A traditional holiday bread stuffing perfect for the holidays and large family gatherings. Packed with flavor from mushrooms, onion, celery, and garlic, and seasoned with traditional spices. A true holiday classic and family favorite!
This plant-based mushroom stuffing features a stale loaf of bread, mushrooms, onion, celery, garlic, vegetable broth, and seasonings. Let’s chat about each contributor.
To start, you’ll need a one pound loaf of bread. This can be just about any kind of bread, including homemade or store-bought. If you follow a gluten-free or keto diet, simply use compliant bread of your choice. My only recommendation is that the bread be neutral in flavor.
To prepare your bread for this recipe, it needs to be cubed and dried, which can be done one to three days in advance. To do this, simply slice your loaf if it isn’t already sliced. Then cut stacks of the slices into a grid – lengthwise and cross-wise – to create lots of little cubes or blocks of bread.
These little blocks or cubes can be as small or large as you prefer. I typically cut mine in a ¾ inch cube. If you prefer smaller bits in your stuffing, you should cut your bread in ½ inch cubes. Then spread your bread out on a clean counter, baking sheets or racks, or parchment. Allow it to dry overnight.
If you live in a humid area, you can dry your cubes in the oven on the very lowest heat setting until they are dry and crisp, typically an hour. You can also purchase stuffing cubes as I sometimes do. Many stores sell dry unseasoned stuffing mix (bread cubes) packaged specifically for holiday bread stuffing.
The next key ingredient are your mushrooms and vegetables. I use whatever my local grocer has. You can use a single variety mushroom like bella button mushrooms or a variety of mushrooms that offers an array and depth of flavors and textures.
You’ll also need chopped onion, celery, and garlic. Together, the mushrooms and these three key ingredients provide the essence of this savory mushrooms stuffing. They’re sautéed over medium heat to slowly release their moisture while releasing incredible depth and aroma.
The next ingredient provides incredible umami to this dish. In Japanese, Umami means deliciousness and is often described as the savory taste of a dish. Umami is often referred to as the fifth taste of savoriness. The other four tastes are saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, and sourness.
And while the mushrooms provide excellent umami in this Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing, I highly recommend making and using Umami Vegetable Broth. It really contributes greatly to the savory aspects of this dish. I love that it costs next to nothing since it is made with kitchen scrapes. Plus, it lends so much depth, flavor, and umami to a dish without any added salt, color, or preservatives.
The final key contributors to this Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing are the aromatic seasonings associated with traditional bread stuffing. This includes vegan Worcestershire sauce, parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram, black, pepper, and nutmeg. I use dried seasonings since I typically make this in the winter when I don’t have as much as access to fresh herbs. To make things easier, you can use 2½ tsp poultry seasoning.
To make this Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing, stir the broth into the sautéed mushrooms and vegetables. Then stir in the seasonings and bring to a simmer.
Now it’s time to bring it all together. I find it helpful to split the mixtures in half. First, spread half of your cubed dry bread evenly in a large casserole dish. Pour half of the hot broth mixture evenly over the top of the cubes and toss gently to combine. Transfer the remaining cubes to a large bowl, then pour the remaining broth mixture over top and toss gently together.
The key is to allow the cubes time to absorb the broth. Then you toss everything gently together, allow to rest for another minute or two, then toss everything gently once again. This is where you combine both halves together.
Transfer the stuffing in the bowl on top of the stuffing in the casserole dish. Pack it down just slightly – you want it the cubes to stick together but you don’t want the stuffing to get dense. Bake the stuffing until the top is toasted a nice golden brown. And serve with your favorite meal.
This Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing is a plant-based side dish that delivers flavor in every bite. It’s a fantastic accompaniment to Vegetable Not-Meatloaf or meatless roast. My favorite sides include Creamy Rosemary Mashed Potatoes, Baked Mac ‘n Cheez, Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing, Classic Green Bean Casserole, Orange Cranberry Sauce.
Luckily, this Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing can be made in advance. So, it’s great large family gatherings and holiday meals. It also freezes well, making it ideal for meal prep or batch freezer meals. You can store this in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before use.
I hope you enjoy this Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped*
- 1 small onion, finely chopped*
- 4 stalks celery, finely chopped*
- 1-2 Tbsp vegan butter or oil (optional)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (2 Tbsp)
- 3 cups Umami Vegetable Broth or water**
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp marjoram
- ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pound bread, cubed and dried (about 9 cups)***
- salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- In a large skillet or pot, sauté the mushrooms, onions, and celery with the vegan butter or oil over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. If not using butter or oil, add a tablespoon of water or vegetable broth, as needed, to keep the onions and mushrooms from sticking.
- Stir in the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine the broth, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Heat until the broth starts to simmer. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings, if desired. Set aside.
- Spread half of the cubed bread evenly in a large casserole dish. Put the other half in a large bowl.
- Add the cooked mushrooms, onions, and celery to the pot of seasoned broth.
- Pour half of the hot broth mixture evenly over the top of the cubes and toss gently to combine. Transfer the remaining cubes to a large bowl, then pour the remaining broth mixture over top and toss gently together. Allow the bread in both the casserole dish and bowl to absorb the liquids for 1-2 minutes, toss, allow to rest 1-2 minutes, then toss again. Transfer the stuffing in the bowl on top of the stuffing in the casserole dish. Pack it down just slightly.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is toasted nice and golden.
Notes
* I use a food processor to speed up the dicing/chopping process.
** You can bake or buy your bread. I sometimes purchase plain unseasoned stuffing cubes.
*** Add a little more broth if the bread cubes look dry.
Classic Vegan Holiday Stuffing
Equipment
- oven
Ingredients
- 8 ounces mushrooms finely chopped*
- 1 small onion finely chopped*
- 4 stalks celery finely chopped*
- 1-2 Tbsp vegan butter or oil optional
- 4 garlic cloves minced (2 Tbsp)
- 3 cups Umami Vegetable Broth or water**
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp marjoram
- ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 pound bread cubed and dried (about 9 cups)***
- salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- In a large skillet or pot, sauté the mushrooms, onions, and celery with the vegan butter or oil over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes. If not using butter or oil, add a tablespoon of water or vegetable broth, as needed, to keep the onions and mushrooms from sticking.
- Stir in the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, combine the broth, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Heat until the broth starts to simmer. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings, if desired. Set aside.
- Spread half of the cubed bread evenly in a large casserole dish. Put the other half in a large bowl.
- Add the cooked mushrooms, onions, and celery to the pot of seasoned broth.
- Pour half of the hot broth mixture evenly over the top of the cubes and toss gently to combine. Transfer the remaining cubes to a large bowl, then pour the remaining broth mixture over top and toss gently together. Allow the bread in both the casserole dish and bowl to absorb the liquids for 1-2 minutes, toss, allow to rest 1-2 minutes, then toss again. Transfer the stuffing in the bowl on top of the stuffing in the casserole dish. Pack it down just slightly.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is toasted nice and golden.
Notes
** You can bake or buy your bread. I sometimes purchase plain unseasoned stuffing cubes.
*** Add a little more broth if the bread cubes look dry.