Vegan Sourdough Bread Stuffing with Apple, Kale and Cranberry

Dress up your holiday table with a sweet and savory vegan sourdough stuffing that everyone will enjoy! Made with fresh herbs, apple, kale, pecans, and cranberries, our sourdough stuffing offers the perfect blend of classic savory flavors, toasted nuttiness, and pops of tart sweetness. We don’t use any egg (or egg replacement) in our loose and laid-back sourdough stuffing, but it clumps together pretty well nonetheless. And like most Thanksgiving goodies, vegan sourdough stuffing tastes wonderful as leftovers!

Vegan sourdough stuffing is easy to make, and the perfect use for old or stale bread – though you can use a freshly-baked loaf as well. That said, you will need a loaf of sourdough bread for this recipe. You can either make your own (try our simple no-knead sourdough bread recipe here) or pick up a whole unsliced loaf from your local bakery. Remember, homemade and artisan sourdough bread isn’t usually all that sour tasting, so I don’t necessarily recommend using commercially made (store bought) “sourdough” – unless you really want it sour!

Why sourdough stuffing is so good

Vegan sourdough stuffing offers several perks and health benefits. First of all, any dish made from scratch with plant-based whole foods (and love!) is going to be more nutritious than packaged options. Sourdough stuffing is rustic, fresh, delicious, and easy to customize to your liking!

Since it’s made with fermented sourdough bread, sourdough stuffing contains more nutrients, less gluten, and is generally easier to digest than regular unfermented breads! Sourdough also tends to have a lower glycemic index than standard bread, leading to less extreme blood sugar spikes.

Learn more here: Why Sourdough Bread is Healthier and Contains Less Gluten than Other Bread.

Ingredients for Vegan Sourdough Stuffing

• 1 loaf of sourdough bread (16-20 oz), lightly toasted – explained to follow
• 1 medium to large yellow or white onion, diced
• 4 to 5 stalks celery with leaves, diced
• 2 medium apples, chopped – I recommend crisp pink lady, honey crisp or fuji apples, or granny smith for a more tart pop
• 2 bunches of lacinato aka “dino” kale, or green curly kale (a couple dozen leaves or about 1 pound)
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (about a 10-12 large leaves, or sub with 2 tsp dry sage)
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, about 10 sprigs stripped/de-stemmed (sub with 1 tsp dried thyme) 
• 1 or 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, left whole (sub with 1 tsp dried rosemary)
• 6 tbsp olive oil, coconut oil, vegan butter or melted butter. 4 Tbsp will be used in the saute, and 2 Tbsp to drizzle on the top of the sourdough stuffing before baking)
• 8 oz of pecans (about 2 cups) raw or toasted unsalted, left whole or roughly chopped – your choice! Feel free to sub with almonds or walnuts if you prefer.
• 1 cup of dried cranberries 
• 2 to 4 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (sliding scale depending on how large your bread loaf is, and how moist or sticky you want your vegan sourdough stuffing to be)
• 1 tsp salt, more to taste
• black pepper to taste
• Optional: 1/2 tsp red wine or white wine vinegar 

Instructions to Make Vegan Sourdough Stuffing

Toast the Bread

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
   
2. Cut the sourdough bread into ½  inch to 1 inch cubes and spread it out on two baking sheets. Leave the crust on. Bake the sourdough bread cubes for about 20 minutes, until they’re dry, crisp, lightly toasted and golden brown. (Already stale bread will take less time.) Rotate the two pans halfway through toasting. Alternatively, you could simply cube the bread a day or two in advance and let it sit out to air dry, though toasting it gives a nice touch!
   
   
3. Increase the oven to 375°F once the bread is done toasting.

Cook Veggie, Herb and Apple Mixture

4. In a large pot on the stovetop, add about 4 Tbsp of olive oil, coconut oil, butter or vegan butter of choice. Add diced onions and celery, and allow it to cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes while you prep the herbs and apple.
   
   
5. Once the onions start to turn translucent, add the finely-diced sage and thyme, whole sprig of rosemary, and chopped apple to the pot. Allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. 
   
   
6. De-stem the kale and either roughly chop or rip it into bite-size pieces. Add the kale to the pot of cooked onions, celery, apple and herbs, along with 1 tsp salt, a sprinkle of black pepper, and 1/2 tsp of red or white wine vinegar. Cook only until the kale wilts, then remove from heat.
   
   

Mix & Bake Stuffing

7. Put the toasted sourdough bread croutons in a large mixing bowl, then add the sautéed veggie/apple mixture, pecans, and dried cranberries. Use tongs or spatula to toss and combine.
   
   
8. Slowly pour the vegetable broth over the mixture, stirring the stuffing to evenly mix as you go. Start with 2 cups of broth and then add ½ cup more at a time until it reaches your desired moisture level. (The amount will vary slightly depending on the size of the bread loaf. We ended up using about 3.5 cups for this particular batch.) Use enough so that the bread crumbs absorb the broth and become slightly soft, but not soggy or overly wet. I personally like having a few toasted crunchy bites left here and there. The more broth you add, the more the bread will break down and clump together – if you prefer your sourdough stuffing more sticky and homogenous.
   
   
9. Adjust with more salt and pepper to taste (if needed).
   
   
10. Transfer the stuffing mixture into a greased baking dish. Finally, drizzle 2 Tbsp of melted butter or oil of choice evenly across the top of the stuffing.
    
    
11.  Add a lid (or foil) and bake the vegan sourdough stuffing covered for 25 to 30 minutes, and then a final 5 to 10 minutes uncovered to lightly toast the top. 

Dig in!

I hope you love our vegan sourdough stuffing as much as we do. Please let us know by leaving a review below! I especially enjoy eating stuffing with a drizzle of Aaron’s famous easy vegan mushroom gravy on top. That gravy is a huge hit with meat-eaters, picky eaters, and even folks who don’t usually like mushrooms!

Looking for other veg-friendly, crowd-pleasing ideas to go with your vegan sourdough stuffing? Pop over to 20+ Satisfying Vegetarian and Vegan Holiday Recipes That Everyone Will Love. It’s loaded with drool-worthy ideas like our homemade fresh cranberry sauce, balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts, herb smashed potatoes, and my favorite yam apple cranberry bake with walnuts. You may also love our pumpkin-shaped sourdough bread loaf tutorial. It makes the perfect festive fall centerpiece!