Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without stuffing! This easy keto stuffing recipe may be low carb, but it's tasty enough to keep the whole family happy!
I’d load it up with traditional flavors and textures, serving it up with pretty much all of our holiday meals - including 2 Thanksgivings, every year!
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Going on a low carb diet meant having to change up how I made the Thanksgiving favorite.
When I first went on a keto diet - well over a decade ago - low carb bread didn’t really exist.
Pretty much every low carb stuffing recipe back in the day involved sausage and apples in place of the bread.
Eventually, low-carb bread became a thing... then GOOD low carb bread came around.
And then, it became widely available - and my outlook on keto Thanksgiving stuffing changed forever!
Yes, the keto bread makes it a more expensive option than regular stuffing... but that accuracy means that you can make ONE batch of stuffing for *everyone*.
No more “special batch” just for the keto people, and having to keep an eye out to not mix them up.
The stuffing is the stuffing, and no one will miss the carbs!
Not just for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even turkeys specifically, mind you.
Use this to stuff a chicken, or serve it alongside pork chops. It’s a great recipe in general, no special occasions needed!
Nutritional Information
Simply swapping regular bread out for a specific bread with a lower carb count is a great way to make stuffing accessible for those on a ketogenic diet.
This recipe makes a TON of stuffing, and can easily serve 20 reasonable portions.
No one eats “reasonable” portions, of stuffing, though, so the nutrition info assumes LARGE portions - and even then, only comes out to 7 grams of net carbs per serving
Just be sure you remember that it IS suitable for a low carb diet.
After this past Thanksgiving dinner, I found myself thinking “ah, well... Had a bunch of carbs today, so I may as well ____”.
Except the “bunch of carbs” I was thinking about was this stuffing. I kept forgetting that it was a keto-friendly stuffing, and got it in my head that I had “cheated”!
Brains are weird, but to be fair... It really does pass for a traditional stuffing recipe. It did not taste or feel like diet food or a compromise in any way at all!
Ingredients
For the most part, this recipe uses simple ingredients that should be easy to find in any grocery store - they’re pretty classic stuffing ingredients.
As for the pre-made keto bread, you may need to call around - it’s generally available in the freezer sections of larger grocery stores, and specialty keto shops.
A few notes on some of the main ingredients:
Carbonaut Bread
The thing about using non-traditional breads (gluten free, keto, etc) is that the ingredients used in each specific bread will impact how much liquid you’ll need to add.
Wheat flour is fairly predictable in how it behaves, whereas each of the various alternative breads all use different ingredients - and different proportions - and can absorb liquid in wildly different ways.
It can take some experimentation to see what you’ll need for any particular type of bread - a store bought almond flour bread vs a homemade “easy keto cornbread” recipe vs a nut free bread, etc.
The good news is that I’ve done that - for this specific brand.
I use the gluten free varieties of Carbonaut for this recipe. As I can’t have gluten, I can’t tell you how their non-GF versions would work in this recipe.
If you’re used to making stuffing and gauging the moisture level you need, feel free to swap out the bread if needed.
That said, if you’re new to stuffing - or alternative breads - I recommend just using the Carbonaut gluten-free bread.
Fresh Vegetables
I use a pretty basic stuffing base, when it comes to veggies - onion, celery, and garlic. It’s what our holiday stuffing was always made of, when I was a kid.
In addition to that, I also use mushrooms. Generally speaking, I’ll use crimini mushrooms (baby bella), but I’ll use regular button mushrooms if I can’t get the crimini for whatever reason.
Feel free to use different mushrooms, more mushrooms... or just leave them out. Whatever floats your boat!
Chicken or Turkey Broth
I’ll generally use chicken broth - or chicken stock - when making this. Homemade or tetra pack, regular grocery stock or bone broth... it doesn’t matter.
If I have turkey stock on hand, I’ll use that. That’ll generally only be for American Thanksgiving, though - assuming I have frozen leftover homemade turkey broth from Canadian Thanksgiving!
Need a vegetarian stuffing? Feel free to use vegetable broth.
Herbs
There are two main ways I season this stuffing (with a bunch of variations - more on that in a bit!).
If I’m making a more traditional or American Thanksgiving dinner, I’ll usually go with fresh sage - sometimes dried, if I don’t have fresh. (About 1 tablespoon if dried).
If I’m going more Canadian with it, it’s dried Summer Savory, all the way!
Everything Else
Rounding out the recipe, you’ll need:
Unsalted butter
Large egg
Salt & pepper
Pan spray
... I just don’t have anything to add, as far as these ingredients go!
Variations
Stuffing is an incredibly customizable dish.
Once you have the basic bread/liquid proportions worked out, there are all kinds of things you can add - or swap out - to make this recipe your own.
A few ideas:
Dried or Fresh Herbs
While I usually use dried savory or fresh sage for this, I’ll vary the herbs based on what I’m in the mood for.
Once you’ve got the vegetable / broth mixture stirred into the bread, season it to taste with whatever you like.
Chopped fresh parsley, fresh or dried thyme leaves, fresh or dried rosemary are all great options, whether alone or in combination.
“... parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...”, you know! 🙂
Sausage Stuffing
If you like a bit of protein in your stuffing, cook up a bit of Italian sausage (look for a keto sausage if needed!) or ground pork in some olive oil.
Once cooked through, drain it and add it to the bread and vegetable/stock mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
How to Make Keto Stuffing
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post. This is a pictorial walk through.
Prepare Your Bread
The first thing you need to do is dry out your bread a little. Less moisture at the beginning = better flavor and texture, in the end.
You can leave the bread slices out overnight, if bugs and pets aren’t a concern. I don’t trust our cats, so I dry them out in the oven:
Preheat oven to 300 F. Place bread on 2 large baking sheets - half on each cookie sheet - arranging to spread them out a bit. Spray with a little pan spray.
Note: You can line each baking sheet with parchment paper if you like, I don’t bother.
Bake in the hot oven for 5-7 minutes, flip each bread slice, and bake for another 5-7 minutes.
Allow bread to cool a bit, then slice bread, chop or rip into small, bite-sized pieces.
I tend to just rip it into random, small pieces. If you’re more for actual bread cubes, you can use a sharp knife to cut each slice of bread into small cubes.
Place the bread into a large mixing bowl.
Add chopped sage or savory, toss until the seasoning is spread out through the bread. Set this large bowl aside.
In a large skillet over high heat, melt butter. Add onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery, and garlic to the melted butter, cook until veggies start to soften.
Turn burner down to medium heat.
Add a little bit of chicken stock, Cook till everything is soft, just a couple of minutes.
Add as much salt and pepper as you figure you’d want, but don’t go overboard!
In a mug or small bowl, whisk egg into remaining soup stock. Set aside.
Add bread mix to pot, toss to coat.
Pour egg mixture over the bread, continue cooking until it's all absorbed.
For use in Poultry
Stuff into the bird and roast as usual.
Note: This recipe is enough to stuff a turkey AND cook some in a separate pan. All of the photos in this post come from a single batch.
To use Outside of Poultry
Add a little more chicken broth - usually ¼ - ½ cup, stir well to combine.
Transfer stuffing mixture to a large baking dish or casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil.
Bake at 350 F (180 C) for about 30 minutes.
Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or so, until golden brown.
Leftovers
Leftover stuffing can be cooled to room temperature and transferred to an airtight container. Keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Stuffing can be reheated in the microwave, or baked as “stuffing muffins” following your favourite recipe for them.
More Low Carb Holiday Recipes
Looking for some low carb or keto options to serve at the holidays? Here are some super tasty Christmas recipes and other holiday treats for you!
Bacon Wrapped Halloween Mummy Meatloaf
Candy Cane Cookies
Charcuterie Christmas Tree
Cream Cheese Mints
Easter Deviled Eggs
Eggnog
Funeral Potatoes
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread Pancakes
Halloween Deviled Eggs
Holiday Desserts
Holiday Main Dishes
Holiday Side Dishes
Paska [Ukrainian Easter Bread]
Pumpkin Pie Fat Bombs
Sauerkraut Buns
Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Glaze
Witch Finger Cookies
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Keto Stuffing [Low Carb & Gluten Free!]
Ingredients
- 2 loaves Carbonaut bread I use gluten free white
- Pan spray
- ¼ cup Fresh sage finely chopped OR
- 2 tablespoon Dried summer savory
- ½ cup Unsalted butter
- 1 Large onion
- 8 oz Baby bella / crimini mushroom slices
- 4-5 Celery ribs
- 4 Garlic cloves pressed or finely minced
- 2 cups Chicken or turkey broth
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 Large egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300
- Arrange bread on 2 large baking sheets, spray with a little pan spray. Bake for 5-7 minutes, flip, and bake for another 5-7 minutes. The goal is to dry out the bread a little.
- Allow bread to cool a bit, then slice bread, chop or rip into small, bite-sized pieces. Add chopped sage or savory, toss until the seasoning is spread out through the bread. Set aside.
- In a large pot, melt butter. Add onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery, and garlic, cook until veggies start to soften.
- Add a little bit of chicken stock, Cook till everything is soft.
- Add as much salt and pepper as you figure you’d want, but don’t go overboard!
- Add bread mix to pot, toss to coat.
- Whisk egg into remaining soup stock, pour over the bread, continue cooking until it's all absorbed.
- For use in poultry:
- Stuff into the bird and roast as usual.
- To use outside of poultry:
- Add a little more chicken broth - usually ¼ - ½ cup, stir well to combine.
- Transfer stuffing to a large baking pan, cover with tin foil.
- Bake at 350 F (180 C) for about 30 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or so, until golden brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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