Best Ever Wild Rice Stuffing is full of fall flavors like herbs, bacon, mushrooms, dried cranberries, almonds, and garlic. A delicious gluten free version of the classic!
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Folks, it’s time to think outside the (stuffing) box. Say goodbye to stale boxed bread with its mile long ingredient list and hello to tender wild rice tossed with all the fixins including bacon, mushrooms, herbs, almonds, and dried cranberries, plus a secret ingredient you do NOT want to miss.
Best Ever Wild Rice Stuffing is currently rocking my entireworld, and I wouldn’t blame you if you went home and made this easy side dish to serve with dinner tonight versus waiting for the holidays – if for no other reason than to be able to enjoy the leftovers for lunch over the next 3-4 days because they are legit!
Watch How to Make It!
Wild Rice Stuffing vs Bread Stuffing
I think you’re either a bread stuffing person or you’re not. My family is a stuffing family in that we serve itat Thanksgiving because, I don’t know, we feel as though the pilgrims of yesteryear would frown upon our holiday gathering if we didn’t have a giant bowl of wet stalecarbs on the table that everybody begrudgingly takes aspoonful of because it’s there.
Well enough is enough – this year I challenge you to serve this sophisticated yet simple, totally scrumptious wild rice stuffing that’s full of ALL the fall flavors. Your friends and family will swoon!
Prep Ahead to Save Time
Since we’re talking the holidays, know that the components in this dish can be prepped a day ahead of time. Chop the vegetables and bacon the night before then saute and assemble up to several hours before your holiday dinner. You can warm the stuffing up in the oven if need be, or just pop the baking dish or serving bowl in the microwave for a couple minutes! So easy, so, so, SO, so scrumptious.
You will be making this stuffing side dish for many many meals to come!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by adding awild rice blend to a 1-1/2 or 2 quart saucepan with chicken broth, a bay leaf, and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer until the rice is al dente, 40-45 minutes. Take the pan off the heat the let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. I love this Lundberg Wild Blend rice.
Meanwhile, brownbacon in a large, 12″ skillet over medium heat then scoop the bacon into a bowl and set aside, reserving the bacon fat in the skillet.
Turn the heat up to medium-high then melt butter in the skillet andadd chopped onion or shallot,mushrooms, andcelery. Saute until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are starting to brown then season with dried thyme, salt, and pepper.
Once the vegetables are tender add chopped fresh sage and minced garlic then saute until the garlic is very fragrant and golden brown, 1-2 minutes.
Last step is to add the cooked wild rice and bacon back into the skillet along with chopped whole almonds, freshly grated parmesan cheese,and dried cranberries.
The parmesan cheese is the “secret” ingredient I mentioned, by the way! It gives the recipe a totally uniqueflavor so if you are craving a super classic stuffing flavor, leave it out, but if you’re up for something a little bit out of the ordinary, definitely include.
Stir well to combine, adding a splash of chicken broth if needed to loosen the stuffing up a bit.
That’s all she wrote — told you it was easy! Garnish with a couple whole fresh sage leaves and more chopped almonds for a beautiful presentation, then scoop and serve next to your Thanksgiving favorites. As I mentioned, leftovers reheat wonderfully so you can scoop the stuffing alongside your leftover turkey and pumpkin pie days after the holiday. Enjoy, everyone!
More Tasty Holiday Side Dishes
- Gluten Free Scalloped Potatoes
- Gluten Free Green Bean Casserole
- Gluten Free Traditional Stuffing
- Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing
- Gluten Free Party Potatoes Deluxe
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Best Ever Wild Rice Stuffing
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5/5 (30 REVIEWS)
Description
Best Ever Wild Rice Stuffing is full of fall flavors like herbs, bacon, mushrooms, dried cranberries, almonds, and garlic. A delicious gluten free version of the classic!
Ingredients
serves 6-8 as a side
- 1-1/2 cups wild rice blend (I like Lundberg Wild Blend)
- 2-1/4 cups gluten-free chicken broth
- 1 dried bay leaf
- salt and pepper
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 jumbo shallot or 1 small onion, chopped
- 8oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 cup Fisher whole almonds, chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, optional
Directions
- Add wild rice, chicken broth, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt to a 1-1/2 - 2 quart saucepan then bring to a boil. Place a lid on top then turn heat down to low and simmer for 40-45 minutes or until rice is al dente. Let pan sit off the heat with the lid on for 5 minutes then remove bay leaf, fluff rice with a fork, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, brown bacon in a large, 12" skillet over medium heat then transfer to a bowl, reserving bacon fat in skillet. Turn heat up to medium-high then melt butter in skillet and add shallots, mushrooms, and celery. Once mushrooms have released their liquid and begin to brown, add dried thyme then season with salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are golden brown and vegetables are tender, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and fresh sage then saute until garlic is very fragrant and golden brown, 1-2 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat then add cooked wild rice, cooked bacon, chopped almonds, dried cranberries, and parmesan cheese to skillet then stir well to combine. Add a splash of chicken broth if you need to loosen the stuffing up a bit. Taste then add salt and pepper if necessary, and then serve.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
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162 Comments
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Carla 03.28.2024 I was under the assumption that stuffing was baked INSIDE the bird & dressing was baked in a dish on the side?
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- Kristin 03.29.2024
That’s technically correct, Carla! In general many people, including myself, use the terms stuffing and dressing interchangeably — kind of like how Shepherd’s Pie is technically made with lamb, and cottage pie is made with ground beef, though many still call Shepherd’s Pie made with ground beef…Shepherd’s Pie.
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- Catherine 01.01.2024
I agree with “best” for this one. Loved it! Thank you for the recipe
5
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- Kristin 01.02.2024
Wohoo!! Thrilled to hear it, Catherine – Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
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- Susie 12.27.2023
Made this for Christmas and loved it! Many flavors and textures that blended so well.
4.5
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- Kristin 12.27.2023
I’m thrilled to hear that, Susie!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
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- Loanne 11.23.2023
Hi! I made this today! Yes, I had seconds! I did make substitution or raisins, as I didn’t have any dried cranberries. Will definitely make again….and again, thank you!
4.5
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- Kristin 11.28.2023
Fantastic, I’m so happy to hear that, Loanne! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
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- Tracy 11.23.2023
Your recipes are fabulous! But your website is so awful to use! Every time I need to refer back to the ingredients list, it jumps to the very bottom, and when I try to scroll up at jumps way back up to the top, it makes using your recipe while cooking, nearly impossible, and extremely frustrating! (On an iphone)
4.5
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- Shay 11.24.2023
Same, unfortunately. It was nearly impossible to use while cooking on Thanksgiving. Thankfully I was familiar enough with the recipe steps to memorize them.
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- Kristin 11.28.2023
I’m so sorry to hear this, ladies! I am working hard on an updated site design and ad layout to hopefully get rid of the jumpiness. I so appreciate you hanging in there and cooking my recipes in the meantime!
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- Hillary 11.22.2023
This has been my go-to stuffing recipe since 2016. It’s spectacular ! I always make extra so I can freeze it in small portions; I love this for breakfast with an egg on top.
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- Kristin 11.28.2023
Fantastic!! Love the sound of a drippy egg on top. Thank you so much for your feedback and, Hillary!
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- Alison 11.21.2023
I have a gluten-free vegetarian coming for Thanksgiving. I found some gluten-free veg sausage to sub for the bacon, but what can I use to sub for the bacon fat, that will impact that nice smoky flavor to the veggies? He’s not vegan, so I can do butter, but what to add? Smoked paprika? Or? I don’t even know what spices they use in bacon…
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- Kristin 11.21.2023
I think butter with a pinch of smoked paprika, or maybe even a couple dashes of worcestershire sauce, will do the trick!
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- Lili 11.22.2023
Alison, if you can get your hands on some Wright’s Liquid Smoke Hickory Flavor, it will definitely impart that smokey bacon-y flavor. Just a tiny amount will do the trick. This is a clean ingredient, just smoke and water.
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- Molly 12.24.2023
When I need a smoky flavor, I usually add a pinch of chipotle powder. It’s nice and smoky without being overly hot.
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- Craig 11.20.2023
This recipe is outstanding, it is so good that everyone wants this stuffing instead of bread stuffing for Thanksgiving.
5
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- Kristin 11.21.2023
Ahh, I love hearing that, Craig! Happy Thanksgiving!
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- Kim 11.20.2023
Can this be made ahead of time?
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- Kristin 11.21.2023
Yes, it can! I reheat in the microwave.
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- Nicole 11.17.2023
I made this last year and it was such a massive hit and the leftovers were excellent. I swapped hazelnuts for the almonds and this is now a thanksgiving staple!
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- Kristin 11.20.2023
Ooo love that swap, Nicole! I’m so glad this is a yearly go-to!!
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- Nfidel_Steve 11.06.2023
I just made a half portion to see if I wanted to serve for Thanksgiving. Wow! Really great. I can’t wait to serve with turkey. I followed the recipe exactly and used only fresh ingredients. I did double the celery because I like it. I withheld the parmesan cheese because I thought it would ruin the dish. I sprinkled a bit on my plate and it really makes the flavor. I’ll be including parmesan for Thanksgiving. Great recipe, thanks!
5
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- Kristin 11.07.2023
Amazing!! I’m so glad you gave it a test ride and it made the cut! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
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- Annalaya 10.10.2023
Been eyeing this recipe for a minute. Finally had the perfect opportunity this weekend, as it’s Thanksgiving in Canada (which falls on the second Monday of October). It was a perfect side dish to include in Thanksgiving dinner, and both an excellent gluten-free answer to stuffing and an excellent alternative to the bread stuffing for the soggy bread haters at the table. I left out the nuts and grated cheese. Still delicious. Everyone enjoyed it. Should have made this sooner, but better late than never. Definitely added to the regular rotation.
5
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- Kristin 10.10.2023
Better late than never – 100%! I always say this dish is too good to only make during the holidays. So glad you loved it, Annalaya!
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- Penny Gordon. 93731 11.26.2022
Would this be ok to stuff Cornish hens and bake?
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- Kristin 12.02.2022
That should be fine!
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- Lynn 11.25.2022
This is amazing! My whole family loved it. Just wanted a change from ordinary stuffing. Will definitely make this again and again!!! Thank you for such a wonderful idea.
5
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- Kristin 12.02.2022
I’m SO glad it was a hit, Lynn! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
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- alison 11.23.2022
what if I use a different rice? would I just make according to package
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- Stone Meadow 11.23.2022
I made this last weekend as a test run for T-day when we will host multiple gluten free family members. My family loved it! The only comment I got was that it seemed a bit rice-dominant, which I agreed with. I’m making it again tomorrow, doubling the amounts of celery, onions, cranberries, nuts, etc. I substituted double the fresh cranberries cut in half (fresh have more volume than dried) and pecans from our family trees in place of almonds. I agree that almonds or walnuts, or a mix of any and all would be welcome. For the chicken broth I simmered a pound of giblets in 3 quarts of tightly lidded water for 2 hours the day prior, then used 2 1/2 cups of that to cook the rice. I finely diced and added the giblet meat to create that essential (to us) traditional turkey flavor. Though not strictly traditional the bacon and its rendered fat was a nice addition making the sauteed ingredients extra savory. But to heck with being ‘strictly traditional’, as this is a terrific recipe most folks will enjoy for many years. Feel free to make it the day before, too, as it was even tastier after reheating. Finally, I haven’t tried it but I’m confident this recipe would make an outstanding stuffing. Congratulations to “iowa girl” for another fine recipe!
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- Kristin 11.23.2022
Thank you so much, Stone! I’m so glad you were able to make this dish your own. Happy Thanksgiving!!
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- Sarah 11.21.2022
Made this tonight for the first time; after one bite, and my husband not knowing the name of this dish, proclaimed: “wow, this is the best wild rice stuffing ever!” Great job yet again with this one!!
5
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- Kristin 11.22.2022
Oh my gosh, that made my day!! Hahaha! So glad it was a hit, Sarah!
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- Sarah 11.08.2022
Hi Kristin,
Can’t wait to try this out for Thanksgiving! What kind of mushrooms do you use? Would canned or jarred be ok or do you recommend fresh?Reply
- Kristin 11.15.2022
Hi Sarah! I’ve never used jarred mushrooms so I would say fresh. That said, if you enjoy the taste/texture of jarred, that should be just fine!
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- Kj 09.10.2022
Hi! One more quick inquiry, can another nut be used in place of the almonds, or are they the best?
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- Kristin 11.17.2022
You could swap in chopped pecans or walnuts, or leave them out!
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hi, i'm kristin!
I’m a Midwestern wife and Mama, and after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2013 I began sharing delicious and approachable gluten-free recipes made with everyday, in-season ingredients. Welcome!
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