This Keto Sausage and Bread Stuffing is going to be the star of your Thanksgiving table! Made with my famous low carb cheesy skillet bread and plenty of sausage, it’s full of traditional stuffing flavor without all the carbs.
It’s about time I finally gave this popular keto stuffing an update! Except I didn’t actually change anything. My Spicy Sausage Stuffing has always been one of my most popular low carb holiday recipes and you just don’t mess with that. So I simply made it again and took some pretty new pictures.
This is by far my family’s favorite stuffing recipe. I’ve made a few others and they were pretty great too. But this is the one my family requests year after year. This is the keto stuffing we serve to guests and everyone raves about it. I would even go so far as to say that this may just be the best keto stuffing recipe out there.
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Yeah, I am bold like that. And pretty darn confident that you will love it as much as we do.
Traditional Sausage Stuffing
When you ask someone what Thanksgiving dish they miss most on their low carb or keto 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 totally get that. My first few years on low carb, I simply skipped the stuffing altogether and its absence was sorely felt.
But last year, I came up with a truly low carb, gluten-free stuffing that instantly became a family favourite. It was such a hit with my kids, they seem to like eating it more than the turkey. And it’s been our standard recipe for 5 years running now.
While it might seem like an oxymoron to call this a traditional sausage stuffing, that’s what the end result is like. Yes, you have to use keto bread but that’s really the only difference. Beyond that, it uses almost all of the same ingredients you would find in conventional sausage stuffing, and you make it much the same way.
The end result is virtually indistinguishable from the high carb stuff. It’s everything you want in a stuffing recipe: the bread is soft and soaks up all the other flavours, but the top has crispy bits from baking in the oven.
How To Make Keto Stuffing
- Start with some really good keto bread. The whole recipe is based on my Cheesy Skillet Bread, which is perhaps one of my best savoury creations of all time. Not exaggerating – that stuff is heavenly. Soft and tender in the middle, crispy around the edges, and it dries out well, allowing it to soak in all the other flavors.
- Cut the bread into small cubes and dry it out in a warm oven. This is an important step for any sausage stuffing recipe, as you want the bread to absorb the eggs and cream.
- Brown your sausage. We like spicy Italian and we buy bulk sausage so we can easily cook it in a pan without having to remove the casings. Try to find sausage that doesn’t have a lot of additives or any sugars.
- Saute the celery, onions, garlic, and herbs in the fat left behind from browning the sausage. All the flavors combine so well that way and the fats make the stuffing all the more luscious.
- Add some chicken broth, eggs, and cream to help bind the stuffing ingredients together.
- Bake uncovered so that the top gets a bit crispy while the middle stays soft and tender. Like any good Thanksgiving stuffing.
- Serve with turkey and all the trimmings, and enjoy all the goodness the holiday has to offer!
Make Ahead Keto Stuffing
Are you one of those planner types who likes to get half of your holiday feast cooked in advance? Good news! This low carb stuffing recipe freezes really well. I’ve made it several weeks in advance and just thawed it on Thanksgiving day and it’s just as good.
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. It’s good in the freezer for several weeks. Thaw it at room temperature and then place it in a low temp oven until warmed through.
You can also freeze any leftovers wrapped up tightly as well.
So that’s it, my friends! It’s really not hard to make and this keto stuffing recipe has all the traditional flavor and texture of classic sausage stuffing. I daresay that your guests will have no idea they are enjoying a healthy version of their favorite Thanksgiving side dish.
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful keto feast.
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This Keto Sausage and Bread Stuffing is going to be the star of your Thanksgiving table! Made with my famous low carb cheesy skillet bread and plenty of sausage, it's full of traditional stuffing flavor without all the carbs.
- 1 recipe Cheesy Skillet Bread
- 12 ounces spicy Italian sausage
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
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A day or two in advance, make the skillet bread and cube into 1/2 inch pieces. Preheat oven to 200F.
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Spread 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.
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage; sauté until just cooked through, about 6 minutes, breaking up large chunks with a wooden spoon.
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Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a large bowl. Add celery, onion, garlic, sage, salt and pepper to skillet and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to sausage.
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Preheat oven to 350F and butter a large 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Add cubed bread to sausage mixture. Add chicken broth and toss to combine.
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In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with cream and pour over mixture in bowl. Toss until well combined and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 35 minutes, uncovered, until top is crusty and browned.
Jeanette says
Love it – a low carb stuffing! I think stuffing is most everyone’s favorite part of Thanksgiving.
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
Carolyn, you are a low-carb wizard! I could serve this to the most devoted of carb lovers, and I know they’d gobble it up.
Sandra | Sandra's Easy Cooking says
This stuffing really looks amazing, Carolyn! Delicious and tempting pictures!
Jersey Girl Cooks says
What a great gluten free and low carb option! Stuffing is my favorite part of the dinner.
Rica says
I love stuffing! Can’t wait to try it. Are all the recipes in the holiday ezine low carb?
Carolyn says
No, the rest are regular recipes. Some of them could easily be made over, though and the tips and other editorial content is great stuff.
f1ossy says
Your cheesy skillet bread is a standby for me (delicious) and you did mention stuffing there. I tried stuffing chickens (just dried it out) and it was good (I added a bit of lemon juice) but this stuffing looks sensational. A meal on its own! Thanks.
Heather says
Can this stuffing be used to stuff the inside of a turkey, or will it overcook it?
Carolyn says
I think it would work just fine, actually. I no longer stuff a turkey because it takes much longer to cook that way. Just make sure you get the stuffing cooked through (I might even use a instant-read thermometer and check that it reaches the same temp as the turkey does, to make sure it doesn’t harbor any bacteria).
Heather says
I tried it, and the top layer of the stuffing was actually quite burnt. I scraped it off, and the rest inside of the turkey was just fine and yummy. Definitely done, very good.
Carolyn says
Oh dear, sorry about that. Since I haven’t used it in a turkey, I wasn’t sure how it would do. Glad the rest was good…maybe next time, cover the exposed portion with foil. Thanks for reporting back!
Shyla says
Thoughts on using regular sausage?
Carolyn says
Sure, it’s up to you!
Kim Zimmer says
I was so excited to find this and to surprise my friends tomorrow who are low carb every other day except on Thanksgiving, when they just give in. I can’t wait to tell them that they are actually eating a low carb stuffing that still has all of the same qualities as using bread! And, amazingly it also has Italian sausage, which is a family favorite stuffing ingredient and one that I was not willing to compromise on. Well, I just made the bread and YUM! I did not have Flax seeds but I did have milled Chia Seeds, very similar consistency to the flax, and they worked great. It was very difficult to cut it up and put it back in the oven because I just wanted to keep eating it. I am so excited to finish out the recipe. The bread is back in the oven drying out right now. Thanks Carolyn!
Carolyn says
Chia is probably going to work just fine too! Hope you enjoy it, mine is made and ready to go!
Shaina says
Love this gf variation on stuffing, and I am all for a bit of spice! Happy Thanksgiving!
kim0224 says
Thanks for another yummy recipe Carolyn! I added fresh cranberries and baked the stuffing in muffin pans so everybody got some crunchy top. It was a huge hit!
Carolyn says
What a great way to serve it! Happy Thanksgiving!
Chris says
Hi! I made this for TG this year and it tastes great but I think I put in too much sausage. What should be the sausage to bread ratio? Recipe calls for a pound of sausage and I actually did only half a pound b/c that sounded like too much before I cooked it and it still tasted quite sausagey…Please advise!
Carolyn says
I am not sure what to tell you. I like sausage and my family loves this stuffing as written.
Kate says
Carolyn, I just have to thank you so much for this recipe. This was my first Thanksgiving after learning that I’m allergic to wheat and also being on a ketogenic diet. I knew immediately after making the skillet bread that this recipe was going to be a winner. Absolutely delicious! My only change was adding some chopped chipotle peppers (approx. 5) to give it some extra kick. Again, thank you! This was my favorite side dish yesterday.
Carolyn says
Sounds wonderful!
RigelDog says
Wondering what would happen if you eliminated the egg?
Carolyn says
It probably wouldn’t hold together very well. It would still taste great!
Nancy says
Thank you so much for this recipe – my whole extended family has been having success losing weight with a low carb diet, but we were all worried about missing stuffing on Thanksgiving. This recipe was absolutely delicious – looked and tasted great, and nobody would have ever known it was low carb. Thanks for sharing your recipes with us!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Cheryl says
would it work you think to o it the cheese on top and use turkey Italian sausage? Thank you so much for the recipe.
Cheryl says
Sorry, shout be OMIT the cheese on top.
Carolyn says
Sure, that would be great!
Nancy says
Hi, Carolyn. I’ve been trying a few low carb Thanksgiving recipes to make so that I don’t fall off my low carb lifestyle when I’m tempted by all my favorites Thanksgiving day. I made this stuffing earlier this week and was very impressed. I live in Tennessee and we call it dressing here and usually make it with turkey or chicken. I loved it with the sausage and because I don’t like Italian sausage, I just used regular sausage. Also, I failed to read through the recipe instructions and so didn’t make the bread beforehand for bread crumbs. I just used the bread after cooling 30 mins or so. The “dressing” came out a little dry for my taste because I like a more wet dressing so I added an extra cup of chicken broth and it was absolutely perfect! I will definitely be making this to take for my family’s Thanksgiving meal. Thank you, Carolyn, for all your yummy recipes!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Anna says
Would like to try this for thanksgiving this year but I’ve gone dairy free. Any subs for the heavy cream that you think would work well?
Stormi says
I’m not a fan of sausage, do you think I could make this and omit the sausage and it be okay? I really need a low carb side to take to my aunts so I can eat something with my turkey. 🙂
Carolyn says
Yes, it will still be REALLY good. It’s the bread that makes it!
Stormi says
Thought I would step back in here and let you know that I made it and it turned out pretty good. It was a little dry cause I didn’t put the sausage in and so I think maybe I should have put in a bit more chicken stock since it didn’t have the juices it would probably have gotten from the sausage..but over all my dad liked it and I thought it was pretty good! 🙂
Lani says
I was a vegetarian for 10+ years and this will be my very first non-veggie, keto/lchf Thanksgiving and I cannot wait to make this stuffing! The recipe says it serves 16 — if this tastes as amazing as it looks, I’ll be dealing with big eaters. Do you recommend making 1.5 recipes or is the original plenty for a big group?
Carolyn says
Yes, I would definitely do more if you think everyone will really dig in.
Kelly says
Hi Carolyn- I am planning on making this for tomorrow (can’t wait to try it!). My question is do you think it can be made in advance? I’d like to make it tonight if possible and then reheat once I get to my grandmothers. We’ll be travelling in the morning and I won’t have a lot of time once we get there. Do you think this would be ok? Also, I was wondering what was the purpose of the cream? and would it be ok to just use addtional chicken broth? It’s got so many rich ingredients already was confused about the cream. Thank you!!
Carolyn says
You can definitely make it ahead. Sure, go ahead and use additional chicken broth.
Craig says
One of my biggest challenges over the years has been to avoid stuffing at Thanksgiving. Some years go better than others, but this year I found this recipe. I just finished cooking it, tried some, and am so happy to have something so good to bring to my family’s Thanksgiving. I always hope to convert a few of my diabetic relatives to a lower carb diet, and I think this stuffing may help me do it this year. Thanks Carolyn!
Carolyn says
So glad you like it. It’s our favourite too!
Barbara says
I am new to low carb, & when I told my husband I found a recipe for LC stuffing, he put on his best stiff-upper-lip, trying to be supportive face. When I told him the name of this stuffing, he broke out in a wide grin. I made the bread a day ahead, and we both had to force ourselves out of the kitchen so we would have some bread left for the actual stuffing. When it was in the oven today, he kept saying his mouth was just watering for that stuffing (not the turkey!). It was sensational. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to bring the bread to this year’s Christmas party for the relative with Celiac’s who can hardly tolerate giving up bread. She’ll be in heaven. Your site is just great.
Carolyn says
I love comments like this, Barbara. So glad you liked it!
Jenny D. says
Carolyn,
We made note of many things for which we’re thankful yesterday…and your recipes were on our list! I’m trying to run the numbers in my mind, and recipes directly from your site made up about 50% of our Thanksgiving dinner this year. And this stuffing was the cherry on top! I’ve been burned by some low-carb recipes that look good in the photos, yet fall far short of the taste of their high-carb counterparts (none from your site!)…this stuffing is actually BETTER than the high-carb version! It is fantastic, and will be a Thanksgiving & Christmas dinner staple for years to come.
BTW, welcome to the West Coast! We’re glad to have you!
Carolyn says
So glad it lived up to the promise!
Denise says
Ok, Oh my gosh. This is the absolute best stuffing I have EVER made. It did NOT matter that I didn’t prep the bread ahead of time, although that would have made it even better. Thank you for a perfect stuffing recipe!!!!!!! P.S. I used both fresh and dried sage and thyme in mine because that’s what my mother used. I also added leeks to the onion and celery since I had some in my fridge that I need to do something with. And I only used about 1 cup of sausage because i preferred it to be mostly about the bread cubes and vegetables.
Roger says
I am looking to make this ahead and bring to my brother’s house.
I will be traveling on train on Wednesday.
Should I prepare this dish Tuesday evening or I start at my house and finish after I get there?
Roger
Carolyn says
I think it gets better with age so I would bake it prior and rewarm it once there.
Roger says
Sounds good, Thank You
Maria says
Carolyn! You’re a goddess! I love your cheesy skillet bread! My fav part of the Thanksgiving meal is the stuffing! I’ll be making this at least once before Thanksgiving, maybe more than once, and hope that the one meant for the Thanksgiving meal will make the 3 hour drive to my destination, intact. Oooooo, an idea. Someone mentioned doing it in muffin tins. If I did that, no one would know that some went missing during the road trip 🙂 Question: does it need to be baked in glass? Will silicone work? Or the disposable aluminum baking trays? Thank you!
Carolyn says
I think silicone would work or a disposable aluminum tray, just make sure to grease it well.
Maria says
Thank you for the quick reply. Have a perfect day 🙂
Rebecca says
This is the most delicious stuffing! I made it with more chicken broth and it was just perfect. I can’t wait to make it again this year!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!
Alison says
Loved the stuffing. LOVED IT. But really don’t like sausage. Went with a pound of bacon instead. Cooked per the recipe instructions – cooking the veggies in the bacon fat. Drained off all the extra fat before continuing to mix the bread in and going further. Was fantastic! My husband is type II diabetic and just loved it. 16 servings? Well, he ate four. 🙂 I might add in more veggies next time to stretch it out a bit and make it even lower carb. Thank you so much. This was my first foray into anything like this and it turned out fantastic!
Carolyn says
You can’t go wrong with bacon!
Angie says
I’m going to make your recipe this Thanksgiving but instead of the almond flour-based bread, I’m making a cheese-based recipe. Do the macros you’ve listed include the Cheddar Skillet Bread? I’m assuming they do, but want to make sure before I recalculate. Thanks! And thanks for giving us back dressing. Boy, did we miss it last year!
Carolyn says
They definitely do include the bread.
Angie says
Thank you for the quick reply! I’ll recalculate the macros based on my tweaks. I’m looking forward to making the Cheddar Skillet Bread in a few months, when I’m at or near goal weight and can handle the higher carb almond flour without a setback.
Manya says
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! I have been looking for low carb recipes for the holiday. This turned out great. We usually have Creole cornbread stuffing so I ended up crumbling the bread instead of cubing it. My husband said he doesn’t know if he can wait till Thanksgiving to have it! I can’t wait to make the bread with jalapenos!
Jodi says
I’m smiling reading the comments from the past years! Keto on and make stuffing!
This looks delicious. Wondering if you’ve every used coconut flour in your skillet bread? Any thoughts on how much additional liquid to add?
Carolyn says
No, I’ve never made it with coconut flour. It would be a very different bread. You may want to look at my Skillet Cornbread recipe and use that instead.
Jodi says
I actually meant to ask if you’d made your skillet cornbread recipe with coconut flour – sorry! I should have posted on that page.
Carolyn says
Yup, that’s mostly coconut flour. The almond meal in that recipe is for texture. You could add in 2 tbsp extra coconut flour instead.
Rhonda Chase says
I was going to wait to write until Thanksgiving (tomorrow), but I just tasted the stuffing before baking and it’s unbelievably good! I’m sure it will be even better after 35 minutes in the oven! I’m making this recipe and a traditional bread stuffing and I’m sure this will be the winning dish. Thanks so much for sharing it!
PS I used soy milk in the bread since that’s what I had and it was fine.
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Monica says
Hello, we tried the stuffing/dressing recipe and it is terrific and we dont like stuffing/dressing. Of course due to supplies on had we did have a few adjustments. We ground our own almond flour so it was not a superfine texture and we used a flax chia blend but we really liked it so hey it works.
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Monica
Carolyn says
Glad you liked it!
Amy says
When you make the cheesy skillet bread for stuffing, do you add the cheese in it?
Carolyn says
You bet!
patti says
This was wonderful. The whole family enjoyed it. We have tried low carb stuffing recipe we didn’t like and this was a good one to find.
Carolyn says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Kristin says
Hello!
Can I make this the day before and back on Thanksgiving? Should I adjust any ratios?
Thank you, my daughter is SO excited to have stuffing for the first time in years!
Carolyn says
Yup, that’s totally fine, just store in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking.
Angela says
Would you bake it at 350 after its room temp? And for how long? I tried this recipe tonight and it was amazing! I’m thinking of freezing the left overs.
Carolyn says
Do you mean if you prep it ahead? Yes, you should just bake as normal.
arianne says
Hi,
This has to be better than any stuffing I’ve ever had. I added mushrooms, walnuts and cauliflower. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Tera says
I just realized I didn’t make the bread ahead and dry out. Do you think it will still be ok? Maybe if I bake the cut up portions an hour more or so?
Thank you so much!!!
Carolyn says
I think it will be fine. They may not soak up as much of the other liquids.
patti says
WE love this recipe!!1 About how much is a serving in terms of cup measurement?
Donna B says
Love, love, love your recipes and new cookbook. I’m a big make it in advance person when it comes to Thanksgiving. It’s the only way I avoid getting too stress out the day of. Can this be made ahead of time and frozen or at least the bread portio? Thanks you!
Carolyn says
The bread indeed can be made ahead. I had to make two batches so I could do that video and I so I have some in my freezer right now! I am sure the whole thing could probably be made ahead too but I haven’t tried it.
Margaret Owens says
Carolyn I love dressing n I am on the Low Carb diet n doing real well on it, my question ison the cheesy bread recipe what would happen if I omit the FLAX SEED MEAL n baking powder n use 4 large eggs instead of 3 n omit the 3/4 cup Almond milk. I really wanna try ur Low Carb Spicy Sausage & Cheddar Dressing here
Carolyn says
I honestly cannot tell you as I did not try baking it this way. I don’t think it will work. You can replace the flax seed with more almond flour.
Richard Wilson says
Great dressing! My wife Jessica and I loved it! I added some waterchesnuts and sliced crimini mushrooms. We will definately be making this again. Thanks Carolyn.
Nichole Woodard says
This was delicious!!!!
Laura Powers says
I made the bread and a version of the stuffing recipe, and OMG! So so yummy! Thank you for sharing this delicious stuffing recipe.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Wow, this is fantastic! So happy to see that it can be made ahead.
Rachael Yerkes says
Well this is going to go on our Thanksgiving table for sure!
Anna says
I could eat stuffing every day! Love this version with sausage and cheddar!
Krissy Allori says
Stuffing is my favorite, especially during fall! I love this recipe because I can finally have something to offer my GF friends.
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
Looks so perfect! Definitely a must try!
Nina Peters says
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Thank you for creating a tasty Keto/gluten free stuffing. The stuffing has always been the best part of the meal, and now it still can be!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Mary says
I’ve made a version of this for the past couple of years using your keto breads, toasted, and then adding my usual stuffing ingredients – onion, garlic, mushrooms, sausage, and a liberal amount of fresh and dried herbs moistened with chicken broth. I make 2 batches–one with “real” bread for hubby and the keto version for me. I never feel deprived bc your keto version tastes super and has the texture of corn bread dressing, which I love. Bless your heart!
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Cici says
Do you think the bread would be just as good if I baked it in a sheet pan? It’s easier to cube that way.
Kate says
Carolyn, you almost gave this old lady a heart attack, lol!
When I saw this in my email, I was seriously worried that you’d messed with perfection! I’ve been making this stuffing every year for Thanksgiving, (and additional random meals), since you posted it, and I couldn’t imagine how or why it needed to be changed/updated! After reading the article, I literally laughed out loud, (at 3:00am), because you’d only updated images. My shock and horror 😉 was for nothing! The only substitute I make is that I use Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage, and it’s amazing.
We actually love the Cheesy Skillet Bread all year with soups, stews and chili. I sometimes add fresh, diced hot peppers of one kind or another to it, and a couple times I’ve made it with the peppers and then into stuffing. SO good!
Thank you for preserving one of the best holiday sides ever created for the Keto world. The holidays are hard on people trying to eat healthy food. This little number makes it easy!
Carolyn says
So glad you love it so much!
Jessica Burgess says
Mmmmm! I can’t believe how tasty this looks! It’s perfect for our family right now! Thank you!
Connie says
This stuffing looks great! Will have to save this one for the holiday. I know my family is going to LOVE this!
Aimee Shugarman says
This stuffing is our new holiday favorite. Everyone loves the flavors all mingled together!
Alli says
This looks wonderful. One of my favorite dishes ever. Love that this is keto as well!
Rachael Yerkes says
Stuffing is my favorite part of thanksgiving! Thanks for this recipe
Rachael Yerkes says
This was super good!
Jaime says
Do the eggs give it an ‘eggy’ taste? Tried to look through the comments but couldn’t tell. Thanks!
Carolyn says
No, not at all.
Katie says
My mother in law is diabetic so Thanksgiving is always a challenge to ensure she stays within her daily carb intake. This stuffing was a HIT. I 86’d the garlic as we have a couple garlic haters in my fam (I know crazy right?). I was intimidated to make the bread from scratch but it was honestly so easy! I had to keep my hungry boys away from it while I let it dry out. Everyone ate and complimented the stuffing so much so that I think we can forget making regular stuffing from here on out! Buy the almond flour on Amazon, I saved a couple bucks!
Carolyn says
So delighted to hear it!
Lucy says
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe, but with my sourdough bread. I’m wondering about how many cups of bread cubes are used? Thank you!
Carolyn says
It’s probably 4 or 5 cups worth.