If you’re looking for the perfect side dish this holiday season, look no further than my vegan cranberry sausage stuffing with Walnut meat. yes, you read that correctly we are going to be making sausage out of walnuts and you are going to love it! this recipe is filled with all the seasonal flavors you know and love, Plus it’s easy to make and tastes delicious!
Ingredients you’ll need to make vegan sausage stuffing:
Walnut Meat
- soaked walnuts – we’re turning nuts into meat by using soaked walnuts that we’ll process until crumbly.
- soy sauce, vegan Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke – these ingredients will not only add depth of flavor, but help to give the walnut meat some color.
- garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper – you know we had to add in some seasoning, so we’re going to go with some tried and true options and add in the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper to mimic the spicy flavor you’ll often find in traditional sausage.
Stuffing
- vegan sourdough – if you can’t find a loaf of sourdough bread, you can also substitute with ciabatta bread (preferably day-old). We’ll slice the bread into cubes and dry it out in the oven until it’s nice and crispy.
- olive oil – you can use any neutral oil you’d like such as olive, grape seed or vegetable oil.
- yellow onion, garlic – these aromatics will be the perfect base of flavor for your dish.
- celery stalks, carrots – carrots and celery add a nice pop of color to the dish and are add ins you’ll traditionally find in a stuffing recipe.
- salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried parsley, dried sage – these seasonings will have your home smelling magical! Feel free to add others that you enjoy most.
- vegetable broth – using vegetable broth works best in this recipe, but if you’re in a pinch you can also substitute with water.
- dried cranberries – these will add a hint of sweetness to your dish because who doesn’t love a savory – sweet contrast?!
How to make vegan sausage stuffing:
Making this vegan sausage stuffing recipe is a lot easier than what you might think. The first thing you’ll want to do is gather up all of your ingredients. I realize that when you look at the recipe card the ingredient list seems to go on forever, but rest assured most of it is just seasonings!
Once all of your ingredients have been gathered, go ahead and preheat your oven to 275° F. I find it easiest to start prepping all of the ingredients (dicing, chopping, measuring) so that it makes putting the recipe together a lot faster.
If you have not yet soaked your walnuts, let this be the absolute first thing you do. This way, you can be measuring and chopping all while the walnuts are soaking. I suggest 1 hour of soaking time, but 30 minutes will do if you’re in a pinch. If you’re really planning ahead, you can soak them overnight as well.
Grab your loaf of bread and start dicing it into 1 inch pieces. As you run out of space on your cutting board you can begin transferring them to a baking sheet, spreading them out evenly into one layer. I ended up needing two baking sheets, but you may be able to manage getting away with one.
Once all of your bread is diced, transfer it to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. It’s important that the bread has a chance to dry out which makes it perfect for any stuffing recipe.
Preparing the walnut meat:
After you’ve given your walnut meat a chance to soak, drain the water from the bowl and transfer it to a high-speed blender or food processor. Use the pulse function repeatedly until it resembles a ground meat. Next, heat a medium sized pan over medium heat along with a dollop of neutral oil such as olive oil, grape seed oil, or vegetable oil. Add in the minced walnuts and stir.
Next, add in all of the remaining walnut meat ingredients such as the soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. One of the things that I loved most about traditional sausage was that it was always slightly spicy, which is why I included red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper in this recipe. However, I realize that everyone doesn’t care for that flavor, so if it’s not your thing feel free to leave it out.
Stir in all of this seasonings, making sure that everything is well coated and allow the meat to continue cooking for 3 to 4 more minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to keep the walnuts from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once finished, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Preparing the stuffing:
Using the same pan that you cooked the walnuts in, add some olive oil and continue warming over medium heat. Once the oil is warmed, add your diced onions and garlic. Cook these together until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Be sure to stir consistently.
Next, add the chopped celery, carrots, and seasonings to the pan (black pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and sage). Then add in your vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling remove it from the heat and set it aside.
Layering the vegan sausage stuffing components:
In an appropriately sized baking dish, add half of the dried bread cubes then layer it with the celery / carrot mixture, half of the dried cranberries, and half of the walnut meat. Add another layer of dried bread cubes, the celery / carrot mixture, dried cranberries, and walnut meat. Disperse the ingredients inside as needed.
You can also add a drizzle of additional vegetable broth over the bread cubes around the edges to add moisture and keep them from getting too crispy. This part is totally up to you! Adjust the oven temperature to 350°, then transfer the vegan sausage stuffing dish to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.
Once the bread appears to be crispy and golden in color, you’ll know that your vegan sausage stuffing ready to be removed.
FAQ:
How do you store vegan sausage stuffing?
You can store this dish in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
What’s the best way to reheat this dish?
You can reheat this vegan sausage stuffing in the microwave or in the oven at around 300° until warmed through.
Can this recipe be made ahead?
It really depends on personal preference. I love this dish when it’s fresh out of the oven. The bread pieces have more texture and everything tastes fresh. However, if you don’t mind losing the crispiness of the bread, you can make ahead and reheat.
If you’re trying to save time, I would recommend prepping all of the ingredients so they’re ready on the day you need, so that all you have to do is put everything in the baking dish and bake.
Can you freeze vegan sausage stuffing?
Technically yes, by I wouldn’t recommend it.
This recipe doesn’t have a binder (egg). Can I add one?
If you prefer your stuffing to be less loose, you can add 2 flax eggs to the mixture and stir through.
What can I pair this recipe with?
If you’re eating stuffing, you’ll probably want some other amazing dishes to go along with it. Here are a few suggestions:
- Vegan Beef Wellington
- Spicy Roasted Cauliflower Head
- Air Fried Green Beans
- Candied Yams
- Vegan Collard Greens
I know you’ll love this vegan sausage stuffing with walnut meat recipe! It’s easy to make, incredibly delicious and perfect for Christmas dinner or any holiday! Plus, I like that it’s not incredibly mushy like most stuffing recipes. Give this recipe a try and let me know how it goes in the comments below.
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Vegan Sausage Stuffing with Walnut Meat [+VIDEO]
Ingredients
Walnut Meat
- 1½ cups unsalted walnuts (soaked in water for at least 1 hour)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 4 -5 shakes liquid smoke (optional)
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
- cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
Stuffing
- 12 -13 oz loaf vegan sourdough or ciabatta bread (preferably day-old) cubed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1½ tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried sage
- 2 cups vegetable broth (optional + ⅓ cup)
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275℉
- Place cubed bread on a baking sheet (may need more than one) evenly spaced, then transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes.12 -13 oz loaf vegan sourdough or ciabatta bread
Walnut Meat
- Drain water from soaked walnuts, then transfer to a high-speed blender or food processor.1½ cups unsalted walnuts
- Pulse until crumbly, resembling ground meat.
- In a medium sized pan over medium heat, add a dollop of neutral oil, then add in the minced walnuts. Stir.
- Add all remaining walnut meat ingredients and stir to combine. Cook for another 3-4 minutes stirring consistently.1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, 4 -5 shakes liquid smoke
- Once finished cooking, transfer the walnut meat to a bowl and set aside.
Stuffing
- Using the same pan from cooking the walnuts, add olive oil and warm over medium heat.
- Once warm add the diced onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Stir consistently.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the chopped celery, carrots, and seasonings to the pan. Stir to combine.3 stalks celery, 2 carrots, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1½ tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1½ tsp dried parsley, ½ tsp dried sage
- Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.2 cups vegetable broth
- Once boiling, remove from heat and set aside.
- Change oven temperature to 350℉
- In a 9 x 13 baking dish, add half of the dried bread cubes. Layer it with the celery/carrot mixture, half of the dried cranberries, and half of the walnut meat.½ cup dried cranberries
- Add another layer of dried bread cubes, celery/carrot mixture, dried cranberries, and walnut meat. If desired, drizzle additional amount of vegetable broth over bread cubes around the edges to add moisture.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- Once done, remove from the oven and serve. Enjoy!
