Classic vegan stuffing recipe with protein! This vegan Thanksgiving dressing is made with the most delicious plant-based ingredients and comes out nice and crispy every time. This quinoa stuffing is the perfect side dish for any holiday meal, whether it’s served on your Thanksgiving table, at Christmas dinner, or Tuesday for lunch. The best part is it had absolutely no relationship with a bird’s ass. You’re welcome.
This post contains affiliate links.
What’s The Difference Between Stuffing And Dressing?
The truth is there isn’t a great deal of difference between vegan stuffing and vegan Thanksgiving dressing. Traditional stuffing got its name from being stuffed inside an animal, whereas dressing is cooked on its own. However, as many people cook stuffing separately, the terms are often used interchangeably nowadays, especially when cooking up a delicious vegan roast dinner.
Is Stuffing Vegan Or Vegetarian?
This recipe is entirely vegan-friendly and uses no animal products. Traditionally speaking, though, stuffing is not vegan or vegetarian. Normally, stuffing calls for turkey or chicken broth, along with being stuffed inside of a dead animal. See, there are so many benefits to the vegan dressing recipe!
Ingredients + Notes
- Bread – Any bread that you have on hand will work great, including stale bread! I am a fan of a nice whole wheat artisan loaf, sourdough bread, or French bread. A nice gluten-free bread will also be delicious. More gluten-free vegan stuffing tips to follow!
- Vegetable Broth – I usually just use water plus vegetable bouillon as it is easy to have on hand. That being said, I recommend using your favorite veggie broth.
- Onion – This vegan dressing recipe calls for red onion. However, yellow onion works really well, too.
- Celery – It’s just not stuffing without celery, in my opinion.
- Quinoa – Packed with protein, quinoa makes this vegan stuffing recipe a meal all on its own.
- Garlic – This recipe only calls for one garlic clove. That being said, feel free to add more cloves of garlic to your liking.
- Spices and Herbs – This vegan stuffing for Thanksgiving is pretty simple when it comes to ingredients. For the spices and herbs, this recipe calls for salt, black pepper, and rosemary. Simple yet flavorful. Fresh herbs are always tasty, but dried herbs work well too.
- Oil – To coat your baking dish. I tend to use olive oil or avocado oil, though a vegan butter would work great, too!
Step-by-step Instructions
1. Prepare by laying out bread cubes on a baking dish. (Feel free to drizzle with olive oil or avocado oil if you like!)
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and bake bread for 5 – 10 minutes, until they start to harden. When done, remove and scoop into a large mixing bowl.
3. Sauté onion, celery, salt, pepper, and garlic in 1/2 cup water over medium-high heat. After the water has cooked off, set aside.
4. Prepare 2 cups of water plus vegetable bouillon. Alternatively, use your favorite vegetable broth.
5. Pour vegetable bouillon mixture (or veggie broth) over bread and add in cooked quinoa.
6. Mix thoroughly with a spoon. (If it’s too wet, add more bread or quinoa. If it’s too dry, add additional vegetable broth.)
7. Spray an oven-safe baking sheet with avocado oil. (A casserole dish, dutch oven, or even a large skillet will work great!)
8. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and cover with aluminum foil.
9. Bake at 375°F/190°C for 45 minutes, then remove the foil covering.
10. Continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crispy.
11. Cool: Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Pro Tips For The Best Vegan Stuffing Recipe
- The quinoa is tender and will bind the stuffing ingredients, so there is no need to add an egg replacement, such as a flax egg.
- Use a firm or crustier bread in lieu of fresh bread when possible. This will help to prevent soggy quinoa stuffing. Or failing that, put the bread in the fridge before soaking it in stock.
- Experiment with this stuffing by playing around with the bread you use and how much stock to add. If you use crusty bread, you may need more vegetable stock, depending on how crispy or soggy you like your stuffing. I like mine somewhere in the middle, but it’s totally up to you!
- Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in a little vegan butter to add a rich, buttery taste to your veggies.
- Leftover quinoa stuffing is a great sandwich filler alongside a spoonful of sweet cranberry sauce and any leftover vegan meat or vegetables. Maybe even try a drizzle of warm gravy in there. I know a sandwich of bread in bread sounds like a strange idea, but trust me, it’s delicious the day after Thanksgiving.
How To Make This Quinoa Stuffing Gluten-Free
Quinoa is a high-protein grain used alongside bread to create the bulk of this stuffing. However, sometimes, when people gather for the holidays, it’s a task to ensure you cover all dietary needs. As this stuffing recipe is nut-free and vegan (therefore egg-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian friendly), you can ensure this vegan stuffing for Thanksgiving can suit everyone’s plate by making a couple of easy swaps:
- Trade the whole-wheat bread for a gluten-free bread of your choice and use a gluten-free bouillon.
- Use a gluten-free vegetable bouillon paste or instant stock powder, or make your own vegetable broth. This homemade broth is a great recipe for using leftover vegetable peel and offcuts from your holiday dinner to reduce food waste.
FAQ
Of course! Prepare this recipe before the big day so you can actually have time to give yourself 5 minutes to get ready before guests arrive. Prepare the entire dish through to the end of step 9, store it in the fridge for up to 3 days, and finish baking it on the day. (You may need to add another splash of vegetable stock to avoid the dish drying out.)
If you wish to be even more organized and get everything ready a few weeks early, you can freeze the stuffing after completing steps 1-9.
This is an excellent option if you want to have everything done well before the Holiday season. You can keep stuffing frozen for up to 1 month before serving. Cook straight from frozen and serve when crispy brown on top. You will need to cook it longer than stated in this recipe.
More Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes
Looking to jazz up your holiday table with more easy vegan recipes?
Recipe
Recipe
Vegan Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 loaf whole-wheat bread or your choice of bread, cubed
- 2 1/2 cups water + vegetable bouillon
- 1 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- 1 1/3 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 cups quinoa, cooked
- fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Prepare: Lay cubed bread out on baking sheets.
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F/190°C and bake bread for 5 – 10 minutes, until it starts to harden. When done, remove and scoop into a large bowl.
- Sauté onion, celery, salt, pepper, and garlic in 1/2 cup water. Once the water has cooked off, set aside.
- Prepare 2 cups water + vegetable bouillon.
- Pour 2 cups water and vegetable bouillon mixture over bread and add cooked quinoa.
- Mix thoroughly with a spoon. (If it’s too wet add more bread or quinoa if it’s too dry add additional vegetable broth.)
- Spray an oven-safe baking pan with avocado or coconut oil.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and cover with foil.
- Bake at 375°F/190°C for 45 minutes, then remove the foil covering.
- Continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Cool: Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through those links at no extra cost to you. Please read our full disclosure for more information. Thank you for supporting Raepublic.
This vegan stuffing was so good! I might have to add it to my regular recipe rotation!
So glad you liked it Amber!
Does the quinoa need to be cooked before it is added?
Yes, it does. However, I am curious to try it now uncooked… 🤔