This delicious Keto Stuffing is going to be the star of your Thanksgiving table! Made with low carb skillet bread and plenty of sausage, it has all the traditional holiday flavor you crave. With only 2.8g net carbs!
It’s about time I finally gave this popular keto stuffing an update! I didn’t actually change anything, as it has always been one of my most popular holiday recipes. You just don’t mess with a recipe when readers all over the world love it! So I simply made it again, shot a video, and took some pretty new pictures.
This is my family’s favorite Keto Thanksgiving Recipe. Even my picky teens request it year after year. And I’ve had many happy guests enjoy it too.
I would even go so far as to say that this may just be the best keto stuffing recipe out there. Paired with some roast turkey, some sugar-free cranberry sauce, and a little keto gravy, and you’re in healthy holiday heaven!
Why you must try this recipe
When you ask someone what Thanksgiving dish they miss most on their low carb diet, the overwhelming majority say stuffing. And can you blame them? That delectably moist, savory bread pudding that soaks up the turkey juices and gravy so well.
I developed this keto stuffing recipe way back in 2013, because I really missed it too. And it became an instant hit with my family and my readers. You need to use keto bread, but the process is very much the same as traditional stuffing.
The end result is virtually indistinguishable from the high carb stuff. The bread is soft and soaks up all the other flavors, but the top has crispy bits from baking in the oven.
And this stuffing recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, and has only 2.8g net carbs per serving. Happy holidays to you!
Reader Reviews
“Stuffing is one of my Thanksgiving “must-haves.” I made this recipe and was so pleased with it! In fact, if someone else had served it to me, I don’t think it would have crossed my mind that it wasn’t really bread stuffing. Great flavor and texture!” — Becky
“I have made this for Thanksgiving for the last 3 years and get rave reviews each time. I love stuffing, but not all the carbohydrates from the traditional recipe using white bread or cornbread. This is the only keto stuffing I have made, and I honestly don’t know why I would ever want to look for another recipe. This stuffing is simply the best and it’s one of the recipes that I have handed out repeatedly to my keto and gluten-free friends & family.” — Nancy
“I was looking for a stuffing recipe. I didn’t want use my Keto hot dog buns but it was my plan until I saw the cheesy bread recipe for stuffing. I decided to give it a try. I didn’t have flax seeds so I went ahead without it. OMG It is great. I will make this again many times. I am ordering flax seed right now. Love your recipes!” — Dinah
Ingredients you need
- Keto bread: Start with some really good keto bread. The I usually make this with my keto cheese bread, but you can use other recipes. You can also use store-bought bread, if you choose. Use my coconut flour bread if you need to be nut-free.
- Italian sausage: Use bulk sausage and try to find one that doesn’t have too many additives. Be sure to check if it has added sugar! We love this keto stuffing with hot Italians sausage, but mild or breakfast sausage works well too.
- Celery: This is a must for stuffing for classic flavor and crunch.
- Onion: A little onion helps give it great flavor as well.
- Garlic: I recommend fresh garlic where possible. You can replace it with a half teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Heavy cream: This adds moisture to the stuffing. You can keep it dairy free and use more broth instead.
- Pantry staples: Fresh herbs, eggs, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
Step-by-step directions
1. Prep the bread: A day or two in advance, make the skillet bread and cube into ½ inch pieces. Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Spread the bread cubes on a large baking sheet and bake 2 to 3 hours, until well dried and crisp. Let sit out overnight to continue to dry.
2. Cook the sausage: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the sausage; sauté until just cooked through, about 6 minutes, breaking up large chunks with a wooden spoon.
3. Sauté the veggies: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a large bowl. Add the celery, onion, garlic, sage, salt, and pepper to the skillet and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl.
4. Toss together: Add the cubed bread to the sausage mixture. Toss to combine well.
5. Add the liquids: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and broth. Pour over the mixture in the bowl and mix well. Spread in a buttered 9×13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
6. Bake: Bake at 350ºF for 35 minutes, uncovered, until top is crusty and browned.
Expert tips
Let the bread dry out properly, so it can absorb the eggs, cream, and broth a little better. It will hold together better as well.
Bake uncovered so that the top gets a bit crispy while the middle stays soft and tender. Like any good Thanksgiving stuffing.
Looking to get a jump on your holiday cooking? You can make this keto stuffing days or even weeks in advance. Simply prep and bake the stuffing in whatever dish you plan to serve it in. Then let it cool and wrap it up tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Thaw completely on Thanksgiving Day and bake in the oven for 20 minutes to warm up.
You can also save precious space in your oven and use your slow cooker. One of my readers tested this out. She cooked it on high for about 30 minutes, then let it sit on warm for several hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re on a keto diet, you should avoid eating classic bread stuffing. It can have 20 grams of carbs per serving. But this keto stuffing recipe uses low carb bread, so you can make it part of your holiday traditions.
This stuffing is good in the freezer for several weeks. Wrap it tightly with foil or plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn. Then thaw it at room temperature and then place it in a low temp oven until warmed through.
This sausage keto stuffing recipe has 6g of carbs and 3.2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.8g net carbs per half cup serving.
More bread options for keto stuffing
Keto Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Cheesy Skillet Bread
- 12 ounces spicy Italian sausage
- 1 cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- A day or two in advance, make the skillet bread and cube into ½ inch pieces. Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Spread the bread cubes on a large baking sheet and bake 2 to 3 hours, until well dried and crisp. Let sit out overnight to continue to dry.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and butter a 9×13 glass or ceramic baking dish.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the sausage; sauté until just cooked through, about 6 minutes, breaking up large chunks with a wooden spoon.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a large bowl. Add the celery, onion, garlic, sage, salt, and pepper to the skillet and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl. Add the cubed bread to the sausage mixture. Toss to combine well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and broth. Pour over the mixture in the bowl and mix well. Spread in the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 35 minutes, uncovered, until the top is crusty and browned
Val says
This is a super recipe! It took some extra time, because I had to make the cheese skillet bread, but is well worth the effort. I made this 2 weeks before Thanksgiving and froze 2/3 in a casserole and we tried the rest…yum, yum. I thawed it for Thanksgiving and brought it to our family dinner. I didn’t try to replace the “standard” Sausage Stuffing, just asked if everyone would try it and tell me what they thought. Well guess what…you got super reviews (not a surprise as all your recipes are well over the top). I doubt anyone will run out and prepare this recipe, but, they all ate it and my husband and I loved it.
Your recipes have made so much easier to embrace the Keto life style, eat most things we want, and eat gluten-free which has bee our goal for over 6 years now.. We haven’t discovered a single recipe you make unsatisfactory, and I will keep cooking.
Carolyn says
That’s wonderful to hear!
Sarah says
This one was so fun to make at Thanksgiving. It turned out great. My mom would traditionally make two stuffings. One would be the traditional style…recipe on the bag of bread crumbs, type. It was tasty! And the other one was more tart with lots of cranberries. I realized I missed the cranberries. So I added them to your stuffing upon reheating and wa-la! It was terrific to combine a keto stuffing with a taste memory and have it work out! Thank you!
Carolyn says
Sounds fabulous!
Joy Blake says
Hi Caroline, I love this recipe and want to make it for our Christmas stuffing, but my granddaughter is allergic to eggs. Do you think I could substitute something else for the eggs?
Thanks
Carolyn says
I really can’t say how well that will work. It will be tasty but it won’t hold together like stuffing.
Becky says
Stuffing is one of my Thanksgiving “must-haves.” I made this recipe and was so pleased with it! In fact, if someone else had served it to me, I don’t think it would have crossed my mind that it wasn’t really bread stuffing. Great flavor and texture!
Julie says
Amazing! Made this as written, using ground Chorizo for my sausage. We seem to be doing Thanksgiving in pieces this year, as it is just the two of us and the turkey didn’t defrost as expected, so I had no turkey drippings to baste the stuffing with as I usually do with stuffing outside the bird. I will do that when I cook the turkey, which should help make the stuffing more moist. I found it dry for my taste, though admittedly, I like my stuffing in the bird and richly moist. Also found it to be salty, which could very well be due to my choice of sausage. I will lower the salt content next time. There will ABSOLUTELY be a next time, and I am done making two batches of stuffing…one keto and one regular. Keto all the way. YUM!
Carolyn says
Excellent!
Allison Keith says
Loved the flavors. We like our stuffing moist, so I ended up using a whole 14.5oz can of chicken broth. Used keto bread, not sure how many cups of bread to use since I didn’t make the skillet bread. Next time I think I might add pecans and ripe olives.
Dave says
Carolyn,
I’ve just pulled the Cheesy Skillet Bread out of the oven as prep for making the stuffing tomorrow- it smells amazing!
Two quick questions, can I substitute butter for the heavy cream? And do I need the eggs as a binder? If I don’t use them what will happen?
Dave
Carolyn says
Butter is not a good replacement for heavy cream, since it’s almost complete fat. And yes, stuffing needs eggs to hold together. You’re welcome to skip it but you will basically have a loose salad of bread and sausage.
Dinah says
I was looking for a stuffing recipe. I didn’t want use my Keto hot dog buns but it was my plan until I saw the cheesy bread recipe for stuffing. I decided to give it a try. I didn’t have flax seeds so I went ahead without it. OMG It is great. I will make this again many times. I am ordering flax seed right now. Love your recipes.
Nancy says
I have made this for Thanksgiving for the last 3 years and get rave reviews each time. I love stuffing, but not all the carbohydrates from the traditional recipe using white bread or cornbread. This is the only keto stuffing I have made, and I honestly don’t know why I would ever want to look for another recipe. This stuffing is simply the best and it’s one of the recipes that I have handed out repeatedly to my keto and gluten-free friends & family. This has been a game changer for my holiday dinners and I can’t thank you enough!
My mother in-law signed up to bring stuffing this year, but I will be bringing some Keto Spicy Sausage and Cheddar Stuffing for my own plate (and maybe some to share)!
Carolyn says
I am so glad!
Christina says
How do I store this bread until I’m ready to use it for stuffing? Also do I let it dry out before using it forr stuffing? Btw it is delicious and I appreciate all you hard work!!!
Carolyn says
YOu can freeze the bread if you need to keep it for a while. It can also be refrigerated for 5 to 7 days. And yes… dry out ALL breads properly before making stuffing.
Melissa says
This was amazing right out of the oven. I took the drying process too far. When I make it again sill follow the instructions to a T. I made a test batch a week before Thanksgiving. The stuffing was wonderful. I decided to freeze it and reheat the day of. For me, it didn’t reheat well. I need a do over.
Katie White says
Making your cheesy bread for the third time since Thanksgiving, used it for stuffing, found it was a great breakfast food! Made the bread the second time toasting it for breakfast, making it this morning for stuffing again because stuffing is a breakfast food!
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Aaron McGrady says
Made this in the slow cooker, everybody loved it and devoured it (even the non-keto people).
I cooked it on high for about 45 minutes (will do around 30 next time, it was close to being burnt on the edges that crispy), then on low for a couple hours. Will definitely make it again.
Jenna says
Made this for Thanksgiving as a keto option for my husband, and he rated it 5/5! The cheesy skillet bread is delicious on its own, and that will become a staple moving forward. Will definitely make the stuffing again!
Lisa N says
The flavor was great! I just felt there was too much bread. Or not enough of the egg and cream mixture. The ratio seemed off. I will definitely make again. Next I will use 3/4 of the loaf or double the egg and cream mixture. I used mild sausage. Next time I’d use spicy.
Cheryl R Taylor says
Made this dressing today, it was wonderful! Finally a keto dressing my southern daughter likes as much as the “old” recipe!
Carolyn says
Thrilled to hear it!
Kristin M Mosman says
It was freakin AMAZING!
Carolyn says
YAY!!!
Nic says
Will you please update this recipe to indicate what type of sausage you cooked? Ground or links?
Carolyn says
Did you see the photos? Does it look like links? If you do purchase links, you can always remove the casings.
Stephanie Williams says
Can I cook day before put in fridge and reheat next day?
Carolyn says
Absolutely, this is what I do every time! I am making mine today, baking it, and re-heating tomorrow.
Joy says
How do you reheat it without it drying out?
Carolyn says
The same way you re-heat regular stuffing. 🙂 Microwave or warm oven, with something to cover it.
Kerry says
Outstanding! The cheese bread is the perfect base. I made a few servings to take with me to a family get together. I will not miss out on stuffing this year! I added mushrooms to the sautéed veggies because we always had sausage mushroom stuffing growing up. I dare say this is better than mom’s!