Vegan Wild Rice Stuffing with Cranberries, Apples and Walnuts

This vegan wild rice stuffing recipe is very easy to make, super savory, and the perfect side for Thanksgiving, the holidays, colder months of the year, or any time you’re in the mood for stuffing (which for me, is always!).

I’m one of those people that saves bread heels in the freezer, because you never know when you’ll need bread crumbs or bread cubes. They work really well for the bread crumbs in this recipe. You just pop some bread in a food processor, pulse it until it’s crumbs, and you’re ready to go.

While I used walnuts to top the stuffing, you can omit them. They add a nice crunchy texture and work with the other flavors, but they aren’t necessary for this dish to be good.

Also, if you find that this recipe for vegan wild rice stuffing is a little on the dry side after mixing everything together in the large mixing bowl, add some additional broth or water. No one likes dry stuffing!

Discover more UVK recipes, like Sourdough Stuffing with Spinach, Fennel and Vegan Italian Sausage, Wild Rice Mushroom Soup, or Vegan Spinach Mushroom Wild Rice Casserole.

Wild Rice Stuffing with Cranberries, Apples and Walnuts

3 Tbsp + 1 stick (or a total of 12 Tbsp) vegan butter

3 celery stalks, diced into small pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1 ½ cups wild rice blend (I used Lundberg Wild Blend Rice)

2 ½ cups broth (I used 2 ½ cups water + 1 ¼ cubes of Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n Bouillon Cubes)

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp rubbed sage

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

1 ½ Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

3 cups bread crumbs

1 medium green apple, diced into small cubes

¼ cup dried cranberries

1 Tbsp lemon juice

⅓ cup chopped raw walnuts – optional

Salt

1. In a medium saucepan, add 3 Tbsp vegan butter, celery, onion and a dash of salt. Over medium heat, stir around until onions are soft and translucent.

2. Add the wild rice blend and the broth, and stir until well combined. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, and then, immediately lower the heat to low. Simmer over low for 35-40 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked through.

3. When the rice is done cooking, preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease a 9″ X 11″ baking dish and set aside.

4. Melt the stick (or the remaining 8 Tbsp) of vegan butter. I put it in a microwave safe bowl, covered it with a paper towel and microwaved it until it was melted. Do what you need to do to get the job done!

5. Add the melted butter, the wild rice blend, and all the rest of the ingredients (EXCEPT the walnuts) to a large mixing bowl. Mix. If it’s too dry, add some additional broth or water. Taste it. Make any adjusts to the flavor, if needed (more salt? more lemon juice? etc.).

6. Spoon the vegan wild rice stuffing into the greased baking dish. Spread it evenly, and top with walnuts (if using). Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350º F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.