This vegan cornbread dressing with chunks of cornbread soaks up the flavors of onions, celery, and spices, and bakes up moist and fluffy. It’s the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or holiday menu!
It’s not Thanksgiving without a moist and fluffy stuffing! When I was growing up on Thanksgiving day I didn’t help my mom out a whole lot when it came to preparing our Thanksgiving meal.
She wanted us kids out of the kitchen so she could work her magic. What I do remember is that she used a bag of packaged stuffing, and stuffed it inside the bird the traditional way.
When it was my turn to start preparing our Thanksgiving meal, stuffing left me scratching my head!
I didn’t want to buy packaged stuffing. It wasn’t vegan, and it had processed ingredients.
I couldn’t stuff it in the bird because obviously that wasn’t vegan friendly. So, how was I going to make a stuffing that everyone at the table could enjoy?
That’s when I started doing some research and came up with this recipe for vegan cornbread stuffing!
Thanksgiving in my home likely looks very different than most. My family is not vegan. They want the traditional recipes, including the turkey. I however, am the one preparing the meal for my father, brother, in-laws, husband, and kids.
This puts me in a bit of a predicament, since I only want to prepare vegan dishes. But over the last several Thanksgiving meals I’ve ironed out the kinks!
My husband prepares the turkey, and I prepare the sides (all of which are vegan)! Everyone is happy!
I found a way to create a moist, fluffy, and traditionally flavored vegan cornbread stuffing without having to place it in the bird which means I can enjoy it too!
What is the difference between vegan stuffing and vegan dressing?
Stuffing is traditionally made by placing it in the turkey, while dressing is made by baking in a casserole dish.
With this definition this recipe is a vegan cornbread dressing! However, so many of us call it stuffing because that’s what we know it as, and dressing can get confused with salad dressing! So if you were confused by the word dressing, don’t you fret, this recipe is a stuffing!
Why you’ll love this vegan cornbread dressing…
- It has all of the flavors and texture of a traditional Thanksgiving stuffing.
- It’s made using gluten-free cornbread, so suitable for your gluten-free friends and family.
- Very easy and simple to make!
- Light and fluffy texture
- Simple ingredients
- Perfect for your Thanksgiving or Holiday meal!
- Nobody will know it’s vegan!
Ingredients You Need
Here is a list of ingredients to gather before preparing the stuffing. For exact measurements scroll down to the bottom to find the recipe card.
- Gluten-Free Cornbread (cubed)-I prepared this vegan gluten-free cornbread recipe in advance, and allowed it to sit and dry out for a few days before preparing the dressing.
- Chopped Onion-You can use both red or white onion. I used white onion, since that is what I had on hand. I would say that white onions are more traditional in a stuffing recipe.
- Celery-Use about 4 ribs of celery, and finely chop.
- Vegetable Stock-You can use your own homemade or store bought. If using store bought look for one that is low in sodium.
- Dried Basil-I recommend using dried herbs for this recipe. The flavor is more concentrated, but if you choose to use fresh double the amount.
- Dried Thyme
- Dried Rosemary
- Fresh Parsley-Reserve a portion of the finely chopped parsley as a garnish to sprinkle on top before serving.
- Salt and Pepper-If using a store bought vegetable stock you will not need to add much additional salt. Add pepper to taste.
Tools and Equipment
How to Make Vegan Cornbread Dressing – Step by Step
Step 1: Dry out your cornbread. You can do this by allowing it to sit out and become stale for 1-2 days. If you don’t have that time, chop the cornbread into cubes, and place in the oven set to 250 degrees F, and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Step 2: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Add ¼ cup of vegetable stock to your large sauté pan set to medium-high heat. Add onions and celery. Sauté until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 3: Add basil, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. Stir to coat the onions and celery. Cook for an additional minute.
Add the rest of the vegetable stock and fresh parsley. Bring to a boil.
Step 4: Add dried and cubed cornbread to a large bowl. Slowly ladle broth over the breadcrumbs. Gradually stirring to combine.
Note: You don’t want to add too much broth, but you also don’t want to add too little. Too much broth will make your cornbread break apart and become mushy. Too little broth will make your stuffing turn out dry. Ladle enough broth that the breadcrumbs are coated but still retain their shape. You may not use all of the broth.
Step 5: Transfer cornbread to an 8×8 inch baking dish or similar size. Bake for 25-30 minutes uncovered at 350 degrees F or until top browns.
Top Tips for Making Vegan Cornbread Dressing
- Use dried cornbread. The dryer the better! Cornbread has a tendency to crumble more than traditional bread, so you want it to be as dry as possible so that it soaks up the broth without becoming a mushy mess.
- Make your vegan gluten-free cornbread 2 days in advance, and cut into cubes. Then allow it to sit out at room temperature to dry out.
- If you don’t have time to make your own vegan cornbread, you can use this easy recipe for three ingredient vegan cornbread muffins that uses a boxed mix. This mix, however, is not certified gluten-free.
- Slowly add the broth to the cubed cornbread. Don’t dump it all on top at the same time.
Variations
- Use a combination of stale whole wheat bread and cornbread for a different texture.
- Add your favorite spices to the broth such as sage!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this recipe at your Thanksgiving meal with friends and family. While stuffing is traditionally served with Turkey, I recommend my vegan stuffed acorn squash as a main dish, and a side or vegan cranberry sauce.
How to Store and Keep
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a covered air tight container. When ready to reheat, transfer to a microwave safe dish and warm in the microwave.
Vegan Cornbread Stuffing will keep for 3-4 days. It will likely keep for longer but I air on the side of caution when it comes to reheating food.
Check out these other vegan Thanksgiving recipes!
- 35 Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Pasta with a Creamy Sauce
- Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Bars
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup
- Vegan Potato Casserole
- Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Vegan Corn Casserole by Detoxinista
Vegan Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 8×8 pan vegan gluten-free cornbread dried and cut into cubes (about 8 cups)
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 ribs celery finely chopped
- 2 ¼ cups vegetable stock divided
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dry out your cornbread. You can do this by allowing it to sit out and become stale for 1-2 days. If you don't have that time, chop the cornbread into cubes, and place in the oven set to 250 degrees F, and bake for 30-40 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Add ¼ cup of vegetable stock to your large sauté pan at medium-high heat. Add onions and celery. Sauté until soft, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add basil, thyme, and rosemary. Stir to coat the onions and celery. Cook for an additional minute. Add the rest of the vegetable stock and fresh parsley. Bring to a boil.
- Add dried and cubed cornbread to a large bowl. Slowly ladle broth over the breadcrumbs. Gradually stirring to combine. You don't want to add too much broth, but you also don't want to add too little. Too much broth will make your cornbread break apart and become mushy. Too little broth will make your stuffing turn out dry. Ladle enough broth that the breadcrumbs are coated but still retain their shape. You may not use all of the broth.
- Transfer cornbread to an 8×8 inch baking dish or similar. Bake for 25-30 minutes uncovered at 350 F until top browns.
Video
Notes
- Use dried cornbread. The dryer the better! Cornbread has a tendency to crumble more than traditional bread, so you want it to be as dry as possible so that it soaks up the broth without becoming a mushy mess.
- Make your vegan gluten-free cornbread 2 days in advance, and cut into cubes. Then allow it to sit out at room temperature.
- If you don’t have time to make your own vegan cornbread, you can use this easy recipe for three ingredient vegan cornbread muffins that uses a boxed mix. This mix, however, is not certified gluten-free.
- Slowly add the broth to the cubed cornbread. Don’t dump it all on top at the same time.
Yum! Thsi looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this a try!
Now this is my kind of comfort food. It looks delicious.
It never occurred to me that a vegan dressing was possible – this looks delish! Oh and by the way, my family has always interchanged stuffing and dressing and I never really knew why. Maybe because my mom never put it inside the bird – so thank you for that explanation!
I love stuffing and this vegan version looks so delicious!!
I love cornbread stuffing, it’s the best kind! love that you made this one vegan and yet it still looks just as delicious as all those butter laden ones from childhood!