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–+ servings
cooked stuffing balls in an air fryer
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5 from 4 votes

Air Fryer Stuffing Balls Recipe

Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or for serving any night with roast meats, vegetables, and mashed potatoes, Air Fryer Stuffing Balls are the most fun way to serve this delicious side dish.
To adjust the servings in this recipe, click on the number next to servings.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time9 minutes
Total Time49 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer recipe, easy side dish, Holiday recipe, holiday side dish, simple side, Thanksgiving
Servings: 20 stuffing balls
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $6.00

Equipment

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Skillet
  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (½ cup = 1 stick / 8 Tablespoons)
  • 2 stalks Celery, finely chopped
  • 1 cup finely chopped Onion
  • 1/2 cup Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 10 ounce Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • 12 ounces Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing (see note)
  • 1 cup Low-Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Stock
  • Olive Oil Spray

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until vegetables are very soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg and mushroom soup together. Add stuffing mix on top.
  • Add the cooked vegetables to the bowl (it’s okay if it is still hot).
  • Heat the chicken stock in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is starting to boil. Pour the heated stock over the ingredients in the bowl. Stir everything together until evenly combined.
  • Set the stuffing aside until it is cool enough to handle.
  • Preheat an air fryer to 350°F. Spray the basket with some nonstick cooking spray.
  • Form stuffing into about 20 even balls (about ¼ cup of stuffing each), pressing the mixture together firmly between your hands.
  • When the air fryer is heated, arrange the stuffing balls in a single layer in the basket. (Cook them in batches if they don’t all easily fit.) Spray the tops and sides of the stuffing balls lightly with olive oil spray.
  • Cook until golden on the outside and cooked all the way through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Notes

Make Ahead: The stuffing balls can be assembled and refrigerated for up to 3 days before cooking. Cover them tightly to prevent them from drying out. 
Pepperidge Farm Herb Seasoned Classic Stuffing - Be sure to grab the “classic stuffing” which comes in bite-sized pieces, not cubes. It’s sold in the blue bag. 
Stove Top Stuffing: My recipe testers and I tried this recipe using Stove Top Stuffing which can be easier to find outside of the holidays. We enjoyed them this way, but because both Stove Top Stuffing Mix and Cream of Mushroom Soup are both quite salty, the stuffing balls came out noticeably salty this way. For this reason, I strongly recommend getting unsalted or low-sodium Concentrated Cream of Mushroom Soup. Also be sure to use unsalted butter to keep the salt content down. Below is the recipe using Stove Top Stuffing Mix. It makes about 20 stuffing balls.
  • 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 (6-ounce) bags Stove Top Stuffing Mix
  • 1 10-ounce can Unsalted or Low-Sodium Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • Olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray
  1. Combine butter and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat them until the butter is melted and water is just starting to simmer.
  2. Pour stuffing mix into a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot water and melted butter over the stuffing mix. Add cream of mushroom soup. Stir everything together until evenly combine.
  3. Let the stuffing mixture rest until it is cool though to handle. 
  4. Preheat an air fryer to 350°F.
  5. Form stuffing into about 20 even balls, pressing the mixture together firmly between your hands. (These should be slightly larger than golf balls.)
  6. When the air fryer is heated, arrange the stuffing balls in a single layer in the basket. (Cook them in batches if they don’t all easily fit.) Spray the tops and sides of the stuffing balls lightly with olive oil spray or nonstick cooking spray.
  7. Cook until golden on the outside and cooked all the way through, 7 to 9 minutes.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 324mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 324IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg