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It’s hard to improve on a top-notch stuffing recipe, but I cracked the code: make it faster! This Air Fryer Stuffing has all the classic flavors you love including buttery bread cubes, tender-crisp veggies, and fresh herbs. It turns out golden brown with plenty of crispy edges, and it takes just 15 minutes in your air fryer.
Meggan’s notes
It’s crazy but it’s true: You can make stuffing in an air fryer. As a classically-trained chef and a busy mom of 3, I’m always looking for shortcuts, especially around the holidays. I love my homemade bread stuffing recipe more than anything else, but if I want it done faster, I needed to step away from the oven.
While traditional bread stuffing takes 45 minutes in the oven, air fryer stuffing is done in 15 minutes flat. That gives you more time and more oven space to focus on the rest of your menu.
If you’re looking for tricks to get ahead of schedule, this classic recipe might be right up your alley. You can mix the bread with the vegetables, herbs, and broth mixture a day ahead. Just keep it covered in the refrigerator, and when you’re ready, add it to your air fryer. Nothing could be easier, faster, or delicious for your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken broth: I keep jars of homemade chicken broth in the freezer (it’s a delicious by-product of poaching a chicken), but store-bought is also good. Or use turkey broth if you have that.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs taste the best in this stuffing, but dried work too. I rarely find fresh marjoram and almost always substitute dried.
- French bread: Use any sturdy bread such as Italian, challah, or sourdough bread. Dry the bread up to 3 days in advance (keep it covered with a dry kitchen towel on counter, or slice and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes).
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter until foaming. Add onion and celery and sauté until translucent, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk eggs in large bowl. Stir in broth, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- To skillet, add parsley, sage, thyme, and marjoram until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer stuffing mix to a large mixing bowl with eggs and mix well. Add bread cubes and toss to combine.
- Preheat a 3-quart or higher air fryer to 350 degrees. Transfer stuffing to air fryer basket (I use a 5.8-quart and put the mixture in the basket).
- Air fry at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from air fryer, transfer to a serving dish, and keep warm until serving time.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Air Fryer Bread Stuffing Recipe makes about 10 cups, enough for 10 side-dish servings of about 1 cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make Ahead Stuffing: After you’ve assembled the stuffing, refrigerate it up to 1 day in advance. See my full Make-Ahead Thanksgiving menu for more ways to cook in advance including a Make Ahead Roasted Turkey, Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes (that won’t get watery in the freezer), and Make Ahead Pumpkin Pie.
- Freezer: For best results, assemble and freeze the bread stuffing uncooked. Then thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed in the recipe.
- Crockpot stuffing: Save your oven space and make bread stuffing in your slow cooker. You’ll still have soft, chewy bread cubes with plenty of crispy edges without using your oven. See my full menu of Slow Cooker Thanksgiving recipes.
- Gluten-free stuffing: My favorite gluten free stuffing recipe is made with Canyon Bakehouse Mountain White or Udi’s Multigrain Gluten-Free breads (both sold in the freezer section), but use the one you love the most. Dry the bread up to 3 days in advance (keep it covered with a dry kitchen towel on the counter, or slice and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes). Change out the bread and the rest of the recipe can stay the same.
- Vegan stuffing: This easy Vegan Stuffing Recipe is filled with wild mushrooms, leeks, fresh kale, and all the classic Thanksgiving herbs you love.
- Small batch: My Bread Stuffing for Two is the same delicious, buttery stuffing with all your favorite flavors, but scaled down to a smaller quantity for small gatherings. See my full Thanksgiving for Two Menu which includes a pair of roasted Cornish Hens with Stuffing and two Mini Pumpkin Pies for dessert.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best bread for stuffing is a sturdy loaf with a tight crumb. Bakery French bread, Italian bread, Challah, and Sourdough are all good choices. When you cut up a 1-pound loaf into cubes, it should fit in an even layer on a single half-size rimmed baking sheet. If you need 2 sheet trays to fit your pound of bread cubes, the bread is too soft an airy. It won’t make good stuffing and you’ll wind up with a dish full of mush, no matter how well you dry it out.
Dry the bread up to 3 days in advance (keep it covered with a dry kitchen towel on the counter, or slice and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes).
For food safety reasons, and for a more evenly cooked bird, most modern recipes don’t encourage stuffing a turkey. If you decide to stuff your turkey, combine wet and dry stuffing components just before placing them in the cavity, ensuring any raw meat, poultry, or seafood used in the stuffing is fully cooked beforehand. Do not stuff a bird with cooked stuffing. Use a large spoon or your hands to loosely stuff the body and neck cavities (do not pack it tightly because the stuffing expands while it cooks). Truss the main cavity with trussing pins to keep the stuffing inside. The stuffing must register 165 degrees on an internal thermometer to be safe to eat. For more information, see the USDA website. Stuffing a chicken or Cornish hens is also discouraged.
More Thanksgiving recipes
Chicken and Turkey Recipes
Roasted Turkey Breast
Casserole Recipes
Vegetable Casserole
Casserole Recipes
Easy Sweet Potato Casserole with Marsmallows
Bread Recipes
Homemade Crescent Rolls
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Air Fryer Stuffing
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 4 celery ribs halved lengthwise and chopped
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups chicken broth (see note 1)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 (1-pound) loaf French bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes and dried overnight on counter (see note 3)
Instructions
- In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter until foaming. Add onion and celery and sauté until translucent, about 7 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk eggs in large bowl. Stir in broth, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- To skillet, add parsley, sage, thyme, and marjoram until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl with eggs and mix well. Add bread cubes and toss to combine.
- Preheat a 3-quart or higher air fryer to 350 degrees. Transfer stuffing to air fryer basket (I use a 5.8-quart and put the mixture in the basket).
- Air fry at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from air fryer, transfer to a serving dish, and keep warm until serving time.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken broth: I keep jars of homemade chicken broth in the freezer (it’s a delicious by-product of poaching a chicken), but store-bought is also good. Or use turkey broth if you have that.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs taste the best in this stuffing, but dried work too. I rarely find fresh marjoram and almost always substitute dried.
- French bread: Use any sturdy bread such as Italian, challah, or sourdough bread. Dry the bread up to 3 days in advance (keep it covered with a dry kitchen towel on counter, or slice and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes).
- Yield: This Air Fryer Bread Stuffing Recipe makes about 10 c., enough for 10 side-dish servings of about 1 c. each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.