People may think the turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table but we all know that the dish most of us look forward to is the stuffing. Making the stuffing is a very personal endeavor. Not only do the ingredients vary from family to family and region to region but even the name of the dish depends on who is doing the cooking and where.
If you live in the North, you call it “stuffing” while Southerners call it “dressing.” A few people in Pennsylvania call it “filling.” Some people make their stuffing with rice while others use different types of bread including stale white bread, cornbread, and challah. Some families keep their stuffing simple with onions, celery, and mushrooms while others add apples, cranberries, and chestnuts.
However you like your stuffing, we have recipes, tips, and tricks to make it the best dish of your holiday table. Stuffing can be gluten-free and even grain-free. Read How to Make Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Stuffing a Success (No Eggs Required!) for everything you need to know to make the healthiest and yummiest stuffing ever! Then check out these 12 recipes for stuffings so delicious, you’ll forget all about the entrée.
1. Vegan Wild Rice, Cranberry, and Pine Nut Stuffing. Gluten-Free Option!
This Vegan Wild Rice, Cranberry and Pine Nut Stuffing is so good, even people who think they don’t like stuffing will devour it. It has a combination of bread and wild rice plus earthy mushrooms, tangy cranberries, and salty pine nuts. There’s also a gluten-free option if you need one.
2. Gluten-Free Vegan Stuffing
If you’re a fan of wild rice stuffing, this Gluten-Free Vegan Stuffing will become your new holiday tradition. It’s made in a crock pot so you can spend your time making other dishes. The wild rice is chewy and satisfying, and the mushrooms make this a savory stuffing you’ll give thanks for.
3. Couscous and Chestnut Christmas Stuffing
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire … or in the oven to become part of this Couscous and Chestnut Christmas Stuffing. Change up your usual stuffing with this mix of couscous, chestnuts, and creamy pumpkin. This stuffing is light but filled with bright and delicious seasonal flavors.
4. Thanksgiving Wild Rice and Bread Stuffing With Roasted Grapes
This Thanksgiving Wild Rice and Bread Stuffing will satisfy both camps of stuffing lovers – those who like rice and those who like bread. It has chewy wild rice in addition to bread and crunchy pecans. The star of the stuffing is the roasted grapes that are soft, juicy and so delicious.
5. Cornbread Stuffing With Bell Peppers
This Cornbread Stuffing with Bell Peppers adds color and deliciousness to your holiday table. It has red, green, and yellow peppers and the flavor of perennial herbs like fresh rosemary and sage woven all through it. This stuffing will look beautiful and impress all your guests.
6. Wild Rice Stuffing With Cranberry, Apricot, and Scallion
This Wild Rice Stuffing might convert people who swear by bread stuffings. The chewy wild rice is brightened up with tangy dried apricots and cranberries. Crunchy pecans and onion-y scallions make this a stuffing you’ll keep stuffing in your mouth.
7. Vegan Chestnut Mushroom Stuffing
Ready to your usual Thanksgiving stuffing a health makeover? This Vegan Chestnut Mushroom Stuffing uses olive oil instead of butter and whole wheat bread instead of white. Chestnuts add richness while mushrooms provide a meaty texture and more depth of flavor. All the flavor without all the fat – we’re thankful for that!
8. Wild Rice Pilaf With Butternut Squash, Cranberries, and Pecans
Forget the main course, this Wild Rice Pilaf is going to steal all the attention. It is made with a colorful mix of wild rice, butternut squash, cranberries, and pecans. Then it’s dressed with lemon and orange juices, fresh ginger and flavorful spices. Gluten-free, high in protein and fiber, and low in fat, this dish is also guilt-free.
9. Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing With Gravy
Traditional Southern stuffing is made with cornbread and this Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing with Gravy will start a new tradition in your family. It all starts with homemade corn bread that gets turned into a savory, delicious stuffing. Then it’s topped with an easy, homemade light gravy. Yum!
10. Onion, Celery and Mushroom Stuffing
This simple Onion, Celery, and Mushroom Stuffing is a recipe passed down for generations. It’s crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. There’s lots of flavor from all the herbs and spices: sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, nutmeg, bay, and garlic. Make it with gluten-free bread, if needed, or with challah for the true traditional version.
11. Vegan Thanksgiving Stuffing
This Vegan Thanksgiving Stuffing has the best of both worlds with bread and wild rice. It’s filled with savory veggies and bright, tangy cranberries. Impress your guests by stuffing your stuffing in pumpkins, peppers or squash for a beautiful presentation.
12. Vegan Sourdough Stuffing
Sourdough bread is really healthy, and it makes a fantastic stuffing. This Vegan Sourdough Stuffing combines sourdough bread with lots of savory veggies and earthy mushrooms. Top with fresh sage for a perfect Thanksgiving dish.
Whether you call it stuffing, dressing or filling, it’s always the most popular dish of the holiday. So make it with rice, bread or both but make a lot because everyone will want seconds … and thirds … and leftovers the next day.
