Gluten-free Cornbread Stuffing is packed with flavor from smoky bacon, veggies, and fresh herbs. This easy cornbread stuffing recipe is delicious and so easy to make. It’s sure to be a hit at your next holiday meal!

The Best Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing

Stuffing (or dressing as we like to call it) is a Thanksgiving staple. Filled with savory veggies, fresh herbs, and so much flavor it is the perfect holiday side dish and I honestly do not think I could have a proper Thanksgiving without it.

This cornbread stuffing is made with a batch of homemade buttermilk cornbread and filled with delicious goodies like bacon, herbs, and mushrooms. It’s easy to make and is sure to be a hit!

More Reader Favorite Cornbread Recipes

Watch How to Make This Recipe

Is Cornbread Stuffing Gluten Free?

Usually the pre-cut cornbread cubes that you can buy from the grocery store and use for stuffing are not gluten free. But, no worries, this recipe uses a batch of homemade gluten free cornbread to create a stuffing that is absolutely delicious and perfect for everyone at your holiday table.

recipe ingredients

Cornbread Stuffing Ingredients

If you have never made stuffing before you might be surprised at how simple the ingredients really are. All you need for a really delicious stuffing are fresh herbs, staple veggies (like celery and onion), and a binder to hold everything together. This stuffing gets a little extra flavor from the addition of smoky bacon and baby bella mushrooms.

  • Gluten free cornbread – making your own homemade cornbread is easy and gives this stuffing the best flavor. If there is no need for you to be gluten free then you can use regular all purpose flour to make your cornbread. 
  • Bacon – adds a touch of smoky rich flavor to the stuffing. If you need to make a vegetarian version of this stuffing feel free to leave the bacon out.
  • Veggies – a combination of celery and onion for the classic stuffing flavor and baby Bella mushrooms to make this dish even heartier.
  • Butter – a must have ingredient in any good stuffing. If you prefer, you can use ghee or your favorite vegan butter.
  • Eggs – help to bind the stuffing together.
  • Chicken broth – this is used, in combination with the eggs, to bind the stuffing together. It also gives the stuffing a great flavor. You could use vegetable broth if you are making a vegetarian stuffing.
  • Fresh herbs – this recipe uses a combination of parsley, thyme, and sage for delicious results.

dried cornbread on sheet pan

Homemade Gluten Free Cornbread

The base of this gluten free cornbread is of course, the cornbread. Cornbread is one of my very favorite things and it gives this stuffing a delicious hearty flavor. Thankfully, making the homemade gluten free cornbread could not be easier and you only need a few simple ingredients.

  • Gluten free flour (or all purpose if gluten free is not needed)
  • Yellow cornmeal
  • Buttermilk
  • Butter
  • Baking powder
  • Honey

How to Make Homemade Buttermilk

If you would like to use non-dairy milk, instead of buttermilk, in these muffins you can easily make your own homemade plant-based buttermilk. Here’s how:

  • Pour one cup of full-fat coconut milk into a measuring cup
  • Add one tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the milk
  • Let the milk sit for 5 minutes

Ingredient Substitution Questions

Can I make this recipe dairy free? Yes! Follow the instructions above for how to make a plant-based buttermilk and use your favorite vegan butter or coconut oil in place of butter. If you use coconut oil, the muffins will have a bit of coconut flavor to them.

Can I use regular all-purpose flour? Yes! If you do not need to use gluten-free flour in this recipe, feel free to use all-purpose instead.

Can I use almond flour? No! You cannot replace the gluten-free flour with almond flour one-to-one in this recipe.

stuffing ingredients in mixing bowl

How to Make Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing

Once you have made your gluten free cornbread, making this stuffing is as easy as prepping the cornbread, sautéing a few veggies, crisping bacon, and adding all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Step One: After you have made the gluten free cornbread, it’s time to prep the bread for delicious stuffing. To do this, first dice the cornbread into one inch cubes. Then transfer the cubes to a large sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Make sure the cornbread is in an even layer and not stacked on top of itself. Bake the cornbread at 350 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes. Set the sheet pan aside to let the bread cubes cool while you prep the rest of the stuffing.

Step Two: First, start by cooking the bacon lardons in a large skillet until crisp and then removing from the pan. Discard half the bacon fat from the skillet and then add in the butter. Once melted, add the diced onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms to the skillet. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Sauté all of the veggies for five to seven minutes until they are tender.

Step Three: Next, make the binder that will hold the stuffing together. Add the eggs and chicken broth to a large mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined.

Step Four: Now, it’s time to prepare the stuffing. To do this, add the cornbread cubes, sautéed veggies, fresh herbs, and bacon to the egg and chicken broth mixture. Gently fold everything together until well combined.

Step Five: Next, pour the stuffing mixture into a greased 9×13 casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Then, remove the foil from the top and bake the stuffing for another 10 minutes until toasted on top.  Remove the stuffing from the oven and garnish with more fresh parsley before serving.

stuffing in casserole dish before being baked

Variations to Make This Recipe Your Own

What I love so much about stuffing is that it’s easy to customize and make your own. If you want, here a few variations you can try with your homemade stuffing!

  • Use ground sausage instead of bacon to make an even heartier stuffing with a different flavor profile.
  • Add a touch of sweetness with dried fruit like dried cranberries.
  • Toss in a toasted nuts like walnuts or pecans.
  • Get creative with fresh herbs and add in more of your favorites like rosemary or even chives.
  • Make a vegetarian stuffing by leaving out the bacon and using veggie broth instead of chicken broth.

Make Ahead Tips

  • Make a batch of the cornbread in advance and set aside until you are ready to dry it out. If you would like, you can also go ahead and dry out the cornbread in advance, too.
  • Chop your veggies! Dice the celery and onions, slice the mushrooms, and mince the garlic in advance so you can just sauté the veggies when you are ready to make the stuffing.
  • If you want to prep the entire stuffing in advance, you can assemble the stuffing but do not bake, cover with foil, and refrigerate up to a day in advance. When you are ready to bake the next day, bring the dish to room temperature and then bake according to the instructions.

stuffing in casserole dish

More Thanksgiving Recipes to Serve

Here are few more of our reader favorite Thanksgiving recipes to add your menu this holiday season:

Get all of our reader favorite Thanksgiving recipes, here! 

I hope you give this Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing a try! They are so easy to make and delicious! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.

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stuffing in casserole dish

The Best Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing

  • Author: Ashlea Carver
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: Sides
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
  • Author: Ashlea Carver
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 10 1x
  • Category: Sides
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Cornbread

  • 1 cup gluten free flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Stuffing

  • 1 batch gluten free cornbread
  • 6 slices bacon, cut into lardons
  • 4 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth 
  • ½ cup butter
  • 2 eggs 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Method

For the Cornbread

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, butter, buttermilk, and eggs until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until everything is just combined.
  2. Transfer the cornbread batter 10 inch skillet or 9×9 baking pan Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

For the Stuffing:

  1. Dice the cornbread into 1 inch cubes and then spread the cubes onto a large sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake the cornbread at 350 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes. Set the sheet pan aside to let the bread cubes cool while you prep the rest of the stuffing.
  2. Cook the bacon lardons in large skillet until crisp and then remove from the pan. Discard half the bacon fat from the skillet and then add the butter. Once melted, add the diced onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms to the skillet. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Sauté all of the veggies for five to seven minutes until they are tender.
  3. Next, add the eggs and chicken broth to a large mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined.
  4. Add the cornbread cubes, sautéed veggies and all the pan drippings, fresh herbs, and bacon to the egg and chicken broth mixture. Gently fold everything together until well combined.
  5. Pour the stuffing mixture into a greased 9×13 casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove the foil from the top and bake the stuffing for another 10 minutes until toasted on top.  Remove the stuffing from the oven and garnish with more fresh parsley before serving.
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Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eat

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12 Comments

  1. Audrey Page says:

    I needed a gluten free stuffing for my SIL’s. This stuffing is delicious. Everyone loved it but my gluten free SIL told me that it was the best stuffing she had ever had in her whole life. It was so gratifying to be able to provide my family with such a delicious meal this holiday while accommodating different family members food restrictions.






  2. This looks close to my mom’s cornbread stuffing…only probably healthier (her recipe calls for a can of mushroom soup..you know the “mmm..good..but not really, kind! LOL). How crucial are the mushrooms? I have some picky eaters that I know would try to pick them out. *eye roll*

    1. Ashlea Carver says:

      Haha! and you can easily leave them out if necessary! hope you enjoy it!

      1. Ashlea, I hate to even ask this, but if I wanted to use a gluten-free cornbread mix, what brand would you recommend? I see Bob’s Red Mill has one and Krusteaz. I’ve never used either. It’s only 3 in our household and I rarely have cornmeal on hand. :p

      2. Ashlea Carver says:

        Hi, Amy! I totally get it! I’ve never used Krusteaz products but I have used Bob’s Red Mill products (not the gf cornbread mix specifically) so I’d probably go with that one. I’m sure either one you pick will work out well though! hope that helps!

      3. Bless you, Ashlea!!! I can’t wait to try! ;*

  3. This is thee perfect GF cornbread stuffing! We made it last year and will definitely be making it again this year. Thank you Ashlea for creating and sharing this recipe. Happy Gobbles






  4. This recipe is delicious! I’ve never been a fan of cornbread stuffing before, but my husband requested it and it was amazing! I was so glad it was just the two of us so we could have leftovers! I did use a different recipe for the cornbread itself, but followed the directions for everything else and it was perfect! This will definitely be a repeat recipe in our house.






    1. Natalie Perkins (ATHT) says:

      So glad you made the recipe work for you, Gail! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!

    2. Chris cushman says:

      I used Krusteaz GF cornmeal mix….delicious for this. I also used sausage instead of bacon. Left out the mushrooms because I have some picky eaters but I added diced green apple when I sauteed the veggies in the butter. It was soooo delicious!






  5. This was just the recipe I needed for Thanksgiving! Everyone raved about it!






    1. Ashlea Carver says:

      I’m so glad everyone loved it, Kaydence!