Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, this gluten free stuffing is the perfect addition to any Thanksgiving table!
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Growing up, I never really cared for stuffing, probably because almost every stuffing I ever had was "laced" with onions and peppers. Since I LOATHE onions and peppers, I never bothered with it. But it sure did smell good. I think that was to do with the sage and poultry seasoning. When I think of Thanksgiving, one of the most recognizable scents to me is sage.
As my taste buds changed when I became an adult, I decided to try my hand at making stuffing. Of course, mine would be different. It wouldn't be loaded with all those gross vegetables that I don't like. It was gonna be my way or the highway. Lol! You know what's funny? Everyone really liked it! Even those people who normally like lots of onions and carrots and celery in their stuffing. They weren't even missing them. That just goes to show that not everything is better with that stuff added to it. Sometimes less is better.
When I eventually was diagnosed with celiac, after the devastation wore off, I decided to try making stuffing again. I made my own bread, cubed it up, and did all the usual stuff. It was really great, but it was so much work that I vowed I'd buy bread next time and make the stuffing from that. But then I got smart. Every time I made any bread throughout the year, especially lean breads (without a lot of enrichments), I would store away a few pieces (or rolls) in the freezer. Come Thanksgiving, all I had to was cut up those pieces of bread or rolls and toast them. Easy peasy!
here's what you'll need for a classic stuffing recipe
As I mentioned above, I tend to like my stuffing simple with no added "junk." So this is a base recipe that you can customize to suit your needs. It starts with just a few ingredients:
- Gluten free bread cubes -- over the years, I've changed what type of bread I use for the bread cubes. Sometimes I'll just buy a loaf or two of store bought bread (Udi's or Canyon Bakehouse), but I've gotten smart and have been stashing away pieces or individual rolls every time I make fresh gluten free bread (in my freezer). By the time Thanksgiving comes around, I'm all set with my own, yummy bread!
- Fresh sage -- I normally use dried sage (and a lot of it), but I recently started using fresh sage when I can find it. Use whatever you can get your hands on, but make sure to use at least some sage in your stuffing.
- Chicken stock -- you can use chicken broth or even use vegetable broth/stock. See below for a vegan alternative to this stuffing recipe.
Homemade Gluten Free Bread Options
These are my gluten free breads that I often use for my homemade stuffing:
- Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread
- Best Ever Gluten Free Sourdough Bread
- Gluten Free Brioche Buns
- Gluten Free Sandwich Bread
- Gluten Free Artisan Bread
- Gluten Free Crusty French Rolls
- Fabulous Gluten Free Italian Bread
- Pillowy Soft Gluten Free Dinner Rolls
- Gluten Free Potato Buns
- Gluten Free Hawaiian Rolls
- Gluten Free Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns
toast the bread cubes
Whether using homemade stale bread or store bought gluten free bread, you'll need to cut the bread into cubes about ½ inch in diameter. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Place the bread cubes in a single layer amongst two parchment-lined baking sheets and toast them for one hour.
Once cooled, store the toasted bread cubes in a ziptop bag or airtight container and keep them at room temperature until you're ready to make your stuffing. This step can be done a day ahead, two days ahead, two weeks ahead, or even months ahead!
make the base gluten free stuffing recipe
Once you have toasted the bread cubes (the day of or days in advance), melt butter in a large Dutch oven or 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and add the fresh herbs and dried, as well as the salt and pepper. Add one box of the chicken broth (or stock) and the bread cubes. Stir to moisten all of the bread cubes and let this sit for a few minutes to allow the liquid to soak into the dried bread. You may need to add more chicken stock after the first box has been fully absorbed. I always buy two boxes and inevitably end up needing 1 ½.
Scoop all of the stuffing mixture into a large baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about 25-30 minutes, or until the top is crunchy and lightly browned. If you don't like the crunchy bits on top, you can cover the stuffing with foil while it bakes.
Rather Watch?
variations
- To make this stuffing vegan, make sure the bread is made with vegan protein powder, such as soy, hemp, etc. (or use gluten free and vegan store bought bread, such as Substitute vegan butter for regular butter and melt it in saucepan and add the herbs and spices. Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth and proceed as usual.
- To add aromatics to your stuffing, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add finely diced carrots, celery, and onions and sweat until they're soft. Add this vegetable mixture to the butter/broth mixture before adding the bread cubes.
- For sausage stuffing, add fully cooked sausage crumbles to the butter/chicken stock mixture and proceed as usual.
- For muffins, use a large cookie scoop (affiliate link) and scoop individual servings into a greased muffin pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top. This is my family's favorite way to eat stuffing!
gluten free stuffing faq's
Yes, you absolutely can! Buy two loaves of gluten free bread and cut them into cubes and toast them. You may need to add more chicken broth/stock.
In addition to making and toasting the bread cubes in advance, you can also make the stuffing itself (or stuffing muffins) well in advance and store it in the freezer. The muffins work best for this because they are perfect for wrapping individually and freezing, but you can also wrap a baking dish with plastic wrap followed by foil and freeze the entire thing. Thaw completely before baking.
That would work great, too! Crumble or cube gluten free cornbread and proceed with the recipe as instructed. You may need to add more chicken stock.
more gluten free thanksgiving recipes to try
- Hawaiian rolls
- Pie crust chips and pumpkin dip
- Homemade cranberry curd
- Scalloped potatoes
- Sweet potato biscuits
- Sweet potato souffle
- Amazing apple pie
- Best ever pecan pie
- Green beans with Dijon cream sauce
- Make ahead turkey gravy
- Pumpkin dinner rolls
- Incredible pumpkin pie
- Apple crumb pie
- Apple dumplings
- French silk pie
- Chocolate chess pie
- The best sweet potato pie
- Triple layer coconut cream pie
Add these gluten free stuffin' muffins to your Thanksgiving table this year and get rave reviews!
Easy Gluten Free Stuffing (And Stuffing Muffins)
Ingredients
- 6 cups (approx 264g) gluten free bread cubes (from store bought bread or homemade)
- 1-2 32-ounce boxes chicken stock or broth
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113 g) butter
- 3 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried sage)
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cut bread into cubes and disperse evenly in a single layer onto both prepared baking sheets. Bake for one hour. Cool completely. At this point, the bread cubes can be stored in a ziptop baggie or airtight container at room temperature for a few hours, a few days, or even frozen for a few months.
- In a Dutch oven or large (4 quart) saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add fresh herbs, dried herbs, and spices, as well as chicken stock/broth and heat until the butter is completely melted and the mixture begins to boil.
- Add the bread cubes to the saucepan and stir until all the bread is coated. Remove from the heat and let sit for a few minutes to soak up all the liquid. Check the consistency. For a wetter/more moist texture, add more chicken stock to preference.
- For traditional stuffing, scoop stuffing into greased large baking dish. Cover with foil if desiring a moister stuffing (or leave uncovered for a crunchy topped stuffing). For stuffing muffins, using a large cookie scoop, scoop stuffing into greased muffin pans.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned and crunchy on the outside, while still soft and moist on the inside. Serve immediately.
Notes
Inspired by Rachael Ray's Apple and Onion Stuffin' Muffins
Heather says
I’ve tried all kinds of gluten free stuffings. They are all horrible! Years of horrible stuffings that my family had to endure. Not this year! Kim, this is exactly like stuffing should be. Just like I remember it. Thank you so much! Your recipes never fail! As a note, I added onion and celery and cooked it in the butter before adding everything else. So good!
Kim says
So glad you liked them, Heather!
Shannon Denbow says
Hi there
I am very excited about trying this recipe but am a bit perplexed.
One of my huge "Missed" items when I had to quit eating gluten was my mother's home made bread stuffing during the holidays. I have attempted to recreate this with different gluten free breads and it is just not the same. I actually have 2 questions.
1 - Would be a detriment to add sauteed celery, onion, sausage, etc to this recipe or do you recommend that it be kept as written.
2 - I am struggling with trying to figure out the correct bread. In this recipe you mention store bought or homemade, but all breads are different. Would sourdough be best? Would it be better to leave the bread out to dry out before use? I didn't see any recommendations on this so your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Shannon
Kim says
Hi, Shannon! I understand missing stuffing and I'm here to help. If you read through the actual recipe post (above the recipe), you'll find the answer to both of these questions. In the variations section, I talk about adding celery, onion, sausage, etc. I also mention within the ingredients section what types of bread I use. Have you watched the video? I also go over this in the video.
Hope this helps!
Shannon Denbow says
OHHH. I haven't seen the video. I was looking at from my phone and I didn't see this option! I will definitely go back and look. Thank you so much. I thought I had read through the recipe multiple times, but maybe I missed something, so I apologize.
Thank you! I'll get back and let you know how it works. I have been working to get the sourdough starter ready for the last 5 days, so only a few days to go. 😀
Kim says
Fingers crossed
Shannon Denbow says
Hi Kim,
I did go back and it helps. I also went back and checked the recipe ingredients and other areas you had mentioned in the previous reply, but there is nothing that say which bread you use for the stuffing. It just says purchased bread or homemade. I guess I just want clarification if it should be any of the sourdough types, the artisan or the regular sandwich type bread.
Thank you for your help.
Shannon
Kim says
I'm not sure why you're not seeing all of the post. I wonder if you can clear your cache and then it will all show? I'm not very good with technology so I don't know if that will work, but in case you're still not seeing it, I have a section within the post that shows you which breads I use for my stuffing. Here it is:
Homemade Gluten Free Bread Options
These are my gluten free breads that I often use for my homemade stuffing:
Gluten Free Sourdough Sandwich Bread
Best Ever Gluten Free Sourdough Bread
Gluten Free Brioche Buns
Gluten Free Sandwich Bread
Gluten Free Artisan Bread
Gluten Free Crusty French Rolls
Fabulous Gluten Free Italian Bread
Pillowy Soft Gluten Free Dinner Rolls
Gluten Free Potato Buns
Gluten Free Hawaiian Rolls
Gluten Free Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns
Neil says
Do you have any breads that you have found work better than others for this? Some of the times I've made similar with gluten free bread it's come out a little gummy but every one of your recipes has come out great so I trust your recommendations.
Kim says
I do have an area within the post that I talk about what I usually use, but as far as recipes of mine, I usually use something that isn't very enriched, such as my artisan bread or Italian bread. Check out the ingredients section within the post, where I talk about this a little bit and how I use leftover rolls or buns.
Karen M says
Hi Kim
I just want to say a huge thank you for your flour blends and recipes. You have saved me from having a cardboard eating life!!
Karen
Kim says
Awe, haha! It's my pleasure, Karen! Thank you so much for your kind words (and also for making me laugh) 🥰
Emmie says
Can these be left out on the counter or do they need to stay refrigerated?
Kim says
I suppose they could, but I always refrigerate mine.