Make your Thanksgiving table extra special with this homemade gluten free cornbread stuffing! It’s made with sweet & tender gluten free cornbread that’s toasted then tossed with savory mixture of sautéd aromatics, sausage and chopped dried figs. It’s cozy, homey & super flavorful – the perfect side dish to add to your holiday table!
How to Make Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage & Figs
Make Cornbread
- whisk the dry ingredients
- stir in the wet ingredients
- bake until cooked through
After baking, leave the cornbread out at room temperature to cool and rest. Don’t cover the bread as you want to to dry out a bit.
Tip! Make the Cornbread 1-2 days before you need it
Stale bread is ideal! It will crisp up faster in the oven and means you need less time and effort prepping everything on the day.
Toast Cornbread
- cut cornbread into 1-inch cubes
- spread across 2 large baking sheets
- toast for about 10-15 minutes until golden & crisp
After toasting, set the cornbread croutons out of the way for a bit while you move on to prepping the meat & veggies.
Sauté Veggies & sausage
- sauté onion, celery, salt & pepper – about 10 minutes
- add & cook sausage meat – about 8-10 minutes
- stir in dried figs and herbs – about 2 minutes
- remove from the heat
Tip! Cool Slightly
Give the sautéd veggies & sausage about 5-10 minutes to cool off the heat before moving on to the next step. This is so the piping hot mixture doesn’t scramble the eggs or break down the bread cubes too quickly.
Combine
In a large mixing bowl:
- toss toasted cornbread & the veggie mixture together
- whisk stock & eggs in a jug or bowl, then pour into the bowl
- gently mix until everything is evenly combined & moistened
Tip! Add Broth Gradually
Add about 1/2 cup stock at a time, mixing after each addition. Don’t add all at once or it will make your bread soggy.
Bake
- Transfer to a greased baking dish
- Bake about 40-45 minutes until golden brown
- If the top browns too quickly, cover with foil and finish baking.
A Few Quick Notes & Things to Keep in Mind
Additions➕
- Nuts: Add a crunchy texture with chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios or pine nuts. Toasted nuts taste better, but you can use un toasted too.
- More Veggies: Add about 1 cup sliced mushrooms and/or carrot. Sauté along with the onion & celery.
- Fresh Fruit: Add 1 chopped and diced green apple or 3-4 fresh chopped figs when you add the sausage.
- More Herbs: Add rosemary, thyme, parsley, poultry seasoning, etc.
Substitutions ↔
- Dried Figs >> Feel free to swap out the dried figs for dried cranberries or raisins instead.
- Chicken Stock >> Use vegetable stock or broth instead.
- Pork Sausage >> Try chicken sausage or a seasoned pork sausage instead.
Make it Egg Free
- The cornbread: Check out my original Cornbread Recipe for more detailed tips on making it egg free (using flax eggs) and diary free.
- FYI: The vegan cornbread has a softer texture than the non-vegan option, so you will need to toast the bread cubes longer (20-30 minutes) to dry them out.
- Skip the eggs in the stuffing mixture: Eggs can help bind the ingredients together and create a richer flavor, but they’re aren’t 100% necessary when making stuffing (see my Gluten Free Stuffing with Sausage & Apple Recipe for proof!).
Make Ahead
You can partially cook & prep the stuffing 2-3 days ahead of time or freeze the cooked stuffing for up to 3 months.
- Cornbread prep:
- Bake it: Bake 1-2 days before prepping everything else. Store, uncovered at room temp.
- Toast it: Toast it the same day you bake it, just make sure to let it fully cool down to room temp before cutting into cubes. Store at room temperature.
- Sautéd veggies & sausage: Cook a day early then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Don’t combine with the toasted bread until the day you bake the stuffing. Wait to add the stock & eggs until just before it’s time to bake.
- Freeze the finished stuffing: Cool to room temperature then store in a freezer-safe container. Label and enjoy within 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through (internal temp: 165°C/74°C).
More Gluten-Free Recipes to Serve on your Holiday Table
- Gluten Free Thanksgiving Recipes (80+)
- Bacon and Brussels Sprout Salad
- Apple Cranberry Sauce
- Scalloped Sweet Potatoes with Bacon & Herb Sauce
- Honey Mustard Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
- Gluten Free Dinner Rolls
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe
- Mashed Potatoes with Cauliflower
- Vegan Mashed Potatoes without Milk
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Yield: 8-10 cups
Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing with Sausage Recipe
5.0 Stars (1 Review)
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 55 minutes
Gluten free cornbread stuffing made with a toasted cornbread, savory sausage & chopped dried figs. It's a delicious and satisfying side dish that's perfect for Thanksgiving and holiday dinners!
Ingredients
Cornbread
- 1 cup yellow, medium grind cornmeal - ensure gluten free (160g)
- 1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour blend (140g)
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum (only add if your flour blend doesn't already contain xanthan)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (60g)
- 1 cup milk or unsweetened dairy free milk (240g)
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (80ml) or melted butter (75g)
Stuffing
- ¼ cup butter or olive oil (60g)
- 1 large white, yellow or brown onion diced (200g)
- 3-4 stalks celery - diced (150g | 1 ¼ cup)
- ½ tsp, salt & pepper - each
- 1 lb uncooked sausage, casing removed (450g)
- 1 ½ tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 cup dried figs, chopped (125g or about 10 figs)
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock(480g)
Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.
Instructions
Make Cornbread - Make 1-2 days in advance
- Oven prep: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 9 inch square baking pan and set aside.
- Combine: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl until evenly combined. Add the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth.
- Bake: Pour into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes until the top is golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Set aside, uncovered to cool/rest until needed.
Stuffing
- Toast cornbread: Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Cut the cornbread into 1-inch cubes then spread across 2 large, rimmed baking sheets then bake for 10-12 minutes or until crisp. Set aside for now. Increase oven temp to 375°F (190°C).
- Sauté veggies: Melt butter in a large sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, salt & pepper. Sauté about 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Sausage & Herbs: Add the sausage meat to the veggie mixture. Break up with a spoon and cook for about 5-8 minutes or until cooked through. Add the chopped figs and sage and cook for another couple of minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for about 5-10 minutes to cool down a bit. Pour the sausage mixture into a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly.
- Combine: Add the toasted cornbread and sausage mixture to a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
- Add stock + eggs: Whisk together the stock/broth and eggs in a jug or mixing bowl then slowly pour over the top of bread & sausage ½ cup at a time, mixing in between each addition of stock until evenly combined.
- Bake: Spoon the stuffing mixture into a greased 9x13-inch (or any 3-4 quart baking dish). Bake in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes or until lightly browned & crisp on top. If the top starts to go brown & crisp too early, with aluminum foil to finish baking.
- Garnish & serve: Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and serve warm.
Notes
- Prep ahead: Bake and toast the cornbread 1-2 days before everything else. Make sure to let the cornbread cool fully after baking before cutting and toasting. Store at room temperature until needed. You can sauté the veggies and sausage mixture a day early. Cool then store in an airtight container in the fridge. When you're ready to bake, toss with the toasted bread, stock and eggs and proceed with the recipe as usual.
- Freeze: Fully prepare and bake the stuffing then cool to room temperature and store in a freezer-safe container. Label and enjoy within 3 months. To reheat from frozen: Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked through (internal temp: 165°C/74°C).
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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