Homemade vegan stuffing recipe that tastes like a classic! This vegan dressing is the perfect side dish for any holiday meal, whether it’s served on your Thanksgiving table, at Christmas dinner, or Tuesday for lunch. The best part is it had absolutely no relationship with a bird’s ass. You’re welcome.
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Table of Contents
What’s The Difference Between Stuffing And Dressing?
The truth is, there isn’t a great deal of difference between vegan stuffing and vegan Thanksgiving dressing. Traditional stuffing got its name from being stuffed inside an animal, whereas dressing is cooked on its own. However, as many people cook stuffing separately, the terms are often used interchangeably nowadays, especially when cooking up a delicious vegan roast dinner.
Is Stuffing Vegan Or Vegetarian?
This recipe is entirely vegan-friendly and uses no animal products. Traditionally speaking, though, stuffing is not vegan or vegetarian. Normally, stuffing calls for turkey or chicken broth, along with being stuffed inside of a dead animal. See, there are so many benefits to the vegan dressing recipe!
Nutrition For Mental Health
Here at Raepublic, we are dedicated to exploring how diet can impact mental health. So, let’s dive into one of the main ingredients in this tasty vegan dressing recipe! One cup of cooked quinoa contains 8 grams of protein, 39 grams of carbohydrates, and 3.55 grams of fat. It is rich in manganese, magnesium, copper, and phosphorus. Quinoa is also a good source of folate, iron, zinc, and vitamin B6. An animal study found that dietary intake of quinoa can have neuroprotective effects.
Ingredients + Notes
This recipe for vegan stuffing is made with the best wholesome ingredients.
- Bread: Any bread that you have on hand will work, including stale bread! I am a fan of a nice whole wheat artisan loaf, sourdough bread, or French bread. A nice gluten-free bread will also be delicious. (More gluten-free vegan stuffing tips to follow!)
- Vegetable broth: I usually just use water plus vegetable bouillon as it is easy to have on hand. That being said, I recommend using your favorite veggie broth.
- Onion: This vegan dressing recipe calls for red onion. However, yellow onion works really well, too.
- Quinoa: Packed with protein, quinoa makes this vegan stuffing recipe a meal all on its own.
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions + Variations
- Nuts: Pecans, walnuts, or chestnuts would be tasty additions to this vegan Thanksgiving dressing. You could even use ground-up nuts (not nut butter) instead of quinoa if you wanted to.
- Bread: Use your favorite bread! From sourdough, whole wheat, gluten-free, or even cornbread! Can you imagine a homemade vegan Thanksgiving stuffing made with cornbread? Yum!
How To Make This Vegan Stuffing
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and lay out bread cubes on a baking dish. (Feel free to drizzle with olive oil or avocado oil if you like!) Bake bread for 5 – 10 minutes until it starts to harden. Remove and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Sauté onion, celery, salt, pepper, and garlic in 1/2 cup water over medium-high heat. After the water has cooked off, set aside.
- Prepare 2 cups of water plus vegetable bouillon. (Alternatively, use your favorite vegetable broth.)
- Add quinoa, sautéd veggies, and vegetable bouillon mixture over bread and thoroughly combine. (If it’s too wet, add more bread or quinoa. If it’s too dry, add additional vegetable broth.)
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- Spray an oven-safe baking sheet with avocado oil. (A casserole dish, dutch oven, or even a large skillet will work great!) Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 375°F/190°C for 45 minutes, then remove the foil covering. Continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips
- The quinoa is tender and will bind the stuffing ingredients, so there is no need to add an egg replacement, such as a flax egg.
- Use a firm or crustier bread in lieu of fresh bread when possible. This will help to prevent soggy quinoa stuffing. Or failing that, put the bread in the fridge before soaking it in stock.
- Experiment with this stuffing by playing around with the bread you use and how much stock to add. If you use crusty bread, you may need more vegetable stock, depending on how crispy or soggy you like your stuffing. I like mine somewhere in the middle, but it’s totally up to you!
- Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in a little vegan butter to add a rich, buttery taste to your veggies.
- Leftover quinoa stuffing is a great sandwich filler alongside a spoonful of sweet cranberry sauce and any leftover vegan meat or vegetables. Maybe even try a drizzle of warm gravy in there. I know a sandwich of bread in bread sounds like a strange idea, but trust me, it’s delicious the day after Thanksgiving.
How To Make This Recipe Gluten-Free
Quinoa is a high-protein grain used alongside bread to create the bulk of this stuffing. However, sometimes, when people gather for the holidays, it’s a task to ensure you cover all dietary needs. As this stuffing recipe is nut-free and vegan (therefore egg-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian-friendly), you can ensure this vegan stuffing for Thanksgiving can suit everyone’s plate by making a couple of easy swaps:
- Trade the whole-wheat bread for a gluten-free bread of your choice and use a gluten-free bouillon.
- Use a gluten-free vegetable bouillon paste or instant stock powder, or make your own vegetable broth. This homemade broth is a great recipe for using leftover vegetable peel and offcuts from your holiday dinner to reduce food waste.
Serving Ideas
Serve this vegan stuffing recipe with your favorite holiday recipes! From vegan Thanksgiving recipes to the best Christmas dinner ideas.
- More sides: Pair this vegan dressing recipe with almond green beans with cranberries, the best canned corn recipe, the best recipe for pumpkin hummus, or easy beet hummus recipe.
- Mains: Try this vegan vegetable pot pie, vegan butternut squash soup, or homemade individual pot pies.
- Desserts: Craving something sweet to go with your easy vegan stuffing? Grab a slice of this egg free pumpkin pie, dairy free apple pie, or starbucks copycat pumpkin scones.
- Drinks: Finally, when it comes to quenching your thirst during your holiday feast, try this pumpkin lemonade, pomegranate limeade, pomegranate water, or cozy oat milk hot cocoa.
Storage Tips
This recipe for vegan stuffing can be stored in an airtight container (preferably glass) in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
FAQ
Of course! Prepare this recipe before the big day so you can actually have time to give yourself 5 minutes to get ready before guests arrive. Prepare the entire dish through to the end of step 9, store it in the fridge for up to 3 days, and finish baking it on the day. (You may need to add another splash of vegetable stock to avoid the dish drying out.)
If you wish to be even more organized and get everything ready a few weeks early, you can freeze the stuffing after completing steps 1-9.
This is an excellent option if you want to have everything done well before the Holiday season. You can keep stuffing frozen for up to 1 month before serving. Cook straight from frozen and serve when crispy brown on top. You will need to cook it longer than stated in this recipe.
More Holiday Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Stuffing Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
Vegan Stuffing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 loaf whole-wheat bread or your choice of bread, cubed
- 2 1/2 cups water + vegetable bouillon
- 1 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- 1 1/3 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 cups quinoa, cooked
- fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and lay out bread cubes on a baking dish. (Feel free to drizzle with olive oil or avocado oil if you like!) Bake bread for 5 – 10 minutes until it starts to harden. Remove and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Sauté onion, celery, salt, pepper, and garlic in 1/2 cup water over medium-high heat. After the water has cooked off, set aside.
- Prepare 2 cups of water plus vegetable bouillon. (Alternatively, use your favorite vegetable broth.)
- Add quinoa, sautéd veggies, and vegetable bouillon mixture over bread and thoroughly combine. (If it’s too wet, add more bread or quinoa. If it’s too dry, add additional vegetable broth.)
- Spray an oven-safe baking sheet with avocado oil. (A casserole dish, dutch oven, or even a large skillet will work great!) Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 375°F/190°C for 45 minutes, then remove the foil covering. Continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
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- Trade the whole-wheat bread for a gluten-free bread of your choice and use a gluten-free bouillon.
- Use a gluten-free vegetable bouillon paste or instant stock powder, or make your own vegetable broth. This homemade broth is a great recipe for using leftover vegetable peel and off cuts from your holiday dinner to reduce food waste.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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Reference
Terreros, G., Pérez, M. Á., Muñoz-LLancao, P., D’Espessailles, A., Martínez, E. A., & Dagnino-Subiabre, A. (2024). The Neuroprotective Role of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa, Wild) Supplementation in Hippocampal Morphology and Memory of Adolescent Stressed Rats. Nutrients, 16(3), 381. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16030381
This vegan stuffing was so good! I might have to add it to my regular recipe rotation!
So glad you liked it Amber!
Does the quinoa need to be cooked before it is added?
Yes, it does. However, I am curious to try it now uncooked… 🤔