Perfect for Sunday roasts or Christmas dinner, these easy air fryer stuffing balls are made with store-bought sage and onion stuffing mix!
Crispy on the outside and tender in the middle, best of all they are ready in under 20 minutes!
Air fryers come into their own when serving up big Sunday lunches and Christmas dinners. They free up valuable oven and hob space, by air frying some of your favourite dishes for you!
I've already developed this amazing crispy air fryer brussels sprouts recipe, that I'll definitely be using at Christmas, but these sage and onion stuffing balls are pretty good too....and so simple!
👩🍳 Looking for an oven-baked stuffing recipe? Try my easy sausage meat stuffing!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
Here's why these are the best air fryer stuffing balls!
- Made with store-bought Paxo sage and onion stuffing mix
- Quick and easy in the air fryer
- Perfect for Sunday lunch or Christmas
- Easily customisable
- Make ahead and store in the fridge
🛒 Ingredients
- Stuffing Mix - I used a 170g packet of Paxo sage and onion stuffing mix. You could try different flavoured stuffing mixes if you prefer.
- Fry Light - a light oil spray to ensure the stuffing balls are crispy on the outside, and don't stick to the air fryer.
- Boiling Water - to help bind the stuffing together.
🔪 How to cook stuffing balls in an air fryer
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
- Preheat your air fryer to 180c and set the timer for 8 minutes.
- Place the dried stuffing mix into a large bowl.
- Pour over 425ml of boiling water and mix with a spoon.
- Let the mixture stand for 8 minutes.
- Roll the mixture into 12 equal balls. Spray one side with olive oil spray and place oil side down into the air fryer basket, then spray the upward facing side of each stuffing ball.
- Air fry for 5 minutes.
- Remove the air fryer basket from the air fryer and turn each stuffing ball with a tong. Air fry for a further 3 minutes until crispy on the outside.
Advantages of air fryer cooking
An air fryer cooks food by blowing hot air around it, making the foods you air fry crispy in a short amount of time. It's a bit like a compact convection oven.
Another benefit of air frying is that much less oil is needed than if you were frying or roasting foods in a conventional oven or hob.
Which Air Fryer? The model I recommend and use myself is a Ninja Foodi Heath Grill and Air Fryer, which not only air fries but also grills, roasts and dehydrates food too.
💭 Top tips
- Make the stuffing balls the night before and chill in your fridge ready to air fry the next day.
- It's important not to crowd food into an air fryer. The recipe I give here makes 12 stuffing balls in a large 6 litre air fryer. If you have a smaller air fryer I suggest air frying them in two batches.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Stuffing balls are the perfect accompaniment to a roast dinner or Christmas lunch.
In this house Christmas lunch usually consists of roast turkey AND beef, polenta roast potatoes, Parmentier potatoes, garlic sweet potato mash, slow cooker red cabbage, honey roast parsnips and carrots, crispy air fryer brussels sprouts, bread sauce, and devils on horseback!
You could also serve the stuffing balls as a party appetiser, with some of your favourite dips. And don't forget the obligatory turkey, cranberry, and stuffing sandwiches on Boxing Day!
📖 Variations
- If you don't have an air fryer, you can cook the stuffing balls in a conventional oven too.
- Vary the flavours and use different dry stuffing mixes. Supermarkets are usually full of different stuffing flavours in the run up to Christmas!
- Add the zest of 1 clementine to the sage and onion stuffing balls to give them a festive flavour.
- Add a handful of dried cranberries for a fruity hit.
🥡 Storage
- To Store. Any leftover cooked stuffing balls can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- To Reheat. Reheat the stuffing balls in the microwave for ease. Alternatively you could give them a quick blast in the air fryer, which will help retain their crispness.
- To Freeze. Air fried stuffing balls can be frozen for up to 3 months.
❓ FAQs
Air frying is healthier than frying in oil. It cuts calories by about 70% in most cases.
More air fryer recipes
More easy side dishes
Tried this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating in the comments!
Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Stuffing Balls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 170 g Sage and Onion Stuffing Mix I use Paxo
- 1 teaspoon Fry Light Spray
- 425 ml Boiling Water
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 180°c and set the timer for 8 minutes.
- Place the dried stuffing mix in a large bowl.
- Pour over 425ml of boiling water and mix with a spoon.
- Let the mixture stand for 8 minutes.
- Roll the mixture into 12 equal balls. Spray one side with olive oil spray and place oil side down into the air fryer basket, then spray the upward facing side of each stuffing ball.
- Air fry for 5 minutes.
- Remove the air fryer basket from the air fryer and turn each stuffing ball with a tong. Air fry for a further 3 minutes until crispy on the outside.
Notes
- Make the stuffing balls the night before and chill in your fridge ready to air fry the next day.
- It's important not to crowd food into an air fryer. The recipe I give here makes 12 stuffing balls in a large 6 litre air fryer. If you have a smaller air fryer I suggest air frying them in two batches.
- If you don't have an air fryer, you can cook the stuffing balls in a conventional oven too.
- Vary the flavours and use different dry stuffing mixes. Supermarkets are usually full of different stuffing flavours in the run up to Christmas!
- Add the zest of 1 clementine to the sage and onion stuffing balls to give them a festive flavour.
- Add a handful of dried cranberries for a fruity hit.
- To Store. Any leftover cooked stuffing balls can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
- To Reheat. Reheat the stuffing balls in the microwave for ease. Alternatively you could give them a quick blast in the air fryer, which will help retain their crispness.
- To Freeze. Air fried stuffing balls can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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Lisa Huff
Such a fun holiday idea! Love that there are only 3 ingredients. Quick and easy!
Nathan
I can't believe I've never seen stuffing balls before! This recipe is delicious and so easy to make in the air fryer. Definitely an instant favorite!
Louise Cayzer
I'm the proud new owner of an airfryer and was looking for a way to make stuffing in it! Worked out perfectly. Yum!
Julie
These are a perfect side dish to go with any meal. Bonus that they are so easy to make.
Roxana
Wow this is such an easy recipe. And an incredible resource full of tips and helpful information for air frying.