This delicious and buttery vegan apple and cranberry stuffing is loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables for a twist on the classic Thanksgiving side dish! Super easy to mix together with fresh herbs and spices for your new family favorite.

Looking down at a large baking dish filled with the finished vegan apple cranberry stuffing. It rests on a red cloth next to a wood spoon and fresh herbs.

For years this has been one of my family favorite recipes. I always make a double batch – one to share on Thanksgiving and one for me to enjoy as leftovers! This recipe is a classic for a reason: It’s loaded with all the favorite flavors of Thanksgiving like sage, rosemary, thyme, cranberries, and crispy apples. Not to mention, the homemade bread cubes!

Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes if you ask me. Things like creamy green bean casserole, sweet and simple sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping, and stuffing, of course!

If you like to make a twist on this recipe, make sure to check out my Vegan Homemade Cornbread Stuffing!

This recipe is:

Soft in the middle with crispy edges
Loaded with flavors from the herbs and spices
Naturally vegan, dairy free, egg free, and nut free recipe
Super easy to make gluten free! (see the notes below)

Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients, complete with recipe amounts, please see the recipe box below.

Bread: Use any kind of bread that you like here. Things like a homemade bread, whole grain bread, or even gluten free bread work great! Or you can try some cornbread stuffing if you like.
Herbs: I like to use a combination of fresh and dried herbs as they are what I can most easily find in my local grocery store. Thyme, sage, parsley, and rosemary all combine for the most fragrant flavor.
Fruits and Veggies: Fresh apples, cranberries, celery, sweet onion, carrots, and just the right amount of garlic.

Substitutions

To make this gluten free, simply use your favorite gluten free bread! I find that gluten free bread dries out more quickly than wheat bread, so if you’re baking it to dry out the cubes, start checking the bread after 15 minutes.

Instructions

Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.

For the best texture, you’re going to want to dry out your bread. Either let it dry out overnight on a parchment lined baking sheet. However, if you’re like me and have two little dogs who turn into mountain climbers when I leave things on the counter, spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake them for 30 minutes or so to dry them out. Lightly toasting the bread keeps it from turning soggy.

Several bread cubes on a parchment paper lined baking tray. A wood spoon is in the cubes. It rests on a red towel on a wood table.

Cook the vegetables. In a large skillet, heat up the vegan butter or olive oil and cook the onions, carrots, and celery until the onions translucent. Add the garlic and cook one minute more.

Combine. In a large bowl, mix together the toasted bread cubes, the cooked vegetables, the chopped apples and cranberries, along with all the herbs and spices and the vegetable broth. Give it a good mix and pop it into your baking dish.

Cooking down onions, carrots, and celery in a large skillet. It's shown on a wood table with a red towel and fresh herbs to the side.

A large mixing bowl filled with all the ingredients for the stuffing is on a wood table with a red cloth and fresh herbs to the side.

Bake. Bake the stuffing covered for about 30 minutes then remove the cover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy on top. Enjoy!!

A baking dish is filled with the vegan stuffing. A silver spoon is holding a large scoop of the stuffing above the dish.

How to Make Ahead

Honestly, stuffing is one of those things that gets better the next day, so making it the day before serving is the best!

To make it the day before, simply toast the bread and store it in a bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel and stored in a cool, dry place. This will help keep it toasty. Cook the vegetables and fruit, then store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. The day of serving, combine and bake as directed.

How to Store

Fridge: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. It tends to do a weird combo of drying out and getting really soggy after that point.

Freezer: Freeze the fully baked and cooled stuffing in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and allow it to come to room temperature. Reheat in the oven at 350F/180C for 20 minutes uncovered or until warmed through.

Looking down the side of a honeycomb baking dish filled with vegan stuffing. It rests on a red cloth on a wood tabletop.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

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