It's that time of year again. Thanksgiving is right around the corner--I don't know about you but I LOVE THANKSGIVING! When I'm creating my Thanksgiving menu, I like to prepare traditional sides with a unique spin. This Sourdough, Cranberry and Pecan Dressing hits just that note. This recipe has all of the traditional components of a dressing but with a nutty, sweet and vegan twist!

Last year, my boyfriend, Gregrey and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner for his family. Gregrey's brother is vegan, so, of course, I decided to cook a full traditional Thanksgiving meal AND a full Vegan Thanksgiving meal. It was a ton of food!! BUT here's the thing, the complete shocker for me--some of the Vegan dishes were better than the traditional! I never thought in a million years vegan food would taste better than meaty, buttery deliciousness, BUT it can!

Sooo anyhoo, I made a vegan dressing and it was amazing! I know, it has sourdough, a little oil (oh, but so little) and some vegan butter..but IT IS THANKSGIVING! It's time to indulge a little...maybe not go overboard though.

What Makes this Cranberry and Pecan Dressing Special?

Alright, alright, so what make this dressing special? Well, one, it's vegan and it tasted pretty dang good to me. Two, I use some Herbs De Provence to add a unique savory and herbaceous background flavor. Three, I only used pecans as a topping so they wouldn't get mushy or soggy. I'm not much of a soggy nut fan. How about you? Four, I drizzled maple syrup on the top for a sweet maple surprise. Lastly, I topped this dressing with some pats of vegan butter and sprinkled it with Maldon finishing salt. This dressing is:

Sweet

Salty

Soft

Crunchy....yummmmmm.

Alright, enough of the BS, let's get to the cooking part.

What you will need to make this Dressing:

Sourdough bread - I recommend sliced sourdough with a softer crust.

Yellow Onion

Celery

Vegetable Stock/Broth

Dried Herbs: Bay Leaves, Thyme, Herbs De Provence

Dried Cranberries

Pecans

Vegan butter - I used Miyokos.

Olive oil

Maple Syrup

Salt and Pepper

If you're looking for some more Thanksgiving ideas you may want to check out these recipes:

Apple + Blue Cheese Crostini

Fig & Goat Cheese Crostini with Truffle Honey

Curried Carrot and Ginger Soup

Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits

Creamy, Vegan Mac + Cheese

Apple Crumbles with Vanilla Bean + Thyme

If you try this dressing recipe, I would love to know how it went for you in the comments! Have a safe and delicious Thanksgiving! Hope to see you at the next post!

Cheers, Suzie

📖 Recipe

Sourdough, Cranberry and Pecan Dressing (Vegan)

A vegan twist on traditional Thanksgiving dressing.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Total Time 55

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings People

Calories 173 kcal

Ingredients

Toasting the Bread

4 cups Sourdough Bread with a soft crust - Cubed

Cooking the Veggies

1 small Yellow Onion Chopped
2 stalks Celery Chopped
2 Bay Leaves
½ Cup Dried Cranberries
1 teaspoon Herbs De Provence
1 teaspoon Thyme + some for topping
2 Cups Vegetable Stock/Broth More as needed
1 tablespoon Olive Oil or Vegan Butter
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Topping the Dressing

1-2 tablespoon Vegan Butter Break into small chunks
⅓ Cup Raw Pecans Chopped
Thyme Sprinkle
1 tablespoon Maple Syrup Drizzle
Finishing Salt Sprinkle - I like Maldon

Instructions

Toast the Sourdough

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cube sourdough into chunks about ½ inch thick. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes.
4 Cups - Sourdough Bread

To Cook the Veggies:

While the bread is toasting, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Chop the onion. Add the onion and bay leaves to the oil with ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
1 tablespoon - olive oil
1 - onion
2 - bay leaves
½ teaspoon - salt
Chop celery, add to the onions, cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2 stalks - celery
Add dried cranberries, herbs de provence, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes.
½ cup- dried cranberries
1 teaspoon - herbs de provence
1 teaspoon - thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Stir in the toasted bread cubes to the veggies, cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4 cups - toasted sourdough
Slowly add the vegetable stock to the bread mixture, stir in a little at a time. Make sure to get all of the bread moist. Add more or less stock depending on how dry or wet you like your dressing. Cook for 2-4 minutes.
2 cups - vegetable stock
Transfer your dressing mixture to a 8x8 baking dish (a cast iron skillet works well too!)
Gently pat the dressing to fit snugly into the dish.
Top with pecans, thyme, vegan butter, maple syrup and finishing salt.
Reduce oven temp to 375° F. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
⅓ cup - pecans
sprinkle thyme
sprinkle finishing salt
1 tbsp- butter - broken into little pieces
1 tablespoon - maple syrup
Cool for 10 minutes. Serve with some love and enjoy! 🙂

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 4gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 300mgPotassium: 124mgFiber: 9gSugar: 59gVitamin A: 247IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 6mg

Keyword cranberry, Delicious side dishes, Easy side dishes, pecan, sourdough, Thanksgiving sides, vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Email me! If you have questions or comments, I would love to hear from you!