Celebrate Thanksgiving with this savory Vegan Cornbread Dressing. Store-bought or homemade cornbread is baked with cranberries, pine nuts and flavorful herbs. So easy to make and really delicious!
There's no turkey on vegan Thanksgiving. Instead, the star of the table is a pumpkin pie, green bean casserole and of course a vegan dressing.
Whether you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family or friends, it's always a good idea to add a stuffing to your menu.
My Vegan Cornbread Stuffing recipe is a showstopper. It is even approved by my mom, who's not really into any kind of stuffing.
It's lightly sweet, easily oil-free, flavorful and you won't even miss having a turkey.
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Here's Why This Recipe Works
- this vegan cornbread dressing can be made with a store-bought or homemade cornbread. The preparation is easy-peasy and you can make it ahead of time;
- the cranberries and pine nuts add texture and additional flavor;
- combination of fresh herbs in this vegan cornbread dressing will make your kitchen smell amazing
📋 Ingredients
Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes
- yellow onion. It's a staple in any kitchen, however if you want to fancy up you vegan cornbread dressing, you can replace the onion with a leek. It has a similar taste to the onion but adds a richer flavor to sautéed vegetables; Alternatively, you can use shallots, however for this recipe you will need 2-3 big shallots
- cornbread. I make my vegan stuffing with a homemade cornbread. If you buy it from the grocery store, make sure it's vegan; You can also pick Gluten-free cornbread
- pine nuts. Because of their soft texture, the pine nuts are perfect in this vegetarian cornbread stuffing recipe. However, you can substitute them with chopped cashews or shelled walnuts; Pine nuts are available in most grocery stores
- dried cranberries. These wonderful berries add a slightly noticeable sour note to the vegan cornbread dressing. They can be substituted with dried cherries.
Instructions
- Toast the vegan cornbread. Cut the cornbread into 1 inch chunks. Spread the bread cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet and toast in a preheated to 350 F oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet and over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrots and celery and cook for 7 minutes. Add minced herbs, garlic, salt, black pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Combine the ingredients for the best vegan cornbread stuffing. In a large bowl combine sautéed vegetables, dried cranberries, pine nuts, toasted cornbread and vegetable stock. The meatless cornbread will likely soften up so stir the mixture slowly and carefully.
- Bake the egg free cornbread. Spray a 2 qt baking dish with a cooking spray. Transfer the cornbread mixture into a baking dish. Bake this easy vegan cornbread dressing in a preheated to 350 F oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Cook's Tip
When you mix the easy vegetarian cornbread stuffing mixture, some of the cornbread might become mushy and some will remain intact. That's all right and nothing to worry about.
In fact, it's better when some of the cornbread cubes mix with the other ingredients. That way, the vegan cornbead dressing will hold its shape better.
Frequently Asked Questions
My understanding is that if you stuff the turkey with the variety of delicious things, you call it a "stuffing". If you're planning to serve this mixture alongside turkey or as a side dish, then it's a dressing. In a nutshell, stuffing and dressing are the same thing.
Thanksgiving dressing needs herbs. A classic combination for a dressing is sage, thyme and rosemary. You can often buy them in bunches in the grocery stores days leading to Thanksgiving.
Additionally, you can use parsley, fennel seeds or vegan poultry seasoning.
it depends. If it contains any animal-based ingredients like meat or cheese, then vegans should probably abstain from trying it. Choose the stuffing that is made entirely with the plant-based ingredients like grains, vegetables and/or plant-based meat.
It's going to be delicious. Acorn squash is another option. Make sure to bake the squash till tender prior to stuffing it with a vegan cornbread dressing.
Storage Tips
This vegan cornbread dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
You can also freeze it for up to 1 month.
To defrost - bake in a preheated to 350 F oven for 15 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If the vegan cornbread dressing seems a little dry, you can pour a splash of vegetable broth overt the top and then bake.
Recipe Variations
This easy vegan cornbread stuffing can be spruced up with several other ingredients. Here are my recommendations:
- sweet potato. Add ½ cup of finely chopped sweet potato to the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until the potatoes are almost cooked through but still have some resistance when poked with a knife. Note, that it's important to cut sweet potatoes into a small dice.
- mushrooms. Adding mushrooms to a vegetarian cornbread dressing is always a great idea. 8 oz or 2 ½ cups of Portobello or white mushrooms should be enough. Make sure to sauté them first in some olive oil before adding to easy cornbread dressing and baking it.
Making The Dressing Ahead Of Time
If you're planning to make a lot of dishes for the Thanksgiving table, then it's a good idea to prepare some parts of the vegan cornbread dressing recipe in advance.
Luckily, vegan cornbread dressing is so easy to make ahead of time.
- If you're getting cornbread from the grocery store, I recommend buying it a few days before Thanksgiving and refrigerating it.
If you want to make your own cornbread, I might just have a wonderful recipe for it. It's made with yellow cornmeal, applesauce and plant-based milk.
My cornbread recipe will keep in a refrigerator for up to 5 days or up to 1 month in a freezer. You can toast it ahead of time too.
- Next, you can sauté the vegetables ahead of time and refrigerate them for up to 5 days.
If you take care of these two steps, then all you have to do is mix the toasted cornbread with the sautéed vegetables, cranberries pine nuts, broth and finally - bake it.
So easy:)
Serving Suggestions
This vegan cornbread dressing is a simple yet flavorful side dish that will compliment any Thanksgiving menu.
I recommend pairing it up with other hearty vegetable side dishes. Since Thanksgiving an autumn holiday, I recommend starting your dinner with a light yet cozy Butternut Squash Soup. You can serve it in little mugs or bowls.
Next, I suggest a Mushroom Stroganoff served over Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. These are my favorites and they cook so fast.
Another side dish that I really love and recommend is Sautéed Swiss Chard With Walnuts. It's my dad's healthy recipe and I make it on a regular basis.
The meal won't be complete without pumpkin pie. My Pumpkin Caramel Pie is sure to impress everyone.
Similar Recipes
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
If you're looking for a quick overview of the recipe, please check out my Vegan Cornbread Stuffing web-story.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 7 c cornbread cut, into 1" cubes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil vegetable broth or vegan butter
- 1 medium yellow onion finely minced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage finely minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ c dried cranberries
- ¼ c pine nuts
- 1 ¼ c vegetable stock
Instructions
Toast the cornbread
- Spread the cornbread cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet and toast in a preheated to 350 F oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and set aside.
Sauté the vegetables
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large sauté pan and over medium heat. Add chopped onion, carrots and celery and cook for 7 minutes. Add minced herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Combine the ingredients for the dressing
- In a large bowl combine sautéed vegetables, dried cranberries, pine nuts, toasted cornbread and vegetable broth. The cornbread will likely soften up so stir the mixture slowly and carefully.
Bake the cornbread
- Transfer the cornbread mixture into a greased 2 qt baking dish. Bake the vegan dressing in a preheated to 350 F oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Kulia says
Yes!
GUSTAVO DE OBALDIA says
Iryna, I loved your recipe! Really nice yummy flavors! I will make another batch next week! Thanks for the clear steps, they were very easy to follow!
Tara says
Such a fantastic cornbread dressing! Definitely perfect for celebrating the holidays. I love all those flavors.
Mindee Taylor says
I'd never had a stuffing made from cornbread before! The corn taste was superb!
Emily Flint says
I love finding new recipes for the holidays! My family loves cornbread and I know they are going to love this dressing!
Jyoti Behrani says
So easy and delicious! I made this last night for my family and everyone loved it. Definitely making it again. Thanks for such an easy and tasty recipe!