Vegan Stuffing with Apples and Hazelnuts

Make your Thanksgiving vegan complete with this plant-based vegan stuffing. It is made with hazelnuts and apples and seasoned with fresh sage and parsley for the perfect side dish to your holiday meal.

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Now that we are in November you can start expecting a lot of Thanksgiving recipes coming out of My Darling Vegan’s kitchen. Early this week I shared with you my classic Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake (yeah, I sneaked that one into October) and later this month I’ll be sharing a recipe for Vegan Pot Pies, my favorite Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and KETO Mashed “Potatoes”.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Today, let’s turn our attention towards this AMAZING vegan stuffing.

This plant-based Thanksgiving stuffing is the best! It is filled with seasonal ingredients like apples, hazelnuts, and fresh herbs for the perfect Thanksgiivng side dish. Baked in a chickpea flour custard, this classic Thankskgiving recipe will be an instant hit for vegans and ominvores alike!

Looking for the best vegan stuffing recipe? Look no further.

Recommended Ingredients & Equipment

This vegan stuffing is a remake from one of my earliest recipes – a veganized variation of the stuffing I grew up eating on Thanksgiving. I swapped out turkey broth for vegetable broth and added chickpea flour to help bind the stuffing together in lieu of eggs. Other than that, it’s a classic vegan stuffing made with artisan French bread and filled with apples, celery, spices, and hazelnuts.

Here is everything you need.

Ingredient Notes

• French Bread – Use slightly stale or toasted bread. This helps the stuffing hold together when submerged in the custard. This vegan challah also makes a great base for this recipe.
• Vegan Butter – Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
• Apple – I recommend a hard tart apple variety like Granny Smith, but any apple will do.
• Herbs and Spices – You will need fresh parsley and sage and dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Chickpea Flour – This is used as the egg replacer. If you would prefer a different kind of egg replacer, check out my complete guide on replacing eggs to get a few more ideas. A flax egg would be the next best thing to chickpea flour.

Recommended Equipment

For this recipe, you will need a 11×7 (roughly 6 cups) casserole dish and sauté pan. In addition, you should have a baking sheet, silicone baking mat, basic kitchen utensils, including a sharp chef’s knife and cutting board. (<<affiliate links)

Step-by-Step Instructions

This vegan stuffing is very simple to make. It can be thrown together on the morning of Thanksgiving and baked just before the big meal. It makes a lot; make sure you have many hungry mouths to feed!

Step One – Prepare the Bread

First, cut the bread into 1″ cubes and place it in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes at 400 until the bread is slightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together vegetable broth and chickpea flour until chickpea flour has dissolved.

Step Two – Sauté the Veggies

Heat the vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add celery and apples and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until apples are slightly soft.

Stir in the spices and hazelnuts. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Step Three – Assemble and Bake

Mix in the toasted bread to the apple/hazelnut mixture, stirring to combine. Slowly pour the vegetable broth/chickpea flour over the stuffing, mixing while adding until everything is evenly hydrated.

Transfer the stuffing to a prepared casserole dish, cover in tin foil and bake for 30-35 minutes, until everything is golden brown and the custard has completely set.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serving and Storing

Serving – Serve immediately alongside your favorite vegan thanksgiving recipes.

Storing – Tightly wrap lefotver stuffing and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, gently thaw and reheat in the oven or microwave.

Frequenty Asked Questions

More Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes

• Vegan Parmesan Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”
• Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Sauce
• Maple and Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
• Mushroom Lentil Loaf
• Classic Pumpkin Pie

Make sure to check out all my vegan Thanksgiving recipes for more inspiration!

Vegan Stuffing with Apples and Hazelnuts

Make your Thanksgiving vegan complete with this plant-based vegan stuffing. It is made with hazelnuts and apples and seasoned with fresh sage and parsley for the perfect side dish to your holiday meal.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 154kcal

Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

• 8 cups French bread, cut int 1″ cubes
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced thin
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large Granny Smith apple, diced
• 3/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh sage, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place cubed bread in a single layer on baking sheets and bake for about 10 minutes, until slightly toasted. Remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl.
• In a small bowl whisk together vegetable broth and chickpea flour until chickpea flour has dissolved. Set aside.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 11×7 (roughly 6 cups) casserole dish and set aside.
• Heat vegan butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until onions are translucent and fragrant. Add celery and apples and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until apples are slightly soft. Add spices and hazelnuts. Stir to coat and remove from heat.
• Add toasted bread to the apple/hazelnut mixture, stirring to combine. Slowly pour the vegetable broth/chickpea flour over the stuffing, mixing while adding until everything is evenly hydrated.
• Transfer stuffing to the prepared casserole dish, cover in tin foil, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until bread is lightly brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Serving and Storing – Serve immediately alongside your favorite vegan thanksgiving recipes. Tightly wrap leftover stuffing and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, gently thaw and reheat in the oven or microwave.

Make in Advance – For easy Thanksgiving prep, you can prepare the Thanksgiving stuffing the night before or earlier in the day. Wrap the unbaked stuffing in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. When you are getting closer to your meal, bake according to the instructions below.

Recipe Tips

1. Use slightly stale or toasted bread. This helps the stuffing hold together when submerged in the custard. Vegan challah also makes a great base for this recipe.
2. This recipe is highly versatile! Switch up the fruit, nuts, and veggies for whatever you have on hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use something other than chickpea flour? Unfortunately no. Chickpea flour has serious binding powder, similar to that of eggs, which gives the stuffing its structure. It also is completely flavorless meaning it won’t affect the taste of the recipe itself.

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 646mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 570IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1.8mg