Wild Rice Stuffing
Wild rice stuffing delivers all the yumminess of traditional stuffing but with a gluten free twist. Packed with wild rice, fresh herbs, and cranberries for texture, this makes the perfect side for any occasion.
Who says stuffing is only for Thanksgiving? This wild rice version is so good, you’ll want to serve it year-round.
It’s a delicious change from the usual bread-based stuffing, with even more flavor and textures. It’s fancy enough for fancy dinner parties and perfect as an every day side dish.
This recipe takes the usual (an mostly boring) side dish of white rice and makes it so much better!
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
- Wild rice – Use a wild rice blend but if you don’t have it, you can use a combination of white rice and brown rice or all brown rice if you prefer.
- Broth – Chicken broth or stock. Substitute vegetable broth or turkey broth.
- Mushrooms – I like to use baby portobello mushrooms or you can swap them out for water chestnuts.
- Nuts – Toasted pecans are perfect or substitute walnuts or almonds.
- Dried Cranberries – Dried cherries, dried apricots, or pomegranate seeds are great substitutes.
- Sage – If you can find it, use the fresh sage. If not, substitute dried or rubbed sage, or poultry seasoning. Just be sure to cut the amount in half because dried herbs are stronger.
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How To Make Wild Rice Stuffing
- Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and add the rice mixture. Cook until tender and remove from the heat. Set aside.
- In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until all the fat rendered out. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels for later. Leave the fat in the pot.
- Add in the celery, onion, and sage. Cook until tender. Remove to a bowl.
- Add the butter to the pot and cook the mushrooms and minced garlic until the mushrooms are browned and the garlic is soft.
- Stir in the cooked rice, the celery mixture, pecans, and dried cranberries.
- Stir to combine and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with chopped parsley if you like.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage & Reheating
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for up to 4 days.
Reheat it in a skillet or in the microwave at 30 second intervals until warmed through. If it seems a little dry, add a few tablespoons of broth or water.
Prep Ahead & Freeze
You can prep this ahead of time and store in the fridge. I like to spread it in a baking dish and bake it at 350F for 20 minutes to warm it up.
Prep the vegetables a day or two ahead of time, along with the rice, and then toss everything together when ready to serve to make things easy. Just leave the cranberries and pecans out until ready so they don’t get squishy.
Freeze this for up to 2 months. That makes it even easier to get ahead for the holidays.
Store it in a freezer-safe container and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
If you really want to cut down on prep and cooking time, use this wild rice pilaf as a base and add in all the extras. Then bake in the oven. It’s a great way to use up leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
Holidays are the perfect time to serve this, along with this semi-homemade stuffing (for the traditional people), sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole.
Or skip the holiday menu and serve it during the week with a roasted chicken or meatloaf to shake up the regular side dish rotation.
Variations
- Add in more mushrooms or use a truffle paste to add more earthy flavor.
- Swap out the pecans for toasted pine nuts, sliced almonds, or walnuts.
- Dried cranberries are great but you can substitute dried cherries, raisins, and even dried apricots.
- Add some depth with a little liquid smoke, Worcestershire sauce, or some smoked paprika.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wild rice mixes contain multiple types of rice grains so they have a different cooking time. Brown rices take longer so the overall mix takes longer to cook. Usually 40-45 minutes versus the 20 for white rice.
These two terms are used interchangably now but traditionally a stuffing was cooked inside the turkey or bird whereas dressing was cooked in a separate dish. But they typically have the same ingredients.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cook rice properly – use regular wild rice blend (not instant) and allow around 25 minutes to absorb the liquid. Check regularly to avoid overcooking.
- Boost flavor – add diced apples with celery and onions, toast your pecans before adding for extra crunch, and soak cranberries in warm water ahead of time if too chewy.
- Make-ahead friendly – perfect for busy holiday dinners when you need easy and yummy side dishes everyone will like.
- Love leftovers – transform extras into a wild rice salad with sweet apple chunks for an easy main dish.
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This wild rice stuffing recipe is a great alternative to traditional bread stuffing. Perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish or any of your holiday meals.
Wild Rice Stuffing Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3 slices bacon diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pint mushrooms washed, stemmed, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 3 tablespoons fresh sage
- 1/2 cup pecans toasted, chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Add rice and broth to a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover tightly and cook 30-35 minutes or according to package directions.
- Add bacon to a large pan or dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
- Add butter to pan and add mushrooms and garlic.
- Cook until the mushrooms are browned and the mushrooms are tender.
- Remove to a bowl and add the onions, celery, and sage. Cook until tender.
- Remove from heat.
- Add the cooked mushrooms and cooked rice to the cooked celery and onions. Stir to combine.
- Toss in the toasted pecans and dried cranberries. Toss to combine.
- Transfer to a serving or baking dish. Serve garnished with parsley and the crispy bacon.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook rice properly – use regular wild rice blend (not instant) and allow around 25 minutes to absorb the liquid. Check regularly to avoid overcooking.
- Boost flavor – add diced apples with celery and onions, toast your pecans before adding for extra crunch, and soak cranberries in warm water if too chewy.
- Make-ahead friendly – perfect for busy holiday dinners when you need easy and yummy side dishes everyone will like.
- Love leftovers – transform extras into a wild rice salad with sweet apple chunks for an easy main dish.
Nutrition
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