Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to bland or boring if you have food allergies. This homemade stuffing with bacon and herbs has all the flavors of traditional stuffing, but with none of the gluten or dairy.
Stuffing is pretty much the best part of the Thanksgiving meal, isn’t it?
Buttery bread, onions, celery, herbs, bacon…mix it all together, and it spells comfort food! When you serve it with turkey, dairy free mashed potatoes and gravy, and pumpkin pie, you have the perfect holiday meal.
If you’re gluten free, dairy free, or have other food allergies, it can be hard to come up with all the recipes and ingredients for a classic holiday meal.
You want the meal to be delicious, flavorful, and comforting, and that can be tricky to do sometimes when you have to avoid certain ingredients.
Thankfully, this gluten free stuffing is easy to make, uses relatively simple ingredients, and is full of flavor.
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Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Bread -There are many varieties of gluten free bread available. If you have a favorite brand that works for your family, you should be able to use that just fine in this recipe. Some brands to check into are Canyon Gluten Free Bakehouse, Schar, or Little Northern Bakehouse, which is the brand that I used for this recipe. It’s a brand that’s free of many top allergens, including gluten, dairy, nuts, peanuts, sesame, and coconut. Read their allergen statement here.
- Vegan Buttery Spread – Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Buttery Spread works well for making stuffing. You could also use the Earth Balance Baking Sticks.
- Broth – You can use either chicken broth or vegetable broth in this recipe. Use your favorite brand, or feel free to use homemade broth if you like.
Step by Step Instructions
- Melt the vegan buttery spread in a large pan. Add the celery and onion and cook for 6-8 minutes.
- Add the gluten free bread cubes, spices, and broth to the pan. Stir with a large spoon so everything gets mixed evenly.
- Stir in the fresh parsley, fresh sage, and bacon.
- Transfer the stuffing into a casserole dish. Cover the dish with foil.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Substitutions
- If you’re not dairy free, go ahead and use regular butter.
- If you’re not gluten free, you can use the bread of your choice.
- You can use different herbs if you wish – try rosemary, thyme, or chives.
- If you’d like a little crunch, try adding pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- Mushrooms would be a nice addition if you like them!
- If you can’t eat onions, try adding more fresh herbs and chopped celery.
More Gluten Free Stuffing Recipes
FAQs
Yes, you can make this the night before if you like. Just mix everything up and put it in the casserole dish, then refrigerate it overnight. Do the baking the next day before you serve it. It might be a little softer if you assemble it the night before.
This stuffing is best baked separately in a casserole dish. If you try to stuff a turkey, it can result in uneven baking for both the turkey and the stuffing.
I don’t recommend freezing this stuffing. The texture will not be great if you freeze it and then thaw and reheat it.
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Recipe
Gluten Free Dairy Free Stuffing with Bacon.
This buttery, delicious stuffing is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving menu. This gluten free, dairy free stuffing is comforting, easy to make, and so flavorful!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf gluten free bread I used a 16 ounce loaf
- ¾ cup vegan buttery spread
- 1 medium sweet onion chopped (about one cup)
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- â…“ cup parsley chopped
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup cooked bacon
- 2 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
Instructions
Dry out the bread:
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Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
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Slice the bread into small cubes. Place on a large cookie sheet, and bake at 200 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, until the bread is dry. Stir once or twice to make sure it dries evenly. Set aside.
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Turn the heat on the oven up to 350 degrees F.
Make the stuffing:
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Heat the vegan buttery spread in a large skillet. Add the celery and onion, and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender.
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Add the gluten free bread cubes, salt, pepper, onion powder, and broth. Stir well.
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Add the parsley, fresh sage, and bacon, and stir again.
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Transfer the stuffing into a casserole dish. Dot the top of the stuffing with the 2 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread. Cover the dish with foil.
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Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes covered, then for an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered.
Recipe Notes
You can also slice your bread into cubes and leave it out overnight instead of drying it in the oven.
Feel free to use regular butter if you aren’t dairy free.
Leftover stuffing can be kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Use any fresh herbs you like – try rosemary, chives, or thyme.
Kathy
Great idea to add bacon. Would be like adding sausage.
Kelly Roenicke
Sausage would be a good addition, too!
Darryl
I love the addition of bacon in this recipe!