Whether you are Team Stuffing or Team Mashed Potatoes for your Thanksgiving table, you will love this vegetarian mushroom stuffing recipe. It's full of fresh vegetables, bright herbs and aromatics like sage, thyme, and garlic, with a vegan and gluten-free option.
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In this vegetarian mushroom stuffing recipe, the rustic bread soaks up all of those delicious flavors while the interior becomes creamy in the oven, with the top developing a beautiful golden crust. With just 15 minutes of prep time, this savory side dish is a must-have on any holiday table.
This stuffing recipe couldn't be easier. Take the hassle out of your holiday gathering and treat yourself to this simple and flavorful veggie stuffing (or maybe you call it dressing where you live).
It's even freezer-friendly with a dairy-free/vegan and gluten-free option.
Whatever you do, don't forget to fill up the rest of your Thanksgiving table with red skin mashed potatoes, vegetarian stuffed squash, and carrots and green beans!
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⭐️ Why This Mushroom Stuffing is the Best
- Creamy and crunchy texture from a mixture of meaty mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, and sourdough bread
- Rich umami flavor with herby aromatics from sage, garlic, thyme, and parsley
- Easy vegetarian stuffing recipe with 15 minutes of prep time
- Delicious Thanksgiving side dish
- Freezer-friendly so you can enjoy after the holiday season
- Healthy vegetarian stuffing using simple ingredients
🍄 Ingredient Notes
- Onion, carrot, celery & garlic - Our aromatics add flavor and provide a crunchy texture. Red onion or 3-4 shallots can be used in place of yellow onion. I recommend using fresh garlic, but jarred garlic will work as well.
- Unsalted butter - Using unsalted butter helps you control the amount of salt in your cooking.
- Fresh sage, thyme, and parsley - This trio of fresh herbs add freshness and deep flavor. I highly recommend that you use fresh herbs for the best flavor.
- Low-sodium vegetable broth - I always use low-sodium broth so that I can control the amount of sodium in my cooking. If you use "regular" broth, cut the added salt amount in half (½ teaspoon). You can always add more salt at the end if needed.
- Cremini or button mushrooms - Adds deep umami notes and creaminess.
- Rustic sourdough bread - Go for a rustic, artisan loaf of bread if possible. Since bread is the main ingredient in our mushroom stuffing, we want as much flavor and texture as is possible. Sourdough, multi-grain, whole wheat, or seeded bread will all work well.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Add protein. Add your favorite protein to make it that much heartier; tofu or chickpeas would both work well.
- Make vegan/dairy-free stuffing: Substitute any vegan butter for the dairy butter.
- Make gluten-free: Use your choice of gluten-free bread in place of the sourdough for gluten-free stuffing.
- Brown butter. Deepen the flavor of your stuffing by using brown butter - it makes everything so much more delicious!
- Bread. Use sourdough focaccia or sourdough cornbread as a bread substitute if you want stuffing with a bit more texture. Just be sure to dry it out for 1 or 2 days before using it for your stuffing.
🔪 How To Make Vegetarian Mushroom Stuffing
*For printable instructions, see recipe card below.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrot, celery, and sage. Cook until onions become translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and cook until they have released all of their liquid and begin to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Pour broth into the pan, add fresh thyme, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
Place bread cubes into a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Remove vegetable mixture from the stove and pour over the bread. Mix well, allowing bread to soak up the broth. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
Bake (uncovered) for 45 minutes, until the stuffing is set and the top is golden brown. If stuffing starts to get too brown, place a piece of foil over the top.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Storage: Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- How to reheat: In an oven-safe dish, place stuffing in a preheated 350° F oven. Cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes, then remove foil and bake until crisp, 5-10 minutes.
- To freeze: After completely cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe container. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Make sure your bread is one or two days old. You want to use bread that has been dried out a bit so that you don't end up with mushy stuffing. Your bread mixture should be moist without being soft and extremely wet. If it's too soft, add more bread cubes. If it's too dry, add a bit more broth.
- Dry out your bread quickly. If you are short on time, you can dry out your bread cubes by placing them in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes.
- This recipe calls for low-sodium vegetable broth. "Regular" vegetable broth can be salty, so cut back on the amount of salt called for in this recipe by half if you use regular vegetable broth.
- Use fresh herbs for optimal flavor.
🍽 How to Serve Vegetarian Mushroom Stuffing
Homemade stuffing is a delicious addition to your holiday table, especially when paired with cornbread, homemade biscuits, and puff pastry apple pie.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Stuffing should always start with the trifecta of onions, carrots, and celery for both flavor and texture. Adding mushrooms and garlic provides stuffing with savory notes and rich creaminess. Making sure that your bread cubes are dried out will help achieve the best consistency for your stuffing.
Meat is not necessary for a rich and savory stuffing. What's more important is the aromatics, herbs, and texture to create a delicious stuffing.
Absolutely not. The consistency of stuffing is a key component. It should be moist on the inside, with a golden crusty exterior. You can use almost any type of bread to make stuffing, but it's important to dry it out for 1 to 2 days before using it so that it doesn't become mushy when you turn it into stuffing.
Stuffing should be moist on the inside (without being mushy) with a golden and crispy outside. It's the balance of creamy and crunchy textures that makes stuffing so delicious.
🦃 More Thanksgiving Recipes
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Vegetarian Mushroom Stuffing
Equipment
- large pot or Dutch oven
- 9"x13" baking dish
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 2 Tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
- 12 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 loaf day-old rustic sourdough bread, cut into ½-inch cubes (If you need to dry out your bread, put it in a preheated 350 F degree oven for 30 minutes.)
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrot, celery, and sage. Cook until onions become translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper, and cook until they have released all of their liquid and begin to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Pour broth into the pan, add fresh thyme, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place bread cubes into a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Remove vegetable mixture from the stove and pour over the bread. Mix well, allowing bread to soak up the broth. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
- Bake (uncovered) for 45 minutes, until the stuffing is set and the top is golden brown. If stuffing starts to get too brown, place a piece of foil over the top.
- Garnish with fresh parsley before serving. (optional)
Video
Notes
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- Storage: Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
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- How to reheat: In an oven-safe dish, place stuffing in a preheated 350° F oven. Cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes, then remove foil and bake until crisp, 5-10 minutes.
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- Make sure your bread is one or two days old. You want to use bread that has been dried out a bit so that you don't end up with mushy stuffing. Your bread mixture should be moist without being soft and extremely wet. If it's too soft, add more bread cubes. If it's too dry, add a bit more broth.
-
- Dry out your bread quickly. If you are short on time, you can dry out your bread cubes by placing them in a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes.
Terri says
I made this for Thanksgiving and added chicken sausage. Everyone in my family really enjoyed it! I will be saving this to make again next year!
Gastronotherapy says
So glad you enjoyed it, Terri! And I love the idea of adding chicken sausage!
Patricia Fortlage says
Can't wait to try this; it looks and sounds delicious!!
MaryAnne says
Thanks, Patti! Let me know if you give it a try! 🙂
Paulina says
This was very easy to make and the perfect stuffing texture! I was worried that my meat loving family would complain about it being vegetarian but everyone loved it!!
MaryAnne says
Thanks so much, Paulina! I'm glad that even meat-lovers enjoyed it! 😉