Bring the flavors you remember most to the table in this moist, delicious Gluten-Free Stuffing with Apples and Sausage. Flavorful meat, fresh herbs, toasted bread cubes, and sweet apples come together in this unforgettable Thanksgiving dish, creating that special punch that makes it a traditional favorite. Because the steps are simple, you may have just found a new family recipe!
This recipe takes stale bread or toasted bread cubes to the next level by combining it with fresh herbs to create the most delicious gluten-free stuffing ever your Thanksgiving table has ever seen. It’s the kind of stuffing you will want to make again and again.
Since no holiday meal or Thanksgiving dinner is complete without an easy stuffing recipe, I wanted to share my family’s original recipe with you. While I love to serve it with a large bowl of cranberry sauce it’s also fantastic with turkey.
No matter what you serve it with, it’s sure to be a hit! This is one of those gluten-free recipes that you can serve and nobody would ever know it was gluten free. Kind of like our gluten free Thanksgiving desserts.
Other helpful information: Here is what I recommend for how early can you make Thanksgiving sides. You can also use our Thanksgiving non perishable foods list to help you with shelf stable cooking.
Gluten-Free Stuffing
I love making this sausage apple gluten-free stuffing recipe because it is full of fall flavors. Although it is a side dish I enjoy all year ’round, I especially love to make and eat it during the fall and winter.
It is just so cozy and hearty. I love it on Thanksgiving with our recipe for the BEST roast chicken or the the most delectable gluten-free turkey around! My gluten-free green bean casserole with homemade fried onions (they are my secret ingredient) is another hit when served up with this delicious stuffing!
You can make this stuffing a whole meal rather than just a side dish thanks to the filling bread and sausage. You can enjoy it on its own or drizzled with homemade gluten-free gravy.
Can you make it dairy-free and vegan?
This recipe is simple to make dairy-free and or vegan. Simply remove the sausage, use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock and swap out the butter for a dairy-free or vegan butter or olive oil.
There are also some delicious vegan, gluten-free sausages these days that would be perfect to add to this recipe.
Also, I love making this delicious dairy-free kale salad from Meaningful Eats for another great side.
How to make gluten-free stuffing
First, I preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then start by chopping up the apple chips and veggies.
Next, in a large skillet or frying pan brown the sausage over medium heat with salt, onion and garlic powder and black pepper, making sure to crumble the sausage. Then melt butter into the vegetables and apple chips.
Cook everything together until the vegetables are softened and sausage is cooked through.
Pro Tip: Cooking the vegetable mixture together brings out a fantastic flavor that will come through so well in this sausage apple stuffing.
Pour 1 C chicken broth over everything evenly and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Why use dried apples?
Bare Snacks has naturally delicious and nutritious apple chips that are great on their own and wonderful in this recipe. Just be sure to save enough while snacking on them…
I love that they are baked not fried and that they are made from real fruit with nothing artificial, ever.
They are great for recipes because you never have to worry that you may not have fresh apples on hand. Bare Snacks are shelf stable and can become a kitchen staple for your cooking.
However, you can absolutely use fresh diced apples in this recipe if you prefer. While I like Granny Smith and fuji varieties, any will do.
Serve your golden brown, easy gluten-free stuffing up in a large bowl with some fresh parsley on top. I personally think it is even better the next day when heated up in a skillet.
What gluten-free bread is best for stuffing?
For classic stuffing, regular bread is used, but to make it gluten-free, you have to swap that out for a different type of bread. While any gluten-free bread works, I feel like my gluten-free sourdough bread is superior to others both in taste and texture. The same goes for butter. I only use Kerrygold. They make this gluten-free stuffing taste like the real thing.
For a store bought variety, Canyon Bakehouse brand is the best gluten-free bread. If you can’t find it, there is a Trader Joes brand that also works great. Just make sure you don’t use fresh bread to make our favorite stuffing recipe. You really need it to be stale or day old and dry.
You can even use gluten-free cornbread if you want a cornbread stuffing.
Other Stuffing Mix-Ins:
I have chosen my favorite things already to add to this sausage apple stuffing. However, there are a variety of other things you could include.
- Shallots
- Celery
- Fresh sage
- Chestnuts
- Toasted pecans
- Roasted beets
- Fresh or dried cranberries
- Currents
- Peppers
- Diced potatoes
How do you store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet with a little butter and chicken stock or in the microwave.
We hope you love this sausage apple stuffing as much as we did. I can’t wait to hear what other ingredients you chose to add to yours! Please let us know in the comments.
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Gluten Free Stuffing with Apples and Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 7 slices gluten-free bread I love Canyon Bakehouse
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2/3 cup apple chips chopped
- 1/4 cup onion diced
- 1/2 cup carrots diced
- 1/3 cup shaved or diced Brussels sprouts
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- dash of cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Fry sausage in a pan with salt, onion and garlic powder and black pepper, making sure to crumble the sausage
- Add butter then saute carrots, onion, apple, Brussels sprouts and chopped rosemary until vegetables are softened and sausage cooked through
- Meanwhile, dice the bread into cubes and spread out onto a baking sheet
- Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees
- Place bread cubes, sausage mixture and apples into a baking dish
- Pour 1 C chicken brother everything evenly
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on December 10, 2018. We have updated it in October 2019 then again June 2022 with more information and helpful instructions.
Aly says
Can I skip the Brussels
Sprouts? Or substitute another vegg?
Chandice says
Most definitely, you can leave it out or substitute.
Trina flores says
Is this good to stuff the turkey with? Or best cooked outside the bird?
Chandice says
Hi Trina, it is best cooked outside of the bird but you can certainly cook it in as well. You would need to cook it longer.
Lyn says
What a great flavor combination! Definitely making this for Thanksgiving!
Chandice says
Thanks, you are going to love it!
Kayla Klontz says
I like the dried cranberries, I might liven it up with some grapes.