Stuffing, or “dressing” if you live in the south, is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving dinner. But usually it’s made with the rich drippings from the roasted turkey, which means it’s off limits for vegetarians. But worry not! I’ve crafted a Vegetarian Stuffing recipe that is every bit as flavorful with its toasty cubes of bread, colorful vegetables, an aromatic blend of herbs, and a rich vegetable broth. This vegetarian stuffing is absolutely to die for and might just become your new staple Thanksgiving dinner recipe!
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“This is so full of traditional Thanksgiving flavor! Everyone even non-vegetarians came back for seconds. If you want a vegetarian stuffing to please everyone this is it. My new go to!!”
tINA
Homemade Vegetarian Stuffing
I’m not joking when I say this vegetarian stuffing tastes just as hearty as the traditional version, and it all comes down to the simple ingredients I use. Caramelized mushrooms, sautéed vegetables, and plenty of herbs build the same cozy flavor you’d expect from a classic holiday stuffing. A crusty French loaf gives the dish structure, soaking up a well-seasoned vegetable broth (I like using Better Than Bouillon because it’s affordable and adds great depth). Toasted walnuts bring a warm, nutty layer, and shredding the carrots helps them blend right into the mix. Altogether, it creates a stuffing that’s every bit as satisfying without relying on meat.
Recipe Success Tips
- Use stale French bread. Slice your French bread and let it sit out for a day or two (loosely covered), so it dries out a bit. If you don’t have time to do that, slice it, spread it on a baking sheet, and let it crisp in the oven while it warms up.
- Make it vegan. This vegetarian stuffing can be easily made into a vegan stuffing. Simply substitute the butter in this recipe for a store-bought vegan butter, and you’re good to go!
- Make it ahead! Cooking Thanksgiving dinner can get hectic, so I always do as much prep ahead of time as possible. You can prep this vegetarian stuffing up to two days in advance. Prepare the recipe below, but stop after combining the sautéed vegetables and bread.
Vegetarian Stuffing
Cost $8.05 recipe / $1.00 serving
Ingredients
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.94)
- 4 ribs celery ($0.32)
- 3 carrots ($0.22)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.70)
- 4 garlic cloves ($0.32)
- ¼ bunch parsley ($0.20)
- 6 Tbsp salted butter (divided, $0.66)
- 1 tsp dried sage ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- black pepper (freshly cracked (to taste) $0.05)
- ¼ tsp salt (or to taste, $0.02)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts ($1.68)
- 1 large loaf French bread (stale, $1.47*)
- 1½ cups vegetable broth ($0.27)
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the vegetables. Wash and slice the mushrooms, wash and dice the celery, peel and shred the carrots (use a large-holed cheese grater), dice the onion, mince the garlic, and chop the parsley.
- Add 3 Tbsp of the butter to a large pot along with the sliced mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until they have released all of their moisture and have begun to caramelize and brown on the edges (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add the garlic, onion, sage, thyme, some freshly cracked pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt to the pot. Continue to sauté the onions are soft and transparent (about 3-5 minutes), add the celery and continue to sauté for a few minutes more. Finally, add the shredded carrots and continue to sauté for a couple more minutes, or just until the carrots begin to soften.
- While sautéing the vegetables, add the chopped walnuts to a dry skillet. Cook and stir the walnut pieces over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or just until they begin to give off a nutty aroma. Remove them from the heat immediately.
- Finally, add the toasted walnuts, the remaining 3 Tbsp butter, and a handful of fresh parsley to the pot. Stir until the butter has fully melted. Taste the vegetable mixture and add a touch more salt if needed. It should be well seasoned.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the stale bread into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the cubes to the pot with the sautéed vegetables and herbs. Stir well to coat the bread in the butter. Finally, pour in the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well each time before adding more. The bread will not be completely saturated, but will absorb more moisture as the stuffing bakes.
- Coat the inside of a 3-quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add the stuffing mixture to the casserole dish, spread it out evenly, and compress it down slightly. Cover the dish with foil. Bake the stuffing in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy. Garnish with any remaining chopped parsley just before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Prep the veggies: Start by prepping all of your vegetables (unless you’re a skilled multi-tasker, then you can prep them item by item as you add them to the pot to sauté). Dice one yellow onion, mince 4 cloves garlic, finely dice 4 stalks celery, shred 2 carrots using a large-holed cheese grater, slice 8 oz. mushrooms, and roughly chop ¼ bunch parsley.
Sauté the mushrooms: Add 3 Tbsp butter and the sliced mushrooms to a large pot. Sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until they have released all their moisture and the edges begin to brown and caramelize.
Add the aromatics: Add the minced garlic, diced onion, 1 tsp dried sage, 1 tsp dried thyme, some freshly cracked pepper, and about ¼ tsp salt to the pot. Continue to sauté until the onions are mostly soft and transparent.
Add the diced celery and sauté a few minutes more, then add the shredded carrots and sauté for just a couple minutes more.
Toast the walnuts: While the vegetables are sautéing, toast ½ cup walnut pieces in a dry skillet. Stir and cook them over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or just until you start to smell a very nutty aroma. Remove them from the heat right away to prevent them from burning.
Season to taste: Finally, stir the remaining 3 Tbsp butter, the toasted walnuts, and a handful of the chopped parsley into the pot with the vegetables until the butter has melted. Taste the vegetable mixture and add more salt if needed. It should be well seasoned. Turn the heat off under the pot and begin to preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Toast the bread (if needed): If your bread is not fully stale (as mine was not), you can slice the bread, place it on a baking sheet, and put it in the oven as the oven preheats. Let the bread cool before you cut it into cubes (more moisture evaporates as it cools). I used one large French loaf for this recipe, which yielded about 10 cups bread cubes. Cut the cubes into ½-inch cubes.
Combine: Stir the bread cubes into the pot with the vegetables, butter, and herbs. Stir well so that the bread absorbs some of that yummy butter.
Add 1½ cups vegetable broth to the pot, ½ cup at a time, stirring well each time before adding more (I use Better Than Bouillon). The bread cubes may break down and crumble a bit as you stir, but that’s okay. The bread will not be fully saturated after all the broth is added. It will absorb even more moisture as it bakes.
Bake: Coat the inside of a 3-quart casserole dish (about a 9×13-inch) with non-stick spray, then pour the stuffing mixture into the dish. Spread it out evenly, then pat it down slightly. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
Garnish the homemade Vegetarian Stuffing with any remaining chopped parsley just before serving. This recipe makes about 8 cups of stuffing.
Aaaand I’m probably going to end up eating this Savory Vegetarian Stuffing all myself. #oops
Stuffing Flavor Variations
The best part about this vegetarian stuffing is that it is versatile. You can add so many different ingredients to change the flavor. Here are a few fun flavor variation ideas:
- Try adding diced apples, cranberries, or butternut squash to the mix of vegetables.
- Swap out the French bread for something like day-old cornbread, croissants, or brioche. Try our cornbread dressing recipe if you’d prefer using cornbread!
- Use a different flavor broth. Try a vegetarian “chicken” flavor, mushroom broth, or even a miso broth.
- Sliced almonds, pecans, or chopped cooked chestnuts all work in place of the walnuts. You can also leave the nuts out for a nut-free version.
- Try adding different herbs and spices like poultry seasoning, turmeric, Cajun seasoning, or even curry powder.
Serving Suggestions
If you want to expand your vegetarian holiday table even more, try serving this stuffing with a show-stopping lentil meatloaf and a side of cranberry sauce. Other classic sides, like sweet potato casserole or mashed potatoes (I like these Instant Pot mashed potatoes because they’re SO hands-off), are also easy crowd pleasers. And of course, end the meal with something sweet like chess pie!
Storage & Reheating
Let any leftover vegetable stuffing cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Just note the texture might change after thawing. To reheat a single serving, you can warm it in the microwave until hot. For larger portions, I’d cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F until heated through, then uncover for a few minutes if you want the top to crisp up again. Thaw frozen leftovers in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Love this!! Ticks all my holiday meal boxes: rich, hearty, full of flavor, gets some veggies in there, and so easy to prep/make in advance.
I’ve been making this stuffing for years now, and it’s absolutely expected at holiday meals. It’s an easy and forgiving recipe (easy to add / subtract ingredients) and has replaced my meat stuffing for good. It’s a family loved recipe.
this recipe looks so great and i’d like to make it for christmas, but i wonder if there’s something i can substitute for the walnuts… any ideas? thanks so much!
Pecans or almonds make good substitutes for walnuts, or just leave the the nuts out – that’s what I do!
This is so full of traditional Thanksgiving flavor! Everyone even non vegetarians came back for seconds. If you want a vegetarian stuffing to please everyone this is it. My new go to !!
ack! I am trying to make this into a cornbread dressing. Help me convert, Please! how many 9 inch pans of cornbread should I make? 1 or 2?
I always make my cornbread stuffing approximately half cornbread and half toasted bread cubes, usually favoring the cornbread. This is the sort of recipe where you can approximate some of the ingredients. I see that this recipe doesn’t specify the exact amount of bread, but I’d go for 7-9 cups of combined cornbread and toasted cubes. Going back to your question of how much cornbread, I think 1 pan is enough. I always toast the cornbread, too, broken into relatively large pieces 1/2-1 inch. Since corn is a North American plant, I like to use pecans or hickory nuts–which grow in my part of the US–instead of walnuts. You can skip nuts altogether and still have a delicious dressing. I say “dressing,” because my preference is to cook it outside of the turkey so my vegetarian daughter can enjoy it. It also means the bird cooks faster and there’s no chance of food poisoning from undercooked stuffing. This recipe is very similar to one I’ve been using for 60 years, using vegetable broth and melted butter–never eggs. If daughter isn’t to be at table, I use chicken broth instead of vegetable.
should i cut the bread up before leaving it out to get stale, or leave it as a whole (or in my case half) baguette?
Definitely cut it up before leaving it out! I’ve tried it both ways, and cutting it up in advance is SO much easier (and less messy). And I think it dries faster that way, too.
I agree with you Beth, and yet, I am a born and raised Southerner! Stuffing is rice from my New Orleans Grandmother’s recipe. Dressing? You put that on your salad! LOL!!!
I used corn bread instead of French bread or any other kind of bread. Corn bread adds a slight sweet taste. and because so many people in my family are allergic to nuts, I had to leave out all the nuts-no matter it was still amazing.
Awesome recipe! Thanks so much.
Can I prepare this recipe a day or two ahead of time and then bake before serving?
I would make the veggie mix and, day of, add the bread and bake. You can also try adding the bread and prepping it in a casserole dish and then baking it the day of. I’m unsure how much the bread would deteriorate in a day or two. But if it’s just overnight, it should hold up. XOXO -Monti
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
You can try it, but the texture will change when you thaw it. I recommend making the veggie mix and freezing that. Thaw it, and then day of add the bread and bake. Or you can add the bread and plate it the night before, refrigerate it, and then bake the day of. But the bread will change in texture dramatically if left in the mix for too long. XOXO -Monti
Can I make this without the mushrooms and without any nuts? Thanks!!!!:)
Yes, that should work okay. :)
I just made this and it is so yummy ! my son and his family are vegetarian so this works for all !
Oh my goodness – great recipe! I prefer more defined bread pieces in my stuffing so I opted for baguette style sourdough for texture and flavor. Used Better than Bouillon Mushroom base for the broth and a post bake gravy. This was our main course so I doubled the recipe and added extra walnuts. Both the 9 x 13 and the 8 x 11 dish were scraped clean before the night was up (we’ve got four teenagers at home). This is our new base stuffing recipe and I look forward to using it for various dishes. Effort involved? Yes. Delicious? Yes!
I made this to accompany Easter dinner. I wanted the vegetarian section of the family to be able to eat it. We were fighting over the stuffing before it even made it into the oven. It’s delicious.