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These stuffing balls are perfect for a holiday side dish as everyone gets their own serving! One of the most popular recipes my readers love every single year, these will become a favorite Thanksgiving side dish.
No fussing with large casserole dishes or dealing with dried out turkey stuffing, these vegetarian stuffing balls are easy to make ahead. And even without sausage, they’re not lacking in flavor! They compliment other dishes without being overpowering.
I like to prep these two days before Thanksgiving or Christmas and just warm them in the oven before serving. One less dish you have to make the day of!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Stuffing Balls
Let me give you a few reasons why you shouldn’t miss out on this dressing balls recipe.
- Individual servings – Everyone at the table gets 1-2 stuffing balls. This makes it perfect for a Friendsgiving recipe or holiday potluck dinner.
- Crunchy and moist – Traditional stuffing has a larger surface area to bake and therefore can either come out mushy or too dry. With this recipe, you get a crispy buttery outer layer and a soft, moist inner layer.
- Best stuffing recipe – I cannot tell you how many friends, family, and readers make this year after year. Whenever I post them to any social media, the response is always excitement that it’s stuffing ball season again!
- Vegetarian – A lot of recipes contain sausage, but this vegetarian stuffing is flavorful without the addition.
- Gluten free friendly – If you have anyone with a gluten sensitivity in your party, it’s easy to make these with gluten free bread.
Isn’t it great how some recipes are so nostalgic that the second you take a bite, it just transports you back to a certain memory? The second I tasted these stuffing balls, it brought me back to holidays at my grandmas. This is a family recipe that we have almost every holiday, and I bet you will love it too!
Ingredients
- “Day old” white or wheat bread – More details on this just below, especially if you only have fresh bread. Gluten free bread can also be used.
- Celery – Buy pre-chopped to make this recipe even easier!
- Shallots – I’ve also substituted this with leeks if I have those on hand. Both are great. Leeks are a little more mild so I recommend trying shallots first.
- Poultry seasoning – I recommend something simple like McCormick or Simply Organic. I’ve also used Central Market organics. Look for one without onion.
- Broth or stock – I like to use Trader Joe’s Hearty Vegetable or my own rotisserie chicken broth.
- Italian parsley – This is the flat leaf parsley, not curly.
- Egg – A large egg works well here. Use your favorite egg substitute for a vegan option. I would recommend a flax replacement since that’s what I’ve tested.
- Butter – Butter gives these a wonderful flavor so I highly recommend using. I love Kerrygold. You can also use olive oil, ghee, or Earth Balance Pressed Oils.
Best Bread for Stuffing
Old bread is best for making stuffing. This means bread that’s a little stale on the outside, but still soft. The term that’s typically used is “day old bread” but it can actually be 2-3 days old and still be fine for this recipe. If you buy bread fresh and forget about this, there’s a way to dry it out quickly.
- How to make with fresh bread – Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and place bread cubes on a baking sheet, spread out so there’s space in between them. Bake for around 20 minutes, or until bread is just dried out on the outside, but soft overall. You don’t want croutons.
- White bread is best – I prefer to use white bread for this recipe just so the other flavors shine through the most, but any favorite bread will work. Sometimes I find with stronger flavored breads like dark whole wheat, the flavors just don’t pair as well. A lighter wheat would be my alternative choice.
How to Make Stuffing Balls
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 1: In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat and add chopped celery and shallots. Stir occasionally till fragrant and softened, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow everything to cool. It can be warm, you just don’t want it to be too hot it cooks the egg.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, poultry seasoning, chopped parsley, broth, salt and pepper. Then add in the cooled butter mixture. Stir in the cubed bread, and I find it easier to just mix this all by hand. Make sure to combine everything evenly, getting the bread well-coated with the butter mixture.
- Step 3: Grab a handful of the bread mixture and form it into a roughly 2 1/2 inch ball with your palms. If mixture seems too moist, add more bread cubes. If it is too dry and not holding together well, add more broth and really mix it together more so the bread becomes moist, which will help the balls hold together. Pack it tightly and place either on a baking sheet or into a muffin tin.
- Step 4: Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned all over and crunchy on the outside. Serve warm or allow to cool and pack in an airtight container for storage.
Expert Tips
- Use really good butter, like Kerrygold. For a vegan option, olive oil or Earth Balance pressed oils will work.
- Leeks can be a great substitute for shallots if you want a more mild onion flavor. Simply trim the dark green ends and the bottoms. Separate the layers into a large bowl of water and allow any grit or sand to fall to the bottom. Wash and pat dry. Or buy the pre-trimmed leeks from Trader Joe’s. These can also be substituted for chopped shallots, which are just as great. I’ve even used green onions in a pinch. This recipe is very versatile.
- Make chicken stock or vegetable stock ahead of time and keep it in the freezer for all your recipes. Try the vegetable stock from my cookbook!
Storage Information
Because stuffing is a popular Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner recipe, you may need to prep them ahead so you’re not having to cook them the day of the big dinner. These are the perfect recipe to prep!
Prep Ahead – Bake these until they’re just light brown, about 15 minutes. Allow them to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or freeze. You want them slightly underbaked since you’ll be warming them again.
Freezer – Stuffing balls will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
How to Prep for a Crowd
This recipe makes 8 balls and in my experience, it is never enough! I try to plan for at least 2 balls per person. And since I love some leftover and they freeze well, I almost always double the recipe.
This recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, quadrupled to fit the party you’re serving. If you adjust your mouse or finger to the “8” under servings, you can adjust the recipe to however many balls you need to make.
How to Reheat
- From fresh – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and cover stuffing balls with foil. Bake for 5 minutes until warmed through. If you want them more crispy, bake them uncovered.
- From frozen – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and cover stuffing balls with foil. Bake for 15 minutes until warmed through, checking at about 12 minutes. Uncover for the last 3 minutes of baking to allow them to crisp on the outside.
Serving Suggestions
This stuffing recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas, or just a nice Sunday meal. Here are a few of my fall and winter favorites to pair with them!
Frequently Asked Questions
Stuffing balls are made with bread, poultry seasoning, celery and onion or shallots – a lot of the same ingredients from a traditional stuffing. Here eggs are used to hold them together into the ball shape.
Yes, these will work with gluten free bread. Canyon Bakehouse will probably be the best gluten free option that you can find, except for local bakeries.
Having a good binder will make all the difference. So you will need an egg or an egg substitute as well as some liquid to moisten the bread. When you form the balls, really press everything together tightly with a firm hand. A few cubes may fall off, but overall it should stay together.
Yes, stuffing balls is the best side dish that you can prep ahead because it stores very well and they freeze great! These can be made 24 hours (or more) in advance.
I always plan for 2 balls per person, just in case. Technically the serving should be one, but everyone loves these so much that I find they usually go for seconds.
For egg free stuffing balls, try using a flax egg! Mix 1 tablespoon of flax seed meal with 2.5 tablespoon of water and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Stuffing balls are best frozen when just undercooked so that you can finish baking them till fully golden brown and crispy on the outside. This way they stay together better during the freezing process and still have a great texture when reheating.
Holiday Side Dishes
If you’re a fan of these vegetarian stuffing balls, you may enjoy these other delicious vegetarian side dishes. And don’t miss my migraine diet Thanksgiving recipe round up!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Stuffing Balls
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1/3 cup shallots
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper
- 6 cups day-old white or wheat bread cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 6-7 slices)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper or use a greased muffin tin. In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add in chopped celery and shallots. Stir about 2-3 minutes until softened. Turn off heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together egg, poultry seasoning, parsley, broth, salt and pepper, then add butter mixture. Add bread cubes and use your hands to mash it all together. If mixture seems too moist, add more bread. If it seems too dry, add more broth. Pack the stuffing mixture tightly in your hands and form into roughly 2-1/2 inch balls – they should hold together well if you have enough moisture.
- Place balls on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes until lightly browned and crunchy on the outside. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days or in a freezer safe container for up to 2-3 months.
Notes
- IMPORTANT – Some poultry seasoning contains salt. If yours does, you will need to decrease the amount added for kosher salt. Start with 1/4 teaspoon.
- Leeks can be substituted for shallots in the same amount.
- For egg free, use an egg substitute like a flax egg.
- For dairy free, use olive oil or Earth Balance pressed oil in place of the butter. Ghee also works.
- If your bread is fresh, just dry it out a bit in the oven by placing in for 2-3 minutes at 350 degrees F. You don’t want it toasted, just a little crusty/dry on the outside.
- Onion-free poultry seasoning can be found with McCormick brand and Central Market brand.
- For recommended broth or stock, see my chicken stock recipe or the vegetable broth from my cookbook (which is what I used).
- See post for reheating instructions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love these and have made them nervous times!
Plan to make these for Christmas. If I make into balls day before and refrigerate, can I bake the next day. They look so yummy!
I’ve made the stuffing balls the last few years and just love them. they freeze well and are so tasty! thank you Alicia!
Thanks a bunch, Donna!
these are perfect because you can only bake what you need what you need and save the rest for leftovers and they aren’t soggy. we made them the day before and frozen them to save me some time. it was worth it!
I couldn’t agree more! So happy to be a part of your holiday!
Can these be made with gluten free bread?
Hey – yes! I have notes in the post.
Does this recipe only make eight balls? Brain isn’t working right but that’s what it looked like. Just need to know so I don’t double if I don’t have to