Stuffing with Cranberries
Dried cranberries are the seasonal ingredient you didn’t know your Thanksgiving stuffing was missing. This buttery, herby Cranberry Stuffing adds a unique twist to your holiday table.
Cranberry Stuffing is Unique and Delicious
Cranberry haters, look away. Today is a party for the cranberry lovers! They’re tart, they’re sweet, they’re seasonal, and they make a memorable addition to stuffing.
Like most of my stuffing recipes, I’ll be starting with my husband’s grandma’s old fashioned Stuffing Recipe that continues to be one of the most popular recipes on this site, year after year.
The combination of toast-it-yourself torn bread and the dried-cubes-in-a-bag stuffing mix, along with plenty of butter, poultry seasoning and sage is a base recipe that you can’t go wrong with.
The tart cranberries fit right in like they were always meant to be there, and make this stuffing the perfect complement to roast turkey or any other holiday main dish.
Why You Will Love This Cranberry Stuffing Recipe
- It’s a nice way to incorporate seasonal cranberries into your meal even if you don’t necessarily want to serve cranberry sauce.
- The cranberries provide a pop of red color and a satisfying burst of juiciness, so this stuffing looks just as festive as it tastes.
- Make this a day or two before the holiday and bake it before dinner. Make ahead sides are the way to go!
Stuffing with Cranberries Ingredients
- hearty white sliced bread – this is the sturdy bread base that will absorb all the flavors. I usually use Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White sliced bread or something similar. Sourdough bread is also nice here.
- country style cubed stuffing (the dried cubes in a bag) – these add an additional textural element to the dish. I usually use Pepperidge Farm brand here, as well. “Country Style” is just a combination of white and wheat bread cubes, with some seasonings, but any variety of the dried cubes will work.
- dried cranberries – I recommend UNSWEETENED cranberries here (not Craisins!), if possible. These are obviously tarter, and don’t have the cloying sweetness that reminds you of dessert. Unsweetened cranberries can be a bit more difficult to find (and sometimes more expensive), but they’re worth it for this special occasion.
- milk – this adds a creamy richness (and moisture) to the stuffing with cranberries.
- eggs – these act as a binding agent, ensuring that the stuffing holds together as it bakes.
- chicken stock – for moistening the stuffing and adding extra flavor. Chicken broth is also fine.
- unsalted butter – it’s not a good stuffing without plenty of butter to make it irresistible!
- onion and celery – these aromatic ingredients add layers of complexity and depth of flavor.
- poultry seasoning, dried sage, salt and pepper – these seasonings add the perfect balance of savory and herbal notes to every bite of this stuffing recipe with cranberries. Yes, there is sage in poultry seasoning, but we use extra sage, too! You can also garnish the finished dish with fresh sage, if desired.
How to Put Cranberries in Stuffing for Turkey
1. TOAST. Place torn white bread on a baking pan and bake until it’s lightly toasted and crisp.
2. COMBINE. Toss the cubed stuffing with beaten eggs, stock and milk in a large bowl.
3. SAUTE. Cook the onion, celery, salt and pepper in a bit of butter in a skillet until the vegetables are slightly softened, then stir in the cranberries, poultry seasoning and sage.
4. STIR. Add the toasted white bread, melted butter, and cooked veggie mixture to the bowl with the cubed stuffing, and stir everything together.
5. BAKE. Pour the bread mixture into a greased baking dish and bake (start covered and then uncover), until the top is golden brown.
Home Chef Tips For This Stuffing Recipe With Cranberries
- To enhance the homemade flavor, use homemade turkey stock made with lots of aromatic vegetables and herbs in place of chicken stock.
- For a vegetarian cranberry stuffing, use homemade vegetable stock.
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How to Serve This Turkey Stuffing Cranberry
Serve this stuffing with cranberries as a side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas alongside a showstopping main dish, lots of other side dishes, and some beautiful desserts.
Mains
More Sides
Cranberry Stuffing Recipe Storage
- MAKE AHEAD. You can fully assemble this stuffing with cranberries in its casserole dish in advance, through the beginning of step 7 in the recipe card below. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. When you’re ready to bake the stuffing, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for 1 hour before baking according to the directions below.
- LEFTOVERS. Any cooked, leftover cranberry stuffing can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
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Cranberry Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ 24 ounce loaf hearty white sliced bread torn into small pieces (12 ounces) (6 to 7 Slices)
- 2 eggs
- 1 bag country style cubed stuffing the dried cubes in a bag (12 ounces)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup milk
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- Nonstick cooking spray
- ½ medium white onion finely chopped
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ cup dried cranberries unsweetened recommended
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place torn white bread on rimmed baking pan. Transfer to oven and bake 13 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Set toasted bread aside; leave oven on.
- Meanwhile, place eggs in large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add cubed stuffing, stock and milk; toss to combine.
- Melt 6 tablespoons butter in small pot or microwave-safe dish. Spray large casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, salt and pepper and cook 5 to 7 minutes or vegetables are slightly softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add cranberries, poultry seasoning and sage; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add toasted white bread, melted butter, and onion mixture to bowl with cubed stuffing and milk. Stir for 1 minute or until toasted bread is very well moistened.
- Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Transfer to oven and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 minutes longer or until the top of the stuffing is golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
