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Savory, a touch of sweet, and bursting with holiday flavor—this Cranberry Sausage Stuffing with apples, herbs, and buttery bread cubes is the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish. Make it ahead, bake until golden, and watch it disappear!
A Thanksgiving Tradition
This is hands-down my favorite stuffing to serve for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s everything I love about a classic herb stuffing, but it’s so much better. The additions of sausage, cranberries, and crisp apples give it a boost of flavor, color, and texture. It’s the perfect side for a Thanksgiving turkey.
This stuffing has become a tradition in our family, and it wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without it on the table. I hope it becomes a tradition for your family too!
🧡 Erica
5-Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“My family has been making this for Thanksgiving and Christmas!! We make a double batch at Thanksgiving and freeze half for Christmas!! It saves time with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and all the family coming in to celebrate!!” – Dennis
“Hands down best dressing ever!!!! this was the first time ever using a different stuffing recipe than the always used family recipe and everyone raved, we will not be going back to the old recipe. the flavors blend so deliciously seriously amazing!!!!! Thank you for sharing.” – Lori Z.
I made this stuffing this year and it is amazing! The best homemade stuffing over ever had! Everyone loved it, and I’m adding this recipe to my thanksgiving feast every year going forward! Thanks! – Steffani
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
Oven-baked bread cubes, succulent sausage, and a hint of sweet cranberries and apples make this a treat your guests will ask for again and again.
- Whole Wheat and White Bread: I like the mix of white and wheat bread for my bread cubes in the stuffing. It enhances the taste as well as the appearance of the stuffing.
- Sausage: I prefer sage-seasoned sausage, but a mild sausage works great.
- Fruit and Nuts: The addition of apples, dried cranberries, and slivered almonds is what makes this stuffing shine. They add texture and sweetness to the stuffing.
- Vegetables: Celery and onion give that classic, savory flavor to the stuffing.
- Seasonings: Dried sage, rosemary, and thyme combined with salt and pepper give this stuffing incredible flavor.
- Liquids: Turkey stock (chicken stock can be substituted) and melted butter give moisture to this dressing.
How to Make Cranberry Sausage Stuffing
- Dry bread cubes: Spread cubed bread on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 5-7 minutes or until evenly toasted.
- Prepare sausage: Cook the sausage and onion until sausage is browned and onions are translucent. Stir in celery and dried seasonings.
- Combine ingredients: In a large bowl, combine dried bread cubes, sausage mixture, apples, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and fresh parsley.
- Add liquids. Evenly pour turkey stock and melted butter over the mixture. Toss until the liquids are distributed over the bread cubes.
- Add to baking dish: Spoon the uncooked stuffing into a 9×13 greased baking dish.
- Cover and bake: Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
- Uncover and bake: For an additional 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Make It Ahead
Make this stuffing a day ahead to save time on Thanksgiving morning. Place all of the ingredients into a casserole or baking dish. Wrap with plastic wrap or cover with foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Once you are ready to bake, bring to room temperature, then bake according to the recipe directions.
Tips for Stuffing that is Too Wet or Too Dry
Too wet and soggy: Spread the stuffing out on a large cookie sheet. Bake it uncovered longer to evaporate excess moisture.
Too dry: Heat turkey or chicken stock on the stovetop. Drizzle it over the stuffing and cover the pan with foil. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
For food safety, we don’t recommend stuffing the turkey. Please see the USDA recommendations for stuffing a turkey.
I prefer sage sausage, but any mild sausage will work great. You can also use turkey sausage or a plant-based sausage.
This recipe uses regular white and wheat bread, so therefore, not gluten-free. However, we have an absolutely delicious Gluten Free Stuffing that your whole family will love!
Yes, you can freeze it before or after baking. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven. See tips above for adjusting the consistency if needed.
It lasts 3 to 4 days when stored in an airtight container. Use leftover to make Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole or Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwiches. So yummy!
More Delicious Stuffing Recipes
Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or need a special diet-friendly option, these stuffing recipes are perfect additions to your Thanksgiving dinner table.
Did you make this Thanksgiving stuffing? 🦃
We would love to hear how you liked the recipe! Please leave a review and rating below.
Cranberry Sausage Stuffing with Apples and Herbs
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat bread, (cubed)
- 4 cups white bread, (cubed)
- 1 pound sage sausage, (Bob Evans brand works great)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon dried sage
- 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 golden delicious apple, (cored and chopped)
- 3/4 cups dried cranberries, (Craisins work great!)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup turkey stock, (chicken stock works great too!)
- 1/4 cup butter, (melted)
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds or walnuts, or any kind of nuts, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 5-7 minutes at 350-degrees or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.
- In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onion over medium heat, stirring until evenly browned. Stir in the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in apples, cranberries, parsley and almonds (optional).
- Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter and toss until evenly coated.
- Spoon into a 9×13 baking dish and cook, covered for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes.
Notes
Make Ahead Sausage Stuffing
Make this stuffing a day ahead by preparing bread crumbs and sausage mixture, and assembling everything in the baking dish. Once all the ingredients are in the baking dish, cover and store in the fridge. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes prior to baking to bring to room temperature. Bake according to recipe directions.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thanksgiving Side Dishes
We have loads of Thanksgiving side dishes like this cranberry sausage stuffing. Here are some of out favorites:
Why can’t I print out the cranberry sausage stuffing recipe?
It looks like there’s a lock on it.
It is working for me, so I’m not sure! Maybe try using a different browser? Sorry!
Hands down best dressing ever!!!! this was the first time ever using a different stuffing recipe than the always used family recipe and everyone raved, we will not be going back to the old recipe. the flavors blend so deliciously seriously amazing!!!!! Thank you for sharing
Oh so glad you liked this! It is hands-down our favorite stuffing recipe 😀
Do you recommmend day old bread or
Does the baking in the oven take
Care of getting it dry enough ?
You don’t need to use day old bread– the baking should toast it up enough. Hope this helps!
Could this recipe be used to stuff a turkey? Any modifications suggested?
You should totally be able to use this to stuff a turkey. You will just want to stuff it loosely and then bake whatever doesn’t fit in the turkey as directed in the recipe. Hope this helps!
How many servings does this recipe make?
It should make 10-12 servings depending on how big of eaters you have!
how many bags of already made stuffing bread should i use?
We usually just make this with actual bread… our best guess with the pre-made stuff is to eye-ball it. I think they try and make one loaf of bread per bag of stuffing bread, but I could be wrong.
How much fresh sage or rosemary would you use in place of dried
The general rule is to use three times the amount of fresh herbs as you would dried herbs. So, in this recipe, I would use about 3 Tablespoons fresh rosemary and 4-5 Tablespoons fresh sage. Fresh herbs will be delicious in this recipe!
Can I make this with corn bread instead?
Absolutely! It will have a different consistency and flavor but it will still taste great!
Hi,
I am not having any luck finding dried sage, is using ground sage ok?
Hi Allison, YES! Ground sage or Rubbed Sage will work great and taste just as good! Thanks for asking!
how much ground sage should I use? They say ground is more potent
I really love the flavor of sage in my stuffing, so the more sage the better in my opinion! I honestly don’t think you will notice much of a difference. Thanks for asking!
At what temperature should the stuffing be cooked at?
Can I make this in a slow cooker or small Nesco?
We haven’t tried it in a crock pot before, so I can’t definitively say how it would differ from the original.
This looks great, and I can’t wait to try it! I noticed that is says 8-10 servings, but then it says to bake it in two 13×9 pans, which seems like a lot more servings to me. Is this more than 10 servings? I’m having a big group over for Friendsgiving this year, so I don’t want to run out! Thanks!
When this is part of a BIG meal and this is just a small portion of it, it can probably go further. You can probably stretch this to 10-12 servings. You aren’t layering on the stuffing really thick in the pans, they are pretty thin layers so it gets cooked evenly without drying out (and when it cooks it settles a little so it’s not as “full” as you might think. It’s tough to say with Thanksgiving sides because you will always get people who LOVE stuffing and pile it on and others don’t care for it and won’t take any.
Would this still be good without the sausage?
It will still be good without it.. just not AS good 😉
Is it possible to make this the day before and bake it on Thanksgiving?
We haven’t tried it that way– but it could be possible. Let us know if you do it and how it turns out!
I made this stuffing this year and it is amazing! The best homemade stuffing over ever had! Everyone loved it, and I’m adding this recipe to my thanksgiving feast every year going forward! Thanks!
Hi, This looks GREAT but the only thing you left out was whether or not the sausage should be drained after cooking it. Thanks
Yes, I always drain the sausage. Thank you for asking!
I can’t wait to make this dressing. It sounds so good
It is! You are going to love it!
Best ever!!@@
I really want to make this except I won’t have chicken or turkey stock. Would chicken broth work, do you know?
Walmart sells chicken Stock.
I have made this for the past 2 Thanksgivings (and Christmas!) We will never go back to anything else!!!! SO YUMMY!
Second year making this. I use whatever I can find for unseasoned stuffing mix. We like cashews and at the end adding cubed guada cheese. So delicious!
I too made this last year for Thanksgiving and loved it!!! I am making it again this year but I am going to leave out the almonds ( my husband didn’t like them). Thanks for this amazing recipe!
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was a HUGE hit! I will definitely be making it again this year! (Hence the reason why I am on this page… looking at what ingredients I need for my grocery trip!)
This DOES look delicious! I don't believe I'll be waiting until Thanksgiving to try it out!