The best paleo stuffing recipe! Perfect for Thanksgiving or as a healthy grain-free side dish for roast chicken. Made with simple ingredients, you’ll be shocked at how much it tastes like “real stuffing”… but better!
This recipe requires no beating around the bush: this is the best paleo stuffing recipe.
I’m a fool for stuffing. Like, if you didn’t include stuffing on your Thanksgiving table, I’d just walk out without a word, dramatically tipping my chair over for effect. I’m really into it. Apparently.
The problem with being mostly paleo is that um, bread isn’t allowed? It’s kind of one of those main tenants of eating primal foods that… yeah, no white bread. No whole wheat bread. No cornbread. No bread. And normally it doesn’t bother me, which is also a little weird? But stuffing… different story.
Why this paleo stuffing recipe is so good:
- It tastes surprisingly like “real” stuffing but is made with all healthy ingredients, like veggies and eggs.
- This healthy stuffing recipe is perfect with a roast chicken or turkey, making it a great side dish for both weeknight dinners and Thanksgiving.
- The ingredients are super versatile: you can swap out what you like and have.
Tips:
- Make sure you sauté your veggies long enough for them to be really softened. This helps everything meld together beautifully in this healthy paleo stuffing recipe, just like a traditional dressing!
- Use the dried herbs you prefer or make your own poultry seasoning.
- If you’re strictly paleo, make sure you get dried cranberries that are sweetened with juice, not sugar.
- This healthy stuffing recipe reheats well, so you can make it ahead.
- You can make this entire paleo stuffing recipe in a large oven-proof skillet, or you can bake it in a casserole dish.
Variations:
- Use chopped dates in place of the dried cranberries, or add 1/4 cup chopped dates to the whole thing!
- Increase the amount of celery by 1 cup and leave out the mushrooms, if you don’t like fungi.
How to Make the Best Paleo Stuffing
Sauté all ingredients except for almond flour and eggs in a large skillet in ghee or oil over medium heat until very soft.
If desired, transfer sautéed veggies to a baking dish; otherwise, keep everything in your large oven-proof skillet. Stir in almond flour and eggs.
Bake at 350º for 45 minutes to one hour, or until the top is lightly browned and crispy.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Whole30 Green Bean Casserole
- Perfect Whole30 Turkey Breast and Gravy
- Whole30 Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs
- Whole30 Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecans
- Whole30 Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
Did you make and love this recipe? Give your review below! 👇 And make sure to share your creations by tagging me on Instagram!
Best Paleo Stuffing (Gluten-Free, Grain-Free)
A healthy paleo stuffing recipe that makes the perfect side dish for chicken or turkey. Ideal for Thanksgiving! Gluten and grain free.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil or refined coconut oil
- 3 cups onion diced
- 2 cups celery diced
- 1 cup mushrooms diced
- 1 cup apple cored and diced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries or dates, chopped
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley chopped
- 4 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups almond flour
- 3 eggs whisked
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
Heat ghee or oil in a large cast-iron or oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, apple, mushrooms, cranberries or dates, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sauté until very soft, about 7 minutes.
Remove from heat. Keep in an oven-proof skillet or transfer to 9x9" baking dish. Stir in almond flour and mix well. Add the whisked eggs and stir well. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until browned on top.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
If you don't have a cast-iron skillet, grease a medium-size baking dish before sautéing ingredients (a 9x9" works well). After eggs have been added and the mixture is well-stirred, transfer mixture to baking dish. Continue baking as directed.
This recipe was originally published November 2016 but was updated with new photos, video, step by step photos, and tips July 2018.
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This recipe is absolutely delicious. I have yeast and dairy allergies, so I really thought I would never have stuffing again. I used avocado oil, dates, and doubled the salt. The recipe took much longer to make than listed. I sauteed the mix for about 20 min. But, I really wanted the onions to caramelize, so the longer pan time was necessary. Excellent results. Also, I recommend mashing the mix down after the flour and egg have been added. This is a wonderful dish, I am making it again for a potluck in three days. I will probably make it again in a couple of weeks for Christmas, and I wish a had discovered it a few weeks ago for Thanksgiving.
I’ve made this the past two Thanksgivings and will probably make for Christmas. This tastes a lot like my mom’s cornbread stuffing that I no longer eat. I added 1/2 lb ground turkey sausage. Thanks so much!
Omgoodness! This is fabulous.
I subbed homemade sausage for the mushrooms; dates for the cranberries; and added roughly chopped raw Brazil nuts for the crunch.
Someone else brought regular stuffing, tasted this, and put hers away because she said it couldn’t compete.
Only half our expected group came to dinner and everyone asked to take some of this stuffing home for leftovers!
Made this for my Thanksgiving dressing and it was really dry and it seemed not to want to bind together well. Is there something I did wrong or can you add some sort of liquid to moisten? Perhaps chicken broth? The flavor was excellent. My hubby thinks I chop the ingredients to small? Thoughts?
I’m not normally one to leave comments, but this recipe deserves a stellar review. I am from the South and chicken and dressing is such a big thing here. It is also my favorite holiday dish. I was so afraid that being paleo would mean I would have to miss out on the awesomeness. However this recipe was just phenomenal and a big hit for the rest of my family as well who are not paleo. It was honestly just as good to me as the usual chicken and dressing! I actually added a little sausage to mine to make it a little more hearty but it is great with or without it. Thank you so much for this recipe!
That is almost word for word what I was going to say! So good!
Hi. Just trying to read other comments again and cannot see them without first commenting.
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was truly amazing. I was considering adding sausage to it this year. Curious if you have prepared it that way and any tips for doing so. Thanks for your beautiful recipes!
I tested this recipe last night…
soooo close to my original cornbread stuffing/dressing and soooooooo good We are trying to eat with less grains and sugars and i love this with the cranberries it keeps me from needing to make cranberry sauce that I love…thank you for sharing these recipes.👍❤
Oh, don’t do without cranberry sauce!
Easy excellent paleo cranberry sauce:
Fresh or frozen cranberries
Dried tart cherries
Cherry juice or cherry cider or cherry juice blend
Directions:
Put cranberries in a saucepan. Cover with just enough juice to cover cranberries (if fresh, until they float off the bottom.) Bring to a slow simmer then add cherries.
Simmer until cranberries begin to burst. Add more juice if it seems dry. Stir and serve or refrigerate for up to a week.
Fantastic recipe! Making this second year in a row – huge hit and nobody seems to notice there is no bread in this Texture is amazing and the mix of spices and sweet and savory is superb. Thanks so much for this recipe! It’s our Thanksgiving classic now 🙂