Keto Cornbread Stuffing
Published January 16, 2021 • Updated March 2, 2026
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Every holiday season, I start thinking about this dressing weeks in advance. Not because it’s complicated, but because it’s the one side dish my family asks for by name. The cornbread has this savory, slightly spicy base from the cajun seasoning I add to the batter, and once you toss those toasted cubes with bacon, gizzards, and fresh sage, the whole kitchen smells like Thanksgiving.
I developed the keto cornbread base specifically for this recipe. What makes it work is the microwave method. I know that sounds weird, but hear me out. On Thanksgiving, your oven is running nonstop with the turkey, casseroles, and everything else. Microwaving the cornbread for 6-8 minutes frees up that oven space when you need it most. I’ve been doing it this way since 2019, and the texture is just as good as oven-baked for stuffing purposes. You cube it up and broil it anyway, so the microwave step doesn’t affect the final result at all.
The real key to great keto cornbread stuffing is drying out the cubes before you add any liquid. I make my cornbread 1-2 days ahead and leave the cubes spread out on a baking sheet overnight. Stale cornbread absorbs the chicken broth so much better than fresh, and you end up with cubes that are soaked through with flavor instead of falling apart into mush.
I add chicken gizzards to mine, which I know isn’t for everyone. But the flavor they bring to the dressing is worth it. If organ meats aren’t your thing, Italian sausage crumbled into the bacon grease works great too. I’ve tested both versions, and the sausage one is what I make when I’m cooking for a crowd that includes picky eaters.
This freezes well too. I portion leftovers into freezer bags and they hold up for about 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat covered at 325 degrees with a splash of broth to bring the moisture back.
If you want another take on holiday stuffing, try my keto chaffle stuffing for a completely different approach using chaffles as the base.
Explore hundreds of keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Keto Cornbread Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted -
1 1/3 cup almond flour
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4 eggs
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2 teaspoons baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon corn flavor extract (optional)
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1/2 teaspoon cajun seasoning (optional)
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1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Keto Stuffing Ingredients
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6 slices bacon
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1/2 pound of chicken gizzards
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½ cup diced onion
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1 cup chopped celery
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½ teaspoon salt
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4 cloves garlic, minced
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2 tablespoons minced fresh sage (2 teaspoons dried)
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1 tablespoon thyme (1 teaspoon dried)
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½ cup chopped parsley
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½ cup chicken broth
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make cornbread
To make the cornbread, add all cornbread ingredients to a medium bowl and mix until combined. Pour batter into a greased, square 8×8 baking dish. Microwave for 6-8 minutes (depending on your microwave) until the bread is set and not wobbly in the center. Or bake in a 350 degree oven for 14 minutes or until cornbread has risen and not wobbly in the center.
Cube the bread
Cut cornbread into cubes and spread onto a large parchment lined baking tray. Broil over high heat to toast, turning after toasting for a couple minutes on each side. Remove from oven and set aside.
Fry up bacon
In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove and set aside.
Cook the chicken gizzards
Add chicken gizzards, cook until done (3-4 minutes). Remove and set aside.
Sauté vegetables
To the skillet add onion, celery, garlic and salt. Cook until softened. Remove from heat.
Mix the stuffing
Add vegetables to a large bowl. Chop up bacon and chicken gizzards into small pieces and add to bowl. Add in sage, thyme and parsley. Mix in cubed cornbread.
Bake
Add mixture to a casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. When ready to cook, pour chicken broth all over dressing mixture and bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes. You can also stuff inside your Turkey or Goose.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze keto cornbread stuffing?
I freeze leftovers all the time. Portion the cooked dressing into freezer bags, press out as much air as possible, and freeze flat. It holds up well for about 3 months. When I'm ready to reheat, I thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake it covered at 325 degrees with a splash of chicken broth. The broth brings back the moisture that freezing pulls out.
What can I substitute for chicken gizzards?
I've tested a few options here. My favorite swap is crumbled Italian sausage, cooked in the bacon grease before you mix everything together. It gives you that rich, savory depth without the organ meat factor. Breakfast sausage works too, but it runs a little sweeter. You can also just skip the protein entirely and let the bacon carry the load. I'd increase the bacon to 8 slices if you go that route.
Can I make this stuffing without the cornbread extract?
Yes. I made this recipe for years before I found the cornbread extract, and it was great without it. The almond flour base with cajun seasoning and cayenne gives the cornbread plenty of flavor on its own. The extract just pushes it closer to that nostalgic, classic cornbread taste. If you can get it, I think it's worth adding, but it's not a dealbreaker.
How do I dry out the cornbread before using it in stuffing?
This is the step I tell everyone not to skip. I make my cornbread 1-2 days ahead, cut it into cubes, and spread them out on a baking sheet at room temperature overnight. Stale, dry cubes absorb the chicken broth instead of turning into mush. If I'm short on time, I'll cube the cornbread and broil the pieces on low for a few extra minutes to draw out moisture. Either way, you want cubes that feel firm and slightly dried out before you add any liquid.
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
I tested this early on and wouldn't recommend it as a 1:1 swap. Coconut flour absorbs significantly more liquid than almond flour, so the cornbread comes out dense and heavy. If you need a nut-free version, you'd have to reduce the coconut flour to about 1/3 cup and increase the eggs. I haven't dialed in an exact ratio I'm happy with, so for now I stick with almond flour for the best texture.
How many net carbs per serving?
My batch comes out to roughly 3-4g net carbs per serving, depending on how many servings you cut. I typically get 8-10 servings from one batch. The almond flour cornbread is the main carb source, and the vegetables add a small amount. I count the gizzards and bacon as essentially zero carb.
Can I stuff this inside the turkey?
I've done it both ways. Stuffing it inside the bird gives the dressing more flavor from the turkey drippings, which I love. Just make sure the internal temperature of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees before you pull the bird. I usually check with an instant-read thermometer right in the center of the cavity. Baking it separately in a casserole dish is easier to time and gives you crispier edges, which my family actually prefers.
That smell when the bacon hit the pan with the herbs. I hadn't thought about stuffing in a year and a half, not any recipe specifically but the whole idea of it, that savory weight that anchors a meal. Went keto and quietly wrote it off as somewhere I couldn't go anymore. This reminded me some things are just relocated. The cornbread cubes held up too, little chew, didn't dissolve into the broth like I was bracing for. I've made it twice since because I keep thinking about that smell.
Never cooked chicken gizzards before. Trying this for the first time next week. The recipe says 3-4 minutes, but does that vary by size? Is there something to look for, like a color change or the texture getting firmer? I already know I'm going to pull them way too early or overdo it.
Dense cornbread, but the stuffing? SO worth it.
Tony, that density is what saves it. I make the cornbread 1-2 days ahead so it dries out completely, and that's what lets it soak up the broth without turning to mush.
Turns out covering the pan with foil for the first half of the bake is the thing nobody mentions. First batch I made, the cornbread cubes on top went almost crunchy before the center had even set and I was sure I'd wrecked the broth ratio. Foil for the first 25 minutes, off for the last 15, and suddenly it's a different dish. Soft center, actual crust on top, gizzards tender instead of dried out on the edge. That alone was worth a second batch. The other thing is the bacon fat. Drained it once, immediately regretted it, the vegetables came out completely wrong without it. Don't drain the bacon fat. Both took me a failed batch to learn and I'm annoyed neither was obvious going in.
Both of those should be in the recipe. I do the foil thing on autopilot and just never wrote it down. The bacon fat is not optional, everything that hits that pan picks it up.
3.6 net carbs per serving and I had to look twice, because stuffing was my hardest loss going keto. Not emotionally, just practically (the bread, the broth, the whole savory weight of it). Growing up there was stuffing at every family gathering, bacon and fresh herbs, and I've been quietly trying to get back to that ever since. The corn extract is the thing. It does something to the almond flour base where you just stop noticing it's a substitute. Four stars only because I overdid the broth my first try, but the recipe is exactly right.
Same. Bacon and herbs, that savory weight.
Doubled the cajun. The heat cuts through the richness.
The cajun in this one was the thing I kept going back to. Started at 1/4 teaspoon and kept pushing it because the butter and bacon just swallow everything. Went with double first, then settled on 1/2, which already assumes you'll go higher. There's so much fat in this dish that you need the spice doing real work or it tastes... heavy? Rich but in a dull way. If you want to push further, try blooming the cajun in the bacon grease for 30 seconds before you add anything. Same amount, totally different punch.
We had this for the first time on a random Tuesday and my daughter called it 'the herby bread thing' and asked if we could have it again by Thursday. Coming from her that's high praise (she has never in her life voluntarily requested a side dish). Four stars only because I overcooked my cornbread cubes a bit on the first try, but I know what I'm fixing next time.
'The herby bread thing' might be my favorite thing anyone's called this. For the cubes, I pull mine when they feel dry to the touch but barely have any color yet. The broth handles the rest.
Brought this to a dinner party and someone asked where I bought the cornbread (almond flour, sir, almond flour).
Ha. The extract is what gets people. Nobody suspects almond flour after that.
Bringing this to a family thing next weekend. Can I bake the cornbread a day or two early, cube it, do the oven-drying step, then just assemble and bake day-of? Wasn't sure if the cubes would still hold up once you add the broth after sitting that long.
That's actually my exact process. Cornbread made a day or two out, cubed, dried. They hold up better than fresh ones because they've had time to really dry out. Once they're properly stale they can take the broth without going mushy.
I made this on a whim last Sunday because I'd been craving stuffing for weeks and figured nothing keto was going to come close. The almond flour cornbread holding up to the broth without going soggy stopped me cold. Two years into eating this way and I had completely written off this kind of comfort food, the kind where the bread soaks up everything from bacon fat and fresh herbs. One bite and I sat there at my kitchen counter not knowing what to say. What gets me is how the chicken gizzards and bacon together create a depth that makes the whole thing taste like something my grandmother would have made, not a workaround for it. I actually cried, which is embarrassing to type out, but some dishes carry that kind of weight. Making another batch this weekend.
That got me. Two years of writing off this kind of dish, and then that moment at the kitchen counter. That's exactly what I was trying to make.
Made this for Sunday dinner and my mom kept saying it tasted 'real.' Showed her the almond flour bag after. She straight up didn't believe that was the base. Bacon and gizzards together give it way more depth than I thought stuffing could have.
Ha, that reveal is the best part. Gizzards were the wild card when I was developing this, but they absorb the bacon fat and broth in a way sausage just doesn't.
Made this last weekend because I wanted something savory and filling and had most of the ingredients already. The cornbread cubes held up better than I expected, no mush, which was my main worry going in. Bacon and vegetables and broth all came together well and the cajun seasoning in the cornbread base was a nice touch I almost skipped. My only real issue is the chicken gizzards. I couldn't find them at my regular grocery store and ended up at a specialty butcher, which added an extra errand I wasn't planning on. Totally fine once I had them but I'm not sure most people have a backup plan for that ingredient. Four stars because of the gizzard situation, otherwise pretty straightforward for a beginner like me.
Yeah the gizzard sourcing is a real thing. I tested Italian sausage cooked in the bacon grease and it gives the same depth without the specialty store run. Glad the cubes held.
My wife was just told she needs to go dairy-free on top of keto. I've been going through our recipes trying to figure out what we can still make together, and this stuffing went straight to the top of the list. But the cornbread calls for 10 tablespoons of butter. That's the part I need to work out. I tried a vegan butter sub in another keto bread once and it came out dense and greasy, so I'm not sure that's the move. Would coconut oil work as a straight swap, or is there something better for keeping the texture when you cube and re-bake it? Also wondering if the bacon, gizzards, and broth parts are already dairy-free or if I need to look more carefully at those too. Really want to pull this off for her.
Coconut oil works as a straight swap, same 10 tablespoons. The cornbread will be slightly less rich but it holds up for cubing and re-baking, which is the part that matters. Bacon and gizzards are both naturally dairy-free, and plain chicken broth is too. Just check the label on the broth since some boxed versions sneak in butter flavoring.
First time working with chicken gizzards and I kept second-guessing myself the whole time (kept reading the ingredient list like, are we sure about this?), but the texture they added to the cornbread cubes was actually really satisfying, almost meaty-nutty in a way I didn't expect from something I almost skipped. I used a little extra cajun seasoning because I like heat and it played so well with the bacon. Do you think the almond flour base would hold up the same if I added more broth for a softer stuffing?
Yeah the base holds, just go slow with the broth. Almond flour absorbs fast and I've crossed into mush territory when I added too much at once. Extra cajun with gizzards and bacon was a good call.
Made a full batch Sunday, portioned it into four containers for the week and kept waiting for the cornbread cubes to get soggy but they never did, even by day three. Doubling it next time.
Day three and still holding. That's the overnight dry on the cubes paying off. Doubled batch freezes great, just portion before freezing.