Cornbread Dressing Recipe - Gluten Free - with Homemade Cornbread! (2024)

An easy gluten free stuffing, this Cornbread Dressing Recipe will surely impress! Full of italian sausage, homemade cornbread, cranberries, and more!

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  • General
  • Stuffing vs dressing
  • Ingredients
  • How to make
  • Get the recipe
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Can you stuff the turkey?
  • Variations
  • Pairing suggestions
  • Making ahead of time
  • How to store
  • Nutrition information

This is one of our family’s favorite holiday side dishes! We make it for Thanksgiving and then again for Christmas…and sometimes again in between the two since it’s justthatgood. 😉

It’s a little sweet, has a little kick from the sausage, is SO full of texture thanks to the celery and pecans, and, I’m gonna be honest, just totally addicting. 😉

What is the difference between stuffing and dressing?

There really is no significant different between the two. Traditionally, though, stuffing is stuffed inside the turkey and cooked whereas dressing is baked outside the turkey in a separate dish.

However, for food safety reasons, it is now recommended to avoid cooking stuffing/dressing inside the turkey entirely!

Ingredients

I especially love today’s cornbread recipe for two reasons: it’s gluten free AND it uses homemade cornbread.

If homemade cornbread isn’t your thing, you can use store-bought instead!

  • Cornbread – I use one batch of my homemade cornbread recipe.
  • Yellow Onion and Celery– the classic stuffing veggie combo. Adds texture and a slight crunch.
  • Rosemary, Thyme, Nutmeg, Sage, Salt, and Pepper– a simple but highly effective sweet and savory seasoning blend.
  • Dried Cranberries – adds a sweet flavor and chewy texture.
  • Pecans– gives a toasty, nutty crunch to each bite.
  • Egg– helps bind all the ingredients together.
  • Unsalted Butter and Chicken Broth– adds richness, moisture, and flavor.

Pro tip

Don’t want to make your own cornbread? Use your favorite boxed variety! Be sure you’re making enough to fill a 9×13 inch pan.

How to make

Because the cornbread needs a chance to dry out, this is a great make ahead recipe.

  1. Make one batch of cornbread then set aside to cool.
  2. In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion, celery, and spices until the sausage has cooked through and the veggies are tender. Remove from the heat and stir in cranberries and pecans.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, melted butter, and chicken broth. Set aside.
  4. Place the sausage mixture and cornbread into a large bowl and pour in the egg mixture. Gently fold everything together.
  5. Transfer the mixture into a greased baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes.
  6. Once heated, serve and enjoy!

Pro tip

I like making the cornbread and letting it sit out 24 hours in advance for best results. Feel free to also make the filling a day in advance!

Cornbread Dressing Recipe - Gluten Free - with Homemade Cornbread! (2)

Can you stuff the turkey?

Experts now advise against baking your stuffing/dressing inside the turkey for food safety reasons.

Cooking the stuffing to a safe temperature means your turkey will probably becomeovercooked. If you cook your turkey perfectly you’ll probably have undercooked stuffing prone to bacteria.

Basically, you’re better off just avoiding it altogether!

Cornbread Dressing Recipe - Gluten Free - with Homemade Cornbread! (3)

Cornbread Dressing Recipe - Gluten Free - with Homemade Cornbread! (4)

Variations

  • Make it semi-homemade.If you don’t want to make your own cornbread (although I highly recommend it), feel free to use a store-bought variety instead.
  • Swap the dried fruit. Not a cranberry fan? Try raisins!
  • Make it vegetarian.Swap the sausage for a vegetarian variety.
  • Make it without cornbread.If you’d rather go the traditional route, try my sausage stuffing or my crockpot vegetarian stuffing.

What to serve with cornbread dressing

This cornbread dressing is a classic for the holidays. Here are some of my other favorite holiday dishes!

  • Green bean casserole
  • Crockpot mashed potatoes
  • Slow cooker corn pudding
  • Easy strawberry pretzel salad

Cornbread Dressing Recipe - Gluten Free - with Homemade Cornbread! (5)

Can you make cornbread dressing ahead of time?

You sure can! If you’d like to make the cornbread dressing ahead of time, bake the cornbread and make the sausage filling 24 hours in advance, then assemble the recipe the day of!I don’t recommend assembling ahead of time or you may end up with soggy stuffing.

To make the cornbread ahead of time, bake according to directions, cool completely, cube, then leave uncovered at room temperature for 24 hours.

To make the filling ahead of time, cook the sausage, onion, celery, and spices together, stir in cranberries and pecans, cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours.

You can also freeze it ahead ahead of time by following the recipe as directing but waiting to bake it. Instead, cover it with saran wrap and foil and freeze for up to a month.

When you’re ready to serve, thaw in the fridge and bake as directed!

How to store

Store leftover cornbread dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

To reheat: bake or microwave to warm!

– Jennifer

Cornbread Dressing Recipe - Gluten Free - with Homemade Cornbread! (6)

Cornbread Dressing Recipe

5 from 6 votes

An easy gluten free stuffing, this Cornbread Dressing Recipe will surely impress! Full of italian sausage, homemade cornbread, cranberries, and more!

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Yield: 12 people

Print Pin Rate Recipe

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

  • 1 recipe cornbread cubed into 1 in cubes
  • 1 (1 pound) package hot italian sausage links removed if applicable
  • 1/2 yellow onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon dried ground sage
  • 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans or pecan pieces
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth

Instructions

  • Cornbread recipe is linked to above. Make sure you bake the cornbread in a 9x13 inch pan at least 24 hours in advance. Cube, then store uncovered.

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Spread cornbread cubes onto an unlined 9x13 in rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring gently halfway through.

  • Set aside to cool as you prepare the stuffing.

  • Turn oven up to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x13 in baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

  • Heat a large non stick pan over medium heat.

  • Cook sausage, onion, celery, and spices together until sausage has cooked through and vegetables are tender, breaking up the sausage as you go.

  • Remove from heat and stir in cranberries and pecans. Set aside.

  • In a small bowl, whisk together egg, melted butter, and chicken broth. Set aside.

  • Place the sausage mixture and toasted cornbread into a large bowl and pour the egg mixture over.

  • Gently fold everything together.

  • Be sure to not over mix. Some of the cornbread cubes will break apart, that's ok, but try to leave some of them whole as well.

  • Pour into prepared pan and bake at 375 degrees F for 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through.

  • Serve and enjoy!

  • Take 5 seconds to rate this recipe below. We greatly appreciate it!

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STORING

Room Temp:N/A

Refrigerator:3-4 Days

Freezer:1 Month

Reheat:If frozen, thaw in fridge then reheat in oven or microwave

*Storage times may vary based on temperature and conditions

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Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 329 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 1g

Cholesterol 28mg9%

Sodium 333mg14%

Potassium 56mg2%

Carbohydrates 37g12%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 10g11%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 60IU1%

Vitamin C 1.3mg2%

Calcium 12mg1%

Iron 0.4mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.

Keywords: cornbread, gluten free, thanksgiving side

Enjoy this recipe?

Tag @showmetheyummy on Instagram and hashtag it #showmetheyummy

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: Jennifer Debth

This post was originally published November 18, 2016 and has been updated to provide more detailed content.

Cornbread Dressing Recipe - Gluten Free - with Homemade Cornbread! (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between cornbread stuffing and cornbread dressing? ›

So stuffing is cooked inside the bird. Dressing is cooked outside the bird, usually in a casserole dish.

Does cornbread stuffing contain gluten? ›

While corn IS gluten free, most cornbread recipes also include regular, all-purpose flour which makes them NOT gluten free. My cornbread recipe swaps all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend. Easy! That said, store-bought stuffing mixes like Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing can be deceiving.

What is cornbread dressing made of? ›

Add sautéed onion and celery to the crumbled cornbread. Stir in chicken stock, eggs, sage, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour dressing into the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven until dressing just starts to turn golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.

Can gluten intolerant people eat cornbread? ›

Cornbread gets it's golden brown hue and fabulous texture from yellow cornmeal, which is dried yellow corn ground into fine, medium, or coarse meal. While corn is gluten free, most cornbread recipes also include regular, all-purpose flour which makes them not gluten free.

Why is my cornbread dressing mushy? ›

If your cornbread dressing is mushy, be sure you baked it in a wide enough pan. Plenty of surface area will help the top crisp and the bottom bake completely. Also, be sure you measured your ingredients properly and didn't add too much liquid.

Why is my cornbread dressing gummy? ›

Why is my Cornbread Dressing gummy? Adding too much liquid can result in a gummy-like texture. Baking it longer, using less liquid, and more stirring can help avoid a gummy texture.

What makes a dressing gluten-free? ›

Yogurt- or buttermilk-based dressings.

Perfect for creamy spring salads, dressings made with dairy tend to be gluten-free because they don't require artificial thickeners.

Why is cornbread not gluten-free? ›

Homemade cornbread recipes often call for wheat flour which makes that type of cornbread definitely NOT gluten-free. However, you can substitute gluten-free flour you can alter recipes.

Why isn't cornbread gluten-free? ›

If cornbread is made with only naturally gluten free ingredients, like with cornmeal alone, instead of with wheat flour as well, it may be naturally gluten free. Most conventional cornbread will contain some sort of wheat flour, though, and won't be gluten free.

Why is my cornbread dressing bland? ›

Avoid bland dressing by making sure to include plenty of onions, celery, and herbs in your recipe. Now is not the time to go easy with the sage, thyme, and pepper. The dressing should taste different from your cornbread.

How to make Paula Deen cornbread dressing? ›

In a large bowl, whisk together broth, soup, eggs, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper; stir in vegetable mixture. Crumble cornbread into broth mixture and stir until well combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake until center is set, 45 to 55 minutes.

Can you leave cornbread out overnight for dressing? ›

Be sure to leave enough time — the cornbread needs to sit out overnight to harden slightly before you make the dressing.

What cornbread mix is gluten-free? ›

Gluten Free Cornbread Mix :: Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods.

Is corn flour bad for celiac? ›

Just like corn starch, corn flour is gluten-free in its natural form. It has a light, finer texture when used in baked goods. Whenever possible, buy corn flour that is labeled gluten-free, as it is possible for cross-contact to occur during the manufacturing process. Cornmeal is also gluten-free.

Does cornstarch have gluten? ›

Cornstarch is a fine, white powder processed from the endosperm of corn. The endosperm is the nutrient-rich tissue inside the grain. Corn is a gluten-free grain, and no other ingredients are typically required to make cornstarch. As a result, pure cornstarch — which contains 100% cornstarch — is naturally gluten-free.

Why do people say dressing instead of stuffing? ›

The term dressing, per the History Channel, originated around the 1850s, when the Victorians deemed stuffing too crude for the dish to be named. This happened around the same time that the term “dark meat” began to refer to chicken legs and thighs.

What is the difference between cornbread dressing and stuffing in the South? ›

How do you make cornbread dressing? The difference is stuffing is just that - it's stuffed into the turkey & baked with the bird. Dressing is the same stuffing mix only it's baked in another container, but not in the bird. You can stuff other proteins such as chicken, pork chops or even a beef roast.

Who calls it dressing vs stuffing? ›

Some people insist that it should be called dressing when it hasn't actually been stuffed inside a bird. But many people insist on one term or the other regardless of how it's prepared or what's in it. The term dressing is most commonly used in the South, but it's popular in pockets throughout the US.

What's the difference between stove top stuffing and dressing? ›

To be clear, dressing and stuffing are not the same foods. Stuffing is made with stale white bread, perhaps studded with bits of sausage or plump oysters, and stuffed inside a turkey. Dressing is made with cornbread, and is baked in a pan instead of inside the bird.

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