The Best Vegan Stuffing
The best vegan stuffing! Made with homemade tempeh sausage, sauteed vegetables, and sourdough bread. This stuffing is a must-make for Thanksgiving and the holidays.
Well, this is the best vegan stuffing out there. Maybe the best stuffing ever? I don’t know. You be the judge.
I’ve basically taken my mom’s stuffing recipe and swapped in homemade tempeh sausage crumbles for Italian sausage. Promise me you will try these sausage crumbles, even if it’s not in this stuffing.
From there, this vegan stuffing recipe is fairly classic. Celery, onion, carrots along with sourdough bread cubes and plenty of fresh, seasonal herbs like sage, thyme and parsley.
It’s the best stuffing recipe to take to any Thanksgiving gathering, vegan or not! The 5-star reviews speak for themselves and we’ve been enjoying this stuffing recipe for years and years in my home.
See below for more details, or scroll to the bottom for the full recipe.
Everything You Need to Make this Vegan Stuffing Recipe
Ingredient Notes
The secret/highlight of this vegan stuffing recipe is the homemade tempeh sausage crumbles. These crumbles completely make the stuffing, so don’t skip them.
I first learned how to make them from one of Isa’s cookbooks and I’ve been adding them to countless recipes ever since: pizza, pasta, egg bakes, tofu breakfast tacos– you get the drift. Adding the fennel seeds and sage really makes the tempeh taste like Italian sausage and don’t recommend leaving either out.
In addition to the tempeh sausage, you’ll need bread along with aromatics like onion, celery and carrots. I like the slight tang of a sourdough bread but you can use any bread that you’d like. The key is making sure it’s nice and dry, which I toast in the oven first before adding to the rest of the vegan stuffing ingredients.
I do call for dry white wine, but if you don’t want to cook with alcohol, then more vegetable broth will work.
How to Make This Vegan Stuffing
Crumble the Tempeh
Crumble the tempeh using a box grater, or finely chop the tempeh. You want it to have the appearance of sausage crumbles.
Steam the Tempeh
Steam the tempeh with water to remove any bitterness. I don’t find tempeh bitter, but some people do, so I recommend steaming it with a little bit of water to soften it and remove any bitterness.
Add the Spices
Add in the olive oil, spices, garlic, soy sauce and maple syrup and cook until the tempeh is crispy and super flavorful, about 8-10 minutes.
Cook the Vegetables
Add the butter and cook the vegetables until very softened
Combine together
In a large bowl, add the toasted bread, cooked vegetables and tempeh sausage along with 2 cups of the broth. Toss until all the broth is absorbed. Then, add in more broth, 1/4 of a time until it’s absorbed. The bread should be slightly soft but not mushy. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Bake!
Transfer to a buttered baking dish and cover. Bake, then remove the foil and bake again until the top is golden brown and slightly crispy.
Tips for Success
I’m obsessed with Earth Balance, but any butter will work. I prefer earth balance because it’s a dairy-free, non-hydrogenated margarine, which means you get the non-dairy factor without any added trans-fats. Please use butter or vegan butter here; coconut oil or olive oil doesn’t have the same taste and won’t work.
Day-old bread isn’t enough for the bread; the bread should be very dry and crouton-like. To ensure that each piece is toasted enough, cube it and bake in the oven until dried.
Next, fresh herbs are a must, so I included a heavy hand of sage, thyme, and parsley. Don’t substitute dried as it won’t work the same way. Plus, it’s Thanksgiving, and I think it’s OK to spend a few dollars on yummy fresh herbs; use any extras in cocktails, pasta, or freeze for later. If you need to choose, then I recommend the sage and thyme.
Trader Joe’s has the best prices for tempeh, almost $2 less than anywhere else!
Add the vegetable broth and let sit to ensure that the bread soaks up everything before baking. Start slowly, you can always add more if needed. I like to begin with two cups of broth, then add a tablespoon or two at a time until perfect. The bread should be lightly moist but not wet. If it’s too wet, it will bake into a soupy mess. It’ll still be delicious, but the stuffing should be moist but not wet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What bread is best?
I prefer either a sourdough loaf of french bread for this vegan stuffing recipe. You can also use a whole grain bread if you prefer. The type of bread doesn’t matter as much as making sure the bread is dried out enough to soak up the filling. If your bread is too soft, then texture of this stuffing won’t be the same.
Can this stuffing recipe be made gluten-free?
To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute tamari or coconut aminos for the soy sauce in the tempeh sausage crumbles recipe and use good gluten-free bread. Most gluten-free bread doesn’t get as crusty as regular bread, but it will still work.
More Vegan Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Vegan Mushroom Gravy
- Fresh Green Bean Casserole
- Slow Cooker Garlic Herb Potatoes
- Green Bean Almondine
- Best Vegan Cornbread
- Glazed Roasted Carrots
I hope you love this vegan stuffing recipe as much as we do! If you try it, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Seeing you make my recipes makes my day, and your feedback helps other readers.
Video
The Best Vegan Stuffing
Equipment
Ingredients
Tempeh Sausage
- 16 ounces tempeh, from two 8-ounce packages
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Sourdough Stuffing
- 1/2 cup butter, plus more for greasing pan*
- 1 pound sourdough bread, cut into small cubes
- 1 large white or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon salt**
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 3 cups vegetable stock
Instructions
- Heat a large skilletover medium heat. Crumble the tempeh using a r or finely chop using a knife. Then, add to the skillet along with 1/4 cup water. Let steam until all water is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add in the spices for the tempeh sausage and garlic and toast for 1 minute until fragrant. Add in the soy sauce, maple syrup and oil and let cook for 5-8 minutes until browned and crispy. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly butter a large (9×13″) dish and set aside.
- Cube the bread and place it in a single layer on a baking sheet (you will likely need two baking sheets). Toast until it is dried out but not overly browned, for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
- While bread is cooking, heat the butter in a separate large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender but not browned about 15 minutes.
- Then, add the wine and scrape any browned bits that have occurred after cooking the vegetables. Cook until wine is mostly evaporated, about 3-4 minutes. Next, toss in sage, thyme, and parsley.
- Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Add the toasted bread, tempeh sausage, and vegetable mixture in a large bowl and add 2 cups of stock; toss well to combine. You want the bread mixture to absorb all of the broth and be “wet” but not have any visible broth in the bowl. Add the salt and pepper.
- Slowly add the rest of the broth, tossing every 1/4 or so until all combined. Let sit for 10 minutes until all broth is absorbed. Season, adding more salt/pepper if needed.
- Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil, increase temperature to 425 degrees F. and bake another 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top.