High Protein Vegan Christmas Stuffing

This vegan stuffing is made using a mixture of vegan sausages, vegetables, fruit as well as herbs for a delicious festive side dish. It's moist, 'meaty', full of flavour and easy to make. The perfect side dish to include in your vegetarian Christmas dinner menu.

This vegan stuffing is the plant-based alternative to traditional meat stuffing. It contains vegan sausages, which give it a 'meaty' texture, add protein and turn it into a satisfying side dish. I have also used dried cranberries, apples and chestnuts for flavour, texture and a festive feel. The fruit and veg also add moisture, which is important in a meat-free stuffing.

My vegan Christmas stuffing with sausages takes minutes to prepare and involves a few easy steps. Simply pan fry the onion and celery, add the fruit then combine with the rest of the ingredients and bake (see Instructions below for details). You can also make your meatless stuffing ahead (see my tips at the bottom of the post).

Vegan stuffing ingredients and substitutions

• Vegan sausages: use your favourite.
• Onion.
• Celery.
• Apple: use either sweet tasting or tart apple.
• Dried cranberries.
• Chestnuts: I used ready-to-eat chestnuts, but if you can't get them use cashew nuts, instead (I recommend soaking them in water for 4 hours first). Water chestnut are not a suitable alternative.
• Bread: helps bind the mixture and soak up excess moisture. Use slightly stale bread, such as sourdough or seeded.
• Stock.
• Cider: or white wine. Alternatively use more stock.
• Herbs: you can either use just sage or herbes de Provence (which also contain sage).
• Oil and plant-based butter: add moisture and flavour. The butter also helps to crisp up and brown the top.
• Salt and pepper.

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C/170 fan/gas mark 5. Grease your oven dish using about 1 teaspoon of the spread and set aside.

2. Cook vegetables: Heat the oil with the onion and celery and cook gently for about 5 minutes until softened stirring often.

3. Add fruit: Add the cranberries, apple, cider, herbs and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside.

4. Pulse ingredients: To a blender add the sausages, ⅓ of the onion mixture and ⅔ of the chopped bread. Pulse a few times until the stuffing becomes sticky and the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.

5. Assemble: Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, add the remaining onion mixture, breadcrumbs, chestnuts, stock, salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly.

6. Bake: Transfer the stuffing to your oven dish, pressing in to remove any air pockets. Leave the top looking a little untidy - it will crisp up better. Pour the melted butter over the whole thing and bake in the centre of the oven for about 35 minutes. You can increase the heat for the final few minutes to crisp up the top.

7. Serve: Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley (optional) and serve.

Serving suggestions

This easy vegan stuffing makes a delicious addition to a vegetarian Christmas dinner, perfect served alongside stuffed butternut squash or leek and mushroom pie. This stuffing is delicious with cranberry sauce, cranberry chutney as well as beetroot chutney.

Optional add-ins

This high-protein vegan stuffing is easy to customize. For example, you can add the following optional ingredients:

• Fresh parsley: I only used it for garnish, but you can add about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley into the stuffing mixture.
• Mushrooms: you can add 3-4 tablespoons of finely chopped, sauteed mushrooms (I don't recommend adding raw mushrooms as they may release too much moisture as they cook in the stuffing).
• Nutritional yeast: you can add about 2 tablespoons.

Can I make it ahead

Yes, you can! You can prepare the entire recipe (without adding the melted butter) the night before and cook it the following day. I recommend covering the dish with cling film to prevent the moisture escaping.

The next day take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to cook it and remove the cling film. Drizzle over the melted butter and cook your plant-based Christmas stuffing as per Instructions.

Storing and reheating

Leftover vegan stuffing with sausage should be covered with cling film (or kept in an airtight container) and refrigerated for up to 3 days. I recommend reheating it in a pan with a little oil or plant butter (you should be able to cut it into thick slices and crisp up in the pan).

Top tips

• Use good quality vegan sausages.
• I recommend using a food processor to combine the stuffing ingredients, but if you prefer to do it by hand mash the sausages (using a fork or potato masher), crumble the bread, add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
• Don't smooth out the top of your vegan stuffing - it will crisp up nicely in the oven.
• Best served immediately.
• Freeze raw stuffing in the baking dish covered with 2 layers of foil for up to 3 months and bake from frozen (add about 15 minutes). You can also freeze leftovers, defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat the next day.

Related recipes to try next

• Cauliflower Stuffing with Crispy Topping
• Vegetarian Sausage Pie with Puff Pastry
• Easy Sausage and Bean Casserole

See also these other easy, delicious vegan/vegetarian recipes!

Recipe

Keep in touch!

If you make this festive vegan stuffing recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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