The best ever gluten free Thanksgiving stuffing! Super simple, full of flavor, and you would never know it’s gluten free!
I am SO exciting to share this recipe with you guys! I have always wanted to perfect a gluten free Thanksgiving stuffing, but I was always intimidated! After some trial and error, 3 rounds of testing (and eating lots of leftovers), I am happy to say this stuffing is exactly how I wanted it to be.
It has a subtle maple flavor while still being perfectly savory, and chopped pecans for some added texture and crunch. The blend of herbs and seasonings brings out the most amazing flavor, and everything ties to together so perfectly.
The top gets a little browned and a bit crunchy/toasty, while the inside stays perfectly moist (but not too wet).
Can I make this with regular bread?
Yes! Although I haven’t tried it myself, I think this would work perfectly fine with regular bread if you don’t need it to be gluten free. I actually think this would be delicious with sourdough bread!
Can I leave the pecans out?
Yes- they add a delicious texture and crunch, and go well with the subtle maple flavor, but you can skip them if you need this to be nut free!
Can I make this dairy free?
If you have a vegan butter than you use and love, go for it! I would just make sure it’s not one that has a strong coconut flavor or anything, but instead use one that tastes as similar as possible to regular butter.
Can I make this vegan?
Unfortunately no. You will need the eggs for this recipe to act as a binder for the stuffing! However, if you need this to be vegetarian and eggs are ok, you can use veggie broth in place of chicken broth!
I’ve included instructions for making ahead, as well as reheating leftovers, so be sure to check those out if you need some tips for planning ahead!
I truly cannot wait to hear what you guys think of this one. Please let me know if you bring this to your Thanksgiving tables- it makes me so happy to hear when you make my recipes for holidays :). Be sure to leave a comment and rating below if you give this stuffing a try! Love you all! xo
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The Best Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
Description
The best super simple gluten free Thanksgiving stuffing with a subtle maple flavor and chopped pecans! See blog post above for any questions about substitutions!
Ingredients
- 1 lb gluten free bread*, torn into 1” cubes
- 1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup), plus more for baking dish
- 2 + 1/2 cups diced onions
- 1 + 1/2 cups celery (cut into 1/4″ pieces)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh sage, finely diced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, stems removed and finely diced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary sprigs, stems removed and finely diced
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 + 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Tear your bread into 1″ cubes and line on a baking sheet. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until mostly dried out. Set aside.
- In a large pan over medium heat, melt the stick of butter then stir in the onions and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Set aside to slightly cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and generously grease a 9×13″ baking dish with butter. In a large bowl, mix together the bread cubes, pecans, fresh herbs, and all of the seasonings. Pour over 1 + 1/4 cup of the broth, the maple syrup, and the onion and celery mixture, and toss gently to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1 cup of broth. Gently fold into the stuffing mixture until everything is well combined.
- Pour stuffing mixture into your greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake for 40-50 minutes, until top is slightly browned and crispy and stuffing is set. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- To reheat leftovers: Add a splash of broth and reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through, adding more broth as needed.
- To make ahead: Do the first round of baking where the stuffing is covered in foil, then allow to completely cool before covering and placing in the fridge. When ready to bake, uncover and bake for 50-60 minutes, until top is slightly browned and crispy and stuffing is set.
Notes
*My loaf of bread was 18 oz; it’s ok to go a little over 1 lb.
Rebecca
This dish is amazing!! I added mushrooms but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. SO good.
Erin
Rebecca, did you find it sweet with the maple syrup or not too much? I want to make this recipe but don’t love sweet flavors in savory dishes. Also, how do you think a bit of sausage might taste in this dish? Thanks in advance, I’m about to make this tomorrow!
Mia Zarlengo
It’s not too sweet! You could leave out the maple and replace with broth, but it’s a super subtle maple flavor! I think this would be amazing with some sausage!! I haven’t made it that way but you should be able to keep things as is!
Emily
I’d love to make this! For the “make ahead” instructions – is it okay to make ahead up to 3 days in advance?
Mia Zarlengo
Hi Emily! I haven’t tried that- it may be ok but I don’t want to say for sure- I don’t see it being a huge issue! You may need to add more broth if it dries out a bit!
Sarah
This was the HIT of the small Friendsgiving I attended. I didn’t have sage and used extra rosemary. So delicious!
★★★★★
Cheryl
Can I use olive oil to sauté the onion & celery instead of butter?
Mia Zarlengo
i would recommend vegan butter before olive oil! you can try it, but i’m not sure if it will effect the taste and texture of the final result with olive oil!
Kari
This is the best stuffing! I made it with a good sourdough loaf and everyone loved it. Such a hit— already thinking about how I can make it outside of the holidays. Thank you, Mia!!!
Ashley Friedman
This recipe was so easy to make and is so delicious!!! My non-gluten free family loved it too!! I will definitely be making this again in the future 🙂
★★★★★
Paige
This stuffing was the star of my thanksgiving and I am soo happy I have leftovers still 🙂 I left out the maple syrup and pecans because I’m a bit of a purist but everything else was so spot on flavor-wise and cooking down the veg with butter before mixing took it to another level!! So good.
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Wow what a sweet compliment!! Thank you soo much Paige! 🙂
dana
could i use dairy free butter if i am dairy free? also could i leave out the parsley?
Mia Zarlengo
Dairy free butter will work! Leaving out the parsley is fine but will lose a bit of the herb flavor
Emma
I made this for my first stuffing ever (normally make cornbread dressing) and it turned out great! I substituted veggie stock to make it vegetarian and I used sourdough bread (did not need gluten free). I highly recommend for the holidays!
★★★★★