This gluten free cornbread dressing recipe brings classic Thanksgiving stuffing flavor to a gluten-free (and dairy-free!) table. Crispy-edged cornbread, savory breakfast sausage, and fresh sage in every bite.
Recipe at a glance
- 📋 Recipe name: Gluten Free Cornbread Dressing
- 👥 Servings: 10
- ⏲️ Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- 🍴 Best for: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holidays
- 🥘 Main ingredients: Gluten free cornbread, sausage, broth, celery, onion
- 🔥 Cooking method: Stove and oven
- 👩🏼🍳 Flavor profile: Herby
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Easy
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No Thanksgiving or Christmas table feels complete without a big dish of dressing. If someone in your family or a guest is gluten-free or dairy-free this year, this recipe means they don't need a separate plate, everyone eats the same dish.
Stuffing or dressing? I'm not picking sides! I just know this version, made with gluten-free cornbread, breakfast sausage, and fresh sage, disappears fastest at my table every year. It's the dish people ask me to bring back the next Thanksgiving.
Ready to make it? Here's everything you need, ingredient swaps, make-ahead tips, and the exact steps to get crisp, never-soggy dressing.
Why this recipe is unique
- Toasted, not soggy. Broiling the cornbread cubes first, instead of just cubing it into the dressing raw, gives every bite a crisp edge that holds up under the broth and sausage instead of turning mushy.
- Breakfast sausage does double duty. Pre-seasoned breakfast sausage brings protein and seasoning in one ingredient, so you get sage, salt, and savory flavor built in without a separate spice blend.
- Actually gluten-free and dairy-free-friendly. Built on homemade gluten-free cornbread with ghee (or dairy-free butter) in place of regular butter, so your gluten-free and dairy-free guests get the real dish, not a workaround.
- Make-ahead friendly. The cornbread stales and toasts best when made a day or two ahead, which means less to juggle on Thanksgiving morning.
Ingredients
Recipe FAQs
Yes, any gluten-free cornbread or cornbread mix works. Just make sure it's fairly dense (not too crumbly), so it holds up to broiling and mixing with broth.
Yes. Staling the cornbread for a day or two, then broiling it until crisp, keeps the dressing from turning soggy once it's mixed with broth and baked.
Too dry usually means too little broth or too much uncovered bake time; too soggy means the cornbread wasn't dried or toasted enough first. Stick to 1 cup of broth for this batch size, and don't skip the broiling step.
Yes. Use ghee, dairy-free butter, or a neutral oil like avocado oil instead of regular butter, and make sure your cornbread and sausage are dairy-free too.
Yes. Assemble the dressing unbaked up to a day ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Bake it fresh the day of, adding a few extra covered minutes since it'll start cold.
How to make
- Make the cornbread a day or two ahead and leave it out on the counter to go stale. Short on time? You can do it same-day.
- Crumble the cornbread into ½-inch cubes and spread them in a single, even layer on a foil or parchment lined sheet pan. Don't let pieces overlap, or they'll steam instead of crisp. Broil for 5-7 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden and crisp. Broilers vary a lot, so watch closely; it can go from golden to burnt fast.
- Heat ghee, butter, or oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and celery and cook about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the ground breakfast sausage to the pan and cook until browned, 6-8 minutes.
- Combine the sausage mixture with the crispy cornbread cubes, egg, poultry seasoning, chopped sage, and broth in a large bowl.
- Transfer to an oiled casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, until golden brown on top.
Kaleena's Tips
- Don't skip the broil step. It's the single biggest factor in texture. Toasting the cornbread first is what keeps the finished dish from turning mushy once it hits the broth.
- Taste before adding salt. Breakfast sausage is already well-seasoned, so mix everything together first and taste before reaching for extra salt.
- Fold gently. Stir just until combined so the cornbread cubes hold their shape instead of breaking down into mush.
- Let it rest. Give the dressing 5-10 minutes out of the oven before serving, it sets up and is easier to scoop.
- Premake the cornbread. A day or two ahead, left out on the counter to stale, is one less thing to do on the day of cooking.
Variations and substitutions
- Southern-style: Skip the sage and swap in a poultry seasoning blend with extra black pepper and a splash more broth for a wetter, classic Southern texture.
- Vegetarian: Omit the sausage, sauté the onion and celery in a bit more ghee or oil, and use vegetable broth. Add a pinch of extra poultry seasoning to make up for the sausage's seasoning.
- Extra herby: Add a tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme or rosemary alongside the sage for a more complex holiday flavor.
- Gluten-free cornbread: I use my homemade gluten-free cornbread recipe, but you can use whatever gluten-free cornbread mix that you like. You can also use regular gluten-free bread instead of cornbread.
- Sausage: I usually use breakfast sausage, but you can use chicken sausage, turkey sausage, or even Italian sausage.
- Ghee: Vegan butter can be used if you have a dairy allergy, or regular butter if you don't. You could also use olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.
Serving suggestions
This dressing is built for a holiday plate. Round it out with:
Storing and reheating
Storing: Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Reheat covered in the microwave, or in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes, until warmed through.
Freezing: To freeze the dressing itself, let it cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. A few extra uncovered minutes in the oven helps re-crisp the top.
Have extra baked cornbread you didn't use in this recipe? See Can You Freeze Cornbread? for freezing and reheating tips.
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think! Leave a star rating or drop a comment below. Your feedback means so much to me! And if you snap a photo, tag me on Instagram at @kaleenas.kitchen so I can see your version!
Recipe
Gluten Free Cornbread Dressing- Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- large skillet
- Casserole dish
Ingredients
- 4 cups coarsely crumbled gluten-free cornbread *this is the homeade gluten free cornbread recipe I use but boxed works too
- 1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage
- 1 egg
- 2 cups diced celery
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup diced onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh sage
- 2 teaspoons ghee, butter, or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Instructions
- Make the cornbread either a day or two before and leave it out on the counter to get stale. If you don't have time you can do it the day of.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Crumble the cornbread into ½-inch cubes and spread them in a single, even layer on a foil or parchment-lined sheet pan. Don't let pieces overlap, or they'll steam instead of crisp. Broil for 5-7 minutes, tossing halfway through, until golden and crisp. Broilers vary a lot, so watch closely; it can go from golden to burnt fast.
- Add the ghee, butter, or oil to a large pan and heat to medium heat. Dice the onion and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the ground breakfast sausage to the pan with the celery and diced onion and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
- Combine the sausage mixture with the crispy cornbread cubes, egg, poultry seasoning, chopped sage, and broth in a large bowl.
- Transfer to an oiled casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, until golden brown on top.
Notes
- Broil the cornbread in a single layer, tossing halfway, until crisp. This keeps the dressing from turning soggy.
- Make the cornbread 1-2 days ahead and let it stale on the counter for the best texture.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge up to 5 days; reheat covered at 350°F for 15 minutes.
Nutrition
*nutrition information is an approximate
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Hey, I'm Kaleena!
Here you'll find wholesome recipes made easy, with big flavor. I share easy, approachable recipes designed for everyday life, from 30-minute dinners and simple side dishes to cozy soups and crowd-pleasing favorites.
The focus is always on food that tastes amazing and feels doable. Whether you're cooking for a busy weeknight or a relaxed weekend at home, my goal is to help you feel confident in the kitchen and enjoy cooking meals you're excited to make.
