How to Make the Best Gluten-Free Stuffing

If you’re on a gluten-free diet, Thanksgiving can feel like a bit of a minefield. Whether you have celiac disease or are allergic to wheat, barley or rye, you know the drill — it’s safest to make your own food. And if you’re baking a special dish for a friend or family member, what a kind thing to do!

Luckily, if you need guidance on gluten-free baking, several delicious gluten-free stuffing recipes swap traditional bread for rice, potato or corn starch. Here’s a look at removing gluten from this savory side.

Avoiding Cross Contamination

The first thing you’ll need is a clean workspace — even a crumb of wheat bread can cause severe reactions in many people. If you’re cooking at someone else’s house, make sure they know how vital it is to not cross-contaminate dishes. 

Wash all mixing bowls and pans with hot water before you put your gluten-free ingredients in them. Set your spatula on a different cutting board or countertop from where people are cooking gluten-containing food. Use your own designated space to lay out ingredients, and always use a separate toaster to toast gluten-free bread. If the appliance has toasted wheat, barley or rye bread at any point, the leftover crumbs can be a hazard. If you don’t have a safe toaster, you can toast bread on a pan in the oven. And this goes without saying, but don’t lick the spoon when making a gluten-free dish for someone else. Your saliva can cross-contaminate the food with trace amounts of gluten.

Once you have a clean workplace, you’re ready to start baking. Here are some suggestions to make the best gluten-free stuffing. 

Stuffing Recipe Ideas

You’ll need gluten-free bread or flour if you want to start from scratch. This Thanksgiving stuffing recipe uses toasted bread seasoned with onion, sage, celery, thyme and soy sauce to enhance the flavor, all mixed into savory chicken stock.

It’s important to note that most soy sauce is made with wheat, so always double-check the ingredients and ensure you have a gluten-free variety. The same goes for chicken broth.

Another top pick is this stuffing recipe that can also be vegan or dairy-free to accommodate different diets. It only uses 10 ingredients, five of which are spices! It outlines several gluten-free stuffing mixes that you can buy pre-made and also walks you through how to make homemade stuffing mix rather than store-bought. You can substitute turkey drippings for chicken broth and even add chunks of sausage for a hearty meal.

This highly rated recipe incorporates 10 ingredients as well and you can make it in just four steps. With sage, thyme, salt and pepper for seasoning, this gluten-free dish has all the classic flavors of a traditional recipe.

If your stuffing comes out a bit too dry, you can always add a little more broth, butter or a dairy-free butter substitute. On the other hand, bake it a bit longer if it’s too wet.

You can freeze stuffing for up to six months in an airtight container or heavy-duty freezer bag. Ideally, you should store individual portions — once bread thaws out, it doesn’t freeze well a second time.

Recipes for Everyone

Digestive diseases are prevalent worldwide, so you likely know someone who can’t eat gluten. The good news is that the whole family can indulge when you make gluten-free versions of everyone’s favorite foods like stuffing.

About the Author

Mia is a health and wellness writer and the Editor In Chief at Body + Mind. She specifically enjoys writing about women’s fitness, as well as mental health-related topics. When she’s not writing, Mia can usually be found reading poetry, taking a dance or cardio class, or hiking.