Vegan sausage stuffing is the ultimate Thanksgiving comfort food! It’s savory with a hint of sweet and serves 10-12 people. This homemade stuffing is enticing and full of fall flavors like sage and apple!
Note: this recipe was originally published on November 13, 2020. It was updated on October 23, 2024 with an updated recipe and photos. Please contact me if you would like a copy of the original recipe using tempeh crumbles.
Vegan stuffing with sausage and sage is popular during the fall and winter season, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas! It is a comforting, savory casserole full of rich flavor. The apple and cranberry add a nice touch of sweetness, while the sourdough bread gives us those comforting carbs. Are you drooling yet?
This homemade sourdough stuffing pairs well with stuffed acorn squash with quinoa, vegan mashed potatoes, miso and mushroom gravy and roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic glaze.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Sausage and sage stuffing is super hearty with the addition of beyond sausage, which adds plant-based protein.
- Homemade stuffing (or dressing) tastes the best in my opinion. This recipe uses thick sourdough bread cubes to create the perfect base!
- This vegan side dish is perfect to make for friends-giving, Thanksgiving or any cozy holiday gathering.
- No egg required for this stuffing!
Ingredient Notes
- Vegan butter - I don’t often use butter in my recipes but this is certainly an exception! You can find vegan butter by the regular butter in the grocery store.
- Sourdough bread - 12 cups of bread is a little less than 1 large loaf of sourdough. Free free to use your favorite kind of bread.
- Italian Beyond Sausage - use regular or hot Italian sausage. It is honestly incredible how similar it tastes to regular sausage, but this is entirely plant-based. You can usually find this in the meat section of the grocery near regular sausage.
- Apple - use any apple variety of your choosing. This adds natural sweetness to the stuffing.
- Fennel - fennel is similar in taste to celery and adds a nice crunch to the stuffing.
- Sage - this simple fresh herb makes the flavors of the stuffing come to life!
- Cranberries - I recommend using no-sugar added dried cranberries.
- Vegetable broth - use store bought or make vegetable scrap broth.
Substitutions and Variations
- Tempeh - the previous version of this recipe used tempeh instead of beyond sausage. Please contact me if you would like a copy of the recipe with tempeh crumbles!
- Bread - feel free to use your favorite kind of bread in place of sourdough.
- Spicy - for a spicy version try using hot Italian beyond sausage and ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Umami - sauté mushrooms with the rest of the veggies for a boost of umami flavor!
- Apple cider - try using apple cider in place of some (or all) of the vegetable broth.
Step by Step Instructions
Slice the bread into 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes.
Dry out the bread cubes by letting them sit overnight on a baking sheet, or simply bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until dry.
Sauté the beyond sausage in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of vegan butter. Break the sausage apart until it looks crumbled. Remove the sausage crumbles from the skillet and set aside.
Add the remaining butter, onion, fennel, apple, sage and cranberries. Sauté for 10 minutes until everything has softened.
Mix together the sautéed ingredients along with the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
Spread the stuffing out in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy every bite!
Hint: you may have to remove the casing/skin of the beyond sausage.
Tips and Tricks
- Stuffing/dressing is typically made from old, dried out bread. In order to make this this way you will want to cut the bread into cubes, put it on a baking sheet and leave it out overnight until it is dried out.
- Forgot to dry out the bread? No problem! It will be just as yummy if you dry it out in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Storing and Reheating
Store stuffing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, once the casserole cools down, you can simply cover it with foil or plastic wrap and store the entire dish in the fridge.
Reheat vegan sausage dressing in the microwave, or put the entire baking dish back in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes until warm.
I do not recommend freezing the sausage stuffing. It will taste best fresh within a few days of making it.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is optional. You can dry out the bread by leaving it out overnight OR you can simply bake the bread cubes in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until they are dry.
No, you can use your choice of vegan sausage. I find this recipe to work best with Beyond sausage, however it should still work well with other brands.
Vegan Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread cut into 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes (about 12 cups)
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 package Italian Beyond Sausage 4 sausage links
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 fennel bulb diced
- 1 apple diced
- ½ cup dried cranberries unsweetened
- 3 tablespoon fresh sage chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes to dry them out.
- Add 1 tablespoon of vegan butter to a large skillet over medium heat. Once it begins to sizzle, add Italian sausage Beyond Meat. Break the sausage apart with a fork or spoon as it cooks. Sauté for about 5 minutes until the sausage has started to brown. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of vegan butter to the skillet. Once it begins to sizzle, add the diced onion, fennel, apple, dried cranberries, sage, salt and red pepper.
- Sauté over medium heat for 5-10 minutes until the onion is translucent. Turn the heat off.
- Combine the bread cubes, sausage, fennel and apple mixture, and vegetable broth in a large mixing bowl. Mix gently until combined.
- Add the stuffing mixture to a 9x13 baking pan.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Tip: you can leave the bread cubes out overnight to dry naturally instead of toasting them in the oven.
- I like to use no-sugar added cranberries.
- I recommend using sourdough bread but feel free to use your favorite bread!
Em says
It is nice to have a vegan stuffing option on the table!