Pecan Apple Stuffing
This easy pecan apple stuffing is a classic Thanksgiving stuffing recipe made with a delicious blend of buttery bread cubes, apples, and pecans.
This pecan apple stuffing is a classic stuffing recipe that we make every Thanksgiving. It is loaded with onions, carrots, tart Granny Smith apples, crunchy pecans, and fresh herbs baked together with buttery bread cubes and a rich chicken broth.
We love our traditional Southern cornbread dressing, but sometimes we like to put that extra dazzle to our holiday spread. That’s when we go for the pecan apple stuffing.
It’s delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners you can even add your leftovers to porkchops for a delicious dinner!
Serve with some creamed corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, and mashed potatoes and you have a meal that will have your friends and loved ones won’t be able to get enough of.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Vegetables – Yellow onions, carrots, celery
- Herbs and seasonings – Garlic, dried or fresh parsley, Beau Monde Seasoning, kosher salt, and black pepper
- Brown Sugar – Adds flavor and moistness to your dish.
- Granny Smith Apples – You want a nice tart apple for this recipe. You can substitute with Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples if you need to.
- Butter- We recommend unsalted butter, but you can use salted if you need to. You may want to adjust the amount of added salt to compensate for the salt in the butter to prevent your dish from being too salty.
- Bread – You want to use something like a loaf of Italian or French bread. You will want nice, thick chunks when you cube it.
- Broth – We use chicken broth, but you can sub with vegetable if so desired.
- Pecans – You can sub with walnuts if you wish, but we feel pecans give the best flavor with this dish.
Some people also like to add sage and thyme to their stuffing, but we prefer to leave those out for this pecan apple stuffing.
How to Make Apple Stuffing
Step 1 – Preheat – Preheat oven to 350°F.
Step 2 – Sugar onions – Place the onions in a small bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Let the onions sit for about an hour.
Step 3 – Sauté – In a large skillet, sauté the carrots, celery, apples, and garlic until softened.
Step 4 – Add onion and butter- Strain the sugared onions and add them to the sauté, along with the melted butter.
Step 5 – Toss with bread – Add mixture to the bread and toss in a large bowl.
Step 6 – Add rest of ingredients – Add chicken broth to the bread mixture along with the pecans, parsley, and Beau Monde seasoning. Slowly toss until the broth is all absorbed by the bread. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 7 – Add to pan – Spoon into a well-greased 3-quart or 13- x 9-inch baking pan.
Step 8 – Cover and bake – Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Step 9 – Remove cover and brown – Remove foil and continue to bake for 5 – 10 minutes or until top is crusty and brown.
Which Apple is Best for Stuffing?
You want an apple that is sweet but tart to give just a tiny hint of sweetness to your apple stuffing. We like using Granny Smith apples, but you can also use Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, or Piñata apples.
What Type of Bread Should I Use?
I usually use Italian bread for my stuffing but believe it or not plain old white bread is one of the best breads to use for stuffing. It holds up to the butter and broth without getting too soggy.
Just make sure you choose a slightly higher quality white bread, so it isn’t too soft and squishy.
Any bread will do, but you want to make sure you use something that can be cut into thick cubes otherwise your stuffing will be too soggy.
How to Dry Bread for Stuffing
The key to a good stuffing is drying out your bread ahead of time. Properly dried bread cubes will be able to absorb all the liquids without becoming a big bowl of mushy bread.
If you are prepping ahead, you can cut your bread into cubes and leave it out overnight, up to 2 days, to let it get stale.
If you don’t have time for that you can dry your bread out by cutting it into cubes, placing them on a baking sheet, and baking them for about 20 minutes in a 300°F oven.
What is Beau Monde Seasoning
This stuffing recipe is a little different because it uses Beau Monde Seasoning rather than the typical poultry seasoning. It’s a mix of celery powder, onion powder, and salt.
It is made by Spice Islands spice company and you can find it in the dried herbs and spices section of your grocery store or order it here.
Substitute for Beau Monde Seasoning
If you can’t find Beau Monde seasoning in your grocery store, you can use a homemade seasoning to give you the same flavor profile.
Mix 1 teaspoon onion salt and 1 teaspoon of celery salt then sprinkle it into the stuffing as a substitution for beau monde seasoning.
How to Tell if You Have Added Enough Broth
Adding the right amount of broth is important because you want your stuffing to absorb all that moisture but not turn to mush.
Add the broth to the dried bread slowly, letting it sit for a few minutes in between additions. You want as much broth as the bread cubes can absorb without leaving a puddle of broth on the bottom, so keep adding broth until the bread no longer seems to be absorbing it.
Looking for More Holiday Side Dishes?
- Creamed Corn Casserole {with Jiffy Cornbread Mix!}
- Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Asparagus Casserole
- Keto Green Bean Casserole
- Pineapple Casserole
- Easy Creamed Spinach
- Creamed Corn Casserole {with Jiffy Cornbread Mix!}
- Not Your Mom’s Mashed Potatoes
- More Side Dish Recipes…
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Apple Pecan Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2 cups Onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 cup Carrots, diced
- 1 cup Celery, diced
- 2 Granny Smith Apples, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 8 ounces Butter, melted
- 15 ounces Bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (10-12 cups)
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups Broth
- 1/2 cup Parsley, finely minced
- 8 ounces Pecans, roughly chopped (approx. 2 cups)
- 2 teaspoons Beau Monde Seasoning
- 1 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoons Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Place the onions in a small bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Let onions sit for about an hour.
- In a large skillet saute the carrots, celery, apples, and garlic until softened.
- Strain the sugared onions and add them to the saute along with the melted butter.
- Add mixture to the bread and toss in a large bowl.
- Add chicken broth to the bread mixture along with the pecans, parsley, and Beau Monde seasoning, slowly tossing until the broth is all absorbed by the bread.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon into a well-greased 3-quart or 13- x 9-inch baking pan.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
- Remove foil and continue to bake for 5 – 10 minutes or until top is crusty and brown.
This looks like the perfect addition to the Thanksgiving table this year!
The directions above do not include anything about how and when to add the pecans, the parsley or the beau monde seasoning. Would love to try this recipe as the ingredients sound like they’d work well together, but you really need to include the complete directions in your recipe. Thanks!
Thanks for saying something Fran. I’ve updated the recipe!i hope you get a chance to make it 🙂
Thanks for your quick reply! I am planning to make this for Thanksgiving this year. It looks wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family ????
Do you think it would taste different (in a bad way) to use sour dough bread?
I LOVE sourdough but I have read that it is really not good in stuffing. It gives it a strong sour flavor.
I just finished making this for thanksgiving and wow is is fantastic!!!!
So glad you liked it! I’m prepping mine tonight for tomorrow 😉
Would this be a good freezer meal? Thinking about preparing everything up until the oven and then freezing it. Would this be soggy or not good to freeze prior to cooking? Thanks!
I have never done it so this is just a guess but I do think this stuffing would be fine to make ahead and freeze but I would cook it completely and then freeze instead of freezing the unbaked ingredients.
Does the recipe really call for 2 cups of parsley??? Also what type of bread do you personally use?
It does. You can use less if you prefer. I like to use a big load of Italian bread. It is soft, not crusty like French bread. I let it sit out for a day or two to make it stale (it absorbs the flavor better) or if I am short on time I dry it out in the oven by baking at 250F for 20mins or so.
What is this about 2 cups of parsley that was asked and answered? Just 1/2 cup right?
Hi Gigi, this recipe has been updated since that previous questions was asked and answered. Originally I used 2 cups of parsley but this year I tried it with less and enjoyed it so I updated the recipe.
Do you think I could stuff a turkey with this stuffing? Please let me know at kristinhawthorne.kh@gmail.com
Yes, I think you can stuff a turkey with this, most recipes work either way. I would probably reduce the amount of broth used slightly because the turkey drippings will seep into it as it cooks. I have never cooked stuffing in a turkey (I’m from the south we make dressing :)) but if you look at a couple of stuffing recipes that go in a turkey it should give you an idea of about how much liquid they use.
Does it matter if you use regular butter bread
The only difference that different breads make is that it may be soggier. A good crusty bread that has been left out to get stale or had the bread dried out in the oven won’t absorb as much of the liquid so it holds up better than regular bread. They do sell cubed bread for stuffing in the grocery store this time of year. Try to get an unseasoned one and it will work great.
Thank you so much for your quick reply! This is my first year cooking for Thanksgiving…want to make sure it comes our right 🙂
I printed this out to make for Turkey Day! Can’t wait to give it a trial run, hoping to find that spice mix soon, it’s silly expensive on Amazon. LOL.
You’ll love it. I found it at Harris Teeter and Giant. If you Google “Beau monde substitute” there are a few recipes out there!
Love this stuffing!
Can this be made the day before & put in the fridge till time to bake?
Can this be made a day ahead & baked the next day?
Hi Jeanne, I think it is best as soon as it has been baked (though I do love leftovers!) so I wouldn’t make it ahead of time. I do however prep all of my veggies and my bread up to two days ahead of time. I cut the bread into cubes and leave it out to get a little stale. That way on Thanksgiving I can throw everything together and bake.
If I double the recipe how will it affect the bake time?
Depends on the dish you’re baking it in. Are you piling it higher or using a dish that is longer in length? I would recommend larger in length so it will be cooker more evenly.
If I double the recipe how do I adjust the bake time?
Made this for Thanksgiving, followed the recipe pretty closely, added some salt and pepper when cooking the apples/celery/carrot mixture, and a more heavy dose of the beau monde seasoning. But it really was delicious!
Hi, could I substitute vegetable broth instead of the chicken broth because my Granddaughter is vegan? Will it still taste the same?
Yes it is totally fine to use vegetable broth. I don’t think you will notice a difference. I hope she likes it!
I was wondering if you could add Applewood Smoked Bacon to this recipe. Please let me know really want to make this on thursday.
Bacon makes everything better! I would cook the bacon before adding it to the stuffing. Let us know how it turns out!
Can this be cooked in crock pot?
Hi Linda, I haven’t tried this in the crock pot so I’m not certain. I do like those buttery bread cubes to get a little crisp on top so I worry the stuffing might stay a little too moist in the slow cooker but that is just a personal preference!
I also added: 1/2 cup golden raisins soaked overnight in apple juice to plump up; and 1 can water chestnuts, diced. My friends and family insist on it every year for Thanksgiving.
Wow that sounds amazing!!
Thanks for the recipe!! It was a nice change for this year’s non-traditional Thanksgiving.
It was delicious and easy to make, so I plan to use it year round, perhaps with pork chops or fish as well as poultry.
It was really good cold the next day too.
Not really sure what I did wrong with this recipe. It was extremely wet and greasy. Recipe calls for 8oz of butter (2sticks) is this correct? I tasted a bite before I put into the oven and it was really good.
Yes it is 8 ouncea of butter. Its hard to know what the problem might be. If you think it is too wet you could bake it longer. It should be moist though.
This is a go to for my big holiday dinners. We make 2 types of stuffing, but this one is always gone first.
Thank you for sharing it. Very delicousl.
It says 8 oz of pecans, then in parentheses says approx 2 cups… 8 oz is 1 cup, should it be 8oz=1cup or 16oz=2cups pecans?
Hi Sammy, a cup is 8 fluid ounces. That doesn’t necessarily translate to 8 ounces for everything that fits in a cup. For example, if you chop up nuts more will fit in a cup than if you place the nuts in the cup whole. In another example, 1 cup of spinach will be a different weight than 1 cup of nuts. That’s why we provide a weight measurement to allow you to be more exact. If you don’t have a scale going with 2 cups of roughly chopped pecan halves will work.