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An easy vegan stuffing recipe that combines toasted bread, cozy aromatics, and a flavorful broth. All you need is 11 simple ingredients and 1 hour! Vegan.
This Classic Vegan Stuffing is one of those vegan Thanksgiving recipes everyone can make with ease! Hearty cubes of bread tossed with a handful of flavorful, wholesome ingredients, then baked until golden perfection.
Table of Contents
A Thanksgiving Dinner Staple
Traditional stuffing has been a staple long before the civilization of the Americas (seriously – it dates back to the Romans), and that’s not about to change just because we’ve chosen to enjoy a plant-based lifestyle.
Being raised vegetarian, I’ve been eating stuffing without chicken broth or sausage my entire life. But today, I’m going to show you how quick, simple, and delicious it can be to eat stuffing without eggs and butter, too! In fact, it’s so similar to the original dish, your friends and family won’t taste a difference! Once you master this delicious side dish, move on to the other Thanksgiving classics: Mushroom Vegan Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, and Pumpkin Mac and Cheese.
What You Need for Vegan Stuffing
In addition to your favorite bread, you’ll need just 11 simple ingredients to make an herby, flavorful stuffing. Here’s what you need:
- Bread: Most stuffing recipes call for stale bread or day-old bread because fresh bread = soggy stuffing. However, since we’re toasting the bread, starting with a loaf of bakery fresh bread is fine! Just make sure to bake it long enough, until the bread is sufficiently toasted and dry.
- Aromatics: Classic yellow onion, celery, and garlic enhance the flavor and infuses its aroma throughout the dish for flavor in every bite.
- Fresh herbs: Dried herbs can be used in a pinch, but I highly recommend fresh sage, thyme leaves, and rosemary when possible.They’re infinitely more flavorful and potent in fresh form.
- Nutritional yeast (optional): Just like in my favorite Mushroom Stuffing, I love adding nutritional yeast to the dish because it adds a strong, umami flavor. It’s optional, but I really think it sets apart a good stuffing and a great stuffing.
How to Make Vegan Stuffing
- Cut the bread into 1″ cubes, then bake until toasted and dry. Set aside to cool.
- Sauté the celery and onion in melted vegan butter until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the herbs and sauté until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the toasted bread cubes and broth.
- Toss well until the bread is moistened.
- Transfer the stuffing to a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 15 minutes.
- Uncover, and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Serve while warm with fresh parsley, or as desired. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Use a quality vegetable broth. Since the bread is infused with broth, using a quality broth will add the best depth of flavor. If you have time to prepare in advance, give my Homemade Vegetable Broth recipe a try. It’s a much more concentrated, deep flavor compared to the diluted store-bought broths!
- Try a mixture of breads. I like to use a mixture of both white bread and sourdough bread to add more depth of flavor to this stuffing recipe. If you have the option, I highly recommend it!
Serving Suggestions
This delicious vegan stuffing is a classic Thanksgiving side dish for a reason! It’s hearty, savory, and filled with fresh herbs that will complement virtually any main. Try serving it with my Homemade Vegan Holiday Roast, Vegan Lentil Loaf, or these Vegan Stuffed Shells for a holiday meal to remember.
If you’re looking for more Vegan Thanksgiving side dish recipes, you’ll also love this Sweet Potato Gratin, this Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese and this Green Bean Casserole. Or, check out my complete Vegan Thanksgiving Guide!
How to Store Vegan Stuffing
Once baked, this vegan stuffing is best enjoyed while fresh. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Leftover stuffing will reheat best in the microwave, toaster oven, or covered in the oven until warmed through. If the stuffing appears dry, add a splash of broth to help re-moisten before heating.
Recipe FAQs
I’ve personally tested quite a few vegan stuffing recipes over the years (see my Vegan Mushroom Stuffing and Stovetop Stuffing recipes!) and have never found the need for an egg replacer. This vegan stuffing will bind together well enough with just the liquid from the vegetable broth!
I like to use vegan butter for a similar salty, umami flavor, but olive oil is an excellent alternative when vegan butter is not available.
Stuffing is really best enjoyed fresh, but the cubed bread can be toasted in advance and stored in a covered container to speed up the prep work day of.
I have not tested this stuffing recipe with gluten-free breads and can’t say one way or the other if it would work well. If you choose to experiment, please let us know in the comments how it works.
As written, this recipe makes 8 servings. If you are feeding a smaller crowd this holiday season, the recipe can be halved and baked in an 8×8 or 9×9 casserole dish instead of a 9×13 casserole dish.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Classic Vegan Stuffing
Ingredients
- 18-24 ounces of white bread* about 12 cups
- 10 tablespoons salted dairy-free butter
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 5 stalks celery diced
- 6-8 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast optional
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley plus more for garnish
- 1 1/2 – 2 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
Instructions
- Oven Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and set a large baking sheet aside. Grease a 9×13” baking dish and set aside as well.
- Toast the Bread: Cut the bread into 1” cubes and spread evenly across the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then carefully toss the cubes and spread out again. Bake again for an additional 5 to 15 minutes, until the bread is toasted and dry; this will vary based on the type of bread used and how packed the tray is. Set aside to let cool.
- Aromatics: Melt the butter in a large sauté pan or pot over medium high heat. Add the celery and onion to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes, until beginning to brown.
- Garlic & Spices: Add the garlic, sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, black pepper, and nutritional yeast (if using) to the pan. Mix well, and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes, to toast the spices. Turn the heat off and add in the toasted bread cubes and 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth. Toss well; you want the cubes to be moist, but not soggy. Add additional broth as necessary.
- Bake: Transfer to a baking dish and cover with foil. Bake covered for 15 minutes, then uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until browned. If the stuffing is beginning to brown too much, loosely cover the top of it with foil again.
- Serve: Remove from the oven and top with additional fresh parsley. Serve warm; stuffing is best served fresh, but leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Bread: I like to use a mixture of both white bread and sourdough to add more depth of flavor to this recipe, though you can choose to use either alone as well!
- Cut in half: Bake in 8×8 or 9×9 dish.
This was my first time making stuffing. It came out delicious except I poured too much pepper in. Lol my only sub was I didn’t use butter, I just used oil. Would make again!
So happy you enjoyed it, especially for your first time making stuffing. Thank you, Angie! And easy on the pepper😉
Made this for thanksgiving and it was a hit! Chopped the onion and celery the day before so it came together even quicker and was really yummy. Definitely would make again.
So glad you enjoyed it, Kathryn! 🙂