If you're looking for the perfect AIP bread stuffing, continue reading! The holidays can be a bit of a weird time when you're doing AIP. There are some classic holiday foods like turkey, sweet potatoes, salads, and roasted veggies that are naturally AIP compliant for the most part but what do you do about stuffing??
Stuffing is kind of a tricky one. Most AIP stuffings either have you making an AIP bread first, then incorporating it into a stuffing mixture, while others leave out the bread entirely. These methods are fine but if you're wanting a bread-like stuffing without the added time and effort of making the bread first, this is the recipe for you!
This stuff is so darn easy to make and so delicious. My husband said it's one of his favorite dishes I've ever made (and he is brutally honest when it comes to tasting my recipes). The beauty of this recipe as mentioned above is that you get the breadiness without having to make the bread.
Instead, you'll just saute some veggies (and fruit), mix in some tigernut flour, then add a gelatin/broth mixture and bake it. It bakes up beautifully with a fluffy texture and a satisfying balance of flavors.
Being AIP and all, this recipe is gluten-free/grain-free, nut-free, egg-free, soy-free, dairy-free, (and probably a couple other "frees") and Whole30 compliant!
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Here's What's in This:
- Veggies: Onions and Celery
- Fruit: Apples and Dried Cranberries- Make sure you get AIP compliant dried cranberries, meaning no processed oils or added sugar
- Coconut oil (or oil of choice)
- Gelatin and Chicken Broth-The gelatin and broth work together as a "gelatin egg." Some people get intimidated when it comes to gelatin but it's easy to use. Just mix warm broth and the gelatin powder in a small dish and allow to sit for about a minute then mix it into the other ingredients. Vital Proteins is a good brand. I also use NuNaturals.
- Tigernut Flour- This continues to be one of my absolute favorite AIP flours to use in baking because it is incredibly versatile and contributes a really soft but stable texture to baked goods. It behaves similarly to almond flour. Anthony's is generally the brand I use but Gemini is very popular too.
- Dried Rosemary, Garlic Powder, and Pink Sea Salt
Storage
This will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days in an air-tight container.
Freezing- I have not tried freezing this but I would expect it to do fairly well in the freezer for up to a month or so.
Substitutions
If you don't want to use onion, celery, or apples, these can be swapped out for other veggies and fruit that better fit your taste preferences. It's a fairly flexible recipe.
If you prefer not to use cranberries or don't have any, raisins would be an appropriate substitute.
What if I don't have tigernut flour? I have not tried substituting for the tigernut flour yet, but my first choice to try this would be green banana flour or plantain flour, OR a mixture of coconut flour and cassava flour.
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
Kale Salad with Rainbow Carrots
Pumpkin Cherry Cake with Salted Caramel Sauce
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. If you made it, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought. I'd love to hear from you!
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @foodcourage for the latest AIP/Paleo recipes and Food Courage happenings!
This recipe is shared on the Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable.
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AIP Bread Stuffing (Paleo, GF, Whole30)
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp coconut oil (or oil of choice), for sauteing
- 1.5 cups white onion diced, (about 1 large onion)
- 2 cups celery diced (about 8-10 stalks)
- 3 cups apple diced, (about 2 large apples)
- 1 tbsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp pink sea salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 cups tigernut flour
- 2 tbsp gelatin
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (to mix with the gelatin)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium-sized pan over medium-high heat. Saute onions and celery for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the apples and seasonings. Continue cooking another 3-5 minutes or until softened.
- Stir in cranberries and remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 11x9 inch glass baking dish.
- Mix the tigernut flour with the mixture in the pan and incorporate it evenly, working out any tigernut flour clumps.
- In a separate small dish, combine the broth and gelatin and allow to sit for about 1 minute, then mix it in with the pan mixture.
- Transfer the contents of the pan to the glass baking dish, distribute evenly, and press it down into the dish.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until slightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then enjoy.
Tiffany says
This looks delicious! If substituting green banana flour for the tigernut flour, would you use 2 cups of the green banana flour as well? I'd prefer to use a mixture of cassava and coconut because I eat these frequently but am unsure of the ratio to use?
Arika | FoodCourage says
Hi Tiffany! It's tough to give exact ratios since I haven't tested it and every recipe is so different. You could try straight-up banana flour (and it may work perfectly) but a blend is probably safest if it's not been tested previously. Here are some things I would try: 1 cup green banana flour and 1 cup cassava flour (this ratio worked beautifully in one of my other recipes) OR 1.5 cups cassava flour and 1/2 cup coconut flour. Let me know how it turns out!
Amy says
Do you think using fresh/frozen cranberries would work?
Arika | FoodCourage says
Great question. Fresh or Frozen probably could work but you'll want to account for the added moisture and tartness they add compared to the dried cranberries. If you replace the dried cranberries with 1 cup of fresh cranberries, I would probably decrease the broth to 1/4 or 1/3 cup and maybe add a tiny bit of maple syrup or coconut sugar to offset the tartness of the fresh cranberries. Let me know how it goes if you end up trying it out!
Bobbie-Jo says
I just made this using fresh cranberries. I put a cup in my Vitamix and processed them slightly to chop them up. I also added a small handful of dried cranberries, but don't think I needed them. I didn't do any other substitutions and it came out fabulous! I am going to try it next week with the cassava/coconut flour mixture as I don't have any more tigernut flour on hand.
Arika | FoodCourage says
Bobbie-Jo, That's awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing. I love to hear what variations are working.
Chris says
Hi, would like to try this and wondered if I could use egg(s) instead of the "gelatin egg", and if so, how many? If it really needs the gelatin to come out best, I can use it. Just preferred not to have to buy it for one recipe. Thanks!
Arika | FoodCourage says
Hey Chris! Great question. I'm sure it would turn out fine with eggs- I just excluded them because it's necessary for the elimination phase of AIP. I would sub in 2 eggs in place of the 2 tbsp gelatin and 1/2 c broth.
Jenny says
Wow this looks great! Such a creative way to make stuffing without bread! I really need to order some tigernut flour now!!
Arika | FoodCourage says
Thanks, Jenny!
Holly says
Hi Arika! Planning on trying this recipe for our Thanksgiving meal! If I wanted to prep the day before cooking, do you think I should wait to add the flour until right before baking, or mix it in with the vegetables the day before as prep?
Thank you so much!!
Arika | FoodCourage says
Hi Holly! I would probably add the flour in with everything the day you cook the veggies/fruit, so the whole mixture gets evenly incorporated. I would think if you waited till the next day to add it, it might be tricky because the ingredients will have cooled and solidified a little bit. Let me know how it turns out!
Diane says
This was a knockout hit! I loved it! Will be serving this on my AIP table for a long time! Thank you!
Arika | FoodCourage says
Awesome!! I'm so glad to hear that. Thanks for the comment Diane!
Maria says
Tried this for Thanksgiving, and it turned out great! I’ve tried other AIP stuffing recipes in the past, but this is the one I’m going to be making from now on. I made it the night before, and I think that helped a lot with the flavor and the texture. Thank you coming up with this easy recipe!
Arika | FoodCourage says
Hi Maria! Thanks so much for the comment- I'm so glad you liked it!
Rachel says
This should work in the bird, too, right? Im hoping so!
Arika | FoodCourage says
I haven't actually tried cooking it in the bird, but I would think it should work!
Torie says
I needed something a little easier this year and was glad to find this one that doesn't call for making some kind of bread or biscuit beforehand (even though they are delicious). I really wanted to make one like my mom's so I skipped the fruit (and gelatin, tbh) and just used a lot of sage like mom did. My husband and I loved it. I was worried the tigernut flour tasted too sweet in the pan but it was better after baking. I got away with an 8 x 8" pan that fit in my toaster oven.
I'd love to try the full recipe another time! Thank you!
Arika | FoodCourage says
Hey Torie, That's awesome! Thanks so much for the input. I'm glad you guys liked it!
Jasmine S says
Love this recipe. Have made it a few times. I like adding sage pork sausage or bacon. I'm making it with a mix of green plantain flour and tigernut this year. Thank you so much. It's nice to feel a semblance of normalcy at the Thanksgiving table with family.
Arika | FoodCourage says
Awesome! So glad you like it. Thanks so much.