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This air fryer whiskey, sausage and cranberry stuffing is so delicious. And baking stuffing in an air fryer means you can fit other dishes in the oven or on the stove. It is the perfect stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Did you know you could make a bourbon or whiskey stuffing with pork sausage recipe in your air fryer? Well, you can, and it’s so good!
This is so good, you’ll never make instant stuffing mix again! This is cooked in the air fryer so it’s beautifully crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside.
Also try stained glass Christmas cookies, an air fryer blueberry brie pastry and dip appetizer, pignoli cookies or even a whole holiday cookie box.
Air Fryer Stuffing Ingredients
If baking stuffing in an air fryer sounds good to you, you’ll be wondering about the ingredients. There aren’t many ingredients you will need and most items in this air frying Thanksgiving recipe are pantry staples anyway.
This stuffing with pork sausage also boats cranberries as well as cranberry sauce for sweetness. There are herbs and spices in this stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas too.
You’ll need cloves, rosemary, sage, parsley, pepper, and allspice to add beautiful flavours. And once you know how to cook stuffing outside the turkey, you’ll definitely want to make this great addition to your holiday menu!
In addition, choose from whiskey or bourbon, and then add bread cubes, celery, and a couple of eggs to the air fryer stuffing recipe.
I bet you can already imagine how incredible this air fryer whiskey, sausage and cranberry stuffing is going to taste! It’s the perfect accompaniment to roast turkey and simply perfect for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner – or both!
How to Make Air Fryer Stuffing
After soaking the cloves and cranberries in your choice of whiskey or bourbon, you can discard the cloves. Heat up the air fryer. Meanwhile brown the sausage in a skillet on the stove and combine it with the rest of the ingredients.
As long as everything is more or less combined, that’s fine. You don’t have to over-mix your Thanksgiving stuffing. Keeping some texture in this stuffing with sausage is best.
Put this mixture in a baking dish and then pop that in the air fryer basket. You will be able to smell it cooking and I guarantee your mouth will water which this holiday feast is air frying.
It will take about 15 minutes to cook to perfection! If it’s not hot enough after 15 minutes give it an extra 2 or 3 minutes then check again.
Tips for Baking Stuffing in an Air Fryer
Stuffing with pork sausage and whiskey flavour can be cooked in a baking dish or, if you prefer, you can roll the stuffing mixture into balls and cook those instead.
The nice thing about stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas in balls is they crisp all over. This is why choosing to cook stuffing in an air fryer makes the best side dish for your turkey.
Traditionally the stuffing used to be cooked inside the bird so it was soft. But a lot of people prefer their stuffing crispy, plus cooking it outside of the turkey ensures it cooks safely and properly.
Personally I love this sausage cranberry stuffing with Thanksgiving dinner because I really like my stuffing crispy. Also, cooking with whiskey doesn’t hurt. It makes it all the more festive!
Although it’s a bourbon or whiskey stuffing recipe, the alcohol isn’t compulsory. Choose from cooking with whisky or else you can replace it with water or broth if you prefer.
Bear in mind the alcohol content is going to cook off in the air fryer so you will only have a very subtle flavour in there and the air fryer stuffing recipe won’t be alcoholic when cooked.
This delicious holiday side dish can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container if that saves you time the next day. Keep your homemade turkey dressing in the baking dish and cover with foil. This great side dish will become one of your favorite recipes when you are having a turkey roast dinner. It is so much better than stove top stuffing! Another great side dish for the holiday season is smashed brussel sprouts which can also be made in the air fryer.
I like to add a couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary to the finished dish right before serving. It’s optional but does add a nice splash of colour. You can use either fresh rosemary or dried in the stuffing. If you’re using dried, you’ll only need 1 to 2 teaspoons because the flavour is more intense than the fresh.
Bring the air fryer whiskey, sausage and cranberry stuffing to room temperature again before putting it in the air fryer. This is because transferring a cold baking dish into a hot oven or air fryer can lead to cracks in the baking dish which you definitely don’t want!
Got leftovers? Simply put them in the air fryer for 3 or 4 minutes at 375 degrees F and they’ll come out as tasty and crispy as when you first made the stuffing in the air fryer.
Of course you can’t put a baking dish in one of those tiny air fryers, but larger model air fryers should comfortably hold one. You can use anything in there which is ovenproof.
Once you’ve sampled this, I just know you’ll want to make more air fryer stuffing recipes, although this homemade turkey dressing is hard to beat.
Glass, metal, silicon, stoneware, and ceramic are all fine. Individual ovenproof silicon moulds could hold your bourbon or whiskey stuffing recipe if you choose to make it in portions.
How to Serve Air Fryer Stuffing
Homemade stuffing with pork sausage is a festive accompaniment to any kind of meat. So whether you’re going to prepare roasted turkey, ham or something different, air fried stuffing goes well on the side. And baking stuffing in an air fryer saves time as well. This great recipe is one that dinner guests and family will enjoy.
Air Fryer Whiskey, Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing Recipe
Air Fryer Whiskey, Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 Tablespoon cloves, whole
- 1/2 Cup whiskey, or Bourbon
- 3 Cups French bread, Cubed, 1/2 loaf
- 1/2 Pound sausage, mild pork
- 2 Tablespoons Rosemary leaves, fresh
- 1/2 Teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
- 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 Cup celery, chopped
- 1/4 Cup cranberry sauce
- 2 eggs, whisked
Instructions
- Soak cranberries and whole cloves in whiskey for 30 minutes and drain. Remove cloves and discard.
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Brown and drain the sausage. Add to a large mixing bowl and combine with all other ingredients. Gently stir to mix.
- Pour the stuffing mixture into an 8” baking dish.
- Place the baking dish into the air fryer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh rosemary.
Nutrition
Not only is this stuffing for Thanksgiving or Christmas but whenever you want a tasty side dish for a meal. It’s so quick and easy to make you’ll definitely find many other occasions to make this easy stuffing in the air fryer. There are so many reason to love air fryer recipes!
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I had no idea stuffing could be made in the air fryer! This whiskey sausage combo is amazing.
Putting the air fryer to good use while you have pots and pans on the stove and a whole turkey dinner in the oven means you can fix this and forget about it. So flavorful!!
Had no idea stuffing could be this fancy. I usually just make a basic one with breadcrumbs, onion, sage, egg, and that’s about it – but this one was so flavorful it was one of the best parts of the whole dinner.
I need to try this! Looks so good