Our Favorite Bread Stuffing with Mushrooms, Walnuts, & Apricots

With years of cooking experience, I can say this mushroom, walnut, apricot, and cranberry stuffing is my family’s Thanksgiving favorite — perfectly balanced, flavorful, and a standout alongside the turkey dinner. Every year, it’s the dish everyone asks for seconds of, and it’s easy enough to make while focusing on the bird.

After years of cooking and testing countless stuffing recipes, I can confidently say this is my family’s absolute favorite. There’s something about the combination of earthy mushrooms, crunchy walnuts, and the sweet pop of dried apricots and cranberries that makes it irresistible. Every Thanksgiving, this stuffing steals the show alongside the turkey dinner — it’s warm, comforting, and full of flavor that perfectly balances sweet, savory, and nutty notes. I’ve made it so many times that I’ve perfected the texture: moist but not soggy, with just enough bite to hold its shape.

I’ve seen firsthand how a good stuffing can elevate a holiday meal, and this one never disappoints. It’s easy enough to make while focusing on the turkey, yet it feels special and indulgent. Every Thanksgiving, friends and family ask for seconds, and I love seeing the excitement when they realize there’s a little sweetness hidden among the savory flavors. If you want a stuffing that will be remembered long after the turkey dinner is over, this mushroom, walnut, apricot, and cranberry version is the one to make.

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Our Favorite Bread Stuffing with Mushrooms, Walnuts, & Apricots

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

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After years of cooking, I can confidently say this mushroom, walnut, apricot, and cranberry stuffing is my family’s Thanksgiving favorite — perfectly balanced, warm, and full of flavor. It’s the perfect companion to your turkey dinner, always earning seconds and rave reviews!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 6 cups cubed white bread
• ▢ 3 cups mushrooms (chopped)
• ▢ 1 cup finely chopped onion
• ▢ 1 cup chopped celery
• ▢ ½ cup walnut pieces
• ▢ ½ cup dried apricots (roughly chopped)
• ▢ ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ▢ 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 – ½ cups chicken broth (see notes)

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix the bread, mushrooms, onion, celery, walnuts, apricots, cranberries, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.
  6 cups cubed white bread, 3 cups mushrooms, 1 cup finely chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, ½ cup walnut pieces, ½ cup dried apricots, ¼ cup dried cranberries, 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
• Pour 1 cup of chicken broth over the stuffing and mix well. If you enjoy a very soft stuffing, add an additional ½ cup of broth.
  1 – ½ cups chicken broth
• Transfer the stuffing to a casserole dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake the stuffing for 40 minutes, until it is hot and the veggies are tender. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes to lightly brown the top.

Notes

Make ahead: This stuffing reheats beautifully. If you’d like to make it ahead, you can bake it and then store it, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days once it’s cooled. To reheat it (say, after the turkey comes out of the oven), remove the casserole dish from the fridge at least 30 minutes early. Then, put it into the oven to reheat for 15 -20minutes, until it’s hot. 

Chicken stock: Alternatively, you can use vegetable stock. I used to make this recipe without stock, and my family enjoyed it that way. However, after retesting the recipe, most of our taste testers preferred the version with stock, as it more closely resembles the texture of traditional bread stuffing. 

Nuts: I used to use a combination of walnuts and pine nuts, but pine nuts are so expensive, so now I only use walnuts. Pecans are another great option!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ⅛ of the recipe, Calories: 364kcal (18%), Carbohydrates: 35g (12%), Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 24g (37%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 145mg (6%), Potassium: 453mg (13%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 18g (20%), Vitamin A: 650IU (13%), Vitamin C: 2mg (2%), Calcium: 73mg (7%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.