Best Paleo Stuffing (Healthy, Gluten-Free, Grain Free)
Posted: 07/20/18
Updated: 11/23/21
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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!
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.
What Makes This Recipe 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.
Chef’s 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.
Try These Recipe 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.
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
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 large eggs whisked
Equipment
- Cast iron skillet (or other oven safe skillet)
- 9×9 baking dish (if not using oven-safe skillet)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Heat ghee or oil in a large cast-iron or oven-safe skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion, celery, apple, mushrooms, cranberries or dates, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sauté until ingredients are very soft, about 7 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat. Keep ingredients in oven-safe skillet, or, alternately, transfer ingredients to 9×9" baking dish.
- Stir almond flour in to other ingredients until well mixed. Add the whisked eggs and stir well. Place skillet (or baking dish) in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until stuffing is browned on top. Serve warm.
Notes
- If you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, grease a medium-size baking dish before sautéing ingredients (a 9×9″ works well). After eggs have been added and the mixture is well-stirred, transfer mixture to baking dish. Continue baking as directed.
Video
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 274kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 79mg, Sodium: 197mg, Potassium: 464mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 409IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 121mg, Iron: 3mg, Net Carbs: 13g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Love it! A meal in itself!
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi! I’m wondering whether this can be used to stuff a turkey rather than being baked in the oven. Thanks for the recipe. Super excited to try it!
That should work! It just won’t be as crispy on the top because of it being baked inside the bird. Let us know how it turns out!
Can I make this amazing stuffing in advance and freeze it? Its such a keeper. Third year making it for my keto son (with minor adjustments:)
Absolutely! Just add a little bit of broth or water when reheating so it doesn’t dry out.
I left out the apples and cranberry and added sausage to make it slightly less healthy and also lower carb LOL. ‘Twas fantastic—wouldn’t even know the bread part was missing… thank you!
Sausage is always a good idea! Glad you could make it your own and enjoy it. 🙂
I made it for thanksgiving today and it was delicious! What a gift! Thank you!!
Thrilled to hear it, Karen!
I would like to prep this dish tomorrow and cook it the next day. Since I’m out of oven space, do you think it would work well in a slow cooker? Thanks.
Ooh, good question, Donna! Unfortunately we haven’t attempted it in a slow cooker, so we can’t say for sure. If you try it, please let us know how it goes – that would be a great alternative!
I just want to say, this stuffing recipe has been a staple on my Thanksgiving table for the last four years. It’s SO good!! I leave out the dried fruit and add chopped chestnuts instead. They have a carb-y bread-like texture, and add a great flavor. So grateful I can eat stuffing on Thanksgiving with this recipe! Thank you!!!
Thrilled to hear this, Rachael! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi,
If making this the day before Thanksgiving, at what temp and for how long should it be reheated? Can’t wait to try!
Hi, Stephanie! Reheating at 350°F for 20 minutes or so should do the trick! The time will really depend on your oven, altitude, and how cold the stuffing is when it goes back in the oven. I’d cover it with foil for the first 10-15 minutes, then uncover for the rest of the bake time. Keep an eye on it as it reheats and take it out when it’s completely warmed through!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I can’t wait to try this, but I do have some family that is expecting a breaded stuffing. I was thinking of making two and using gluten free bread to another version. I’m wondering if it would be too dry, or should I add more eggs to compensate?
It shouldn’t be too dry, but if it is you can always add some compliant broth or liquid and cook a little longer. We don’t recommend adding more eggs, as that can affect the stuffing’s texture.
Hi, can sausage be added to this recipe?
Sure!