This sweet and savory baked apple cranberry stuffing is the best of both worlds! Sweet apples and cranberries kissed with cinnamon then baked into a warm Thanksgiving stuffing… DELICIOUS! See recipe card for both oven and slow cooker instructions!
When the Thanksgiving prep rolls around in this kitchen, I can’t help but employ the tasty stuffing shortcut my mom served up pretty much my entire life.
Her ridiculously delicious veggie-loaded stuffing recipe relies on Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix as its base and I love it so much that I couldn’t imagine Thanksgiving without it! I was feeling a bit nostalgic when Campbell’s asked me to peruse their massive recipe arsenal over at Campbell’s Kitchen and instantly sought out a new stuffing recipe to whip up.
Their baked apple cranberry stuffing is nothing short of AMAZING!
I’ve whipped it up a few times now and it has been amazing every which way we’ve tried it. Honey crisp apples have to be my favorite so far, and I’m a huge fan of chopping my cranberries into little bits so I get lots of delicious cranberry flavor in every bite!
Baked Apple Cranberry Stuffing
This scrumptious stuffing recipe yields approx. eleven 3/4 cup servings and tastes GREAT the next day!
You can bake this super tasty stuffing in the oven or use the slow cooker instructions at the bottom of the recipe card to make this Crock-Pot style and free up oven space on Thanksgiving! Woot!
Baked Apple Cranberry Stuffing
Ingredients
- 12 oz Pepperidge Farm Herb Cubed Stuffing Mix (1 package)
- 3 TBSP unsalted butter
- 4 stalks of celery (1.5 cups chopped)
- 1 medium onion (1.5 cups chopped)
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth*
- 1 large honey crisp apple, chopped**
- 1 cup dried cranberries (whole or chopped)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon (plus extra to taste)
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place stuffing mix in an extra-large bowl.
- Heat butter in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Add your chopped onion and celery and sauté until tender and translucent. If you’d like a little crunch in your stuffing feel free to undercook until al-dente.
- Stir in broth, apple, and dried cranberries and season with cinnamon and black pepper.
- Pour mixture over stuffing.
- Whisk an egg, add to bowl, and mix until bread is coated. Adding an egg gives the stuffing a custard-like interior but feel free to skip it if you’re going egg-free! 1/4 cup of broth may be used in place of the egg.
- If you’d like, you can season the top with an extra sprinkle of cinnamon (highly recommended – YUM!)
- Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until your stuffing is hot and fluffy on the inside and golden brown on the top. I like to drizzle a little melted butter over my stuffing and garnish with parsley before serving – totally optional but oh so tasty!
SLOW COOKER OPTION:
- Complete steps 2-5 above.
- Lightly butter the inner sides and bottom of a 6 QT Slow Cooker and add your fruit and veggie mixture.
- Top with dry stuffing mix and a whisked egg and mix well. You can add an extra sprinkle of cinnamon on top if desired (I totally did!)
- Set slow cooker to LOW for 2.5-3 hours. Stuffing may be cooked a bit longer if desired or switched to the warm function while you await dinner! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
:: pin it for later ::
so . . . how was it?!
Why have I not been doing this all along? AHHH!
I love love LOVE the addition of cinnamon, apples, and cranberries in this baked apple cranberry stuffing! We seriously cannot get enough of it!
The aromatic veggies buddied up with the naturally sweet fruit so effortlessly and flavor was out of this world. I totally get the lure of adding a little sweetness to stuffing now – so good! Some lightly toasted sliced almonds or chopped walnuts might also be super fun added to the mix — I am dying to try that out now too!
I think it’s safe to say that I’ve officially broadened my stuffing horizons. It’s also a bit weird to say that… but whatever, it was yummy.
The sweetness of the cranberry and apples in this stuffing make it a perfect pairing for savory vegetables. If you have some leftover the next day, I highly suggest stuffing it into mushrooms, acorn squash, butternut squash, or even atop a hot and fluffy sweet potato! You can also get creative with the leftovers by making a sandwich out of them.
My ULTIMATE after-Thansgiving sandwich is piled high with stuffing, crockpot cranberry sauce, and cranberry-walnut cream cheese spread and turkey. You can also make it vegetarian style with all your favorite side dishes. I’ve gone as far as to add mashed potatoes and hot corn to mine and pretty much died of yum!
This post was sponsored by Campbell’s Kitchen. Thanks for helping me keep the recipes free!
Questions & Reviews
I’m using Pepperidge farms onion rolls 8- count.
Can I use this in the crockpot?.
Please advise ASAP.
Thank you
Hi Tina! You will want to toast or dry out the fresh rolls before using in the stuffing and then add any additional seasoning to taste since you won’t be using the stuffing mix. I love making stuffing in the slow cooker! Here’s the recipe for my slow cooker stuffing that I am making for Thanksgiving tomorrow: slow cooker stuffing recipe
Hi again. Do you think it’ll taste okay with sourdough bread? TIA.
Mary Ellen
Hi. Will this keep well if frozen? Have you tried? I need to travel long distance about 5 hours on thanksgiving and freezing it will help. Will be thawed on arrival.
Hi Mary Ellen! I had to google it because I have never tried freezing stuffing, and according to Martha Stewart – you can absolutely freeze it! Upon arriving simply heat it up in the oven, uncovered, checking for doneness around the 15 minute mark since it’ll be thawed then adding any additional time needed. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! xoxo
Thanks!
Hi, you say to use an extra large bowl to mix the ingredients … is that what you’re also cooking it in? The pictures look like it’s in a 9×13 baking dish. This is my first time … what are these details? Thanks, can’t wait to serve it!!
Hi John! Updated the recipe card to reflect the transfer from bowl to baking dish. 9×13 works perfect, correct. I should be around on and off today if any other questions pop up! Happy cooking! xoxo
My family loved this last year and specifically requested it for this year and I will double the recipe. Made in the crockpot, no egg.
This recipe sounds wonderful the only thing is is there a way to cut it in half I don’t need 11 servings LOL
Hi Amy! You can absolutely halve the recipe for less servings.
Could you substitute corn bread stuffing for the regular stuffing to make it gluten free?
Hi Michelle! I’m not sure how the cornbread would work with the other flavors here so I can’t advise from experience, but if you want to do an early test-run to experiment before the holidays I’m sure it can be tweaked to make it GF! xoxo
The BEST stuffing recipe I have tried yet! This will be my 3rd Thanksgiving making it and it will be the only stuffing recipe I will ever use in the future. LOVE!
Will this work inside the bird too?
Yes of course!
Hello Jenn, this sounds exquisitely delicious! I’m going with your recipe ? I do like to add mushrooms. Would you recommend adding mushrooms? If so what type of mushroom would best? Thank you! Happy Gobble Day!! We both spell our names with two n’s . Lol
Hi Jenn! Mushrooms are hands-down my favorite stuffing add-in! I use them in mom’s homemade stuffing recipe and love them so! Baby portobello (cremini) mushrooms are my favorite since they are so flavorful. Hope you have a marvelous Thanksgiving! xoxo
Can I use fresh cranberries?
Yes absolutely! They will be substantially more tart than the dried/sweetened cranberries but still work. I’ve found that roasting them first with a little honey (for approx. 15 min) makes them sweet and delicious!
This looks yummy. I’m making this for our Thanksgiving dinner. Just wondering, do the apples need to be peeled?
And one other thought, have you ever added honey?
Thanks!
Hi Jammie! I’ve made it with peeled and unpeeled apples before and I like it both ways! The skin has extra nutrients and saves you the peeling step so that’s for sure the easier option if you’d like to leave them as is. I haven’t tried honey but the dried cranberries do add a nice kiss of sweetness.
Can I use apple juice for the broth?
That sounds like a fun swap but I’ve never tried anything but broth, lol! It might make the stuffing reallllly sweet so if you’re gunning for dessert stuffing it may be worth a try? Have you ever used apple juice in stuffing before? Keep me posted! xoxo
Hello there I was wondering if I could prepare this in advance and then pop it all in the crock pot when im ready?
Hi Alexis! Here’s what I always do:
Snag the recipe above and complete steps 1 through 4 (save the broth for the next day so the veggies don’t soak it all up and get mushy). Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool. Place in an airtight container in your fridge. When you’re ready to make your stuffing the next day simply add it to the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients and set it to low for 2.5-3 hours. SO EASY!
I always do this with my classic stuffing and it works great! If you’d like to prep the chopped apples in advance too you can sauté them with a littler butter/oil and cinnamon before adding them to the veggie mixture and that will prevent them from browning in advance (and they’ll be even tastier too!) xoxo
Hi Jen I like your recipe and It is the one I’m going to use but I was wondering which do you think tastes better, when you bake it in an over or when you slow cook it?
Hi Tamika! Since making my moms stuffing recipe in the slow cooker I haven’t gone back to oven baking stuffing at all. It get’s this custard-like almost bread-pudding consistency that I’m super obsessed with!
Can i stuff my turkey with the cranberry apple stuffing recipe
Yes of course! Just make sure everything is the correct temp. before eating and you’re good to go 🙂 If the turkey is finished (165 degrees F) and the stuffing still needs more time, you can scoop it out into a casserole dish and let it finish baking while you let the turkey rest and carve it up. Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve been making stuffing very similar to this for many years. I like to use a sweeter apple like gala because the cranberries can be quite tart. I saute onions and celery in butter until almost tender. I also add walnuts or pecans along with the apple and cranberries. Then I stir in a box of Stove Top Stuffing Herb flavor and add a bit more flavor with Bell’s Seasoning. I used to dry my own bread but Stove Top tastes just as good. I use chicken broth for the liquid. I pile it into a casserole dish and drizzle butter over the top. Cover it and bake for about 30 min then I take the cover off for the last 15 min. or so. We like it a little crispy on the top.
Can we use fresh cranberries for the Apple and cranberry stuffing or would that make the taste different?
It will taste different but I think it would be great, Erica! Try making the roasted cranberries from this recipe and then stir them into the stuffing! You can leave them slightly tart if you’re a fan of the pucker or as sweet as you’d like by adding brown sugar or honey to the roasted berries! 🙂
Cooking for someone who can’t eat onion…I wonder if onion powder would give some of the onion flavor?
I think it’s worth a try if they can have onion powder without issue!
I’m not sure why I didn’t see this until right now. I really can’t explain it. BUT HOLY MOSES, this is going to happen. Once again, you’re a brilliant mind!
Campbell’s soup reminds me so much of my childhood! Chicken noodle and tomato soup [with a side of grilled cheese] were my favorite “sick” foods 🙂 Stuffing is my favorite Thanksgiving dish and always wonder why we don’t make it any other time of the year… That needs to change!
we’re deep frying this. oh yes we are.
I love making homemade stuffing with apples and cranberry, and about a pound of breakfast sausage – it’s so delish!
I love putting apple and cranberry in my stuffing, too. Sweet and savory! This looks too good.
xo,
Christina
This sounds amazing! I love stuffing but only seem to eat it in November, which needs to change!
Hallelujah- that looks like Thanksgiving!
If it was acceptable to eat stuffing every day, I totally would! This looks delicious!
This stuffing sounds absolutely amazing! I love how you used it in a sandwich, thanks for sharing 🙂
This looks and sounds delicious. I’m making stuffed mushrooms tonight and might just have to give this recipe a try!
This stuffing looks incredible on that sandwich!! Yummm!
wow, that looks amazing on that sandwich 🙂
Yum! That looks so good! I love when my dad adds hot sausage to his stuffing. ^_~
This looks fantastic! I will keep my eye out for the Stuffing package on my next grocery trip. I don’t think I have ever seen it before.
It’s usually in the rice/grain aisle I think? I love it so!
I’m with you, Jenn, I always think of soup first. This sounds really good, though!
Right?! Who knew!? Thanks girly!