Tasty wild rice stuffing recipe that is ready in about an hour. It is the perfect alternative dressing recipe to traditional stuffing. The wild rice and lentils combine to make the perfect stuffing. Honestly, you could enjoy it as a meal all on its own or fill some roasted acorn squash with it.
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Table of Contents
Growing up, stuffing was always one of my favorite dishes at holiday dinners. When it came to leftovers, I would 100% treat it as a meal all on its own. I know it might be weird, but to me, the main ingredient that makes stuffing, well, stuffing, is celery. So, for this recipe for wild rice dressing, I knew I had to include celery.
This dressing with wild rice is seriously a showstopper. As I already mentioned, it can be a meal all on its own. Alternatively, it is absolutely delicious as part of this stuffed vegan acorn squash or wild rice bowl. It is also delicious paired with maple syrup roasted carrots and almond cranberry green beans. For dessert, make this easy dairy-free chocolate bark, vegan peppermint bark, or homemade peanut butter cups.
About Wild Rice
Wild rice is the seed of an aquatic grass. Did you know that it’s not actually rice, though? It grows in shallow freshwater of streams, lakes, and marshes. Wild rice is savory, earthy, nutty, and a little chewy.
Nutrition For Mental Health
As a nutritionist, I am obsessed with wild rice and lentils. Individually, they both contain all nine essential amino acids, but they each have their own strengths.
Wild rice contains zinc, manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium. Brown lentils are rich in protein, fiber, folate, iron, manganese, zinc, and phosphorus. They are also a good source of potassium, magnesium, and vitamin B6. One cup of cooked lentils contains 90% of your daily needs of folate. Folate is essential for cognitive function and neurotransmitter synthesis. Folate deficiencies are linked to cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression.
Ingredients + Substitutions
This recipe for wild rice dressing is oh-so-good. All the savory flavors come together, finished off with a bit of crunch from chopped pecans and pomegranate seeds.
- Wild rice: Wild rice is a beautiful rice to cook with. It does take longer to cook than white or brown rice, but it is so worth it.
- Lentils: This stuffing with wild rice recipe uses brown lentils. However, both green and black lentils work well. So, if one is easier to find over the other, use that one.
- Herbs: Thyme, rosemary, and sage are the perfect savory combination for this wild rice dressing recipe. You can always substitute dried herbs for fresh or fresh herbs for dried. Just remember that it is recommended to substitute 1:3 dried to fresh herbs. So, for this recipe for wild rice stuffing, ½ teaspoon of dried thyme would be 1 ½ teaspoons of fresh thyme. One teaspoon of fresh rosemary is equivalent to ⅓ teaspoon of dried rosemary.
- Nuts: Pecans are delicious. However, if you don’t have any on hand, walnuts are the best alternative.
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Lentil Wild Rice Dressing
This stuffing recipe with wild rice takes about an hour to make and is easy as can be when you follow my step-by-step instructions.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté celery and onion for 5-6 minutes (until the onion is semi-translucent).
- Add minced garlic, herbs, rice, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir continuously for 45-60 seconds (until the garlic is nice and fragrant).
- Pour in vegetable broth and stir with a wooden spatula or spoon. (Scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir to lift any stuck bits of flavor.) Bring to a boil.
- Turn down to a simmer (over low heat), cover with a lid, and let cook for 25 minutes.
- Stir in lentils, cover with your lid, and cook for another 25-30 minutes. (Cook until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice and lentils are cooked through.)
- Remove from heat, stir in chopped pecans and pomegranate seeds, and enjoy.
Storage Tips
If you happen to have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. I always recommend using a glass food storage container or glass jars with an airtight lid.
FAQ
Wild rice dressing is like traditional stuffing but made with wild rice! It’s the perfect savory dressing for your holiday feast.
Rice stuffing is easy to make. Follow this recipe, and you’ll have the perfect savory stuffing recipe with rice!
Start by sautéing some aromatics such as onion, garlic, veggies, and herbs in your pot. Once the veggies are soft, add your wild rice along with broth or water with vegetable bouillon.
More Vegan Holiday Recipes
If you tried this Wild Rice Dressing 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
Wild Rice Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced very finely
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh sage, minced very finely
- 1/2 cup black wild rice, uncooked
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup brown lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sauté celery and onion for 5-6 minutes (until the onion is semi-translucent).
- Add minced garlic, herbs, rice, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir continuously for 45-60 seconds (until the garlic is nice and fragrant).
- Pour in vegetable broth and stir with a wooden spatula or spoon. (Scrape the bottom of the pot as you stir to lift any stuck bits of flavor.) Bring to a boil.
- Turn down to a simmer (over low heat), cover with a lid, and let cook for 25 minutes.
- Stir in lentils, cover with your lid, and cook for another 25-30 minutes. (Cook until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice and lentils are cooked through.)
- Remove from heat, stir in chopped pecans and pomegranate seeds, and enjoy.
Video
Notes
If you happen to have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. I always recommend using a glass food storage container or glass jars with an airtight lid.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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Reference
Henry-Okafor, Q., Ziegler, C., & Steed, J. (2026). Vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies: Implications for mood and cognitive disorders. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 22(7), Article 105865. doi.org
This was so good! I can totally see stuffing it in squash.
So glad you liked it!