Low carb and keto stuffing guide with recipes
Stuffing recipes tend to vary by region and tradition: some folks may even call stuffing “dressing”. Either way, many of us find it to be our favorite Thanksgiving side dish.
Low carb and keto stuffing substitutes
While traditional stuffing is made with breadcrumbs that are not low carb or keto-friendly, you can make a low carb stuffing that will leave you feeling thankful. Here’s how:
- Start with your favorite low carb bread. You can use a cornbread base as many do, or a more traditional bread such as our Soft keto seed bread or our Coconut flour bread
- You want to prepare enough of the low carb bread or cornbread recipe to yield 3 to 4 cups of cubed bread. Dry the bread by leaving on a rack with the oven door ajar. The light from the oven will create enough heat to dry the bread cubes over several hours.
- Once you have dried bread cubes, you can either use your own traditional recipe or try one of the recipes highlighted below.
If you try to adapt your own traditional recipe, just remember that low carb bread will absorb less moisture, so you may want to reduce the amount of liquid that you add.
In addition to low carb breadcrumbs, many traditional stuffing recipes use the following ingredients, which tend to be acceptable on a low carb or ketogenic diet:
- sausage
- celery
- chicken broth
- cream
- butter
- onions
- mushrooms
- garlic
- sage
- thyme
- poultry seasoning
- pecans
- walnuts
- oysters
- chicken livers
- water chestnuts (in moderation)
Some additional low carb ingredients that might be tasty substitutes for your updated keto-friendly stuffing include roasted cauliflower, chopped sautéed zucchini, or crushed pork rinds.
As you can see, swapping out the bread cubes for an acceptable substitute doesn’t have to be difficult. You might even discover that you love this healthier version more than the traditional stuffing that left you feeling overstuffed!
