you had an issue with it, let me help you figure it out.

📖 Recipe