This cranberry apple stuffing is easy to make with a delicious mix of savory herbs and gently sweet bursts of fruit, all nestled into a bread base that's part pillow soft, part crisp. It makes a great addition to festive and many other meals.
![baking dish filled with cranberry apple stuffing with spoon below dish](images/cranberry-apple-stuffing-photo.jpg)
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Being from the UK, Thanksgiving isn't something I grew up with, but it was pretty easy to adopt, especially given the meal is largely what I grew up eating for Christmas. It's almost like a practice run, and without the need to think about presents (definitely a bonus).
Our festive traditions
I know traditions vary, and like many, we tend to make some things that are more typical and others that are less so. We always have cranberry sauce, and dessert is pumpkin pie from scratch at Thanksgiving. Main-wise we usually go for roast duck rather than turkey since we are a smaller group (and prefer it).
![This cranberry apple stuffing is easy to make with a delicious mix of savory herbs and gently sweet bursts of fruit, all nestled into a bread base that's part melt-in-your-mouth soft, part crisp. It makes a great addition to festive and many other meals. spoon scooping some cranberry apple stuffing from dish](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cranberry-apple-stuffing-spoon-picture.jpg)
One other non-negotiable is stuffing. For our family, we always have to have my rutabaga, date and bacon stuffing as it's a firm favorite (and delicious). Then, we may add in another, depending on how hungry everyone seems and if I feel like I have time.
When it comes to stuffing, this is probably where my British roots come through. My sense is stuffings in the UK tend to be heartier than many in the US. So think meaty offerings like my fennel, pork and prune stuffing, sausage stuffing or the more French-style chestnut stuffing I always loved my mum making when I was little.
More recently I figured I'd try a slightly lighter stuffing, maybe a little more bread-heavy as is the US style. That said, I didn't want to just eat bread - there needed to be flavor in there too. And this herby cranberry apple version hit the mark, with it's tasty mix of gently sweet and savory flavors.
![cranberry apple stuffing ingredients apple, onion, celery between baking sheet with bread cubes and dishes with cranberries, butter, saga and rosemary](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ingredients-cranberry-apple-stuffing.jpg)
What kind of apples are best?
You can use a few different varieties in here, depending on whether you prefer a more tart flavor like Granny Smith, or more sweet-tart like Gala, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp. All of those would work well. Here I used Gala.
I would just recommend you go for a relatively firm apple so they hold their form rather than go to mush when cooked.
What type of bread should you use?
With the bread, too, you can be relatively flexible to suit what you have and prefer. I recommend a white bread rather than wholegrain, but a nice bakery-style loaf rather than sliced white will give a better texture and taste.
I'd recommend something like a sourdough or French-style bread. While you can use the crusts, they can be tough to eat, so I generally trim them off. I find the overall texture better that way. As a result, larger slices give you more to use (ie a baguette is probably not the best).
Top tip: use slightly stale bread
The big thing that's key with whatever bread you use is that it should be slightly stale rather than fresh. Why? Because fresh bread will become mushy or disintegrate rather than hold its shape as it takes in liquid.
If your bread is not a day or two old, you can help it along in a few ways -
- Leave the bread out on the counter for a few hours, either as whole slices or chopped, to dry out.
- Dice the bread then dry out in a low oven - around 300F/150C for about 20 minutes is probably enough. Then, let it sit to cool and dry further.
![cranberry apple stuffing before baking stuffing in dish before baking](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pre-bake-cranberry-apple-stuffing.jpg)
Ways to adapt this stuffing
This recipe keeps things relatively simple, which works well as it is, but you can easily add in a few things based on your tastes. Some ideas include:
- Add some sausage or ground pork - just brown it, then add it in once the onion base has softened.
- Mix in some additional (or different) dried fruit - dried prunes or apricots both pair well with apples and savory flavors too, plus dried cherries could also be good.
- Add some nuts - chopped walnuts or slithered/flaked almonds would work well here to add some crunch.
- Change up the veggie base - while onion and celery work really well as a base for this, you could also add in some leek instead of onion, or as well. Fennel is always good with apple and some diced winter squash or parsnips can add more bulk, color and soft texture if you want a less bread-based stuffing.
![This cranberry apple stuffing is easy to make with a delicious mix of savory herbs and gently sweet bursts of fruit, all nestled into a bread base that's part melt-in-your-mouth soft, part crisp. It makes a great addition to festive and many other meals. part view of dish of cranberry apple stuffing from overhead with spoon below](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cranberry-apple-stuffing-ohead-pic.jpg)
This cranberry apple stuffing is a simple and tasty mix that is a great additIon to many a meal. It pairs particularly well with poultry and pork (we had it with ham) but could work with other mains too. It's relatively light (as bready things and stuffings go), but also full of comforting herb and fall flavors. A great addition to many a meal.
Try these other tasty sides:
- Sauteed French green beans with shallots and garlic
- Butternut squash wild rice salad with cranberries, fennel and a bright orange dressing
- Maple roasted parsnips
- Dauphinoise potatoes cooked in cream with garlic and thyme
- Plus get more Holiday recipes and side dishes in the archives.
Cranberry apple stuffing
Ingredients
- 8 oz bread 225g, slightly stale/dry, crusts removed and cubed giving around 4 cups cubes
- ½ onion around 1 cup diced
- 1 stalk celery around ½ cup diced
- 1 apple eg Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp
- 2 tablespoon butter 28g
- 1 teaspoon rosemary finely chopped, fresh
- ½ tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries 35g
- ½ cup low sodium chicken stock 120ml (homemade if available)
Instructions
- Dice the bread into around ½ in/1cm cubes. If the bread is not already a day or two old and dry, then leave pieces to dry out at room temperature for a few hours. Alternatively, place cubes on a baking sheet/tray and bake on a low oven, around 300F/150C for around 20 minutes until dry but not browning.
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Lightly butter a baking dish around 10in x 7in (25cm x 18cm).
- Cut the onion and celery into relatively small dice, both similarly sized. Peel, core and dice the apple just slightly smaller than the bread cubes.
- Warm the butter in a wide skillet/frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for a couple minutes until they are both softened but ideally not browning.
- Add the rosemary and sage and cook a minute more. Add the bread cubes, apple and cranberries and mix everything together well. Remove from heat and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Flatten out the mixture to give an even layer.
- Pour over the stock evenly - it should feel slightly soft and moist when you press the cubes down but not wet. If it seems like it needs it, add slightly more stock. Bake for around 25 minutes until gently browned and crisp on top (if you prefer less or more crisp, bake around 5 minutes less or more).
Video
Nutrition
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![This cranberry apple stuffing is easy to make with a delicious mix of savory herbs and gently sweet bursts of fruit, all nestled into a bread base that's part pillow soft, part crisp. It makes a great addition to festive and many other meals. This cranberry apple stuffing is easy to make with a delicious mix of savory herbs and gently sweet bursts of fruit, all nestled into a bread base that's part pillow soft, part crisp. It makes a great addition to festive and many other meals.](https://www.carolinescooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cranberry-apple-stuffing-pin.jpg)
Kris
The rosemary and sage added such a nice flavor! Can't wait to make again!
Caroline's Cooking
Glad you enjoyed! I agree they add a lovely flavor to it.