Air Fryer Stuffing Balls
, Updated Sep 14, 2025
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These delicious Air Fryer Stuffing Balls are so easy to make and perfect for sharing as an appetizer or side dish with a roast dinner. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any roast dinner.
When it comes to a holiday roast, the turkey may get the spotlight but, let’s be honest, stuffing balls are the true crowd-pleaser. Crispy on the outside, soft and flavorful inside, these little bites pack all the comforting flavors of classic stuffing in a neat, make-ahead-friendly package.
Best of all, cooking them in the air fryer means no battling for oven space, just golden, evenly cooked stuffing balls in a fraction of the time. Make a batch ahead of the holiday rush and stash in the freezer for stress-free entertaining
Here’s What You’ll Need
These delicious stuffing bites are perfect for making ahead so you have one less thing to fret over when making a festive feast! But they are just as delicious as part of a roast dinner or even as a snack.
- Sausage meat or you can use your favorite sausages and simply squeeze the meat out of the casings.
- Shallots or onions
- Breadcrumbs – try using stale bread that would otherwise go to waste
- Prosciutto or smoked bacon for added flavor.
- Dried cranberries for that sprinkle of holiday magic!
- An egg to bind the ingredients.
- Herbs: Sage, thyme, and parsley give that traditional holiday taste.
How to Make Stuffing Balls In Air Fryer
- Blitz bread in a mini food processor to make the breadcrumbs (a great way to use up stale bread so there’s no waste). You can mince the prosciutto and shallots in the food processor, no need to clean first.
- Add the sausage, minced shallots or onions, breadcrumbs, prosciutto, cranberries, egg, herbs and seasoning to a mixing bowl. Stir well to combine the ingredients. You can now use the stuffing mix straight away or chill in the fridge to use the following day if prepping ahead.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the mixture and roll each with slightly damp hands to smooth into little balls, the size of a golf ball.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Use a spray bottle to mist the air fryer basket with oil, add the stuffing balls and spray again.
- Cook for 12-15 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket once or twice so they cook evenly. Check they are golden, crispy and cooked through (try not to eat them all straight out of the air fryer!).
Serving Suggestions
These stuffing balls make the perfect sidekick to all your roast dinner favorites. Try them alongside my spatchcock turkey for a festive feast, serve with roast beef or juicy pork roast for a comforting Sunday dinner. And of course, no roast is complete without goose fat roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings, together, they create the ultimate holiday spread.
You can also serve these as cocktail party nibbles or mix into leftover sandwiches or wraps for the ultimate post-holiday lunch.
Leftovers and Storage
The great thing about stuffing balls is that they taste just as delicious as leftovers. Store them in the refrigerator for up to three days, reheating them in the air fryer to crisp and warm up.
You can also freeze them and air fry them straight from the freezer. My kids love these so much and this way they can enjoy them any night of the week, not just on special occasions!
Recipe Variations
Feel free to add your favorite ingredients and seasonings to personalize this recipe. You can always replace the sausage meat with a plant-based alternative and leave out the prosciutto to make a veggie version.
You can also spice them up by using spiced sausage meat, chorizo and Cajun seasoning – really the variations are endless.
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Air Fryer Stuffing Balls
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs (900g) sausage meat or good quality pork sausages
- 4 slices prosciutto or streaky bacin , finely chopped
- 2 large shallots or 1 small onion, minced
- 1 cup (100g) fresh breadcrumbs
- ½ cup (60g dried cranberries very finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh sage , finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- olive oil in spray bottle , to cook
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients. Blitz bread in a mini food processor to make the breadcrumbs (a great way to use up stale bread so there’s no waste). You can mince the prosciutto and shallots in the food processor, no need to clean first.
- Add the sausage, minced shallots or onions, breadcrumbs, prosciutto, cranberries, egg, herbs and seasoning to a mixing bowl. Stir well to combine the ingredients. You can now use the stuffing mix straight away or chill in the fridge to use the following day if prepping ahead.2 lbs (900g) sausage meat, 4 slices prosciutto or streaky bacin, 2 large shallots, 1 cup (100g) fresh breadcrumbs, ½ cup (60g dried cranberries, 2 tbsp fresh sage, 1 tsp dried parsley, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 1 large egg
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the mixture and roll each with slightly damp hands to smooth into little balls, the size of a small meatball.
- Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 200°C/ 400°F. Use a spray bottle to mist the air fryer basket with oil, add the stuffing balls and spray them with oil as well.olive oil in spray bottle
- Cook for 12-15 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket once or twice so they cook evenly. Check they are golden, crispy and cooked through (try not to eat them all straight out of the air fryer!).
- Serve as an appetizer with mustard and cranberry sauce or as a side dish with turkey, chicken or any roast meat.
Notes
- Store them in the refrigerator for up to three days, reheating them in the air fryer to crisp and warm up.
- You can also freeze them for up to three months and air fry frozen stuffing balls straight from the freezer. My kids love these so much and this way they can enjoy them any night of the week, not just on special occasions!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
