Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing (Gluten Free and Vegetarian)

This homemade Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing is a great vegetarian Thanksgiving side dish! It's savory and baked with gluten free bread cubes.

I enjoy Thanksgiving because it celebrates our collective love of food. This Fennel Wild Rice Stuffing is the ultimate holiday side dish. It's hearty, aromatic, and great served with turkey.

Thanksgiving is coming up soon in the United States and it's never too early to start planning our holiday menus. I'm all for holidays that revolve around the consumption of food and nothing more. I don't get into football or Black Friday planning or anything like that.

I do, however, get excited about gravy and pie and stuffing. I love a good savory butter-dotted pan of carbohydrates and I love that there's one guilt-free day a year to eat whatever we want without judgement.

This stuffing is the perfect holiday side dish. It's made with toasted bread cubes that are baked in a casserole dish in a savory egg mixture prepared with sauteed garlic, onions, and fennel.

It's also made with wild rice, which gives the dish a great earthy flavor and texture. This stuffing is both vegetarian and gluten free, which makes it a great choice for guests that may have dietary restrictions.

Jump to:

• What Is Wild Rice?
• Does Wild Rice Need To Be Rinsed?
• How To Cook Wild Rice
• What Is Fennel?
• How To Cut Fennel
• Which Gluten Free Bread Is Best For Stuffing?
• How To Toast Bread For Stuffing
• Ingredients For Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing
• How To Make The Egg Mixture
• How To Make Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing
• How Long Does Stuffing Take To Bake In The Oven?
• What To Serve With Wild Rice Stuffing
• Can Stuffing Be Made Ahead Of Time?
• How Long Does It Last In The Fridge?
• Can Stuffing Be Frozen?
• Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing (Gluten Free and Vegetarian)

What Is Wild Rice?

Wild rice is not actually rice, but rather a 'water grass seed' that consists of a grain that is harvested from 1 of 4 varieties of aquatic grasses grown in bodies of shallow freshwater.

It's popular in northern areas of the United States like Minnesota, the Great Lakes region, and Canada. Wild rice is low in fat, gluten free, and high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

If you ever travel to northern Minnesota, you'll notice that wild rice is available everywhere. Even the gas stations sell massive bags of this stuff.

Wild rice has a naturally earthy and nutty flavor. It's great in everything from soup to salad to casseroles.

Does Wild Rice Need To Be Rinsed?

Rinsing the wild rice can help to remove any dirt or impurities, but it's not completely necessary to rinse it before cooking.

If you decide to rinse the wild rice, simply place it into a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water and then cook as directed.

How To Cook Wild Rice

Wild rice is incredibly easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days.

1. To make the wild rice, add 3 cups of water to a small pot and place on the stove top.
2. Bring the water to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add 1 cup of wild rice and stir until incorporated.
4. Reduce the heat to a low boil, cover, and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the rice starts to soften and the kernels start to open. Drain the wild rice and set aside.

1 cup of dried wild rice yields roughly 3 cups of cooked wild rice.

Alternatively, you can cook the wild rice in an Instant Pot. This Instant Pot Wild Rice is ready in 30 minutes and it's a great way to save on cooking time!

What Is Fennel?

One of my favorite things to flavor stuffing with is fennel. I grew some fennel in my garden this summer and thought this would be the perfect way to utilize it.

The fennel kind of acts like an alternative to celery in this dish. Fennel is a bulbous, layered vegetable that has a distinctive licorice or anise flavor. It's commonly used in Italian and Mediterranean cooking. Wild rice and fennel are delicious together.

It has a fresh flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Fennel can be sautéed, roasted, grilled, and added to everything from soups to salads to quiche.

Cooking fennel helps to bring out its natural sweetness. This recipe calls for fennel that is sautéed on the stove top, which helps to soften it and bring out its sweetness and flavor.

How To Cut Fennel

Both the bulb and the fronds of the fennel are edible. I love to use the bulb in this stuffing and to garnish the top with the fronds for an extra burst of flavor and color.

1. To cut the fennel, remove the stems and fronds from the fennel bulb with a knife. Reserve some of the fennel fronds for garnish.
2. Cut the woody, bottom portion of the fennel bulb with a knife and discard. Remove any dirty or damaged outer layers from the bulb and discard.
3. Chop the fennel bulb in half and dice the entire thing, just as you would an onion (1 bulb of fennel yields roughly 1 cup of chopped fennel).

Which Gluten Free Bread Is Best For Stuffing?

It's best to choose a hearty variety of white bread with a firm texture when making stuffing. Any type of sandwich bread, such as an Italian loaf, sourdough, Brioche, or challah are perfect.

Be sure to avoid soft breads, fluffy breads and sandwich rolls, as these varieties are not dry and sturdy enough, and will result in a mushy texture after baked.

I also recommend sticking with white breads instead of multi-grain, seedy varieties, as these can result in an overly chewy and dense texture.

This recipe is gluten free and calls for white gluten free sandwich bread. Feel free to use any type of hearty white bread if gluten is not an issue for you. 

I used the Canyon Bakehouse Honey White Sandwich Bread for this Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing and was super happy with the results.

Udi's, Schar, and BFree also offer great varieties of deli or white sandwich bread that work great when making stuffing.

You can make gluten free sandwich bread or any gluten free bread from scratch if you prefer.

How To Toast Bread For Stuffing

It's important that the bread is cut into cubes and toasted or it will not absorb the egg mixture properly, which results in a mushy texture instead of a firm texture after the stuffing is baked.

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut a loaf of sandwich bread into 1 inch pieces (this recipe calls for 8 cups of bread cubes). Try to make sure they're roughly the same size so that they toast evenly.
3. Place the bread cubes onto a large baking sheet and place it into the oven for 12 minutes. The bread will dry out and become a little bit crusty (but not hard like croutons).
4. Remove when finished and set aside.

You can also dry the bread out by cutting a loaf into cubes, placing them onto a baking sheet, and leaving the bread cubes at room temperature for a day or two.

Ingredients For Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing

Here's what you'll need to make it.

• 1 loaf Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread (or any hearty white bread if not gluten free) (yields 8 cups diced)
• 1 cup Wild Rice
• 3 cups Water
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 1 Onion (white or yellow are best)
• 1 bulb Fennel (yields 1 cup diced)
• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 5 Eggs
• 2 ½ cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (or low sodium chicken broth)
• 4 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 tsp. Kosher Salt (split)
• ½ tsp. Pepper

How To Make The Egg Mixture

The great thing about this stuffing is that all the components can be prepared at the same time. The wild rice, bread cubes, and the fennel mixture can be made at the same time and then assembled when ready.

1. Prepare 1 cup of wild rice according to package instructions, drain, and set aside to cool (see instructions above).
2. Place 8 cups of diced sandwich bread onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into an oven heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside to cool (see instructions above).
3. Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (white or yellow).
4. Remove the stems and fronds from 1 bulb of fennel. Cut off the woody bottom of the fennel bulb and remove any dirty or damaged outer layers. Dice the fennel as you would an onion (see instructions above).
5. Place a large skillet on the stove top and heat to medium-high. Once heated, add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil.
6. Once the oil is heated, add the diced garlic, onion, and fennel to the skillet along with ¼ tsp. kosher salt.
7. Sauté the mixture for 10-12 minutes, stirring often.
8. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside to cool.
9. As the aromatics are sautéing in the skillet, crack 5 large eggs into a bowl. Add ¾ tsp. kosher salt, ½ tsp. pepper, and 2 ½ cups of low sodium vegetable broth to the bowl. Stir until completely combined.
10. Add the cooled fennel mixture to the eggs and stir until combined.

How To Make Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing

Once all of the components are ready, all that's needed is to assemble them in a 9x13 inch casserole dish and bake in the oven.

1. Start by generously greasing a 9x13 inch casserole dish with butter. This will help to prevent the stuffing from sticking to the bottom as it bakes.
2. Arrange the 8 cups of toasted bread cubes evenly across the bottom of the casserole dish.
3. Add 3 cups of the cooked, drained, and cooled wild rice to the bread cubes and carefully toss until combined.
4. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top of the bread cubes and wild rice and carefully toss until all of the bread is coated in the mixture.
5. Cut 4 Tbsp. of butter into cubes and dot the top of the stuffing with it.
6. Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and place it into the oven.
7. Bake the stuffing for 20 minutes covered with foil at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove the casserole dish from the oven.

How Long Does Stuffing Take To Bake In The Oven?

The bread in this stuffing gets kind of crouton-like. It's a bit crunchier than the average stuffing and I kind of love that texture.

This stuffing takes 35-40 minutes to bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It's baked for 20 minutes covered tightly with aluminum foil and then 15-20 minutes uncovered.

If the stuffing is mushy for some reason, feel free to bake it for a few extra minutes.

What To Serve With Wild Rice Stuffing

Feel free to chop some of the fennel fronds and garnish the top of the stuffing with them. There's a lot of flavor in those fronds and it will reinforce the fennel in the stuffing.

This Wild Rice Fennel Stuffing is absolutely perfect served on a Thanksgiving menu alongside turkey, gravy, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes.

Looking for more Thanksgiving side dishes? Don't miss these!

• Harvest Wild Rice Salad
• Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Butternut Squash Arugula Salad
• Maple Mustard Brussels Sprouts
• Garlic Roasted Green Beans
• Au Gratin Potatoes
• Mashed Kohlrabi
• Roasted Pumpkin Salad
• Air Fryer Parsnips

Can Stuffing Be Made Ahead Of Time?

For food safety, I do not recommend making this stuffing ahead of time. It's best to combine all of the ingredients and bake the day its served.

The bread may be diced and laid out on baking sheets to dry the day before serving. This will eliminate the need to toast the bread in the oven and help to save time the day the stuffing is assembled and cooked.

The wild rice may also be cooked ahead of time, cooled, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator the day ahead.

How Long Does It Last In The Fridge?

Any leftover stuffing may be stored for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Be sure to allow it to cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator for storage.

Can Stuffing Be Frozen?

Yes, leftover cooked stuffing may be frozen.

How To Freeze

1. Transfer any leftover stuffing to heavy-duty freezer bags or freezer-safe storage containers, label with the date, and store up to 3 months.
2. The stuffing may be split into portions and stored in separate bags or containers.

How To Reheat

1. Transfer the leftover stuffing to the refrigerator 24 hours before reheating.
2. The stuffing may be reheated in the microwave or oven.
3. If reheating in the oven, transfer the thawed stuffing to an oven-safe pan. Cook for 30-35 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, or until heated through.
4. Feel free to add some extra vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water if the stuffing has dried out a bit.

Looking for Thanksgiving desserts? Don't miss these recipes!

• Homemade Apple Pie
• Cast Iron Apple Crisp
• Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie
• Pumpkin Bread Pudding
• Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Maple Walnut Pie
• Streusel Pumpkin Coffee Cake
• Ina Garten Apple Crisp
• Apple Galette

If you like this dish be sure to check out this Fennel Herb Stuffing!

Looking For More Thanksgiving Side Dishes? Don't Miss These Recipes!

Crispy Prosciutto Brussels Sprouts

Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese

Maple Roasted Delicata Squash