Vegetable Bread Stuffing takes everything delicious about the Thanksgiving classic and turns it into vegan stuffing fit for any feast. It’s made using thick cubes of baked sourdough bread, so you know it’s going to be good!
As Thanksgiving gets closer and my recipe idea list gets longer, I decided to whip together one of my favorites: stuffing. I’ve made a lot of stuffing dishes in my life, but it wasn’t until creating this vegetable bread stuffing that I knew was onto something.
Did you know stuffing isn’t a standard vegetarian/vegan dish? Most regular recipes use chicken broth as the liquid base, and eggs as a flavor enhancer. Lucky for us there’s an easy swap: vegetable broth and loads of veggies! Just like that, you have a vegan stuffing that everyone will love.
Ingredients in this vegan stuffing
This easy stuffing recipe features ingredients chosen to make this a dish filled with as much flavor as possible. We’ll start off with a mix of veggies and mushrooms, followed by many different seasonings, and tying it all together with delicious sourdough.
- Sourdough Bread: The bread can make or break a stuffing recipe! Go for something guaranteed to be delicious by using sourdough bread. You’ll need 1 large loaf, amounting to about 10 cups.
- Olive Oil or Butter: Either olive oil or butter can be used to cook the mushrooms and coat the bread cubes. You’ll need 4 Tbsp, divided.
- Mushrooms: Mushrooms add a great savory flavor and texture to stuffing. I like to use 8 oz. Be sure they’re sliced or chopped prior to sautéing.
- Veggies: Onion, celery, and carrots bring loads of flavor while helping this vegetable stuffing pair well with your other Thanksgiving dishes.
- Flavor Makers: Garlic, parsley, sage, and thyme ensure this stuffing won’t be passed up.
- Salt & Pepper: No recipe is complete without them! They bring out all the flavors of the veggies, so don’t skip them!
- Nutmeg: Finish up the seasonings with ¼ tsp of ground nutmeg.
- Vegetable Broth: And finally, you’ll need 2 cups of veggie broth.
How to make vegetarian stuffing
This Thanksgiving stuffing is one of those magic recipes where the prep time required is… 5 minutes. Yep, only 5! You’ll also need an hour of hands-off cook time, but trust me, the wait will be worth it! (And I totally won’t judge if you find yourself crouched in front of the oven, watching the sourdough reach that magical golden brown color.)
Step 1: Prep the bread
Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes. Spread them onto a baking sheet, cover with a clean towel, and let sit on the counter overnight, until stale. This step is important to the finished texture of the bread stuffing, preventing the bread from getting soggy when cooked.
For a quicker alternative, place the baking sheet with the bread cubes in the oven while it preheats to dry to them out.
Step 2: Cook the veggies
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil or butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, cooking until they sweat out their moisture and become soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic, cooking until the veggies are soft, about 10 more minutes.
Step 3: Assemble the ingredients
In a large bowl, drizzle the remaining butter (melted) or oil over bread cubes, tossing to coat. Add the cooked veggies, parsley, and spices, tossing again to combine.* Drizzle in the broth and briefly stir to combine.
*If you’re making this dish ahead of time, stop at this point and transfer it to the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, stir in the broth and bake as instructed.
Step 4: Bake the stuffing
Transfer the mixture to a greased casserole dish, optionally brushing it with melted butter or oil to create a more golden crust. Tightly cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the top is golden and crispy.
Thanksgiving vegan stuffing variations
I mentioned in the ingredient list that you can use butter in place of olive oil, and chicken broth in place of veggie broth. But there are a few other variations that you may be interested in trying!
First up, you can use either white or red onion in place of yellow. White will add a more pungent flavor, whereas the red onion will provide more of a savory taste.
You can also swap out the sourdough bread for your favorite type, like Italian! Follow the same steps for cubing, letting it sit out, and cooking.
Recipes to pair with vegetable bread stuffing
If you’re making this yummy stuffing as part of your Thanksgiving lineup, I can guess that you’re probably on the hunt for some more festive recipes (and maybe even beverages, like this Pomegranate Holiday Sangria). To help you out, I’ve gathered a few of my favorites and listed them below. Enjoy!
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Ultimate Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble and Meringue
- Cranberry Brie Bites (& more!)
- Stuffed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf sourdough bread about 10 cups
- 4 Tbsp olive oil or butter divided, 60 g
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced or chopped, 226 g
- 1 cup diced yellow onion about 1 medium onion
- 1 cup diced celery about 3 ribs
- 3 medium carrots diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup finely chopped parsley
- 2 tsp fresh minced sage
- 2 tsp fresh minced thyme leaves
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 cups vegetable broth 450 mL
Instructions
- Prep: Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Spread onto a baking sheet, cover with a clean towel, and let sit on the counter overnight, until stale. (For a quicker alternative, place the baking sheet with the bread cubes in the oven while it preheats to dry them out).
- Veggies: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Heat 2 Tbsp of oil or butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, cooking until they sweat out their moisture and become soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic, cooking until veggies are soft, about 10 more minutes.
- Assemble: In a large bowl, drizzle remaining butter (melted) or oil over bread cubes, tossing to coat. Add cooked veggies, parsley, and spices, tossing again to combine*. Drizzle in broth and briefly stir to combine.
- Bake: Transfer mixture to a greased casserole dish, optionally brushing with melted butter to create a more golden crust. Tightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until top is golden and crispy.
Carol SWEET says
Curious if you can make this recipe a day ahead? Excited to try it.
Sarah says
Yep you could! Just prep everything until step 3, then transfer it to the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, stir in the broth and bake as instructed.