What’s your must-have item on the Thanksgiving table?
For me, it’s stuffing. Hands down, my favorite dish of the entire meal.
I love a carb (duh), and I love an herby-buttery one at that. This Savory Apple & Cranberry Stuffing is just that!
This stuffing is a wonderful mix of savory and slightly sweet, tons of fresh herbs, onion-celery-garlic goodness, crisp apples, spiced apple cider, and butter.
You really can’t go wrong.
I’ve tested this recipe out several times over the years, and this is my favorite version.
I grew up eating Pepperidge Farm stuffing – my mom made it every year and the flavors are SO nostalgic to me.
I wanted to make a homemade version that reminded me of the pre-made stuff, and I gotta say, this is pretty darn close.
We’re using two types of bread for this recipe. I picked up a beautiful sourdough boule and a French baguette – the combination of the two is great for both flavor and texture reasons.
That said, you can use any type of good quality, crusty bread here. AND you want it to be a bit dried out or stale. Otherwise, the stuffing will end up being way too mushy.
This stuffing, like most others, is easy to make. There’s no meat involved, which keeps it a nice vegetarian side option, and also makes it less fussy to prepare.
Let’s get into how to make this glorious dish of carbs.
Ingredients You Need for This Savory Apple & Cranberry Stuffing:
- Cubed sourdough and Italian/French bread — any combination of crusty, bakery-style bread will work
- Unsalted butter
- Diced onion
- Diced celery
- Diced Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Cosmic Crisp apples – any crisp, tart-sweet apple will work here
- Minced garlic
- Fresh sage and thyme
- Dried cranberries
- Apple cider
- Vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Eggs
How to Make This Savory Apple & Cranberry Stuffing:
Prep Your Bread First:
- The key to this recipe is working with stale or slightly dried out bread. Using fresh bread will result in a mushy stuffing.
- I buy my bread and then let it sit out on the counter for a few days. OR I toast it in an oven to dry it out a bit.
- To do this, Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the cubed bread out in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and crisp – similar to croutons.
Prep the Veggies & Seasonings:
- While the bread cubes are toasting, heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, celery, apple, garlic, and fresh herbs along with a large pinch of salt, and sauté until they are softened.
- Stir in the dried cranberries, apple cider, and broth and stir to combine. Cook until the liquids are warmed through. Taste the mixture and season with additional salt and pepper – don’t be afraid to really season this. It will be coating A LOT of bread. It should almost taste over-seasoned at this stage.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the toasted bread cubes to the pot and toss to combine until all the bread is evenly coated. Taste again and adjust the seasoning, as needed.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and then pour into the bread mixture, tossing again to combine.
Baking & Serving the Stuffing:
- Transfer the mixture to a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish and make sure it is evenly pressed into the dish.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350°F or until the stuffing is puffed, golden, and set in the center. If the stuffing is browning too quickly, tent the baking dish with foil.
- Serve while warm, garnished with additional herbs.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Chestnut, Cherry, & Bacon Stuffing
- Thanksgiving Leftovers Pierogi
- Apple Cider Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Onions
- Turkey with White Wine & Truffle Gravy
- Citrus Riesling Turkey
I could seriously polish off the entire pan by myself.
It is so, so good and SUCH a staple on our Turkey Day table!
@yestoyolks ✨Savory Apple & Cranberry Stuffing✨ A must on our Thanksgiving table! Stuffing is by far my favorite part of Turkey Day. This version is the best of all worlds: buttery, herby, super savory with a touch of sweet, and wows everyone who tries it. The addition of crisp apples, dried cranberries, and spiced apple cider adds a fun twist to this otherwise traditional stuffing – and the results are just fabulous! Easy to prep ahead and so delicious. FULL RECIPE on yestoyolks.com! #foodtiktok #recipes #cookingvideo #cookingtiktok #recipeideas #recipesforyou #cozyfall #cozyfood #thanksgivingdinner #thanksgivingrecipes #thanksgivingsides #turkeyday #vegetariansides #stuffing #ilovecarbs ♬ Falling Leaves – Glenn Miller & His Orchestra
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Savory Apple & Cranberry Stuffing
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Description
This Savory Apple & Cranberry Stuffing is a must on our Thanksgiving table! It’s the best of all worlds: buttery, herby, super savory with a touch of sweet, and wows everyone who tries it. The addition of crisp apples, dried cranberries, and spiced apple cider adds a fun twist to this otherwise traditional stuffing – and the results are just fabulous!
Ingredients
- 6 cups cubed sourdough bread
- 6 cups cubed Italian or French baguette
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 1/2 cups diced Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Cosmic Crisp apples (see Note)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the cubed bread out in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and crisp – similar to croutons (alternatively, if your bread is already somewhat stale, you do not need to do this step. Having slightly stale/dried out bread is KEY for this recipe, though, so do not skip the toasting step if your bread is fresh).
- Meanwhile, heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, celery, apple, garlic, and fresh herbs along with a large pinch of salt, and saute for 10-15 minutes or until they are softened.
- Stir in the dried cranberries, apple cider, and broth and stir to combine. Cook until the liquids are warmed through. Taste the mixture and season with additional salt and pepper – don’t be afraid to really season this. It will be coating A LOT of bread. It should almost taste over-seasoned at this stage.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the toasted bread cubes to the pot and toss to combine until all the bread is evenly coated. Taste again and adjust the seasoning, as needed.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and then pour into the bread mixture, tossing again to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a buttered 9 x 13-inch baking dish and make sure it is evenly pressed into the dish.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the stuffing is puffed, golden, and set in the center. If the stuffing is browning too quickly, tent the baking dish with foil.
- Serve while warm, garnished with additional herbs.
Notes
- I like the combination of two breads here, for both texture and flavor. I like to cube the bread in ½-inch squares, but you can cut it larger or smaller, depending on your preference. Larger cubes will yield a more rustic stuffing while smaller cubes will yield a softer, not-as-crusty stuffing.
- The best apple for this is one that is tart-sweet and crisp. My favorites are honeycrisp, cosmic crisp, or Granny Smith – but any crisp/tart-sweet apple will work.
- To keep this vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- To make this ahead, prepare it completely prior to the baking step, cover well, and refrigerate for up to 2 days ahead of time. Remove from the fridge at least 1 hour before you are ready to bake the stuffing. Bake as directed.
- I like to keep my stuffing separate from the turkey, but this recipe will work inside the turkey as well.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: side dishes
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
yum, really like this stuffing version, thank you!