Classic Gluten Free Stuffing (or Dressing!) – With Video!
Classic Gluten-Free Stuffing (or Dressing!) – With cozy homestyle flavors and an amazing texture, this is THE gluten-free stuffing recipe you need for Thanksgiving! (Don’t miss all the variation ideas, too!)
This post is written in partnership with Sprouts Farmers Market. All opinions are my own.
What are your favorite parts of Thanksgiving? Over the last few years, we’ve been updating old favorites to gluten and dairy-free versions bit by bit. It’s been nice not to have to figure out EVERYTHING all at once and fun to get to add to our recipe collection every year.
We’ve taken care of pie crust (and pie), pumpkin pie bars, a killer green bean dish, sweet potato casserole, and more. This year, Sprouts challenged me to tackle gluten-free stuffing.
Gluten-free stuffing? We’ve got this!
My classic gluten-free stuffing has all the flavor you love from the original, made gluten-free with a few simple swaps. Plus, I’ve got a few fun mix-in ideas you can add for even more flavor. Let’s jump in!
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STUFFING AND DRESSING?
Stuffing and dressing are made from the same sorts of ingredients. The real difference is how you serve them. You call it stuffing when it is stuffed into the turkey and dressing when it’s on the side. (I’ve never actually had it stuffed into a turkey–only ever on the side!)
WHAT’S THE SECRET TO GREAT GLUTEN-FREE STUFFING?
I worked on a few different techniques for getting the right texture, and I think we nailed it. As you can imagine, the key element was nailing the bread. We used Glutino brand, which worked beautifully. Glutino is one of our top favorite gluten-free bread (and cracker and cookie and pretzel) brands and their bread has a really nice give to it that feels like traditional white bread. It’s perfect for sandwiches or toast but also worked like a charm for gluten-free stuffing! You really want to get the bread nice and dry in advance.
The key was drying the bread out at a low temperature in the oven before turning it into stuffing. When the bread is sufficiently dried out, it can absorb all the other yummy flavors going on with the broth, seasonings, and veggies. Then, when it’s baked, the top turned a gorgeous toasty golden color, and there was still some softness and give with the filling.
Whether you stuff it inside your turkey (gluten-free stuffing) or serve it on the side (gluten-free dressing–my preference!), it’ll be a very happy addition to the Thanksgiving and holiday table!
TIPS + TRICKS FOR THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE STUFFING:
MAKE-AHEAD TIPS. Oven space is prime real estate at Thanksgiving and, thankfully, the prep for this gluten-free stuffing can be largely done ahead of time. I dry out the bread about 1 day ahead of time (you can do 2 days ahead). I also sauté the onions and celery and add the herbs the day before. If you’re adding sausage, you can also brown that the day before. Then, the day of, you simply mix all the parts (veggies/bread/sausage/add-ins/broth) on Thanksgiving day before popping it in the oven.
BAKING TIPS. One thing to note as well with Thanksgiving is if you have lots of things in your oven at once, it will take longer for everything to cook. Plan to add at least 10-15 minutes to the cooking time if you’ve got a packed oven.
FRESH VS. DRIED HERBS. I really love using fresh rosemary and thyme in my gluten-free stuffing, but you can absolutely use dried if you prefer. You’ll want to start with 1/3-1/2 the amount of dried spices.
MIX-INS + VARIATIONS TO TRY. It’s easy to play with our gluten-free stuffing recipe by adding other mix-ins. Try one (or a few!) of these:
- SAUSAGE. Brown and drain your sausage (4-8 oz. is plenty), then add to the gluten free stuffing mixture along with the sautéed veggies.
- DRIED FRUIT. Similarly, if you like adding dried fruit (cherries or cranberries are nice), you can stir in 1/4-1/2 cup along with the other stuffing ingredients.
- DICED APPLES. If you like apples, feel free to add 1 small diced apple along with the onions and celery. It’ll add a little sweetness and a lovely flavor!
PSST! LOOKING FOR A WAY TO USE LEFTOVER STUFFING? Try out this leftover stuffing breakfast casserole! This would be a great option for the next morning!
MORE THANKSGIVING RECIPES TO LOVE:
Tune in to Sprouts’ Facebook Page on Thursday, November 16th to watch me make this live! Check out special offers at your local Sprouts here.
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Classic Gluten Free Stuffing
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Classic Gluten Free Stuffing hits all the right notes. It’s the perfect base recipe + there are lots of ways to change it up! (see my notes for ideas)
Note: If you are preparing this as stuffing (to go inside your turkey), you will want to halve this recipe. This recipe makes one 8×8″ or 2 quart baking dish. You can also double it to fit a 9×13″ pan.
Ingredients
- 1 (12-14oz) loaf gluten free bread (like Glutino brand)
- 2 stalks celery, sliced or diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 Tbsp olive oil, ghee, or butter
- 1/2–1 tsp fresh rosemary
- 1/2–1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1/4–1/2 tsp dried sage
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- Optional: 4-6 oz of cooked, crumbled sausage, 1 small apple (diced), or 1/4-1/2 cup dried fruit (like cherries or cranberries)
Instructions
- DRY OUT THE BREAD – Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Cut the loaf of bread into small (about 1-inch) cubes. Spread out on a baking sheet. Bake 50-60 minutes or until completely dried out (bread shouldn’t be browned). Let cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
- *You can dry your bread out a day ahead of time
- PREP YOUR STATION: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 2 quart (or 8×8″) baking dish.
- SAUTEE THE VEGGIES – Heat olive oil/butter/ghee in a medium pan over medium heat. Add celery and onion (and apple, if using) and sauté 7-10 minutes, or until very tender. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, salt, and pepper.
- ASSEMBLE THE STUFFING – If using sausage or dried fruit, stir into the sautéed veggie mixture. Taste and add additional herbs as desired. Add dried bread cubes to a large bowl. Stir in sautéed veggie mixture. Gently fold in broth, working carefully not to smash the bread. When much of the broth has been absorbed, gently pour mixture out into your prepared pan and shake to distribute evenly.
- BAKE – at 375 degrees for 60-80 minutes, or until top is golden and broth has been absorbed. (If baking in an oven with other items, you may need more time)
Notes
Make ahead notes: Oven space is prime real estate at Thanksgiving and, thankfully, stuffing can be largely done ahead of time. I dry out the bread about 1 day ahead of time (you can do 2 days ahead). I also sauté the onions and celery and add the herbs the day before. If you’re adding sausage, you can also brown that the day before. Then, the day of, you simply mix all the parts (veggies/bread/sausage/addins/broth) on Thanksgiving day before popping it in the oven.
Seasonings. I really love using fresh rosemary and thyme here but you can absolutely use dried if you prefer. You’ll want to start with 1/3-1/2 the amount of dried spices.
Add-ins and variations. Every family has their own stuffing preferences, so if you like sausage in your stuffing, you can absolutely add it. Brown and drain your sausage (4-8oz is plenty), then add to the stuffing mixture along with the sautéed veggies. Similarly, if you like adding dried fruit (cherries or cranberries are nice), you can stir in 1/4-1/2 cup along with the other stuffing ingredients.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 80 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven, Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten free stuffing, gluten free stuffing recipe, homestyle gluten free stuffing, classic gluten free stuffing
This stuffing looks SO YUMMY!
Thank you, Paige! I’m not even a giant stuffing fan and we LOVED this one!
My guests said this was as tasty as regular bread stuffing! I used plenty of the recommended spices and an apple, and added parsley and fennel (to suggest sausage). Thanks for the recipe.
Jean – That’s so wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing!!!
Hi,
Where do you buy the Glutino white bread? I was only able to locate the english muffins. Thank you!
Raigen – I find it at Sprouts or Natural Grocers, typically, but it seems like they’re carrying it less often. I’ve also made this with Canyon Bakehouse bread and Trader Joe’s gluten-free bread with great results!
Would this be able to be stuffed in a turkey?
I haven’t made it that way in the past (because I prefer mine on the side), but other readers have stuffed theirs in the turkey! 🙂