Vegan Stuffing Recipe (2024)

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This easy Vegan Stuffing Recipe is filled with wild mushrooms, leeks, fresh kale, and all the classic Thanksgiving herbs you love. The bread cubes are soft and chewy on the inside with browned, crispy edges outside, and the entire recipe is 100% vegan and delicious.

The best vegan stuffing recipes are rich, savory, and made entirely from plants. They are soft and chewy inside but have crispy edges outside. They contain no animal products like classic stuffing, but you don’t even notice that it’s dairy-free because it tastes so delicious.

This vegan-friendly stuffing has all the classic flavors like onions, celery, sage, thyme, and parsley. I’ve also added lots of mushrooms, leeks, and kale for extra flavor, texture, and color.

There is no egg for binding the mixture, but it turns out you don’t even need it. If you love mushrooms and vegetables in general, you’re guaranteed to love this easy, simple recipe.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredient notes

• Vegan butter:I love Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks in the filling, and I use olive oil for preparing the baking dish.
• Mushrooms: Use any combination of baby portobello, white button, or wild mushrooms, aiming for 16 ounces total.
• Leeks:Leeks are grown by having sand and dirt piled up around the base of the plant (the part under the dirt stays white). Because of this, leeks tend to be quite dirty and need to be washed carefully. To clean leeks, trim both the root end and the top where the dark green leaves begin. Cut the remaining white section in half lengthwise to expose the layers. Rinse the layers thoroughly in a basin of water until no dirt remains. Transfer to a cutting board and slice thinly.
• Herbs: Fresh herbs taste the best in this stuffing, but dried work too. I rarely find fresh marjoram and almost always substitute dried.
• French bread: Use any sturdy vegan bread such as Italian, challah, or sourdough bread. Dry the breadup to 3 days in advance (keep it covered with a dry kitchen towel on counter, or slice and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes).
• Vegetable broth:I keep jars of homemade vegetable stock in the freezer, but store-bought is also good. Or, make broth from Better than Bouillon Roasted Vegetable Base.

Step-by-step instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with vegan butter or olive oil. In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt vegan butter until foaming. Add mushrooms, leeks, and celery, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

2. Sauté until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid and it has evaporated, about 10 to 15 minutes.

3. To skillet, stir kale, parsley, sage, thyme, and marjoram until fragrant and the kale has wilted about 30 seconds.

4. Pour into a large bowl. Add bread cubes, drizzle with broth, and toss to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake until mostly heated through, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden brown and crispy edges form, about 15 to 20 minutes longer.

Recipe tips and variations

• Yield:This Vegan Stuffing Recipe makes about 8 cups, enough for 8 side-dish servings of about 1 cup each.
• Storage:Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Make Ahead Stuffing: After you’ve assembled the stuffing, refrigerate it up to 1 day in advance. See my full Make-Ahead Thanksgiving menu for more ways to cook in advance including a Make Ahead Roasted Turkey, Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes (that won’t get watery in the freezer), and Make Ahead Pumpkin Pie.
• Freezer: For best results, assemble and freeze the bread stuffing uncooked. Then thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed in the recipe.
• More flavors: Add more herbs and spices if you want to. Fresh garlic, rosemary, and savory would all be delicious here.
• Gluten-free stuffing: My favorite gluten free stuffing recipe is made withCanyon Bakehouse Mountain WhiteorUdi’s Multigrain Gluten-Freebreads (both sold in the freezer section), but use the one you love the most.Dry the breadup to 3 days in advance (keep it covered with a dry kitchen towel on counter, or slice and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes). Change out the bread and the rest of the recipe can stay the same.
• Classic oven-baked stuffing: To make my homemade Bread Stuffing recipe, preheat oven to 400 degrees and rub a 9×13 inch baking dish with butter. Add stuffing to the baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake until mostly heated through, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake until crispy edges form, about 10 to 20 minutes longer.
• Crockpot stuffing: Save your oven space and make bread stuffing in your slow cooker. You’ll still have soft, chewy bread cubes with plenty of crispy edges without using your oven.
• Vegetarian stuffing: Make my classic Bread Stuffing but substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Everything else stays the same.
• Small batch:MyBread Stuffing for Twois the same delicious, buttery stuffing with all your favorite flavors, but scaled down to a smaller quantity for small gatherings. See my fullThanksgiving for Two Menuwhich includes a pair of roastedCornish Hens with Stuffingand twoMini Pumpkin Piesfor dessert.
• Sausage stuffing: My homemade Cornbread Dressing is made with plenty of sausage for a spicy kick.
• Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes: Plan your next full or partial vegan Thanksgiving menu with delicious, mouth-wateringVegan Thanksgiving Recipes. These plant-powered classics taste as good as, or even better than, their traditional versions, and they are guaranteed to disappear no matter who is at the table.