This wheat free stuffing is also free of dairy, eggs, soy, fish, shellfish, peanuts, and tree nuts making it an allergy-friendly dish that all of your guests will enjoy.

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A Thanksgiving must-have

For me, Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without stuffing. So, when my son was old enough to eat solid foods, I was highly motivated to figure out how to make an allergy-friendly version that everyone could enjoy.  In my past life (before food allergies), I made stuffing using the boxed mix or, if I was going all out, a bag of seasoned croutons.

Nowadays, you can find wheat free stuffing mix at the regular grocery store. But, in 2006, it was not an easy item to find so I decided to make my own from scratch.

The ingredients

Safe bread for croutons

My son is allergic to wheat, eggs, dairy, barley, and peanuts so step one was to find bread that is free of those allergens. I have found that there are a lot of great gluten free bread products out there but many of them contain egg.

It really didn’t matter that every wheat and egg-free bread we had tried was too dry and crumbly for our taste. For croutons, dry and crumbly works! 

My go-to bread for this recipe is Food for Life’s brown rice bread because I think the flavor is similar to whole wheat bread. I have also used white gluten-free bread and it works well, too.

Gluten free broth

I use either Kitchen Basics Gluten-Free Broth or Pacific brand broths that come in the aseptic containers (the boxes). It's just a lot more convenient than using granules to make broth. For Thanksgiving, I cut corners wherever I can!

Prep ahead of time

The croutons

This recipe isn’t as quick and easy as boxed stuffing or even pre-made bags of seasoned croutons. Luckily, the most time-consuming part – making the croutons – can be done a few days ahead of time!

I usually dry the bread the weekend before Thanksgiving and then store the min airtight containers or resealable bags.

I also usually have to hide them because my kids like to snack on them! ? ?

The vegetables

I usually chop the carrots, onions, celery, and shallots the day before and store them in airtight containers.

You could even go so far as to toss the croutons and vegetables together the night before and then just add the broth in the morning.

Add the broth

This recipe calls for 2-½ cups of broth to be added to the crouton mixture. I have found that this amount varies quite a bit depending on how dry the croutons are and what kind of bread you use. I continue to add broth until the bread won't soak it up anymore, sometimes it is closer to 4 cups.

Even though this stuffing does require a little bit more effort, it's delicious and makes our Thanksgiving dinner complete!

Bake it...

I usually assemble this dish in the morning right after I put the turkey in the oven. After I have tossed together the croutons, vegetables, spices, etc. and added broth, I cover it and put it back in the refrigerator.

Whenever I make Thanksgiving dinner, I struggle with oven space. I typically take this dish out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before I take the turkey out of the oven. This lets it worm up to room temperature so it doesn't have to bake as long after the turkey comes out.

I have even put it in the microwave for a few minutes just to give it a head start. Once the turkey comes out of the oven, my casseroles go in for about 20-30 minutes.

...Or slow cook it

Over the years, I have tried to rely less on my oven and use my slow cooker and pressure cooker more often for Thanksgiving dinner.

This stuffing works very well in the slow cooker! Again, I put it together right after I put the turkey in the oven and add it right to the slow cooker.

I start it on the high setting for an hour or two and then reduce to low so it doesn't get too dried out. I like having it off to the side and out of the way!

This stuffing may take a little more effort that a box stuffing or even pre-made bags of seasoned croutons but it's well worth the effort, especially on Thanksgiving!

Related recipes

📖 Recipe

Wheat Free Stuffing

Kristi Winkels, RDN, LD

Thanksgiving dinner is not complete without this wheat free stuffing. It is also free of dairy, eggs, soy, gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 10 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• Cooking spray
• 1-½ loaves gluten free bread soy, egg, dairy-free bread (or enough to make 6 cups)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 onions diced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• ½ cup diced carrot
• 2 shallots minced
• 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
• 2 teaspoons dry thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup white wine or broth
• 2 ½ cups gluten-free chicken broth (see note)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Cut the bread into ½ inch cubes and place on the baking sheet in a single layer. Toast in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes being sure to toss the cubes every 15 minutes to ensure even toasting. When the bread cubes are dried completely, remove them from the oven and cool. Store in an air tight container until you are ready to make the stuffing.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a saute pan. Add the onions, celery, carrot, and shallots to the pan and saute until tender. Add the sage, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook for an additional two minutes stirring frequently. Add the wine (or broth) and continue to cook for two more minutes or until the wine is reduced by half.
• In a large bowl, place the toasted bread cubes and toss in the vegetable mixture. Add the chicken broth gradually and stir until the bread cubes are evenly moistened and no longer crunchy (this may require more broth). Transfer to a baking dish and bake at 325 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Notes

The amount of broth you use may vary depending on the type of bread you use and how dry it is. Add broth until the croutons no longer soak up the liquid and they are no longer crunchy.

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Salad greens with cranberry vinaigrette combines fresh, tangy and sweet flavors to create a festive dish that's free of the top 8 allergens.

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I originally made this salad for our first allergy free Thanksgiving feast. Now, many people would argue that plates have no room for a green salad on Thanksgiving. And that may be true for some, but I will always make room for a good salad!

How to make it

When you're preparing several dishes for a big feast, you need at least one that is super simple to put together. This is that dish!

Start with the greens

I like mixed salad greens for this salad but you could use spring mix, spinach, or even chopped hearts of romaine. Choose what you like and what is available to you.

I used a 5 ounce container of mixed salad greens which comes out to about 8 cups. If your greens aren't washed already, put them in a big bowl cover with water, and then swish them around for a minute or so. The grit should drop to the bottom leaving your greens nice and clean.

I would recommend putting the clean greens in a salad spinner, if you have one, to get them nice and dry. If you don't have a salad spinner, just pat dry with paper towels.

Add the greens to a large serving bowl.

Add the fruit

Fruit in salad is just so good! Because there are fewer in-season fruit options in November here in Minnesota, I use mandarin oranges, pear slices and dried cranberries. I have also made this with apple slices (honey crisp apples are especially good!)

If you are making this salad in advance, I would recommend waiting to add the pear (or apple) until you are ready to serve as these fruits do tend to brown once they're cut.

I toss half of each of the fruits into the mixed salad greens and then top the salad with the remaining. Otherwise, they all tend to fall to the bottom of the salad.

Make the dressing

I love this dressing! It is sweet and tangy and it makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

To make it, start by re-hydrating the dried cranberries with hot water. After about 30 minutes, they can be pureed with some of the reserved mandarin orange juice. I use my Magic Bullet for this job. It's so easy to set up and clean up when I'm done.

Once you've pureed the cranberries and juice together, add the sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, and mustard and mix well. At this point, you can taste it to see if you want more salt or pepper.

Finally, add in the olive oil and blend well.

I like to keep this in a glass jar until I'm ready to serve the salad. You could even keep it on the side and let your guests decide how much dressing they want. Although, if you do this, you might need to double the dressing recipe!

If you have extra dressing, you can keep it in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks (another reason to make extra!)

Serving suggestions

This salad is often part of our Thanksgiving menu but, once you've made the dressing, it's easy enough to have every day!

This salad would be delicious topped with leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving feast or a grilled chicken breast.

More Thanksgiving recipes

📖 Recipe

Mixed Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Kristi Winkels, RDN, LD

This salad is topped with a sweet and tangy cranberry vinaigrette that is free of dairy, egg, soy, wheat/gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.

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Course Salad

Servings 8 servings

Calories 140 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Salad:

• 8 cups Mixed salad greens (about 5 ounces)
• 1 pear thinly sliced
• 1 small can mandarin oranges drained (reserve the juice for the dressing)
• ½ cup dried cranberries

For the Dressing:

• ¼ cup dried cranberries such as Craisins
• ¼ cup hot water
• ¼ cup orange juice reserved from can of mandarin oranges
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Dash freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon "safe" Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

For the salad

• Toss the salad greens, mandarin oranges, and dried cranberries in a large bowl.

For the dressing

• In a small bowl, soak the dried cranberries in the hot water for about 30 minutes.
• Drain the cranberries. Using a food processor or blender, puree the cranberries with the reserved mandarin orange juice (the mixture will not be completely smooth). Mix in the sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, and mustard. Finally, add the olive oil to the mixture and blend until it is fully incorporated and has thickened slightly. Chill until ready to serve.
• Pour over the salad and toss to coat or serve on the side. Dressing recipe yields ¾ cup.

Notes

Nutrition facts for about 1 cup of salad: Calories: 140, total fat: 7 grams, saturated fat: 1 gram, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 30 mg, total carbohydrates: 20 grams, dietary fiber 3.5 grams, sugars: 15 grams, Protein: 1 gram.

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal

Keyword dairy free, egg free, fish free, gluten free, peanut free, shellfish free, soy free, tree nut free, vegetables, wheat free

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Love this recipe?

Please leave a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and share your comments below!

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