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This savory and soft Mushroom Stuffing recipe is loaded with flavorful porcini mushrooms, onions, leeks, and thyme. It has it all! Plus, it's easy to make gluten-free so everyone can enjoy it.
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Stuffing with Mushrooms
I've always loved making homemade stuffing for special occasions like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but this version of stuffing with mushrooms has quickly became a new favorite!
It's savory and soft in the middle with a perfectly crisp top. Everyone will ask you for your secret!
Loaded with mushrooms, onions, leeks, and thyme, this homemade mushroom stuffing is deeply flavorful. It's earthy from the mushrooms, fresh and fragrant from the fresh herbs, and perfectly moist. This is truly the best homemade stuffing!
Mushroom Stuffing FAQs
Stuffing should be moist and not dry before baking, but it should also not be soggy. To avoid soggy stuffing, don't over-mix it. Mixing too much will cause it to become over-saturated with liquid.
Eggs can be used as a binder in some stuffing recipes, but for this mushroom stuffing recipe, we do not use eggs. We use butter in our recipe as a binder. If you want to make this a vegan stuffing recipe, you can use a vegan butter alternative and replace the bacon with a vegan bacon alternative.
Mushroom Stuffing Ingredients
- Bread, regular or gluten-free
- Butter
- White onion
- Leek
- Dried porcini mushrooms
- Walnuts
- Bacon
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Vegetable stock, gluten free
How to Make Mushroom Stuffing
- Preheat oven to 225°F. Line a baking sheet with a lip with parchment paper.
- Arrange bread cubes on the baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Turn occasionally so the croutons evenly cook. After 45 minutes, they should be golden-brown; if not, continue to cook for a few minutes until they are. Set aside.
- While the croutons bake, add porcini mushrooms to a small bowl. Cover with hot water and set aside to steep for 20 minutes.
- Chop bacon, leek, and onion into even sizes.
- Turn the oven up to 350°F and grease a large (9-by-13 inch) roasting dish. If you don't have a large dish, you can use 2 smaller dishes with the stuffing evenly divided between them.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add onions. Saute until softened, then add the leek and continue cooking.
- Move vegetables to the side of the pan and add bacon. Cook, turning frequently, for several minutes. Remove the pan from the heat once cooked.
- Strain the mushrooms but reserve the liquid. Chop and add to the skillet with walnuts and thyme, and stir.
- Place croutons in a large mixing bowl with the vegetable and bacon mix. Using a large spoon, mix so the flavors are fully combined.
- Filter mushroom water through a fine-meshed sieve to remove grit, then pour it into the vegetable stock (optional).
- Add all the liquid to the stuffing mix. Toss briefly, just enough to evenly coat everything in the bowl, but not enough to break the bread. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Transfer stuffing to the roasting dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes (up to 20 minutes for a crisper finish).
- Serve, and enjoy!
Homemade Mushroom Stuffing Recipe Tips
- Easily make a vegetarian stuffing with mushrooms by leaving out the chopped bacon, or make it vegan by replacing the bacon and butter with vegan substitutes.
- For a moist stuffing, bake mushroom stuffing for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- For a crispier stuffing, bake for 40 minutes.
Portobello Mushroom Stuffing
You can easily replace the porcini mushrooms in this recipe with portobello mushrooms to make an amazing Portobello Mushroom Stuffing! Cut the portobello mushrooms into evenly sized diced pieces and follow the recipe as normal. Portobello mushrooms will not need to soak like the dried porcini mushrooms do.
Make Ahead Mushroom Stuffing
You can easily make mushroom stuffing ahead of time by preparing the dish as you normally would and refrigerating overnight. When you're ready to bake, let the stuffing sit on the counter while your oven heats up. Bake for the same amount of time!
Storing Mushroom Stuffing
Storing: Store any leftover mushroom stuffing in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Once your stuffing has cooled completely off, store it in a freezer-safe, airtight container for up to 1 month.
Holiday Side Dishes
Try more of my best Thanksgiving side dish recipes, including:
Mushroom Side Dishes
- Air Fried Mushrooms
- Portobello Stuffed Mushrooms
- Mushroom Soup
- Sautéed Garlic Mushrooms
- Mushroom Risotto
- Portobello Mushrooms
Did you try this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and leave a rating! We love to hear from you.
Mushroom Stuffing Recipe
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- 9x13 roasting pan
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 6 cups Bread cut evenly into 1-centimeter cubes; regular bread or gluten-free
- ½ stick Butter unsalted
- 1 medium White onion
- 1 cup Leek chopped
- ½ ounce Dried porcini mushrooms or portobello mushrooms, diced
- ½ cup Walnuts shelled and chopped
- ⅓ cup Bacon diced
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 1 cup Vegetable stock gluten-free if baking gluten-free stuffing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225°F. Line a baking sheet with a lip with parchment paper.
- Arrange bread cubes on the baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Turn occasionally so the croutons evenly cook. After 45 minutes, they should be golden-brown; if not, continue to cook for a few minutes until they are. Set aside to cool.6 cups Bread
- While the croutons bake, add porcini mushrooms to a small bowl. Cover with hot water and set aside to steep for 20 minutes.½ ounce Dried porcini mushrooms
- Chop bacon, leek, and onion into even sizes.1 cup Leek, ⅓ cup Bacon, 1 medium White onion
- Turn the oven up to 350°F and grease a large (9-by-13 inch) roasting dish. If you don't have a large dish, you can use 2 smaller dishes with the stuffing evenly divided between them.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add onions. Saute until softened, then add the leek and continue cooking.½ stick Butter, 1 medium White onion, 1 cup Leek
- Move vegetables to the side of the pan and add bacon. Cook, turning frequently, for several minutes. Remove the pan from the heat once cooked.⅓ cup Bacon
- Strain the mushrooms but reserve the liquid. Chop and add to the skillet with walnuts and thyme, and stir.½ ounce Dried porcini mushrooms, ½ cup Walnuts, 2 Tablespoons Fresh thyme leaves
- Place croutons in a large mixing bowl with the vegetable and bacon mix. Using a large spoon, mix so the flavors are fully combined.6 cups Bread
- Filter mushroom water through a fine-meshed sieve to remove grit, then pour it into the vegetable stock (optional).1 cup Vegetable stock
- Add all the liquid to the stuffing mix. Toss briefly, just enough to evenly coat everything in the bowl, but not enough to break the bread. Taste, then season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Transfer stuffing to the roasting dish and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes (up to 20 minutes for a crisper finish).
- Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Easily make a vegetarian stuffing with mushrooms by leaving out the chopped bacon, or make it vegan by replacing the bacon and butter with vegan substitutes.
- For a moist stuffing, bake mushroom stuffing for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- For a crispier stuffing, bake for 40 minutes.
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