Last Updated on November 5, 2021 by Anne-Marie

This easy gluten free stuffing recipe is made with chorizo, squash & apples. Make this gluten free recipe for stuffing with cornbread.

Why this recipe works

This easy gluten free stuffing recipe is full of flavor and the perfect side dish at this year’s Thanksgiving table.

Not only does this chorizo, squash, and apple stuffing go great with smoked turkey, it’s terrific with goose, duck, chicken, or Cornish game hens.

This gluten free stuffing recipe is also a terrific way to use up leftover ingredients like butternut squash, apples, cranberries, and fresh herbs used in other Thanksgiving menu items.

How to make this easy gluten free stuffing recipe

You'll love this spin on traditional gluten-free stuffing with chorizo, apple, and squash.

Prepare the gluten free bread cubes

You can prepare the bread cubes several days ahead before cooking your Thanksgiving dinner. Then store them in Ziploc baggies in the refrigerator until cooking time.

If you’re a super planner, you could even freeze them weeks in advance.

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

2. Cut the gluten free white bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread onto a baking sheet pan.

3. Dry gluten free bread cubes in the oven for 30-45 minutes, tossing every 10-12 minutes until crispy.

4. Remove from the oven. Let cool.

5. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap. Set aside or put away until later.

Cooking the gluten free stuffing

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cook chorizo in a large sauté pan or large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to brown, stirring often and breaking meat into small chunks, about 5 minutes.

3. Turn down to medium heat. Add butternut squash, cranberries, celery, onion, garlic, sage, and oregano. Cook until softened, about 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Add apples. Stir to mix in. Cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Transfer meat, vegetable, and apple and celery mixture to a very large mixing bowl.

6. Add broth to the pan and stir to loosen any browned bits.

7. Place gluten free bread cubes into the large bowl.

8. Stir in parsley and mix thoroughly.

9. Coat a 9x13 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Spoon stuffing into the baking dish, mounding it.

10. Bake for 45-50 minutes until stuffing is golden brown and the center reaches 160 degrees F. Drape pan with foil if stuffing gets too dark.

11. Remove from oven. Serve immediately.

What kind of gluten free bread?

Use your favorite gluten-free bread in this holiday gluten free stuffing recipe.

I find it’s a great way to use gluten free:

• stale bread,
• day-old bread that’s on sale,
• leftover dinner rolls,
• boring white bread,
• leftover hamburger or hot dog buns (keep leftovers in the freezer to make stuffing),
• and those ends of loaves of bread no one seems to want to eat.

How to make this with gluten free cornbread

You can also make this gluten-free cornbread stuffing using my recipe for Easy Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread Recipe.

Even easier, use a gluten free cornbread mix. I recommend:

● Krusteaz Gluten Free Honey Cornbread Mix

● Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread Mix

And yes, you can do a combination of white bread and cornbread. I do something similar in my Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing Recipe.

How to dry out gluten free cornbread

I feel it’s best to make the cornbread  a couple of days in advance so it can dry out a bit. That way the bread cubes can absorb the chorizo, chicken broth, apples, and seasoning.

Leave the bread on the counter loosely covered with a clean dish towel.

That way the air can get to it, but you avoid your family stealing any. (Maybe put it on top of the refrigerator as well!)

A quicker way is by cutting up cornbread into cubes and toasting them in the oven. Here’s how:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

2. Cut the gluten free white bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread onto a baking sheet.

3. Dry gluten free bread cubes in the oven for 30-45 minutes, tossing every 10-12 minutes until crispy.

4. Remove from the oven. Let cool.

5. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap. Set aside or put away until later.

Again, you can do this several days in advance. Or even weeks before the big day.

Just freeze the bread cubes for later and defrost them overnight before baking them in this delicious gluten free traditional stuffing recipe.

More gluten free Thanksgiving stuffing tips

Broth: If you’re gluten free, either make your own chicken broth or chicken stock, or use a gluten free brand.

Make sure to read labels carefully. Not all brands of chicken broth are gluten free.

Chorizo: If you can’t find chorizo at your supermarket, make your own using my homemade chorizo recipe. (Make sure to check the label for any gluten containing ingredients.)

If you’re not into chorizo, you can also use Italian sausage. Try my homemade Italian sausage recipe.

Can this be made into a vegan gluten free cornbread stuffing recipe?

Yes, you can easily make this into a vegetarian or vegan stuffing recipe with a few substitutions.

Bread: It can be a challenge to find a vegan bread that’s also gluten free. The ones I see for sale that are gluten free and egg-free bread, use honey so aren’t vegan.

You could try Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix, which is vegan.

The directions say to use eggs and egg whites, but you can use egg substitutes like flax egg, applesauce or Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer.

Cornbread: Try my Vegan Corn Bread recipe, which is made with tofu. (It’s super moist and delicious!)

Vegan “sausage”: Use vegan sausage or veggie crumbles. If that’s not to your liking, just double up the squash, celery, and apples. You can also add other vegetables like carrots, parsnips, or sweet potatoes.

This delicious gluten-free stuffing recipe is versatile!

NOTE: Also, use olive oil to sauté everything in since you don’t have the fat from the chorizo to in which cook the vegetables

You can also use a vegan butter to sauté vegetables. A nice olive oil or coconut oil vegan spread would be perfect!

Broth: Use a vegetable broth and make sure it’s vegan AND gluten free. (You have to double check everything. I know, right?)

Make this easy gluten free stuffing ahead of time

You can make it up to one day ahead of time, up to step 8. Then cover and refrigerate.

A hour or so before you sit down for the holiday meal, remove the stuffing from refrigerator. Uncover the pan and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

If you’re not going to serve it right away, cover the pan with foil and keep in a warm oven until it’s time to eat.

If the stuffing gets dried out, add a little warm broth.

More easy Thanksgiving recipes

Check out the Best Gluten Free Thanksgiving Desserts Recipes and the Best Keto Thanksgiving Recipes for more delicious recipes for your holiday table. Or check these gluten-free recipes out!

Appetizers: Spicy Cranberry Hummus, Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Side Dishes: Crockpot Mashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes, Vegan Rice Stuffing with Cranberries, Vegan Rice Stuffing with Squash & Dates, Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce, Sara Moulton’s Best Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Turkey Dinner: Instant Pot Turkey Breast, Smoked Turkey Brine with Smoked Turkey Rub Recipe, Recipe for how to brine and smoke a turkey breast, How to prepare & cook a spatchcock or butterflied turkey

Ham Dinner: Easy Instant Pot Ham Recipe (With 3 Glaze Recipes!), Easy Crockpot Spiral Ham Recipe – Slow Cooker Ham without Brown Sugar

Desserts: Pumpkin Cheesecake Lasagna, Easy Raspberry Gluten Free Pecan Pie Recipe, Easy Chocolate Gluten Free Pecan Pie Recipe, Keto Pumpkin Mousse, Weight Watchers Pumpkin Mousse Recipe

Leftovers: Turkey Enchilada Casserole, Leftover Turkey Soup, Turkey Cranberry Crescent Braid

Originally published on December 5, 2015. Updated with new pictures and information.