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This Apple Cranberry Stuffing recipe is a delicious twist on the traditional Thanksgiving favorite that will elevate your holiday table! With a perfect balance of savory and sweet, this side dish bakes to golden perfection—crisp on top but soft and flavorful in the center. Each bite bursts with the sweetness of tender apples and dried cranberries.
Homemade Dressing with Apples and Cranberries
Stuffing is not just for Thanksgiving anymore! This side dish is delicious, easy, and great to serve with any meal. Of course, may still serve it with your holiday meal if you like. However, I have made it for dinner several times just because it’s so good! It’s sweet, slightly tart, AND savory. Plus, kids love it! Even my husband has asked for it by name. I promise you are going to want to make this one soon.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cranberry Stuffing
- Balanced flavor and texture. This stuffing recipe is a fantastic blend of sweet and savory and soft and chewy.
- Budget-friendly. If you want an inexpensive side dish for your next meal, this is a great one to try.
- Customizable recipe. You may swap or add ingredients to this cranberry stuffing to make it your own.
What You’ll Need
These ingredients are very simple. I’ve added some tips and ideas to help you consider the purpose of certain items and easy substitutions that you may make in a pinch.
- Day-old bread: Fresh bread can make the stuffing a little mushy so I find slightly stale and dry day-old bread works much better. You may cut the fresh bread and lightly toast it in the oven and use that if needed.
- Butter: This softens the veggies and adds a little richness to the dressing.
- Veggies: I add onion and celery to this recipe for depth of flavor and texture. Make sure they are both finely diced.
- Apples: You may use any variety of apples that you enjoy. I typically use red apples (like Macintosh or Fuji) but Granny Smith is great if you want more bite.
- Cranberries: I use dried cranberries to add texture to the stuffing. I like that they’re a little bit chewy yet tart and sweet. They go perfectly in this recipe.
- Spices: I chose sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. These seasonings are simple but taste great in stuffing. They add just the right herbaceous flavor.
- Fresh parsley: I like fresh parsley for color. If you would like to leave it out, you may.
- Chicken broth: I use chicken broth but vegetable broth is great too for a vegetarian version. It adds moisture and flavor to the bread cubes as they cook.
How to Make Apple Cranberry Stuffing
Here are all the steps needed to make this apple cranberry stuffing recipe. It’s fairly simple to follow and the oven does most of the work!
- Prepare the oven and baking dish. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then, grease a 9×13 casserole dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Set it aside.
- Soften the veggies. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Next, add the onion and celery. Cook the veggies for about 5 minutes or until they are soft.
- Add apples and cranberries. Combine the veggies with the chopped apples and dried cranberries. Cook the mixture for another 2 minutes or until the apples are tender but not too soft.
- Season. Sprinkle in the dried sage, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir until well mixed.
- Combine bread and cranberry mixture. Add the cubed bread and fresh parsley to a large bowl and toss together. Then, mix in the apple-cranberry mixture.
- Pour in broth. Gradually pour in the chicken broth and toss to coat the bread evenly. Add enough for moisture.
- Transfer and bake. Pour the stuffing into the prepared baking dish. Cover it with foil and bake it for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake. Remove the foil and bake it for an additional 15 minutes or until the top of the dressing is golden.
- Cool and garnish. Allow a few minutes for it to cool. Then, garnish with more fresh parsley.
- Serve. Enjoy it with your favorite dinner!
Tips and Variations
- Dried Fruit: Try golden raisins or dried apricots instead of cranberries for a different flavor.
- Add nuts: Chopped walnuts or pecans would add great texture to the stuffing.
- Fresh herbs: Instead of dried herbs, try fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary.
- Add more broth if needed: If you find that the stuffing is a little dry, add a splash more of chicken broth.
Proper Storage
Store leftovers of this cranberry apple stuffing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To preserve the texture, it’s best reheated in the oven. I do not recommend freezing the stuffing because as it thaws, extra moisture will make it mushy.
More Stuffing Recipes to Try
- Cornbread Dressing Recipe
- Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Green Bean Stuffing
- Best Ever Sausage Cornbread Stuffing
Apple Cranberry Stuffing
This Apple Cranberry Stuffing recipe is a delicious twist on the traditional favorite that will elevate your holiday table! With a perfect balance of savory and sweet, this side dish bakes to golden perfection—crisp on top but soft and flavorful in the center. Each bite bursts with the sweetness of tender apples and dried cranberries.
Servings: 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of day old bread cut into cubes (about 16 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 red apples cored and diced
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and celery, saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped apples and dried cranberries, cook for another 2 minutes until the apples are slightly tender.
- Add the dried sage, thyme, salt and black pepper, mix well to combine the flavors.
- Place the bread cubes and chopped parsley in a large mixing bowl, pour the apple-cranberry mixture over the top.
- Slowly pour the broth over the mixture, gently tossing to moisten the bread evenly. Add more broth if the mixture is too dry.
- Transfer the stuffing mixture to the prepared baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes and serve, garnish with additional fresh parsley or garnish with fresh thyme or sage. Enjoy!
Last Step:
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Notes
- For the best texture, use day-old or slightly stale bread. Fresh bread can become too mushy when mixed with the broth.
- Alternatively, you can toast the bread cubes in the oven to dry them out before using.
- Adjust the amount of broth according to the dryness of your bread. The goal is to have moist but not soggy stuffing.
- Add cooked sausage, nuts (pecans, walnuts), or other dried fruits such as raisins or apricots for extra flavor.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the oven at 350°F (175°C) until warmed through.
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 529mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 282IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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2 comments on “Apple Cranberry Stuffing”
Can you use frozen cranberries?
Hi Christine. Yes, frozen cranberries would well as a substitute.