Easy Vegan Stuffing Recipe (Dressing Recipe)
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 10-12 cups dry bread cubes (1 ½ - 2 loaves crusty bread)
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups sweet onion, diced
- ¾ cup celery, diced (~4 stalks)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 tablespoons sage and onion seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, coarse ground
- 3-4 cups vegetable broth
- parsley, rosemary, oregano, chopped
Optional
- ½ - 1 cup chopped mushrooms (~6-8)
Instructions
- One - three days in advance: Cut or tear the bread into cubes, spread on a baking sheet or two and let dry (uncovered) on the counter until completely dry like croutons. I like a combination of crusty ciabatta bread and French bread baguette.
- The day of: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9x11" baking dish. Mix up sage and onion seasoning.
- Transfer the dry bread cubes to a large mixing bowl.
- Melt the non-dairy butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then add the onions, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until softened (~8-10 minutes).
- Stir in 2 tablespoons sage and onion seasoning. Add 2 cups veggie stock and let it come up to bubbling. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference (more sage and onion seasoning, salt, pepper, etc). Pour over the bread cubes and stir/toss to combine completely.
- Slowly ladle in more vegetable broth tossing together until the stuffing has the moisture level you want (wet - no dry patches). The amount of broth you'l need will depend on how dense the bread is and how moist you like your dressing. Once you’ve got the moisture right, give it a taste, adjust seasoning if needed then add any chopped fresh herbs.
- Transfer to a large buttered baking dish, dot the top of the stuffing with butter then sprinkle the mushrooms and additional fresh herbs over top. Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until the surface is golden and crispy. Add more broth as needed and add a tinfoil tent if the stuffing is getting too dark.
Notes
Bread: You'll need 1 ½ - 2 loaves of crusty bread like ciabatta and French bread baguette.
How to dry bread cubes for Thanksgiving stuffing: One to three days before making your stuffing, slice the bread into bite size cubes, arrange on a baking sheet or two and leave uncovered on the counter until dry like croutons. Stir or shake once or twice.
Salt: If your vegetable broth and dairy-free butter are salted, you may want to adjust added salt (taste as you go).
Vegetable stock: Bland broth, bland dressing! My favorite, flavorful vegetable broth is Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base.
Control the texture: Some families enjoy a light and airy bread dressing while others prefer a firm, scoopable stuffing. This recipe is moist, but not soggy with a crispy, chewy top. For a moister stuffing, add more broth; for a drier stuffing, add less broth and/or bake longer. Remember, you can always add more broth as the stuffing is cooking, but you can't take it out! Tip: I typically use 3 cups of broth, but I make 4 cups just in case the freeze any leftovers or use it in the gravy. The kind of bread and how much bread you use will affect how much broth you need.
Bread stuffing with sausage: Sausage lovers, crumble 3 links of vegan sausage (like Beyond Meat) and cook with the onions/celery/garlic.
Other add ins: Add chestnuts, pecans, cranberries or whatever else your family enjoys.