Air Fryer Stuffing

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.

Why You’ll Love It

Tastes amazing: The creative combination of whiskey, sausage and cranberries gives this air fryer stuffing recipe such incredible flavor.
Frees up oven space: If you’re oven is already full of holiday dishes and your stovetop is loaded up with pots and pans bubbling away, why not make your stuffing in the air fryer instead, to free up space for other dishes?
Goes with any roasted meat: Whether you’re serving up turkey, ham, chicken, beef, pork, or another protein, you’ll find this air fried stuffing a lovely pairing.

Air Fryer Stuffing Ingredients

A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

French bread: Stale French bread works fine.
Cranberries: Dried cranberries and cranberry sauce add a sweet/tart taste.
Sausage: I used mild pork sauce to make my air fryer stuffing.
Herbs: Rosemary, sage and parsley add plenty of herby flavors.
Spices: I used cloves, allspice and black pepper.
Whiskey: You can use whiskey or bourbon.
Celery: Adds a contrasting flavor and texture to the stuffing.
Eggs: To bind the stuffing together.

How to Make Air Fryer Stuffing

For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.

Soak the cloves and cranberries: Soak the cloves and cranberries in your choice of whiskey or bourbon, and then you can discard the cloves.
Brown the sausage: 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 overmix your Thanksgiving stuffing. Keeping some texture in this stuffing with sausage is best.
Air fry the stuffing: 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 and then check again.

Substitutions and Variations

Whiskey: You can use any kind of whiskey (or whisky!) or bourbon. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can substitute broth. Bear in mind the alcohol content is going to cook off in the air fryer so you will only have a very subtle flavor in there and the air fryer stuffing recipe won’t be alcoholic when cooked.
Sausage: Try spicy instead of mild pork, or experiment with another variety altogether.
Celery: You can omit this if you don’t like it.
French bread: Another type of bread will work fine. It’s okay if it’s dried out or stale.
Rosemary: 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 pop of color. 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 flavor is more intense than the fresh.

Serving Suggestions

Appetizers: Begin your festive feast with a cranberry orange cheese ball.
Main and side dishes: Enjoy pineapple glazed ham with roasted acorn squash, fondant potatoes and some of this air fryer stuffing.
Desserts: Finish up with gingerbread trifle.

How to Store Air Fryer Stuffing

Store: Once the stuffing has cooled to room temperature, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat it within 3 to 4 days.
Freeze: It will keep for 2 to 3 months in a sealed container in the freezer.
Thaw: Thaw it overnight.
Reheat: Bring the air fryer stuffing to room temperature again before putting it in the air fryer and cooking until it’s 165°F. 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!