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.
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.
More keto thanksgiving recipes you might like:
Keto Spicy Sausage and Cheddar Stuffing
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 oven to 200F.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Cathy says
Can’t wait to make this for thanksgiving this year! Do you shred your cheddar fresh or use bagged pre-shredded?
Cathy says
And I probably should’ve posted that under the skillet bread recipe lol
Jen says
How many slices of a keto bread would you recommend? Short on time this round to make my own bread.
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Like a loaf of bread, the kind you can buy at the store? Probably 3/4 of the loaf, I think.
Jane says
This looks yummy. Have you made this without meat for those non-meat eaters? Would you add other seasonings? Thanks.
Carolyn says
I haven’t but you could. I might add more celery and seasonings, yes.
Sabrina Wilson says
I’ve made this in the past and it’s AMAZING! That being said, I decided I wanted to make it today for a dish that I’d like to prepare tonight. Do you think that there’s enough time to dry the bread and prepare the dish in 4-5hrs or will the bread be to mushy if I don’t let it dry overnight?
Carolyn says
I am honestly not sure. You can certainly try.
Lucy says
Made this tonight to test before Thanksgiving. My husband and son said it doesn’t taste low carb and loved it! I think next time I may double the fresh veggies (onion, celery, and garlic) so I get some with each bite. Overall it’s a wonderful recipe! Thank you!
Wendy says
I’m confused…. This is called “stuffing” but you don’t “stuff the turkey” with it. Can it be cooked inside the turkey?
Carolyn says
You can but as with all stuffings, you need to make sure it gets up to temperature internally (at least 165F) so that there is no risk of contamination from the turkey.
Jana LaVanway says
can store bought keto bread be used to save time? Not sure if it will dry up the same or change the texture. I know your bread tastes better but just wondering…
Carolyn says
I am sure it can. It tends to be quite dry as it is so I would maybe just leave it out overnight and let it dry out. If it’s not quite stale enough, do my oven trick but not for as long.
Andi says
Hi Carolyn! I’ve got the cheesy skillet bread drying out in the oven right now YAY!! I love love love stuffing and every single comment above raves about this recipe, so I can’t wait for the finished product tomorrow!
Here’s my question…if I’m making the recipe ahead of time and refrigerating until tomorrow – do I mix everything together, including the bread cubes? Or do you you think it would be best to leave out the bread and mix in prior to baking?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
It’s meant to soak in the custard so you can make it all now and cover tightly, and then bake tomorrow.
Sandy says
Wonderful! My favorite part of the Thanksgiving dinner. It’s really delicious.
Jon says
OK, first off, I don’t do stuffing … but this year I’m on keto, and I just decided I wanted to really go for the whole traditional Thanksgiving meal, with non-traditional recipes … and with this recipe, I now love stuffing! Absolutely great.
Thing is, yesterday I made the cheese bread (and accidentally overcooked it, which kind of replaced the separate drying step) and today I made the stuffing, and it’s still three days ’til Thanksgiving. Can I refrigerate this, or with it being that long, do I need to go with freezing?
Thank you for a terrific recipe that I absolutely love. Even with the hot sausage, when I usually prefer mild or sweet, all the other ingredients kind of cool it off, so it’s still absolutely great!
Carolyn says
I think it might be best to freeze, since stuffing is really eggs, cream, and bread.
Jon says
Thank you!
Margaret says
Hi Carolyn!! If I want to substitute keto bread for your keto cornbread, how many ounces, cups or pieces of bread do you think I would use instead? Thanks.
Amy says
Hi Carolyn! I could gush on and on about how much I appreciate you and your work to put out such great low carb recipes… not to mention your humor and kindness. There are many good reasons your blog is so popular! Now… about this stuffing… our family usually does a big pan of stuffing like your recipe calls for. But we also make “stuffin’ muffins” that make handy leftovers. Any idea about the bake time if this is baked in a muffin tin (metal or silicone)?
Thanks again for all the yummy goodness you bring us!
Carolyn says
I haven’t tried it so I don’t know the bake time but I would start with 20 minutes and watch them.
Marlee says
I made the bread yesterday but I couldn’t find flax seed meal, I found ground flax seed cold milled though and decided to try it. It doesn’t look as good as yours, but it dried out like croutons so I’m hoping it turns out okay. Do you think it’s ruined because of the ground flax seed?
Carolyn says
Flax seed meal is ground flax. So you’re good.
Kara says
This is my 3rd year making this for Thanksgiving/Christmas, my family requests it every year! Even my non-keto family can’t get enough of this. Thank you for sharing!
Carolyn says
I love hearing that, it’s so good that keto stuffing can be better than the “real” thing!
Sonja says
I love this bread! I made the stuffing and it did not seem like there was enough liquid… I followed the recipe exactly and even though it tasted good, it was very dry and a lot of the bread cubes were still very dry. What did I do wrong? or should I double the liquids? I am going to keep trying, as I think it is a great dish, but cooking is not my strong suit
Carolyn says
Hmmm, I feel like mine ends up with too much but if you want more, go for it. I’d add broth and cream.
Diane H says
How long will the bread cubes store for once you make them – trying to make that part in advance to cut down on labor when it’s time to put it all together- thanks!
Carolyn says
That’s an excellent question, I’ve never tried that but now I think I might have to! You know, I think I’d pop them into an airtight container and stick them in the freezer. They’d be fine for several weeks if not a month.
Patti says
I was wondering about this also. I would just make them Tuesday or Wednesday before!!
Ashley says
Do you use ground sage?
I can’t wait to make this!
I love your recipes!!
Carolyn says
Yes, the powdery ground sage.
Mary White says
Time for me to get on the “real-food keto-style” wagon. First thing on my mind is what could I do with this great stuffing recipe. First thing I think of is stuffing halves of plump-round squashes for winter dinners. Mixing stuffing into dreary frizzled hamburger and adding cheese and whatever might be nice from the fridge to make a casserole. And is there a “stuffing bread” anywhere around? How would anyone do bread big time with the priority flavor…stuffing. Maybe it would be stuffing muffins. Or stuffing omlettes? Or stuffing soups? Obviously I’m stuffing-crazed.
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.
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!