This amazingly easy gluten-free cornbread stuffing (aka cornbread dressing) is made with our favorite cornbread, fresh vegetables, and herbs for incredible flavor and taste. Use this for stuffing your turkey or serve as a side dish on Thanksgiving and during the holidays! It’s also dairy-free, and vegetarian but no one would know!
Jump to:
- What is Cornbread Stuffing?
- Why This Recipe Works
- Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
- Making Your Own Homemade Cornbread
- How to Dry Cornbread to Make Stuffing (2 ways)
- How to Make Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing (Step by Step):
- Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
- Recipe FAQs:
- Other Holiday/Thanksgiving Sides You’ll Love:
- Bread Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
- Easy Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing (Dairy-Free)
What is Cornbread Stuffing?
Stuffing, also known as dressing or filling, is basically an edible mixture made with cut up pieces of bread, seasonings, and vegetables. It is mainly served as a side dish or to fill up a cavity in another food item while cooking, such as chicken or turkey. When used as a filling, stuffing fulfils the purpose of keeping the meat moist, while also adding to the mix of flavors of the stuffing, and the food being stuffed.
Cornbread stuffing basically refers to stuffing made primarily with cornbread as opposed to normal bread (or gluten-free white bread if you are gluten-free). Some recipes use a mix of both cornbread and normal bread, but in this gluten-free stuffing recipe, I’m using only cornbread.
Why This Recipe Works
- Ready in Just 40 minutes: This cornbread stuffing recipe is so easy to make, with just 15 minutes of hands-on preparation before it goes into the oven! From start to finish, this delicious cornbread dressing is ready to serve in just 40 minutes.
- Delicious and Flavorful: Incredibly tasty and bursting with the flavors of herbs, vegetable broth and sweet cornbread, you’ll love this dressing whether you eat it as a side dish at Thanksgiving dinner, or use it for stuffing your Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey! All I know is that you’ll definitely want to make sure you have this at your holiday table this season!
- Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free: Unlike a typical stuffing recipe, this Thanksgiving stuffing is both gluten-free and dairy-free, but honestly, I bet no one would be able to tell! This means that even those who are on a gluten-free diet, or have Celiac disease or gluten and lactose intolerances can still enjoy it without any issues!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for making gluten-free cornbread stuffing.
(For exact measurements and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
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Ingredient Notes/Substitutions:
- Cornbread: I use our favorite recipe for gluten-free skillet cornbread to make this savory cornbread stuffing. However, if you aren’t keen on cornbread, or don’t want to bake cornbread for this, you can also use gluten-free bread or normal bread (if you’re not Celiac or have allergies to gluten) and make traditional stuffing instead. Simply cut the bread into cubes and dry it out using the method mentioned above.
- Vegetable Oil: I use any neutral vegetable oil, but if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use butter in equal quantities instead.
- Vegetable Broth: I prefer using unsalted vegetable broth and then adding salt and pepper to taste later on. This way I can control how salty the stuffing is. You can either make your own vegetable broth, or buy pre-made vegetable broth. Alternatively, you can also use mushroom broth, chicken stock or broth, or beef broth if you prefer.
- Herbs: I always have dried herbs on hand and they impart a beautiful flavor to this stuffing recipe (but you can also use fresh herbs if you wish). This recipe uses dried rosemary, thyme and oregano, but feel free to change up the proportions of the herbs as you wish, if you prefer one herb more than the others.
Making Your Own Homemade Cornbread
While you can definitely buy pre-made gluten free cornbread, it’s actually really easy to make your own at home.
Here’s our favorite recipe for homemade gluten-free cornbread that I know you’ll just love!
How to Dry Cornbread to Make Stuffing (2 ways)
Make sure you dry your cornbread before making this gluten-free stuffing recipe as you need it to absorb the liquid broth (do not use freshly baked cornbread!).
- Air Overnight: Cut the cornbread into cubes and then spread out the cubes on a large baking sheet or baking pan. Let it air for 1 or 2 days if you have time.
- Dry in the Oven: If you’re in a rush, place the baking pan in the oven and let the cornbread bake for 250F for 40 minutes, tossing them every 10 minutes to ensure they dry out evenly.
How to Make Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing (Step by Step):
1. Preheat the Oven
Preheat the oven to 350F and arrange the rack to the middle section.
2. Chop the Veggies
Dice the onion and celery and then minced the garlic. Roughly chop up the fresh parsley.
3. Sauté the Veggies
Heat up the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the diced onion, diced celery, and minced garlic until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally with a spatula (approximately 5 minutes).
4. Add Herbs and Broth
Add the dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, fresh parsley, and vegetable broth. Bring heat down to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Place Dried Cornbread to Bowl:
Transfer the dried cornbread cubes to a large mixing bowl.
6. Toss Cornbread with Broth Mixture:
Ladle the broth mixture along with the cooked vegetables a bit at a time over the cubed cornbread in the large bowl, mixing as you go along so the liquid is distributed and absorbed all over (you don’t want to add too much liquid or the cornbread dressing will become too mushy and the cornbread stuffing will become dense). Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Bake the Stuffing Mixture
Transfer the cornbread dressing mixture to a 9×13 inch baking dish or casserole dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
- Serving as a Side Dish: If serving this cornbread dressing as a side dish, follow all the instructions to the end.
- Using as Turkey Stuffing: If using this cornbread stuffing to stuff a turkey, follow all the instructions up till just before baking.
- Prep Ahead: Planning a holiday dinner can be stressful, so it always helps if you can prepare as much as you can beforehand. In this case, you can also make it before and store in the fridge until you want to eat it, or freeze it for later!
Recipe FAQs:
Yes, you can make this cornbread dressing ahead of time. Once cooked and cooled, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days before serving. Heat up this gluten-free stuffing in the oven, covered, at 325F for 15 minutes before serving.
Yes, you can freeze this gluten-free cornbread stuffing in 2 different ways:
1) Place the ingredients all mixed together uncooked in an freezer-safe container and freeze for up 3 months. When ready to eat, place uncooked stuffing in a baking dish and bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden brown. OR
2) Alternatively, you can let the cooked gluten-free cornbread stuffing cool completely to room temperature, before placing in a freezer-safe container and freezing for up to 3 months. Heat up the stuffing in baking dish at 325F for 20 minutes, covered, before serving.
Yes, definitely! If you aren’t keen on using cornbread, or don’t want to bake cornbread for this, you can also use our favorite gluten-free bread or normal bread if you’re not Celiac or have allergies to gluten. Simply cut the bread into cubes and dry it out using the method mentioned above.
Yes, you should definitely make sure to dry your cornbread either overnight or in the oven (see the instructions to do that above or in the recipe notes), as this will ensure that the cornbread is dry enough to absorb the liquids from the vegetable mixture. Do NOT use freshly baked cornbread as it will be too moist and hence not be able to absorb the liquids (resulting in a mushy texture).
Other Holiday/Thanksgiving Sides You’ll Love:
- Soft Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls (Dairy-Free)
- Skillet Cornbread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Rosemary Cornbread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Easy Cornbread Muffins (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Jalapeño Cornbread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Sweet Potato Casserole (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Crispy Hasselback Potatoes (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- 20-Minute Homemade Cranberry Sauce (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Parmesan (Gluten-Free)
Bread Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!
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Easy Gluten-Free Cornbread Stuffing (Dairy-Free)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This amazingly easy gluten-free cornbread stuffing (aka cornbread dressing) is made with our favorite cornbread, fresh vegetables, and herbs for incredible flavor and taste. Use this for stuffing your turkey or serve as a side dish on Thanksgiving and during the holidays! It’s also dairy-free, and vegetarian but no one would know!
Ingredients
- 1 8×8 inch pan gluten-free cornbread, cubed and dried overnight or in the oven (see recipe notes below on how to dry cornbread)
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil
- 1 medium onion, diced (approximately 2 cups diced)
- 1 rib celery, diced (approximately 2 cups diced)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (approximately 1 tablespoon minced)
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped + more for garnishing
- 2 cups unsalted vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350F and place the rack to the middle section.
- Sauté the Veggies: Heat up the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the diced onions, diced celery, and minced garlic until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally with a spatula (approximately 5 minutes).
- Add Herbs and Broth: Add the dried rosemary, thyme, oregano, fresh parsley, and vegetable broth. Bring heat down to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Toss Cornbread and Broth Mixture: Place dried cornbread in a large bowl. Ladle the broth mixture a bit at a time over the cubed cornbread, mixing as you go along so the liquid is distributed and absorbed all over (you don’t want to add too much broth or it will become too mushy and the stuffing will become dense). Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to Baking Dish and Bake: Transfer the mixture to a 9×13 inch baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
Notes
How to Dry Cornbread: Make sure you dry your cornbread before making the stuffing as you need it to absorb the liquid broth. Cut the cornbread into cubes and then spread out the cubes on a large baking pan. Let it air for 1 or 2 days if you have time. If you’re in a rush, place the baking pan in the oven and let the cornbread bake for 250F for 40 minutes, tossing them every 10 minutes to ensure they dry out evenly.
Cornbread: I use our favorite recipe for gluten-free skillet cornbread to make this cornbread stuffing. However, if you aren’t keen on cornbread, or don’t want to bake cornbread for this, you can also use gluten-free bread or normal bread if you’re not Celiac or have allergies to gluten. Simply cut the bread into cubes and dry it out using the method mentioned above.
Sunflower Oil: I like to use sunflower oil because I always have a bottle on hand, but you can use any neutral vegetable oil. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, feel free to use butter in equal quantities instead.
Vegetable Broth: I prefer using unsalted vegetable broth and then adding salt and pepper to taste later on. This way I can control how salty the stuffing is. You can either make your own vegetable broth, or buy pre-made vegetable broth. Alternatively, you can also use mushroom broth, chicken stock or broth, or beef broth if you prefer.
Herbs: I always have dried herbs on hand and they impart a beautiful flavor to this stuffing recipe. You can change up the proportions of the herbs as you wish, if you prefer one herb more than the others.
Make Ahead of Time: You can also make this cornbread dressing ahead of time. Once cooked and cooled, cover the entire baking dish with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Before serving, heat it up in the oven at 325F, uncovered, for 15 minutes to warm it up.
Freezing: You can place the ingredients all mixed together but uncooked in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, transfer ingredients to a baking dish and bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden brown. Alternatively, you can cook the stuffing and let it cool completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container and freezing for up to 3 months. To reheat the stuffing, heat it up in the oven at 325F for 20 minutes, covered, before serving.
Adapted From: Tastes Better from Scratch
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten-free cornbread stuffing
Good morning Felicia!
Thank you for enhancing and reposting this wonderful recipe just before Thanksgivings.
It was great that you explain to us why we need dried bread crumbs instead of using normal bread for the success of the dish.
It is really interesting to go through your blogs (including this one) because of the additional information which is both educational on the ingredients used as well as providing the key to achieve success in your recipes.
Keep up the good work that you are doing what you are doing with a passion to help the community!
Blessings!
Mum
★★★★★
Thanks mummy! 🙂 Glad you enjoy it!
Hello Felicia,
I am truly glad that this easy cornbread stuffing recipe is posted just in time for the festive season ahead.
Happy Thanksgiving !
Love always,
Mum
★★★★★
Hi mummy! So glad you enjoy this stuffing recipe – it’s super easy and I brought it to Mechi’s house the other day and they all loved it!